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Purpose
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The purpose of this fishbone diagram is to brainstorm to solve problems. It's easy to throw out an idea but this encourages everyone to bring ideas to the table and to evaluate each to make a better decision on what to do moving forward.
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1. Define the Problem: The problem or effect you want to analyze goes at the head of the fish (the right side of the diagram).
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2. Draw the Backbone: Draw a straight horizontal line (the backbone) pointing to the problem statement.
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3. Identify Major Categories: The below are the most commonly used, however, just for example I went with a focus on losing customers and the various categories.
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Machines – the equipment, computers, tools, devices, databases, servers, software and hardware that are needed to do the job
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Methods – the processes, procedures, policies, work instructions, standards, references, drawings, laws, regulations and any other documentation that impacts the process
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Materials – the supplies, tools, resources, chemicals, vendors and other items provided to the process, often times outside of the organization
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Measurements – how the data quality and accuracy can impact the process, assuming that there could be bias, missing, non-random or skewed data that hides the true issues in the process
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Mother Nature – the impact of the work area or natural environment (nature) on the process, such as noise, temperature, humidity, wind, and air quality.
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Manpower – the people who do the work, and ways in which they can contribute to the problem or issue that is not due to the other categories. You should assume that people are trying to do a good job, and are not intentionally making mistakes or errors. Often times, People is used instead of manpower to remove the gender implication.
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4. Brainstorm Causes: For each category, brainstorm potential causes of the problem. Write these causes as smaller lines branching off from each rib. Make sure you invite a cross-functional team to participate to generate as many ideas as possible.
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5. Analyze the Diagram: Review the diagram to identify relationships and prioritize causes for further investigation. You can prioritize using actual data, multivoting, nominal group techniques, or gaining consensus from the team.
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6. Determine root causes: Use 5 Whys to breakdown each of the prioritized causes further until you reach the root cause (process breakdown). You do this by asking why 5 times.
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7. Take Action: Use the insights gained to develop solutions or action plans to address the root causes identified.
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