Cause and Effect Diagram

To analyze the causes of the problem, the team decides to use a Cause-and-Effect Diagram. To choose the most important causes, the team will use a Pareto Analysis.

Cause-and-Effect Diagram

1. identify the problem's characteristics
2. brainstorm the reasons why the problem is occurring using a Causal Table (also known as the Why-Because Technique)
3. group the causes by relationship using an Affinity Technique
4. create a Cause-and-Effect Diagram

Step 1: Identifying the Problem's Characteristics

First, to define the problem more precisely, Mrs. Alvarez poses several questions to the team. These questions revolve around identifying some of the specific characteristics of the problem, identifying the people who are affected by this problem, and pinpointing when the problem occurs. The team refers to the Client Flow Analysis and to other information they gathered while they were describing the problem to answer these questions.

Identifying Problem Cause and Effect

Question	Answer
1. What is this problem about?	Delay in attending to users.
2. Who is affected by this problem?	One-fourth (25%) of patients wait more than 90 minutes for care.
3. When does this problem occur?	Waiting time increases beginning midmorning on Mondays and Fridays.
4. Where does it occur?	In the health center, mainly at the registration desk, in the doctor's waiting room, and in the laboratory.