Cause-and-Effect (Ishikawa) Diagrams

Select Cause-effect (Ishikawa, Fishbone) diagrams on the Process Analysis Procedures Startup Panel - Quick tab and click the OK button to display the Cause-and-Effect (Ishikawa) Diagrams dialog box, which contains three tabs: Quick, Arrows, and Font sizes.

Use the options in this dialog box to create Cause-and-effect diagrams (also referred to as Fishbone charts, Ishikawa charts). The cause-and-effect diagram provides an efficient summary of factors that impact a process, and hence can be used as a map to guide the overall quality improvement efforts. The cause-and-effect diagram plays a central role in Six Sigma quality programs. During the first stage of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) cycle, this diagram can be of great utility in order to identify the areas, departments, processes, and stakeholders that should be involved in the effort. See Harry and Schroeder (2000), Pyzdek (2001), or Rath and Strong (2000) for additional details; see also the Six Sigma topic, or the Cause-and-Effect diagram topic in the Introductory Overview.

Variables. Click the Variables button to display the standard variable selection dialog box; refer to the topic How to Specify the Data for the Cause-and-Effect Diagram for details on how the selected variables, and the values in the rows (cases) of those variables, are used in the cause-and-effect diagram. Note that the number of variables in the two lists does not have to be identical, in which case the spacing of arrows above and below the center arrow will not be same.

OK

Click the OK button to display the cause-and-effect diagram.

Cancel

Click the Cancel button to return to the Process Analysis Procedures Startup Panel.

Options

Click the Options button to display the Options menu.

By Group

Click the By Group button to display the By Group specification dialog box.