Creating a fishbone diagram (also known as an Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram) in Excel helps visually analyze potential causes of a specific problem. Here's how to do it, step-by-step:
1. Prepare Your Spreadsheet
- Open a new Excel worksheet.
- Decide on the problem statement you want to analyze. This will be the "head" of your fishbone.
2. Draw the Spine and Head of the Fish
- In a cell (e.g., A1), type your problem statement (the effect). This is the "head."
- Use Excel's shapes tool to draw a horizontal arrow pointing towards the problem statement. This is the "spine." Go to Insert > Shapes > Line. Draw the line, connecting to (pointing at) the cell containing the problem statement.
3. Add the Major Cause Categories
These are the main categories of potential causes (the "bones" of the fish). Common categories include:
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The 6 Ms (Manufacturing): Machine, Method, Material, Manpower, Measurement, Mother Nature (Environment)
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The 8 Ps (Marketing): Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Processes, Physical Evidence, Productivity & Quality.
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The 4 Ss (Service Industry): Surroundings, Suppliers, Systems, Skills
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Decide which categories are most relevant to your problem.
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For each category, draw angled lines (bones) connecting to the spine. Use Insert > Shapes > Line. Angle the lines upwards and downwards from the spine.
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Add a text box (Insert > Text Box) at the end of each angled line and type the category name (e.g., "Materials," "Methods").
4. Add Specific Sub-Causes (If Needed)
- For each major cause category, brainstorm specific sub-causes that contribute to the problem.
- Draw smaller lines branching off the main "bones" to represent these sub-causes. Use Insert > Shapes > Line.
- Add text boxes at the end of these smaller lines to label the sub-causes (e.g., "Incorrect Mixture," "Lack of Training").
5. Add Text to Your Fishbone Diagram
- Ensure all lines are properly labeled with their respective causes or sub-causes.
- Adjust the font size and style for readability. You can format the text in the text boxes using the Home tab.
6. Customize Your Fishbone Diagram
- Line Styles: Change the color, thickness, and style of the lines to make the diagram visually appealing. Select the lines and use the Format Shape options to adjust their appearance.
- Colors: Use different colors for different categories to distinguish them. Change the fill color of the text boxes.
- Arrangement: Move and resize the shapes to optimize the layout. Use the "Arrange" options (under the Format tab when a shape is selected) to align and distribute the shapes evenly.
- Grouping (Optional): You can group related shapes together (select the shapes, right-click, and choose "Group") to move and resize them as a unit.
By following these steps, you can effectively create a fishbone diagram in Excel to analyze the root causes of a problem and develop effective solutions.
