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The cause and effect diagram, or Ishikawa diagram, is one of the most important quality tools in the implementation of improvement management systems with focus on products, processes, or services. It shows the relation between the result of a process (effects) and factors (causes) of the process that may somehow affect the considered result.
In the 50s, Ishikawa synthesized, in this diagram, the ideas of the engineers in his team, during a discussion about quality problems. Thus, he came to be considered the creator of the method. Today, this diagram is also known as 6M diagram, because the so called main or primary causes derive from diverse possible factors, such as: method, machine, material, measurement, manpower, and environment which, on their turn, may have been originated from secondary and/or tertiary causes, etc.
The construction of a cause and effect diagram demands careful planning, because the solution of the problem will only be achieved successfully if the construction of the diagram is done correctly. The cause and effect diagram aggregates, during its construction, other techniques - with Brainstorming being the main one. In its execution, all the members of the team contribute with ideas that, at first, cannot be ruled out.
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