How to Create a Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram Quickly

"Causes in the diagram are often categorized, such as to the 6 M's ...
The 6 Ms (used in manufacturing industry):
(1) Machine (technology);
(2) Method (process);
(3) Material (Includes Raw Material, Consumables and Information.);
(4) Man Power (physical work)/ Mind Power (brain work): Kaizens, Suggestions;
(5) Measurement (Inspection);
(6) Milieu/ Mother Nature (Environment).
The original 6Ms used by the Toyota Production System have been expanded by some to include the following and are referred to as the 8Ms. However, this is not globally recognized. It has been suggested to return to the roots of the tools and to keep the teaching simple while recognizing the original intent; most programs do not address the 8Ms.
(7) Management/ Money Power;
(8) Maintenance." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
This 8Ms Ishikawa diagram (manufacturing cause and effect diagram) template is included in the Fishbone Diagram solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

"Cause-and-effect diagrams can reveal key relationships among various variables, and the possible causes provide additional insight into process behavior.
Causes can be derived from brainstorming sessions. These groups can then be labeled as categories of the fishbone. They will typically be one of the traditional categories mentioned above but may be something unique to the application in a specific case. Causes can be traced back to root causes with the 5 Whys technique." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The Ishikawa diagram (cause and effect diagram, fishbone diagram) example "Factors reducing competitiveness" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

This example was created on the base of the figure from the website of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine of the Washington State University. [vetmed.wsu.edu/ courses-jmgay/ images/ Ishikawa%20 Variance%20 Diagram.jpg]
"Internal validity is a property of scientific studies which reflects the extent to which a causal conclusion based on a study is warranted. Such warrant is constituted by the extent to which a study minimizes systematic error (or 'bias')." [Internal validity. Wikipedia]
The fishbone diagram example "Ishikawa variance diagram" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

This cause-and-effect diagram example was redesigned from the Wikimedia Commons file: Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram.svg. [commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/ File:Ishikawa_ Fishbone_ Diagram.svg]
"Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, or Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. The categories typically include
- People: Anyone involved with the process
- Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements for doing it, such as policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws
- Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc. required to accomplish the job
- Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc. used to produce the final product
- Measurements: Data generated from the process that are used to evaluate its quality
- Environment: The conditions, such as location, time, temperature, and culture in which the process operates" [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The example "Ishikawa fishbone diagram" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO software extended with the Seven Basic Tools of Quality solution from the Quality area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.