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1. Fishbone Diagram (Cause-and-Effect / Ishikawa Diagram)
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What It Is:
A visual tool used to systematically identify the root causes of a specific problem. It resembles a fish skeleton, with the "head" representing the problem and "bones" representing categories of causes.
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When to Use:
- To analyze process failures or recurrent issues
- To find the root causes rather than just symptoms
- During quality improvement, Six Sigma, or Lean projects
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Basic Structure:
Problem → Main Cause Categories → Sub-causes
Common cause categories (for manufacturing or business):
- People (staff, skills, training)
- Process (workflow, policies)
- Equipment (tools, machines, software)
- Materials (inputs, data)
- Environment (culture, physical space)
- Management (leadership, strategy)
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How to Use:
Step-by-Step:
- Define the problem clearly and write it at the "head" of the fish.
- Draw main bones representing major categories of potential causes.
- Brainstorm sub-causes under each category.
- Analyze relationships to trace root causes.
- Prioritize the most impactful root causes for action.
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Example:
Problem: "High customer churn in a subscription SaaS company"
Possible Causes:
- People: Inadequate support training
- Process: No follow-up on feedback
- Product: Limited features in base plan
- Pricing: Competitors offer better value
- Tech: Frequent downtime
- Marketing: Misaligned customer expectations
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Benefit:
Fishbone helps identify not just what went wrong, but why it went wrong, paving the way for targeted, effective solutions.
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2. SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
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What It Is:
A strategic planning tool to evaluate a situation, organization, project, or idea across internal and external dimensions.
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When to Use:
- For decision-making or strategy planning
- To evaluate a new product, business, or campaign
- In competitive analysis, personal career development, or organizational change
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Structure:
| Internal Factors |
External Factors |
| Strengths (S) |
Opportunities (O) |
| Weaknesses (W) |
Threats (T) |
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How to Use:
Step-by-Step:
- Define the goal or issue (e.g., "launching a new app").
- Brainstorm each quadrant:
- Strengths: What are you good at? What unique resources do you have?
- Weaknesses: What needs improvement? What are your gaps?
- Opportunities: Trends, partnerships, unmet needs in the market?
- Threats: Competition, regulation, tech changes, economic shifts?
- Analyze how to:
- Use strengths to seize opportunities
- Use strengths to reduce threats
- Improve weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities
- Reduce weaknesses to avoid or manage threats
- Prioritize action plans based on this insight.
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Example:
Context: A small software firm launching a project management app.
| Strengths |
Weaknesses |
| Fast, agile dev team |
Limited marketing budget |
| Niche feature set |
Lack of mobile app |
| Opportunities |
Threats |
| Remote work trend |
Larger competitors (Asana, Trello) |
| SMB market underserved |
Data security concerns |
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Combining Fishbone & SWOT for Problem-Solving
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Use Case: Reducing Operational Delays in a Logistics Company
Step 1 – Fishbone Diagram:
Identify root causes of the delay:
- People: Poor driver training
- Process: No real-time tracking
- Technology: Outdated route planning system
- Materials: Shortage of vehicles
Step 2 – SWOT Analysis:
Build strategy based on findings:
- Strengths: Tech-savvy team, strong customer loyalty
- Weaknesses: Manual routing system
- Opportunities: Affordable fleet-tracking solutions
- Threats: Rising fuel prices, new competitors
Action Plan:
- Upgrade tech (trackers, routing AI)
- Re-train drivers (address people/process issues)
- Leverage customer base to beta-test changes
- Monitor costs as fuel price threatens profit
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