What is a Fishbone Diagram in project management?

Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram in software project management

Published on: April 01, 2022
Last updated: October 21, 2025 Read in fullscreen view

Recommended for you

01 Aug 2024 The Standish Group report 83.9% of IT projects partially or completely fail 430/2193
02 Nov 2023 Unlocking Success with The Amoeba Management Model: Key Lessons, Pros & Cons, and Finding the Perfect Fit 309/951
09 Sep 2022 Kaizen, Kaikaku and Kakushin – what’s the difference? 196/3167
10 Nov 2021 5S methodology - the SECRET to Japanese SUCCESS 189/1887
24 Nov 2022 Genba Genbutsu Genjitsu (3Gs), (Go to the Genba & see for yourself!) 156/3111
01 Dec 2023 What is Amoeba Management? 141/1091
13 Apr 2024 Lessons on Teamwork and Leadership from Chinese story book "Journey to the West" 103/1144
02 Nov 2021 What is Terms of Reference (ToR)? 67/1615
03 Jan 2024 What is the Ringi process? 60/1030
18 Oct 2020 How to use the "Knowns" and "Unknowns" technique to manage assumptions 57/1134
27 Aug 2022 Kaizen - Culture of Continuous Improvement and Lean Thinking 56/890
03 Apr 2022 Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) 54/1339
18 Dec 2025 EOS as a Business Operating System: Powerful, but Not Always Plug-and-Play 52/78
17 Mar 2023 Reduce waste in software development with 3M model: Muda, Mura, Muri 52/999
03 Dec 2025 Templafy Features Explained: The Ultimate Guide to Streamlined Content Management 51/79
12 Dec 2024 Danshari: A Japanese Minimalist Philosophy for Cleaner Code and Leaner IT Operations 49/118
09 Sep 2022 What is 5 Whys (Five Whys)? 47/1006
29 Aug 2022 Difference between Kaizen and Innovation 47/945
01 Sep 2022 Facts Chart: Why Do Software Projects Fail? 46/625
29 Jan 2026 Honne and Tatemae: Why Do Japanese People Seem Excessively Polite and Indirect? 46/59
13 Dec 2020 Move fast, fail fast, fail-safe 45/355
01 Mar 2022 The Toyota Way Management Principles 43/820
07 Mar 2023 Japan’s Unusual Farming Strategy: Renting Land and Leaving It Fallow for 5 Years — Here’s the Truth… 42/115
19 Jul 2022 The 12 Principles of Continuous Process Improvement 41/564
01 Oct 2020 Fail fast, learn faster with Agile methodology 41/1077
02 Feb 2022 Yokoten: Best Practice Sharing from a success 40/1420
13 Jul 2022 Applying the business mantra "HORENSO" to Achieve 360-degree Communication 39/964
04 Mar 2024 Tree Ring Management: Take the Long Term View and Grow Your Business Slowly 39/468
15 Apr 2022 Total Quality Management (TQM) - Japanese-style management approach to quality improvement. 38/731
06 Jun 2022 HEIJUNKA: The art of leveling production 37/592
07 Nov 2022 Why Design Thinking can save the outsourcing industry 37/222
06 Feb 2021 Why fail fast and learn fast? 37/487
29 Nov 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Partnership Agreements 36/575
14 Oct 2021 Advantages and Disadvantages of Time and Material Contract (T&M) 36/900
15 Jul 2022 Hansei Methodology: Continuously Engaging People in Improvement 35/748
02 May 2022 What Is RAID in Project Management? (With Pros and Cons) 34/853
20 Dec 2021 What is Hybrid Mobile App Development? 34/418
07 Jul 2021 The 5 Levels of IT Help Desk Support 33/488
18 Aug 2022 What are the consequences of poor requirements with software development projects? 32/289
28 Oct 2025 The Future of Real Estate: Key Trends and Essential Lessons in Digital Transformation 31/85
12 Aug 2022 What is End-to-end project management? 30/480
10 Apr 2021 RFP vs POC: Why the proof of concept is replacing the request for proposal 30/349
30 Oct 2022 How Much Does MVP Development Cost in 2023? 29/269
07 Jul 2022 Managing Project Execution Terms 29/434
18 Dec 2023 The Cone of Uncertainty in Scrum & Requirement Definition 29/729
03 Dec 2025 IT Outsourcing Solutions Explained: What, How, Why, When 28/53
01 Mar 2023 Bug Prioritization - What are the 5 levels of priority? 27/247
22 May 2025 Role of Self-Service in CRM: Customer & Partner Portals for Automation 27/106
10 Jul 2025 Building AI-Driven Knowledge Graphs from Unstructured Data 27/182
03 Jan 2023 Organizing your agile teams? Think about M.A.T (Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose) 27/406
01 Jan 2023 How To Use Poka-Yoke (Mistake Proofing) Technique To Improve Software Quality 27/672
11 Jul 2022 Lean software development - the game-changer in the digital age 26/272
