ASSIGNMENT 09
Question: Discuss and describe the cause and effect diagram
Answer: A cause-effect diagram is a visual tool used to logically organize possible causes for
a specific problem or effect by graphically displaying them in increasing detail, suggesting
causal relationships among them. It is also called fishbone or Ishikawa diagram and was
introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa.
When diagnosing the cause of a problem, a cause-effect diagram helps to organize various
root causes and presents them graphically.
The C-E Diagram is a fundamental tool utilized in the early stages of an improvement team.
The ideas generated during a brainstorming process are used to create the diagram. Since the
list of issues on a C-E may be very large, the team should use a prioritization technique to
narrow the list of potential causes that they desire to investigate further.
At the head of the diagram is the “Effect” that the team is investigating. The team
brainstormed potential causes for this effect. The skeleton becomes the various potential
causes and the headers are the column heads from the affinity diagram.
All possible sources of causation need to be considered. There are at least four classes of causes
that may apply to any problem:
1. Objects such as machines and material
2. Conditions such as motivations, temperature, or level of demand
3. Timed sequence in the process such as time of day or sequence in production
4. The effects associated with place such as a particular production line, the loading
dock, the distributor, or a particular branch office.
These are the what, why, when, and where of cause and effect and should always be asked. In
addition to the 4 W’s, teams that use cause-effect diagrams have developed two other lists that
help them remember to consider these several classes of possible causes for a problem. These
lists are characterized as the 5 M’s in manufacturing and the 5 P’s in services, as follows:
1. Manpower: People (employees)
2. Materials: Provisions (supplies)
3. Methods: Procedures
4. Machines: Place (environment)
5. Measurements: Patrons (customers)
This helps in remembering to consider a full range of possible causes. The list may differ as per
every organization. However, the important point is to consider all possible sources of causation
by posing a number of questions
Advantage of Cause and Effect Diagram
Question: Discuss and describe the cause and effect diagram
Answer: A cause-effect diagram is a visual tool used to logically organize possible causes for
a specific problem or effect by graphically displaying them in increasing detail, suggesting
causal relationships among them. It is also called fishbone or Ishikawa diagram and was
introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa.
When diagnosing the cause of a problem, a cause-effect diagram helps to organize various
root causes and presents them graphically.
The C-E Diagram is a fundamental tool utilized in the early stages of an improvement team.
The ideas generated during a brainstorming process are used to create the diagram. Since the
list of issues on a C-E may be very large, the team should use a prioritization technique to
narrow the list of potential causes that they desire to investigate further.
At the head of the diagram is the “Effect” that the team is investigating. The team
brainstormed potential causes for this effect. The skeleton becomes the various potential
causes and the headers are the column heads from the affinity diagram.
All possible sources of causation need to be considered. There are at least four classes of causes
that may apply to any problem:
1. Objects such as machines and material
2. Conditions such as motivations, temperature, or level of demand
3. Timed sequence in the process such as time of day or sequence in production
4. The effects associated with place such as a particular production line, the loading
dock, the distributor, or a particular branch office.
These are the what, why, when, and where of cause and effect and should always be asked. In
addition to the 4 W’s, teams that use cause-effect diagrams have developed two other lists that
help them remember to consider these several classes of possible causes for a problem. These
lists are characterized as the 5 M’s in manufacturing and the 5 P’s in services, as follows:
1. Manpower: People (employees)
2. Materials: Provisions (supplies)
3. Methods: Procedures
4. Machines: Place (environment)
5. Measurements: Patrons (customers)
This helps in remembering to consider a full range of possible causes. The list may differ as per
every organization. However, the important point is to consider all possible sources of causation
by posing a number of questions
Advantage of Cause and Effect Diagram
