# Ishikawa diagrams Ishikawa diagrams were created by [[Kaoru Ishikawa]] They are also known as Fishbone diagrams, or cause and effect diagrams. Such diagrams can be used to analyze the causes and effects of a specific event. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are grouped in major categories to identify and classify these sources of variation. ![[Ishikawa diagrams - example.png]] The defect, or problem to be solved is shown as the fish's head, facing to the right, with the causes extending to the left as fishbones. The ribs branch off the backbone for major causes, with sub-branches for root-causes, to as many levels as required. Ishikawa diagrams are visual and easy to understand, encourage teamwork, and help organize and analyze root causes in a logical way. ## Related - [[Root-cause analysis (RCA)]] ## References - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishikawa_diagram