Fillable Printable Fishbone Diagram
Fillable Printable Fishbone Diagram
Fishbone Diagram
NEEDS ASSE SSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE
WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)
FISHBONEDIAGRAMS
PURPOSE
Thefishbonediagramisacause‐and‐effectdiagramthatcanbeusedtoidentify thepotential(oractual)
cause(s)foraperformanceproblem.Fishbonediagramsprovideastructureforagroup’sdiscussionaround
thepotentialcausesoftheproblem.
NEEDSASSESSMENTAPPLIC ATIONS
Fishbonediagramsareoftenusedinneedsassessmenttoassistinillustratingand/orcommunicatingthe
relationshipsamongseveralpotential(oractual)causesofaperformanceproblem.Likewise,these
graphicalrepresentationsofrelationshipsbetweenneeds(i.e.,discrepanciesbetweendesiredandactual
results)offeryouapragmatictoolforbuildingasystemof
performanceimprovementinterventions(for
instance,acombinationofmentoring,jobaids,training,motivation,newexpectations)aroundtheoften
complexrelationshipsfoundacrosspotential(oractual)causes.
ADVANTAGESANDDISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
• Fishbonediagramspermitathoughtfulanalysisthatavoidsoverlookinganypossiblerootcausesfora
need.
• Thefishbonetechniqueiseasytoimplementandcreatesaneasy‐to‐understandvisualrepresentationof
thecauses,categoriesofcauses,andtheneed.
• Byusingafishbonediagram,youare
abletofocusthegroupontheʺbigpictureʺastopossiblecauses
orfactorsinfluencingtheproblem/need.
• Evenaftertheneedhasbeenaddressed,thefishbonediagramshowsareasofweaknessthat‐once
exposed‐canberectifiedbeforecausingmoresustaineddifficulties.
DISADVANTAGES
• Thesimplicityofafishbonediagramcanbebothits strengthanditsweakness.Asaweakness,the
simplicityofthefishbonediagrammaymakeitdifficulttorepresentthetrulyinterrelatednatureof
problemsandcausesinsomeverycomplexsituations.
• Unlessyouhaveanextremelylargespace
onwhichtodrawanddevelopthefishbonediagram,you
mayfindthatyouarenotabletoexplorethecauseandeffectrelationshipsinasmuchdetailasyou
wouldliketo.
NEEDS ASSE SSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE
WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)
GENERALPROCEDURES
1. Identifygapsbetweentheresults(i.e.,performance)thatarerequiredforthesuccessfulaccomplishment
ofyourprograms/projectsresultschain(i.e.,logicframe)andcurrentachievementsto‐date.
2. Generateaclear,concisestatementoftheneed(s).Makesurethateveryoneinthegroupagreeswiththe
needasit
isstated.Forexample,theapplicationofmodernagriculturaltechniquesamongthe
populationisat25%andtheaimofyourprogram/projectisfor75%ofthepopulationtousemodern
techniques(leavingyouwithagaporneedof50%).
3. Usingalongsheetofpaper,drawa
linehorizontallyalongthepage.Thislinewillbetheʺspineʺofthe
fish.Writetheneedalongthespine,onthelefthandside.
4. Identifytheoverarchingcategoriesofcausesoftheneed.Brainstormingisoftenaneffectivetechnique
foridentifyingthecategoriesofcauses.Foreachcategoryof
causes,drawaʺboneʺ‐alineata45degree
anglefromthespineofthefish.Labeleachspine(seeFigure1).
Figure1:ABasicFishboneDiagram
5. Havethegroupbrainstormtoidentifythefactorsthatmaybeaffecting
thecauseand/ortheneed.For
eachcategoryofcauses,thegroupshouldbeasking;ʺWhyisthis happening?ʺAddeachʺreasonwhyʺ
tothediagram,clusteredaroundthemajorcausecategoryitinfluences.
6. RepeattheprocedureforaskingʺWhyisthishappeningʺforeacheffect,untilthequestionyields
no
moremeaningfulanswers(seeFigure2).
Need (gap in results)
C
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C
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C
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C
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Details Why
Cause
Details Why Details Why
Details Why
D
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W
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Details Why
Need (gap in results)
C
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Details Why
Cause
Details Why Details Why
Details Why
D
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W
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y
Details Why
NEEDS ASSE SSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE
WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)
7. Whenthegrouphascometotheconsensusthatthediagramcontainsanadequateamountof
information,analyzethediagram.Inparticular,lookforcausesthatareappearinginmorethanone
sectionofthediagram.
8. Circleanythingthatseemstobearootcausefortheneed.Prioritize
therootcausesanddecidetotake
action.Thisactionmayinvolvefurtherinvestigatingtherootcauses.
Figure2:AnAnnotatedFishboneDiagram
Learning Plans Not Developed
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NEEDS ASSE SSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE
WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)
TIPSFORSUCCESS
• Makesurethatthereisconsensusinthegroupaboutboththe“need”andthecharacteristicsofthe
ʺcausestatementʺbeforebeginningtheprocessofbuildingthefishbonediagram.
• Ifappropriate,youcanʺgraftʺbranchesthatdonotcontainalotofinformationontootherbranches.
Likewise,you
canʺsplitʺbranchesthathavetoomuchinform ation intotwoormorebranchesasyougo.
• Makeparsimonioususeofwordswhilepopulatingthefishbonediagram.Onlyuseasmanywordsas
necessarytodescribethecauseoreffect.
REFERENCESANDRESOURCES
Gupta,K.,Sleezer,C.M.,&Russ‐Eft,D.F.(2007).APracticalGuidetoNeedsAssessment.Pfeiffer
WEBSITES
UseaFishboneDiagramtohelpattackcomplexpro blems(from TechRepublic):
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100‐10878_11‐6092236.html?tag=nl.e053
CauseAnalysisTools(fromAmeri canSocietyforQuality;hasanexampleofafishbonediagram):
http://www.asq.org/learn‐about‐quality/cause‐analysis‐tools/overview/fishbone.html
TheFishboneDiagram(fromSixSigma;hastemplatesformakingfishbonediagramsinMicrosoftWord
andMicrosoftExcel):
http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/t000827.asp
