Which tool is used to determine the root causes of a problem in quality management?

The Fishbone diagram, also known as the Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, is specifically designed to identify and visualize the various potential root causes of a problem. This tool helps teams systematically categorize and explore the factors that might contribute to an issue, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of all possible causes related to quality problems in a process.

Using this diagram, participants can brainstorm and organize their thoughts about various categories of issues, such as people, processes, materials, equipment, and environment, which facilitate a thorough investigation into root causes. This structured approach encourages collaboration and comprehensive problem-solving efforts among team members.

In contrast, while scatter diagrams, flowcharts, and Pareto charts serve valuable purposes in quality management, they do not focus specifically on uncovering root causes. A scatter diagram reveals relationships between two variables, a flowchart visualizes the steps in a process, and a Pareto chart highlights the most significant factors in a dataset—none of which are primarily intended for root cause analysis like the Fishbone diagram is.