Effect Diagram
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Why use Cause and Effect Analysis
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What is a Cause and Effect Diagram
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Why use a Cause and Effect Diagram
It is common for people working on improvement efforts to jump
to conclusions without studying the causes, target one possible
cause while ignoring others, and take actions aimed at surface
symptoms
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How do I do it?
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How do I do it? (continued)
2. Brainstorm
Conduct a Brainstorm of all the possible causes of the effect, i.e., problem.
Have a mixed team from different parts of the process (e.g.,
assemblers and testers).
Get a fresh pair of eyes - from someone who is not too close to the
process.
Have a facilitator - an impartial referee.
Everyone is an equal contributor (leave stripes at the
door).
Fast and furious - go for quantity rather than quality (of ideas) at first.
Involve everyone, or question why he/she is here.
Timing - set an upper limit and best time/day of the week.
Offer an incentive (free lunch?).
Know when to stop.
Recognize that this is a snapshot of how the group thinks today.
Re-visit the problem again.
Refer also to the Process Mapping tool.
Consider (how) should you involve your customer?
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How do I do it? (continued)
2. Brainstorm (continued)
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How do I do it? (continued)
3. Draw fishbone diagram
Place the effect at the head of the fish
Include the 6 recommended categories shown below
Problem
or Issue
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How do I do it? (continued)
4. Align Outputs with Cause Categories
Review your brainstorm outputs and align with the
recommended major cause categories, e.g., the People,
Method, Machine, Material, Environment and Measurement
System.
Note:
These may not fit every situation and different major categories
might well be appropriate in some instances, however, the total
should not exceed six. Other categories may include
Communications, Policies, Customer/Supplier Issues etc.
Tip !
The 6 categories recommended will address almost all scenarios. However, there is no
one perfect set of categories. You may need to adapt to suit the issue being analyzed.
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How do I do it? (continued)
5. Allocate Causes
Transfer the potential causes from the brainstorm to the
diagram, placing each cause under the appropriate category.
If causes seem to fit more than one category then it is acceptable
to duplicate them. However, if this happens repeatedly it may be
a clue that the categories are wrong and you should go back to
step 4.
Related causes are plotted as twigs on the branches. Branches
and twigs can be further developed by asking questions such as
what?, why? how?, where? This avoids using broad
statements that may in themselves be effects. Beware, however,
of digging in and getting into bigger issues that are completely
beyond the influence of the team.
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How do I do it? (continued)
6. Analyze for Root Causes
Consider which are the most likely root causes of the effect. This
can be done in several ways:
Through open discussion among participants, sharing views
and experiences. This can be speeded up by using Consensus
Decision Making.
By looking for repeated causes or number of causes related to a
particular category.
By data gathering using Check Sheets, Process Maps, or
customer surveys to test relative strengths through Pareto
Analysis.
Once a relatively small number of main causes have been
agreed upon, Paired Comparisons, can be used to narrow down
further.
Some groups find it helpful to consider only those causes
they can influence.
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How do I do it? (continued)
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Sources of Variation - People
The activities of the workers.
Variations caused by skill, knowledge, competency and
attitude
Types of Questions that may be Asked
Note, this is not a definitive list of questions that may be asked to identify potential source of variation
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Sources of Variation - Method
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Sources of Variation - Machine
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Sources of Variation - Material
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Sources of Variation - Environment
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Sources of Variation Measurement System
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Example (showing 4 of the 6 recommended categories)
TRAINING MACHINABILITY
OV ERTIME STRENGTH
PART DIMENSIONAL
QUALITY
FEE D FORCE SP EED INSE RT
NC PROGRAM GRADE
TYP E
PO SITIO NI NG ACCURA CY
TEMP
TOOL PA TH CUT DE PTH HOLDING FIXTURE
REPE ATAB ILI TY
GA UG E
RIGI DI TY
COOLANT BA CK LA SH
REPE ATAB ILI TY
REPRODUCABI LITY
METHO D MACHINE
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Cause and Effect Diagram
Questions?
Call or e-mail:
Bob Ollerton
310-332-1972/310-350-9121
robert.ollerton@ngc.com
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