You know what one of the biggest obstacles is to improved performance? Not getting to the root cause. Many times, in our efforts to improve results we treat the symptom, not the root cause, so inevitably we have to revisit the problem. Obviously, this results in costly rework, delays, and inefficiency in the utilization of resources. It is also demoralizing when employees and team members have to constantly work on the same problem over and over again.
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But why is treating symptoms such a common problem? There are many reasons. Perhaps the main reason is people naturally try to solve problems and they base their solutions on their experience, their gut feeling, or on some anecdotal comparison. Maybe they simply feel rushed or possibly they are not sure how to get to the root cause. Unfortunately, unless a project leader incorporates some kind of root cause analysis technique into the process of solving a problem, the chances of real success are greatly diminished. The common and well known fishbone chart is an easy to use tool which can and should be used to help get to the root cause of any problem. It should be a tool every project manager is comfortable with and uses on a frequent basis.
First and foremost, the fishbone chart does several very important things for a project leader:
- It provides a means for the project leader to facilitate an structured discussion on the problem to be addressed
- It helps the team organize potential causes in an organized manner
- It stimulates discussion and identification of symptoms and causes
- It ensures teams do not just focus on one or two sources of trouble but instead provides several categories for investigation and discussion
- It stimulates systems thinking about a process under investigation
This tool provides a way to systematically organize information into categories to trace potential causes of problems. A fishbone chart can easily be made by hand, in Excel, in PowerPoint, in Visio, or in a number of different software packages. If there is resistance to the “look” of a fishbone chart, simply take a spreadsheet approach to addressing various root causes to the problem.
A spreadsheet approach, as shown below, is easy to manage and can be converted into a visual diagram if necessary.
What the fishbone chart, also known as a cause and effect diagram, clearly demonstrates is that variation is the enemy of quality; that the more causes of variation, the harder it is to manage processes and predict results.
There are a few basic categories which should be on most fishbone charts; these are the six major sources or categories of variation in a process:
These categories work for almost any problem under investigation and give the project leader an easy way to facilitate a comprehensive discussion leading to the identification of potential root causes. As an example, the root cause diagram below addresses why my three kid’s daily chores are not getting done properly or in a timely manner. Again, you can apply this tool to any “problem.”
Procedure for Making a Fishbone Chart
As with any tool, it is very important the project leader has decent facilitation skills and is good at asking open ended or probing questions. Use of the fishbone chart can help project managers become better facilitators.
First, begin with a well written problem statement. Make sure everyone agrees that this is the problem to be addressed or solved.
Next, select the most appropriate or meaningful categories and add those “bones” or columns to your diagram. Again, feel free to customize categories to fit your process or your situation.
The facilitator should be asking good questions to the team to get them to elaborate on their theories as to what are probable causes to the problem at hand. Each category should be studied in detail with the facilitator asking, “Why does this happen?” or applying the “5 Why” technique of asking “Why” several times to get to the root cause. Again, good facilitation skills are imperative for this process to work well.
As each category is discussed in more detail, levels can be added to each branch or bone, thus leading to the “root cause” of the problem. Again, the team is asking “why does this happen” on a frequent basis.
After the fishbone chart is complete, a common mistake is to rush out and begin work on the “root causes” identified by the team. Remember, those ideas are still just opinions. The project leader should insist that the most likely root causes be verified with data. There is no substitute for data when trying to solve problems. This is where the major breakdown is with the fishbone chart.
Data should be collected on each of those most likely causes. Each cause is a variable, often called an “X” variable meaning it is in input or process variable contributing to the overall problem or the “Y”. To improve “Y”, you should focus on the “X’s” that have the most impact. In other words, the problem (Y) is a function of the root causes (the X’s).
Data can be gathered for each of the likely root causes and the cause and effect relationship between each X and the Y can thus be quantified and verified. The best way to verify a cause and effect relationship between likely root causes and the subsequent effect on the problem is through Yes/Yes and No/No logic. When the cause is in place, the effect should also be in place. Likewise, when the cause is not in place, the effect should not be present.
Only in this way can the project leader be assured they are treating the root cause and not a symptom. Unfortunately, it is very common for this YY/NN verification step to be totally skipped after potential root causes are identified. Sometimes data which fits the YY/NN logic is used but data that, at the same time, shows the effect is ALSO present when the root cause is NOT present is ignored. This “selective” use of data to prove a point is something for the experienced project leader to be cognizant of and to watch out for else wise incorrect solutions to problems will be selected and the chance of improvement is greatly diminished.
The fishbone chart is an easy to use and effective tool to help organize ideas and search for root causes of problems. Used in conjunction with the 5-Why technique and YY/NN logic, the fishbone chart can be a project leader’s secret weapon to getting to the true root causes of just about any problem.
If you have further questions or comments, Harry can be reached at harry.rever@iil.com [3] © 2010 allPM.com
Harry Rever is Director of Six Sigma for International Institute for Learning. He is a dynamic presenter and practitioner of Six Sigma and Project Management with an innate ability to teach the concepts of quality improvement in an understandable and more importantly, applicable manner. With over twenty years as a project manager, process improvement consultant and trainer, Harry has numerous examples of what works (and what doesn’t) when managing projects and applying statistical process improvement concepts. He has experience leading people including supervising project managers, quality analysts, and sales teams. Harry has trained thousands of employees on Six Sigma, process improvement, and project management and he frequently presents at conferences and seminars. He has certifications as a Six Sigma Black Belt, Quality Manager, Quality Consultant, and Project Management Professional. Harry earned his MBA from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and has Bachelors degrees in Marketing and Management from Texas Tech University. He is a senior member of ASQ and a member of PMI.
