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Cause and Effect Diagram

A cause and effect diagram is a graphic tool used to explore and display the possible causes of a certain effect.

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• Cause and effect diagram instructions, example, and template

Note: Spanish and Portuguese translations of this tool also available for download.

A cause and effect diagram, also known as an Ishikawa or "fishbone" diagram, is a graphic tool used to explore and display the possible causes of a certain effect. Use the classic fishbone diagram when causes group naturally under the categories of Materials, Methods, Equipment, Environment, and People. Use a process-type cause and effect diagram to show causes of problems at each step in the process.

A cause and effect diagram has a variety of benefits:

• It helps teams understand that there are many causes that contribute to an effect.
• It graphically displays the relationship of the causes to the effect and to each other.
• It helps to identify areas for improvement.

*NOTE: Before filling out the template, first save the PDF file to your computer. Then open and use that version of the tool. Otherwise, your changes will not be saved.

Cause and Effect Diagram Overview

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Cause and Effect Diagram Diagrama-de-Causa-e-Efeito_Portuguˆs QI-Essentials_Diagrama-de-Causa-y-Efecto_Espaคol

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