Ishikawa diagram: sort the possible causes of a problem

When to use it

• The problem probably has several causes of different kinds.
• The team tends to fixate on a single explanation.
• You are preparing a group analysis workshop.

How to do it, step by step

1. Write the problem in the fish's “head”.
2. Choose the cause families (for example 5M: manpower, methods, machines, materials, milieu).
3. Brainstorm every possible cause for each family without judging them.
4. Spot the causes that come up repeatedly or look most influential.
5. Check them against facts, then decide on actions.

Example

Problem: too many production bugs. Methods: no code review. People: team new to the topic. Tools: incomplete automated tests. Environment: deadline pressure.

In FluidOps

In the “Other tools” tab, you build the diagram on screen, family by family.

Try it in FluidOps →

Going further

• Project tracking isn't (just) reporting - here's why
• What actually keeps a project team working well long-term

Same family

• 5 Whys
• Pre-mortem
• Eisenhower matrix
• RACI matrix
• All methods
• Start from your problem: which tool for which problem?