Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa Diagram)

By: A Staff Writer

Updated on: Jul 19, 2024

What: Visual tool resembling a fish skeleton, with cause categories as “bones” pointing to a problem (the head).

Who: Kaoru Ishikawa, pioneer in quality management.

Why: Helps entrepreneurs uncover the root cause of problems instead of just addressing symptoms.

When: During troubleshooting, quality investigations, or trying to prevent a recurring error.

How:

1. 1. Define the problem clearly as the “head” of the fish.
   2. Use common categories (Methods, Machines, etc.) or customize them.
   3. Brainstorm potential causes under each category.