

The diagram will get more and more detailed as your team continues to discuss the issue until you are able to dig down into the root cause. Once the root cause is identified, your team can begin finding solutions to the problem! Stormboard + Fishbone Add these factors as even smaller lines deriving from the ‘bones’. It is important to determine what factors contributed to those causes. Next, you and your team will write down all of the causes of your problem by using the categories as your guide. These categories are written down as main branches that come off of the ‘spine’ of the fish. Teams will then structure their meetings by following a set of categories that their ideas will branch off from. The most common categories are: People, Method, Machine, Material, and Environment - but you can come up with any category titles that fit the problem you are trying to solve. The first step to using a Fishbone diagram is identifying the problem or issue that needs to be solved and writing it on the fish head. “It enables the team to focus on why the problem occurs, and not on the history or symptoms of the problem, or other topics that digress from the intent of the session.” ( source) How does a Fishbone diagram work? Typically, teams add more and more ‘bones’ until they come up with solutions. The diagram is traditionally shaped like the skeleton of a fish, with a head, spine, and various bones that stick out from the spine.

Originally, the Fishbone diagram was created by Kaoru Ishikawa from Japan for quality management and to find cause and effect ( source). It’s often used by large-scale teams but can work for anyone. A Fishbone diagram, also referred to as an Ishikawa diagram, is a fish-shaped map that is used as a tool for problem-solving and getting to the root cause of an issue.
