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Fishbone Analysis

A diagram that sorts the possible causes of a problem into categories before you choose one.

What is Fishbone Analysis?

A diagram that sorts the possible causes of a problem into categories before you choose one.

What you learn

List causes in every category before you settle on one.

When it helps

the causes are still uncertain and you need to widen the investigation across people, process, place and tools.

Use it at work

  1. Write the problem at the head of the diagram.
  2. Draw a branch for each category: people, process, place and tools.
  3. List possible causes on each branch.
  4. Investigate the likeliest causes, including any category left empty.

Your output

Before you pick a cause, list possibilities under people, process, place and tools. Investigate any category left empty.

Watch for

Settling on the first plausible cause.

Related practices

Sources

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