Work out fishbone cause weighting instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
A fishbone diagram organises candidate causes into categories — machine, method, material and manpower being the classic four. Weighting each category by team assessment or by evidence turns a qualitative diagram into a ranked list, showing where to direct data collection and verification effort next.
Cause weighting
Category share % = category weight x 100 / sum of all weights
No. Weighting captures team judgement and prioritises investigation. The dominant category must then be verified with measurements before countermeasures are designed.
The 6M version adds measurement and environment (mother nature), which is worth doing when gauge error or ambient conditions are plausible contributors.