23 Jun 2024 Best Practices for Managing Project Escalations 26/226
10 Apr 2024 The Parking Lot Method: Unlocking a Simple Secret to Supercharge Your Productivity 25/508
16 Feb 2021 Choose Outsourcing for Your Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) 25/193
16 Apr 2021 Insightful Business Technology Consulting at TIGO 25/447
07 Aug 2022 Things to Consider When Choosing a Technology Partner 24/294
08 Oct 2022 KPI - The New Leadership 24/616
26 Sep 2024 Successful Project Management Techniques You Need to Look Out For 24/414
05 Jun 2023 Fractional, Part-Time (virtual) or Interim CTO: Who Will Cover Your Business Needs? 24/160
11 Jan 2024 What are the Benefits and Limitations of Augmented Intelligence? 24/497
10 Dec 2023 Pain points of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 24/472
28 Dec 2021 8 types of pricing models in software development outsourcing 23/454
18 Oct 2021 Key Elements to Ramping Up a Large Team 23/1239
23 Sep 2021 INFOGRAPHIC: Top 9 Software Outsourcing Mistakes 22/444
03 Nov 2022 Top questions and answers you must know before ask for software outsourcing 22/303
17 Feb 2022 Prioritizing Software Requirements with Kano Analysis 22/325
13 Jan 2020 Quiz: Test your understanding project cost management 22/635
08 Nov 2022 4 tips for meeting tough deadlines when outsourcing projects to software vendor 22/304
10 Nov 2022 Poor Code Indicators and How to Improve Your Code? 22/238
19 Sep 2022 Jidoka in Software Development and Odoo ERP/MRP 22/548
05 Jan 2024 Easy ASANA tips & tricks for you and your team 22/217
06 Dec 2024 Steps For Integrating Sustainable Practices Into Business Operations 21/162
12 Mar 2022 The u-Japan concept 21/310
09 May 2022 Build one to throw away vs Second-system effect: What are differences? 21/331
09 Mar 2022 Consultant Implementation Pricing 21/230
19 Oct 2021 Is gold plating good or bad in project management? 21/840
17 Oct 2021 Does Fast Tracking increase project cost? 21/387
19 Apr 2021 7 Most Common Time-Wasters For Software Development 20/562
22 May 2022 What are common mistakes that new or inexperienced managers make? 20/297
20 Jul 2022 Software Myths and Realities 20/926
14 Jun 2022 Example and Excel template of a RACI chart in Software Development 20/849
09 Jan 2022 How to Bridge the Gap Between Business and IT? 20/205
02 Nov 2022 Difference between Change Management and Project Management 20/244
07 Dec 2023 12 project management myths to avoid 20/206
18 Feb 2026 "Hit and Run" Project Management: Balancing Speed with Sustainability 20/32
24 Nov 2023 The project management paradox: Achieving MORE by doing LESS 19/236
06 Jun 2022 Change Management at the Project Level 19/321
02 Dec 2021 3 Ways to Avoid Scope Creep in IT Consulting 18/223
27 Jan 2020 Should a project manager push developers to work more hours due to mistakes of manager schedule setting? 18/446
07 Oct 2022 Digital Transformation: Become a Technology Powerhouse 18/257
01 Jun 2020 Japan Business Review (JBR) 17/347
31 Oct 2021 Tips to Fail Fast With Outsourcing 17/400
09 Feb 2023 The Challenge of Fixed-Bid Software Projects 17/228
09 Oct 2024 Are Expensive CRM Systems Really Worth It? 17/70
26 Dec 2023 Improving Meeting Effectiveness Through the Six Thinking Hats 17/274
12 Mar 2024 How do you create FOMO in software prospects? 16/181
01 Aug 2022 Is planning "set it and forget it" or "set it and check it"? 16/293
30 Nov 2023 Project Managers, Focus on Outcomes — Not Deliverables 16/174
06 Mar 2021 4 things you need to do before getting an accurate quote for your software development 16/692
01 May 2023 CTO Interview Questions 15/344
01 Mar 2024 10 Project Management Myths 13/156
14 Mar 2024 Why should you opt for software localization from a professional agency? 13/149
06 Nov 2019 How to Access Software Project Size? 13/259
11 Jan 2022 Lean Thinking and Lean Transformation 13/269
02 Jun 2024 Reviving Ancient Wisdom: The Spiritual Side of Project Management 12/245
01 Mar 2023 How do you deal with disputes and conflicts that may arise during a software consulting project? 10/170
15 May 2022 20 Common Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Project Managers 10/291
10 May 2022 Levels of Teamwork 9/202
20 Nov 2022 Software Requirements Are A Communication Problem 8/248
21 Jun 2024 Dead Horses and the Escalation of Commitment 8/145
17 Mar 2025 IT Consultants in Digital Transformation 7/91

