How to use the fishbone diagram maker
- Type the problem or effect in one short statement. It goes in the head of the fish.
- In the category box write one category per line as `Category: cause, cause, cause`. Commas and semicolons both separate causes.
- Check the preview. Each category becomes a bone, alternating above and below the spine, with its causes on small ribs.
- Choose Download PDF or Print to get a landscape page you can share in a meeting.
Four categories with three causes each
Four categories, each with three causes, print as four bones with twelve ribs. The two categories on the top are drawn first and third, and the two on the bottom second and fourth, so a diagram with eight categories uses four columns of two bones.
The example text uses people, process, equipment and materials, which are common starting categories for a process that ships late. You can name your own, such as methods, measurements, environment or management. Up to 8 categories with up to 8 causes each fit on one page.
What a fishbone diagram is for
A fishbone, or Ishikawa, diagram is a way to organize the possible causes of one problem. The problem sits at the head and the main groups of causes branch off the spine like bones. Writing causes in groups keeps a brainstorm from becoming a single long list and shows which areas have many ideas and which have few.
The diagram lists possible causes, not proven ones. After the brainstorm, check the likely causes against data, then fix the ones that matter. The Pareto Analysis Calculator helps rank causes by how often they occur or what they cost.
Running the session
Agree on the problem statement first, and make it specific: "Orders ship late" is better than "Shipping problems". Pick categories that suit the work, ask the group to add causes under each and ask "why" for each one to find deeper causes. Keep each cause to a few words, because long text is shortened to fit its rib.
Turn the findings into actions with the Risk Register Template or assign owners with the RACI Matrix Template. To look at a decision from other angles use the SWOT Analysis Maker.
Privacy and limits
Everything is drawn in your browser from the text you type. Nothing is uploaded, and the optional saved copy stays in this browser until you untick the box. Text longer than a rib is shortened with three dots on the page, and the page tells you when that happens.
Assumptions and limits
- One problem is shown per diagram, with up to 8 categories and 8 causes in each.
- Causes are limited to 70 characters and category names to 26 so that everything stays readable.
- The preview is exactly what prints, in US Letter landscape.
- The example text is made up and is there to be replaced.
Frequently asked questions
What does each bone mean?
Each bone is a category of possible causes, and each small line on it is one cause. The spine leads to the problem at the head. Together they show how causes group around one effect.
How many causes should I list?
As many as the group can think of, up to eight in each category on this page. If a category fills up, split it into two or move the deepest causes to a second diagram.
What categories should I use?
Use groups that fit the work. People, process, equipment and materials suit many jobs, and methods, measurements and environment are common additions. Any category name up to 26 characters works.
Can I edit the diagram after printing?
Change the text and the page updates at once. For a diagram you keep adding to during a meeting, leave the page open and type new causes into the box.