CAUSE-AND-EFFECT GRAPH

Analyzing today’s business problems and distinguishing between causes and symptoms can prove virtually impossible. You have to sift through hundreds, even thousands, of pieces of information. Once you think you know the cause of the problem, you apply the treatment but discover that you’ve treated the symptom. So, you repeat this process until you’ve addressed the right cause.

Fortunately, a way exists to identify the causes of a problem that avoids repeating the process described above. It’s called a cause-and-effect graph.

A cause-and-effect graph is a visual tool that reflects the interrelationships between causes and effects. You can then test each cause and effect to determine if a relationship exists.

Identifying causes and effects prior to implementing a solution saves you time and effort. You can pinpoint the cause of a problem and make the appropriate change rather than taking a SCUD-missile approach, which entails shooting at your target and hoping for a hit.

for Developing a Cause-and-Effect Graph

• Identify all possible causes.
• Assign a unique identifier to each cause.
• Identify all the possible effects of each cause.
• Assign a unique identifier to each effect.
• Logically draw a line from a cause, or causes, to an appropriate effect.
  • Note: A combination of several causes may exist to create an effect.