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Welcome Case Study Map

Main Topics


		Solve Problems
		Focus on the User
		Build Teams
		Manage the Process

Problem Solving Concepts


		Identify the Problem
		Describe the Problem
		Analyze the Problem
		Plan the Solution
		Implement the Solution
		Evaluate the Solution

Tools for Analyzing the Problem


		Brainstorming
		Causal Table
		Cause-and-Effect Diagram
		Tally Sheet
		Pareto Analysis
		Client Flow Analysis
		Focus Group
		Prioritization Matrix

Cause-and-Effect Diagram

What is it?

A Cause-and-Effect Diagram (also known as a "Fishbone Diagram") is a graphical technique for grouping people's ideas about the causes of a problem.

Who uses it?

The team, the users, the manager.

Why use it?

Using a Cause-and-Effect Diagram forces the team to consider the complexity of the problem and to take an objective look at all the contributing factors. It helps the team to determine both the primary and the secondary causes of a problem and is helpful for organizing the ideas generated from a brainstorming session.

When to use it?

It is used after the causes have been grouped by relationships (for example, by using a Causal Table or "Why-Because" Technique). It is a useful diagram for problem analysis. Therefore, a Cause-and-Effect Diagram should be used before deciding how to deal with the problem.

How to use it:

Before constructing the Cause-and-Effect Diagram, you need to analyze the causes. The steps are as follows:

Re-examine the problem by asking:
- What is the problem?
- Who is affected?
- When does it occur?
- Where does it occur?
Brainstorm the team's ideas about the causes of a problem using the Causal Table or "Why-Because" Technique.
The list of causes should be grouped by relationships or common factors using an affinity technique.
You can now illustrate graphically the causes grouped by relationships by using a Cause-and-Effect Diagram where:
- The problem under investigation is described in a box at the head of the diagram.
- A long spine with an arrow pointing towards the head forms the backbone of the "fish." The direction of the arrow indicates that the items that feed into the spine might cause the problem described in the head.
- A few large bones feed into the spine. These large bones represent the main categories of potential causes of the problem. Again, the arrows represent the direction of the action; the items on the larger bones are thought to cause the problem in the head.
- The smaller bones represent deeper causes of the larger bones they are attached to. Each bone is a link in a Cause-and-Effect chain that leads from the deepest causes to the targeted problem.

Example:

Here is an example of using a Cause-and-Effect Diagram to analyze a problem.

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