Fishbone Diagram
Use when asked about a "fishbone diagram" for root-cause analysis — the same technique as a cause-and-effect diagram (see cause-and-effect-diagram), named for its fish-skeleton shape, also called an Ishikawa diagram (see ishikawa-diagram).
A "fishbone diagram" is the same technique as a Cause and Effect Diagram — named for its fish-skeleton shape: the problem or effect at the head, with candidate cause categories branching off the spine like bones. See Cause and Effect Diagram for the technique covered in full depth (the 6M cause categories, running the brainstorming process, and common pitfalls) — this entry exists because "fishbone diagram" is one of three common names for the identical tool, alongside "cause-and-effect diagram" and Ishikawa Diagram.
Why the name varies
All three names describe the same technique, developed by Kaoru Ishikawa: "cause-and-effect diagram" names it by function, "fishbone diagram" names it by visual shape, and "Ishikawa diagram" names it after its creator. None implies a different method or a different set of pitfalls — apply exactly the discipline Cause and Effect Diagram describes regardless of which name a team or document happens to use.
Learn more
- Cause and Effect Diagram for this technique in full depth — the three names are interchangeable.
- Ishikawa Diagram for the same technique under its inventor's name.