What is the purpose of the fishbone diagram?

To identify potential root causes to problems

To identify improvement backlog items

To brainstorm solutions to problems

To identify the biggest root cause

Correct Answer is

A. To identify potential root causes to problems

Explanation

The purpose of the fishbone diagram, also known as the Ishikawa diagram or cause-and-effect diagram, is to identify potential root causes to problems.

This tool is used to systematically explore and visually display the many potential causes of a problem to identify its root causes. The fishbone diagram helps teams categorize causes and stimulates thinking about the origins of a problem. It’s a foundational step in problem-solving that encourages a thorough analysis before jumping to solutions.

Here’s why the other options don’t fully capture the purpose of the fishbone diagram:

• To identify improvement backlog items: While the process of identifying root causes may lead to the identification of improvement items, the primary purpose of the fishbone diagram is to understand the causes of a specific problem. The identification of backlog items might be a subsequent step, after the root causes have been determined.


• To brainstorm solutions to problems: The fishbone diagram is focused on identifying causes, not solutions. Brainstorming solutions typically occurs after the root causes have been identified and understood.


• To identify the biggest root cause: While identifying the biggest root cause might be part of the analysis, the fishbone diagram’s broader purpose is to explore all potential causes. Determining the significance or impact of each cause requires further analysis beyond just the creation of the diagram.

By focusing on uncovering all potential root causes, the fishbone diagram provides a structured method for deeply understanding problems, which is critical for effective problem-solving and continuous improvement efforts.

Other SAFe Scrum Master Question – A team integrates and tests the Stories on the last day of the Iteration. This has become a pattern for the last three Iterations. Why is this considered an anti-pattern?