The Ishikawa Theory

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The Ishikawa Theory is a modern management theory which was created by Kaoru Ishikawa. Ishikawa successfully implemented his theory in the Kawaski shipyards in the 1960’s, and concreted his standing as one of the founding fathers of modern management. Specifically, Ishikawa is responsible for applying quality management processes including The Ishikawa Diagram. The Ishikawa Diagram is also known as the cause and effect diagram or the fishbone diagram; due to the fact that the diagram resembles a fish skeleton. The Ishikawa Diagram is considered one of the seven basic tools of quality management, and is basically used to illustrate the causes of an event. Managers use this diagram to see all of the possible causes (or inputs) of a given result (or output) by identifying the root process of problems. When applied, The Ishikawa Diagram identifies areas which may contain problems, allows comparison of the relative importance of different causes, provides insight into process behavior and illustrates how to improve quality from the bottom up. The ultimate goal of the Ishikawa diagram is to create a visual tool which facilitates the recognition, understanding and diagnosis of the root cause of a problem. It is also extremely useful in situations in which little qualitative data is available for analysis. The Ishikawa Diagram is most effectively used in a group or team setting; however it can be used by individuals. To construct a “fishbone”, begin by stating the problem. Many managers find it helpful to state the problem in the form of a question which should be brainstormed ahead of time. Stating the problem in the form of a question will help focus the group because each root cause idea may answer the question. Once the problem has been stated and agreed upon, it is then placed in the “head” of the fishbone diagram. In other words, the effect to be examined is

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