A cause-and-effect diagram shows the possible causes of a problem grouped on a single picture, like the bones of a fish. It is also called a fishbone diagram or an Ishikawa diagram.
Use it to:
- organise the ideas from a brainstorm or an affinity diagram
- see how causes relate to each other and to the problem
- decide where to focus your improvement work.
How to read the diagram
The effect, or the problem you want to improve, sits on the right of the diagram. Each major branch off the main line represents a category of cause. Smaller branches off each major branch hold the more specific causes.
This layout makes it easy to see how factors connect to a single outcome, which helps a team plan where to act.
Download cause-and-effect diagram template (PPT 82.4 KB)
Example: anticoagulation pathway
More about cause-and-affect-diagrams (Institute of Health Improvement)