Fishbone 6M questions poster

A fishbone (cause and effect, or Ishikawa) diagram sorts the possible causes of one effect under headings, most often the six Ms: people, machine, method, material, measurement and environment. It lists suspects; it does not prove anything. This poster gives the questions to ask under each bone and the rules that keep a fishbone honest: a factual effect at the head, causes written as conditions you can check, and each one marked confirmed or ruled out.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 471 KB · no form

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Fishbone 6M questions poster — 24 x 36 in18 x 24 inA2A3LetterA4PNG 300 dpi

The words on the poster

Ask about each M

Fishbone: sort the possible causes, then check each one against facts.

People Trained and signed off on this job? New to it? Rushed?
Machine Worn, repaired, adjusted lately? Settings as standard?
Method Is there a standard? Was it followed? Does it work?
Material New lot or supplier? In spec? Stored right?
Measurement Right gauge, in calibration? Measured the same way each time?
Environment Heat, humidity, dust, light, vibration, time of day?

Rules

Write the effect at the head as a fact: what, where, how many.
Write each cause as a condition you can check.
Mark each cause: confirmed, ruled out or to test.
A fishbone lists suspects. Only a test on the floor convicts one.

Cause and effect diagram after Kaoru Ishikawa. Many plants use four Ms, or four Ms plus design.

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the Fishbone 6M questions poster to work

1
Put it next to the whiteboard or wall where the team draws its fishbones.
2
Go round the six cards in order so no bone is skipped.
3
After the session, mark each cause on the diagram: confirmed, ruled out or still to test.
4
Pair it with the free root cause analysis template, and the 5 whys template for the confirmed causes.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.

Sources and notes

Kaoru Ishikawa, Guide to Quality Control (Asian Productivity Organization, 1968; English edition 1976): the cause and effect diagram. Many plants use four Ms (people, machine, method, material), some add design.