Fishbone diagram analysis

Developed by Maria Konstantina Papaioannou

Abstract

Risk project management is a broad and complex field. It is well established that every project at every stage carries risk. Possible risks for a running or finished project are countless and may vary from anticipated to unexpected. In addition, their result ranges from minor inconvenience to disrupt of the project. Thus, identifying possible risks is a key challenge for every project. Once identified and listed those risks can be categorized using qualitative risk analysis. This article introduces the Ishikawa fishbone diagram as a method to analyze numerous reasons why a project may fail. The diagram provides a visualization that simplifies the identification of risks and categorizes them. It heavily relies on the idea that minor problems matter and can lead to causes that affect badly the existing project. It is commonly used by safety and reliability engineers to detect faults in constructions. Firstly, this article gives a historical overview of the diagram. It analyzes its basic components, provides detailed guidance to its building, and briefly presents its implementation on the Apollo 13 case. Additionally, the article displays the technique’s benefits and refers to its disadvantages. Finally, it reflects critically on its limitations and makes recommendations on how to maximize the diagram’s utility.