The Ishikawa diagram, also known as a fishbone diagram, is a useful tool in project management, particularly when it comes to quality control.

This diagram was created by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa to make brainstorming sessions more effective at conducting a thorough root cause analysis.

Conducting a proper risk analysis, anticipating and solving problems are essential management skills to lead successful projects. These aspects should be taken into account as soon as the project planning phase begins. Luckily, presenting the root causes of a challenge and the ways to overcome it is the very purpose of a fishbone diagram.

Learn more about the Ishikawa diagram, how it’s used in project management and how to build your own!

An overview of the Ishikawa diagram

What are fishbone diagrams used for?

This diagram was created by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa to make brainstorming sessions more effective at conducting a thorough root cause analysis. After the project team has discussed a problem, it is used to sort all the ideas into categories.

Using this visualization allows your team to:

Take a step back and think about a phenomenon or challenge,
Communicate and share ideas more effectively,
Make decisions more quickly.

Ishikawa diagram

Kaoru Ishikawa 11 Points

Mr. Ishikawa's philosophy of total quality management can be summarized by his 11 points:

1. Quality begins and ends with education.
2. The first step in quality is to know the requirements of the customer.
3. The ideal state of quality control is when quality inspection is no longer necessary.
4. Remove the root cause, not symptoms.
5. Quality control is the responsibility of all workers and all divisions.
6. Do not confuse means with objectives.
7. Put quality first and set your sights on long-term objectives.
8. Marketing is the entrance and exit of quality.
9. Top management must not show anger when facts are presented to subordinates.
10. Ninety-five percent of the problem in a company can be solved by the seven tools of quality.
11. Data without dispersion information are false data.

Ishikawa example:

Ishikawa example

How does a Ishikawa diagram work?

What makes this tool a favorite of project managers and quality professionals is its ease of use. It is simply read from left to right and can be used to collaborate with others on problem-solving.

This visual representation resembles fishbones and helps analyze the causes and consequences of a given problem. Therefore, some may call it a cause and effect diagram:

The fishbones are oriented on the left-hand side and represent the causes,
The head of the fish represents the final effect of the problem.

Ishikawa diagram to analyze requirement failures

When should the Ishikawa diagram be used?

An Ishikawa diagram is a diagram that shows the causes of an event and is often used in manufacturing and product development to outline the different steps in a process, demonstrate where quality control issues might arise, and determine which resources are required at specific times.

Easier Root Cause Analysis for Remote Teams

One of the main challenges remote teams face when conducting root cause analysis is coordinating and communicating effectively. It can be difficult, primarily if team members are spread across different time zones.

Another challenge is ensuring that tasks or follow-ups are assigned to the correct person or team. In a remote setup, it’s easy to forget who’s responsible for what and to track tasks that aren’t assigned right away. However, there are tools like SafetyCulture that can help with this issue.

A A A A

[{"displaySettingInfo":"[{\"isFullLayout\":false,\"layoutWidthRatio\":\"\",\"showBlogMetadata\":true,\"showAds\":true,\"showQuickNoticeBar\":true,\"includeSuggestedAndRelatedBlogs\":true,\"enableLazyLoad\":true,\"quoteStyle\":\"1\",\"bigHeadingFontStyle\":\"1\",\"postPictureFrameStyle\":\"1\",\"isFaqLayout\":false,\"isIncludedCaption\":false,\"faqLayoutTheme\":\"1\",\"isSliderLayout\":false}]"},{"articleSourceInfo":"[{\"sourceName\":\"\",\"sourceValue\":\"\"}]"},{"privacyInfo":"[{\"isOutsideVietnam\":false}]"},{"tocInfo":"[{\"isEnabledTOC\":true,\"isAutoNumbering\":false,\"isShowKeyHeadingWithIcon\":false}]"},{"termSettingInfo":"[{\"showTermsOnPage\":true,\"displaySequentialTermNumber\":true}]"}]

Via

{content}