Cause and Efect Analysis

Identifying the Likely Causes of

Problems
(Also known as Cause and Efect Diagrams,
Fishbone Diagrams, Ishikawa Diagrams,
Herringbone Diagrams, and Fishikawa Diagrams.)
Find all possible problems.
iStockphoto/ragsac
When you have a serious problem, it's important to explore all of the
things that could cause it, before you start to think about a solution.
hat !ay you can solve the problem completely, "rst time round,
rather than #ust addressing part of it and having the problem run on
and on.
$ause and %&ect 'nalysis gives you a useful !ay of doing this. his
diagram(based techni)ue, !hich combines *rainstorming !ith a
type of +ind +ap, pushes you to consider all possible causes of a
problem, rather than #ust the ones that are most obvious.
We'll look at $ause and %&ect 'nalysis in this article.
About the Tool
$ause and %&ect 'nalysis !as devised by professor ,aoru -shika!a,
a pioneer of )uality management, in the ./01s. he techni)ue !as
then published in his .//1 book, 2-ntroduction to 3uality $ontrol.2
he diagrams that you create !ith $ause and %&ect 'nalysis are
kno!n as -shika!a 4iagrams or Fishbone 4iagrams 5because a
completed diagram can look like the skeleton of a "sh6.
$ause and %&ect 'nalysis !as originally developed as a )uality
control tool, but you can use the techni)ue #ust as !ell in other
!ays. For instance, you can use it to7
Discover the root cause of a problem.
Uncover bottlenecks in your processes.
Identify where and why a process isn't working.
How to Use the Tool
Follo! these steps to solve a problem !ith $ause and %&ect
'nalysis7
te! "# Identify the Problem
First, !rite do!n the exact problem you face. Where appropriate,
identify !ho is involved, !hat the problem is, and !hen and !here it
occurs.
hen, !rite the problem in a box on the left(hand side of a large
sheet of paper, and dra! a line across the paper hori8ontally from
the box. his arrangement, looking like the head and spine of a "sh,
gives you space to develop ideas.
E$am!le#
-n this simple example, a manager is having problems !ith an
uncooperative branch o9ce.
%igure " & Cause and Efect Analysis E$am!le te! "
5$lick image to vie! full si8e.6
Ti! "#
Some people prefer to !rite the problem on the right(hand side of
the piece of paper, and develop ideas in the space to the left. :se
!hichever approach you feel most comfortable !ith.
Ti! '#
-t's important to de"ne your problem correctly. $'W;% can help
you do this < this asks you to look at the problem from the
perspective of $ustomers, 'ctors in the process, the ransformation
process, the overall World vie!, the process ;!ner, and
%nvironmental constraints.
*y considering all of these, you can develop a comprehensive
understanding of the problem.
te! '# (ork )ut the *a+or %actors In,ol,ed
=ext, identify the factors that may be part of the problem. hese
may be systems, e)uipment, materials, external forces, people
involved !ith the problem, and so on.
ry to dra! out as many of these as possible. 's a starting point,
you can use models such as the +c,insey >S Frame!ork 5!hich
o&ers you Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared values, Skills, Style
and Sta& as factors that you can consider6 or the ?@s of +arketing
5!hich o&ers @roduct, @lace, @rice, and @romotion as possible
factors6.
*rainstorm any other factors that may a&ect the situation.
hen dra! a line o& the 2spine2 of the diagram for each factor, and
label each line.
E$am!le#
he manager identi"es the follo!ing factors, and adds these to his
diagram7
Site.
Task.
People.
!uipment.
"ontrol.
%igure ' & Cause and Efect Analysis E$am!le te! '
5$lick image to vie! full si8e.6
te! -# Identify Possible Causes
=o!, for each of the factors you considered in step A, brainstorm
possible causes of the problem that may be related to the factor.
Sho! these possible causes as shorter lines coming o& the 2bones2
of the diagram. Where a cause is large or complex, then it may be
best to break it do!n into sub(causes. Sho! these as lines coming
o& each cause line.
E$am!le#
For each of the factors he identi"ed in step A, the manager
brainstorms possible causes of the problem, and adds these to his
diagram, as sho!n in "gure B.
%igure - & Cause and Efect Analysis E$am!le te! -
5$lick image to vie! full si8e.6
te! .# Analy/e 0our 1iagram
*y this stage you should have a diagram sho!ing all of the possible
causes of the problem that you can think of.
4epending on the complexity and importance of the problem, you
can no! investigate the most likely causes further. his may involve
setting up investigations, carrying out surveys, and so on. hese !ill
be designed to test !hich of these possible causes is actually
contributing to the problem.
E$am!le#
he manager has no! "nished his $ause and %&ect 'nalysis. -f he
hadn't looked at the problem this !ay, he might have dealt !ith it
by assuming that people in the branch o9ce !ere 2being di9cult.2
-nstead he thinks that the best approach is to arrange a meeting
!ith the *ranch +anager. his !ould allo! him to brief the manager
fully on the ne! strategy, and talk through any problems that she
may be experiencing.
Ti!#
' useful !ay to use $ause and %&ect 'nalysis !ith a team is to !rite
all of the possible causes of the problem do!n on sticky notes. Cou
can then group similar ones together on the diagram.
his approach is sometimes called $%4'$ 5$ause and %&ect
4iagram !ith 'dditional $ards6 and !as developed by 4r. Dyu#i
Fukuda, a Eapanese expert on continuous improvement.
2ey Points
@rofessor ,aoru -shika!a created $ause F %&ect 'nalysis in the
./01s. he techni)ue uses a diagram(based approach for thinking
through all of the possible causes of a problem. his helps you to
carry out a thorough analysis of the situation.
here are four steps to using $ause and %&ect 'nalysis.
#. Identify the problem.
$. %ork out the ma&or factors involved.
'. Identify possible causes.
(. )naly*e your diagram.
ry using $ause and %&ect 'nalysis < you'll "nd that they are
particularly useful !hen you're trying to solve complicated
problems.
+ See more at,
http,--www.mindtools.com-pages-article-newT."/0'.htm1sthash.e234y!le.dpuf