---
title: Fishbone Diagram
description: "Before you prove a cause, you need all the candidates. The Fishbone Diagram collects them, sorted into six categories, so nothing important gets overlooked. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the method, shows a…"
url: "https://skillagility.com/en/resources/fishbone-diagram/"
updated: "2026-10-07"
category: 03 ANALYZE
---

# Fishbone Diagram

Before you prove a cause, you need all the candidates. The Fishbone Diagram collects them, sorted into six categories, so nothing important gets overlooked. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the method, shows a worked example and gives you a blank template to fill in.

Tool video

The short tool video will appear here.

[Fishbone-Diagram_Toolkit_EN](https://skillagility.com/wp-content/plugins/embedpress/assets/pdf/web/viewer.html?&file=https%3A%2F%2Fskillagility.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F10%2FFishbone-Diagram_Toolkit_EN.pdf#key=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)

## Fishbone Diagram in short

1. **Walk the Walls.** Walk your map and data, stop at every hot spot and ask: why does this step perform poorly?
2. **Write the head.** Your Y as a question, e.g. “Why does OTIF fall short of target?”
3. **Draw the bones.** Use the six Ms, or rename them to fit your process.
4. **Add the causes.** One precise cause per note, on the right bone. Ask “why?” to go one level deeper.
5. **Mark the suspects.** Circle the causes the team and the data point to. They go into A3 and A4.

Key points

- Head = your Y as a question.
- Six Ms as bones, adapt them freely.
- Precise causes, one per note.
- Suspects go to A3 and A4 for proof.

**Related tools:** [Affinity Diagram](https://skillagility.com/en/resources/affinity-diagram/) · [5 Whys](https://skillagility.com/en/resources/5-whys/) · [Brown Paper Approach](https://skillagility.com/en/resources/brown-paper-approach/)