Tips & Tricks

• Some people prefer to write the problem on the right-hand side of the piece of paper, and develop ideas in the space to the left. Use whichever approach you feel most comfortable with.
• It’s important to define your problem correctly. By considering all of these, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of the problem.
• A useful way to use this technique with a team is to write all of the possible causes of the problem down on sticky notes. You can then group similar ones together on the diagram.
• This approach is sometimes called CEDAC (Cause and Effect Diagram with Additional Cards) and was developed by Dr. Ryuji Fukuda, a Japanese expert on continuous improvement.
• Creating this diagram with a cross-functional team will build not only trust between departments but will cultivate newfound knowledge and understanding for the key players in the process. When using the Fishbone as a discussion topic meetings can be better focused on process improvement and defect reduction.