Also known as a cause and effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram (after its creator, Kaoru Ishikawa), the fishbone diagram can help users identify the many possible causes for a problem by sorting ideas into useful categories and is especially useful in structuring brainstorming sessions.
Affinity diagrams are used to do a high-level organization of the ideas and the fishbone diagram is used to drill down and do root cause analysis. This is typically done in the Analyze phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC process. Overview: What Is a Fishbone Diagram?
Understanding Root Cause Analysis: Dive deeper into the principles and practices of RCA with this comprehensive guide from American Society for Quality (ASQ). Practical RCA Tools and Techniques: Explore different RCA tools, such as the 5 Whys and Fishbone Diagram, and their applications at MindTools.