The nice thing about the Fishbone Diagram analysis tool is that there are no statistics involved! It is simply a way to map out a problem so that you can more clearly identify the causes and take corrective action. The reason this tool is called a Fishbone Diagram is that it looks like a fish skeleton.

Here are five tips for using the Fishbone Diagram analysis tool:

• Tip 1 – Identify the problem and write it in the fish’s head precisely and unambiguously- “A problem well stated is a problem half solved” (Charles F. Kettering, Inventor)
• Tip 2 – Draw a “spine”, “big bones”, and “little bones” – the spine is the horizontal line coming from the head, the bones are the lines at 45 degrees to the spine, and the “little bones” come out of the “big bones”.
• Tip 3 – Identify areas that may cause the problem and write each area at the top of one of the big bones (for example: staff issues, resource issues, engineering issues, process issues, etc.)
• Tip 4 – Identify what these specific causes could be for each of the “big bones” and write these by the little bones (draw as many big and little bones as you need)
• Tip 5 – Use the finished diagram to brainstorm solutions to the main problems.

Here is an example of how to use the Fishbone analysis to help to solve a problem. A manager has taken over a failing service center. He commissions research to find out why customer complaints have gone up by 20% compared to the same quarter last year. He gets the following comments back from the customers:

1. Phones are only answered after many rings.
2. Staff seem distracted and under stress.
3. Engineers do not appear to be well organized. They need second visits to bring extra parts.
4. They do not know what time they will arrive. This means that customers may have to be in all day for an engineer to visit.
5. Staff members do not always seem to know what they are doing.
6. Sometimes when staff members arrive, the customer finds that the problem could have been solved over the phone.

The problem can be analyzed using the Fishbone Diagram which would make the components of the problem easy to see and identify how they relate to each other.

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