Ishikawa diagram

Ishikawa diagram
One of the Seven Basic Tools of Quality
First described byKaoru Ishikawa
PurposeTo break down (in successive layers of detail) root causes that potentially contribute to a particular effect

Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams,[1] herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show the potential causes of a specific event.[2]

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 and classify these sources of variation.

  1. ^ Project Management Institute 2015, pp. 20–24, §2.4.4.2 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams.
  2. ^ Ishikawa, Kaoru (1968). Guide to Quality Control. Tokyo: JUSE.