fishbone chart

Gen Mgt

a diagram resembling the skeleton of a fish that is used to identify and categorize the possible causes of problems. Within a fishbone chart, the topic or problem to be discussed is placed in a box at the right-hand side that corresponds to the fish’s head, and the major elements to be investigated are shown as branches at an angle to the horizontal spine. Questions are asked to identify possible causes of problems in each area and the results are added to the diagram as additional layers of branches. This ensures that all aspects of the problem are considered systematically. The fishbone chart is also known as a cause and effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram after the originator, Professor Kaoru Ishikawa of Tokyo University, and is frequently used in brainstorming and problem solving.