Epicenter is a strong advocate of organizations having a common language and tools in their company "toolbox" to identify and solve problems.  This month's newsletter is about what might be considered a "core" tool for identifying the root cause(s) of a problem - the Cause-and-Effect Diagram (C&E Diagram) or what some refer to as the "Fishbone" Diagram.
 
A C&E Diagram is principally a visual and structured method for helping teams to brainstorm potential sources of an issue.  If used properly, C&E Diagrams can help a team to generate a more robust list of potential sources than with brainstorming alone.

 

 

1. Write down the problem statement.  Write down the issue or problem statement that you would like to address in a box on the far right side of a blank piece of butcher paper.  Since the problem statement is an important part of the process, take time to make sure that the statement is clear, thorough and concise.   As a base, it should include the "what," where," "when," and "how much" of the problem.
 
2.  Identify main branch categories.   Next, draw a line from the problem statement to the left and up to six "branches" off of the line (see example).  Each "branch" will represent different categories for the causes that you will be identifying.  Some typical categories to consider are:  Machines, Methods, Materials, Manpower/People, Policies, Procedures, Equipment, and Maintenance.
 
3.  Brainstorm potential causes.  Once you have identified the main branches, the team brainstorms potential causes within each category that would lead to the identified problem.  As each potential cause is identified, it is written on the appropriate branch as a sub-branch (see example).
 
4.  Identify root causes.  Use the "5 Whys" process to identify the potential root causes for each potential cause listed.  This process consists of asking "why does this happen" up to five times, and the information is then drawn on a sub-branch of the potential cause identified.
 
5.  Research the potential root causes.  Just because the team has identified some potential root causes does not mean that it has identified the "real" root causes.  The final step is to use the information generated during this process as a starting point for researching the issues to determine their true impact on the problem.