Why use a Cause and Effect Diagram?
If you want to discover the root cause of a problem and need a structured method to guide a team through a problem solving process, then the cause and effect diagram is for you. The tool allows a team to identify, explore and display in increasing detail, all of the possible causes of a problem, to eventually flush out the root cause(s) of the problem. How do I use a Fishbone Diagram? The process to follow is basically the same, regardless of industry or problem. It’s best to gather a team of people who have the right skills, knowledge and experience of the problem to collectively identify all the reasons why the problem may be occurring. Top Tip – How Do You Eat An Elephant? If your ideal team list is long, your problem is possibly too complex to solve in one hit, so consider breaking your problem up into more manageable (and edible!) chunks. Okay, you’ve assembled your team – now you have to agree on a problem statement. It’s Cookie Time! Let’s take the fictitious example of a Cookie
