Fishbone Diagram

Kaoru Ishikawa, an original founder of the total quality management movement, designed this tool for the business community. A fishbone diagram, like many problem-solving tools, is a process heuristic. Heuristic comes from the same Greek root as Eureka! meaning “to find.” Such strategies apply commonsense rules that increase the probability of solving some problem by efficiently zeroing attention on the problem or search space. This is where potential explanations, resolutions, or root causes are likely to be found.

When you want groups of students to investigate cause and effect relationships, the Fishbone Diagram can stimulate the process. The diagram takes its name from the fact that the resulting figure resembles a fish skeleton. In this visual display, the spine of the fish is a line that leads to the outcome, generally given as a problem statement. Categories branch outward from the central stem. Side categories are major inputs that influence the outcome. Within each of the side branches is where the root causes or actual drivers of a problem lie. Intuition plays a major role in the successful application of cause and effect diagrams.

Implementation

 

1. Prepare a clear and concise statement of the problem.

• This is usually stated as a question. For example, why has the local winter flounder population dwindled in recent years?
• Place this statement in the head of the fish.

• Display in a prominent place.
• Use sticky notes for student responses.

 

Classroom Management

 

1. Introduce the problem. This is usually stated as a question. For example: "Why has the local winter flounder population dwindled in recent years?"
2. Either brainstorm or directly label beforehand, the major bones branching from the main stem. These are the major causes associated with the problem.
3. Brainstorm the major details within each category that may be influencing the cause being considered.

• Repeatedly ask "Why does this happen?"
• On a whiteboard, place the responses as side branches from the major side branch.

• Prioritize these by placing them in rank order.
• The higher the position on the list, the most probable the cause.