7 Basic tools of Quality

1) Ishikawa diagram
(Chart you can see in the ANNEX A)

Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect

diagrams, or Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show
the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and
quality defect prevention to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason
for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify
these sources of variation. The categories typically include

People: Anyone involved with the process

Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements for doing it, such as
policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws

Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc. required to accomplish the job

Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc. used to produce the final product

Measurements: Data generated from the process that are used to evaluate its quality

Environment: The conditions, such as location, time, temperature, and culture in which the
process operates

Ishikawa diagrams were popularized in the 1960s by Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality
management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding
fathers of modern management.

The basic concept was first used in the 1920s, and is considered one of the seven basic
tools of quality control. It is known as a fishbone diagram because of its shape, similar to the side
view of a fish skeleton.

Mazda Motors famously used an Ishikawa diagram in the development of the Miata sports car,
where the required result was "Jinba Ittai" (Horse and Rider as One jap. ). The main
causes included such aspects as "touch" and "braking" with the lesser causes including highly
granular factors such as "50/50 weight distribution" and "able to rest elbow on top of driver's door".
Every factor identified in the diagram was included in the final design.
Causes
Causes in the diagram are often categorized, such as to the 5 M's, described below. Cause-and-
effect diagrams can reveal key relationships among various variables, and the possible causes
provide additional insight into process behavior.

Causes can be derived from brainstorming sessions. These groups can then be labeled as
categories of the fishbone. They will typically be one of the traditional categories mentioned above
but may be something unique to the application in a specific case. Causes can be traced back to
root causes with the 5 Whys technique.

The 5 Ms (used in manufacturing industry)

Machine (technology)

Method (process)

Material (Includes Raw Material, Consumables and Information.)

Man Power (physical work)/Mind Power (brain work): Kaizens, Suggestions

Measurement (Inspection)

The original 5 Ms used by the Toyota Production System have been expanded by some to include
the following and are referred to as the 8 Ms. However, this is not globally recognized. It has been
suggested to return to the roots of the tools and to keep the teaching simple while recognizing the
original intent; most programs do not address the 8Ms.

Milieu/Mother Nature(Environment)

Management/Money Power

Maintenance

"Milieu" is also used as the 6th M by industries for investigations taking the environment into
account.

5 Whys
5 Whys is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships
underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of
a defect or problem by repeating the question "Why?" Each answer forms the basis of the next
question. The "5" in the name derives from an anecdotal observation on the number of iterations
needed to resolve the problem.

The technique was formally developed by Sakichi Toyoda and was used within the Toyota Motor
Corporation during the evolution of its manufacturing methodologies. In other companies, it appears
in other forms. Under Ricardo Semler, Semco practices "three whys" and broadens the practice to
cover goal setting and decision making.

Not all problems have a single root cause. If one wishes to uncover multiple root causes, the method
must be repeated asking a different sequence of questions each time.

The method provides no hard and fast rules about what lines of questions to explore, or how long to
continue the search for additional root causes. Thus, even when the method is closely followed, the
outcome still depends upon the knowledge and persistence of the people involved.

Example

The vehicle will not start. (the problem)

1. Why? - The battery is dead. (First why)

2. Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (Second why)

3. Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (Third why)

4. Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced. (Fourth
why)

5. Why? - The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule.
(Fifth why, a root cause)

The questioning for this example could be taken further to a sixth, seventh, or higher level, but
five iterations of asking why is generally sufficient to get to a root cause. The key is to encourage the
trouble-shooter to avoid assumptions and logic traps and instead trace the chain of causality in direct
increments from the effect through any layers of abstraction to a root cause that still has some
connection to the original problem. Note that, in this example, the fifth why suggests a broken
process or an alterable behaviour, which is indicative of reaching the root-cause level.
It is interesting to note that the last answer points to a process. This is one of the most important
aspects in the 5 Why approach - the real root cause should point toward a process that is not
working well or does not exist. Untrained facilitators will often observe that answers seem to point
towards classical answers such as not enough time, not enough investments, or not enough
manpower. These answers may be true, but they are out of our control. Therefore, instead of asking
the question why?, ask why did the process fail?

A key phrase to keep in mind in any 5 Why exercise is "people do not fail, processes do".

Techniques

Two primary techniques are used to perform a 5 Whys analysis:

the fishbone (or Ishikawa) diagram

a tabular format

These tools allow for analysis to be branched in order to provide multiple root causes

Rules of performing 5Whys

In order to carry out the 5-Why analysis properly, the following advice should be followed:

1. It is necessary to engage the management in the 5Whys process in the company. For the
analysis itself, consider what is the right working group. Also consider bringing in a facilitator
for more difficult topics.

2. Use paper or whiteboard instead of computers.

3. Write down the problem and make sure that all people understand it.

4. Distinguish causes from symptoms.

5. Pay attention to the logic of cause-and-effect relationship.

6. Make sure that root causes certainly lead to the mistake by reversing the sentences created
as a result of the analysis with the use of the expression and therefore.
7. Try to make our answers more precise.

8. Look for the cause step by step. Dont jump to conclusions.

9. Base our statements on facts and knowledge.

10.Assess the process, not people.

11. Never leave human error, workers inattention, etc., as the root cause.

12.Foster an atmosphere of trust and sincerity.

13.Ask the question Why until the root cause is determined, i.e. the cause the elimination of
which will prevent the error from occuring again.

14.When you form the answer for question "Why" - it should happen from the customer's point
of view.

ANNEX A

Photo -1
Cause and effect diagram
 Photo 2
Example of Cause and Effect