Fishbone Diagrams

Learn how to add, edit, and delete Fishbone Diagrams.

A Fishbone Diagram is a structured brainstorming tool designed to help improvement teams discover potential root causes for an undesirable effect or problem. 

In KaiNexus, certain Templates will have Fishbone Diagrams enabled, allowing you to add a Fishbone to Items created from the Template. 

After the Fishbone is added to an Item, you can add a problem, edit categories, add Items in KaiNexus as causes, drag and drop causes between categories, and highlight or strikethrough ideas. 

Example of a Fishbone Diagram in KaiNexus

Who can create and manage an Item's Fishbone Diagram?

To manage an Item's Fishbone Diagram, you must have permission to view and edit the Item.

Only the following people can view an Item:

• Anyone on the Item's Team.
• Potentially anyone on the parent's Team.
• If the Item is not private and not in the New status, anyone with the "View" permission for Items in its Location(s).
• If the Item is private, anyone with the "View Private" permission for Items in its Location(s).
• If the Item is in the New status and is not private, anyone with the "View New" permission for Items in its Location(s).

Only the following people can edit an Item:

• Anyone on the Item's Team except for Followers or Participants.
• Anyone with the "Edit" permission for Items in this Location(s).
• For Items using the Standard Team Type, anyone with the "Assign" permission for Items in this Location(s).

Add a Fishbone Diagram to an Item

There are two ways you can add a Fishbone Diagram to an Item. 

Your first option is to add the Fishbone Diagram directly on it's Panel. To do this: 

• Locate the Fishbone Panel. Its location will change depending on the configuration of the Template. 
• Hover over the Fishbone Panel. A + icon will appear. 
  
• Select the + icon. 
• In the resulting drop-down menu, select Fishbone. A Fishbone Diagram will appear in the Panel. 

You can also add the Fishbone Diagram by using the Add button at the top of the Item. To do this: 

• Select + Add in the top right corner of the page.
• Select Fishbone in the resulting drop-down menu. A blank diagram will appear in the Fishbone Panel of the Item. How your organization configured the Item's Template determines its exact placement.

Configuration Options for Fishbone Diagrams

Fishbone Diagrams can be customized for different types of Templates, affecting how the Fishbone appears when added to an Item. The following are configuration options for Fishbone Diagrams:

• Customize the number of Cause Categories or "bones" for the Fishbone. You can have up to 8 categories for each Fishbone. 
• Set default category names.
• Lock the default category names so users cannot change the names of the categories while editing the Fishbone.  
• Set the Fishbone Diagram to automatically appear on newly created Items. 

Editing a Fishbone Diagram 

Add a Problem to the Fishbone

To add a problem at the head of the Fishbone Diagram, select the + icon on the far right. 

• In the resulting window, write the problem you are trying to solve. 
• Add a description that will appear as a tooltip when you hover over the problem on the Fishbone. 
• Select Save.

Add Cause Categories to the Fishbone

Cause Categories are the "bones" of the Fishbone Diagram and are a way to organize more specific causes into groups. 

If the Cause Categories for the Fishbone Diagram have not been predetermined, you must name each category yourself. Select the + icon at the end of any "bone" on the diagram to title a category. 

• In the resulting window, write the category name. 
• Add a description that will appear as a tooltip when you hover over the category on the Fishbone. 
• Select Save. 

Edit Cause Categories 

To change the title of an existing Cause Category, hover over the title. The name of the category will be highlighted in gray. 

• Select the category.
• In the resulting window, make any needed edits to the title or description.
• Select Save. 

Add Cause Rows

Cause Rows are the more specific causes within a larger category. In KaiNexus, you can add a cause using free text or an existing Item in the system. 

To add a Cause Row to the Fishbone Diagram, hover over the right side of a bone to make a + icon appear. Select the + icon. 

• Use the Text tab to add a free text Cause Row.
  
  • Write the title of the cause in the Cause Name text space. 
  • Add a description that will appear as a tooltip when you hover over the Cause Row on the Fishbone. 
  • Select Save to add the cause and return to the Fishbone or Save & Add Another to add another Cause Row to the same category immediately. 
• Use the Item tab to add an existing Item in KaiNexus as a Cause Row. 
  
  • Use the Cause Rows dropdown to search for an Item in KaiNexus. 
  • Add a description that will appear as a tooltip when you hover over the Cause Row on the Fishbone. 
  • Select Save to add the cause and return to the Fishbone or Save & Add Another to add another Cause Row to the same category immediately. 

Edit Cause Rows

To edit a free text Cause Row:

• Select the cause on the Fishbone you want to edit. 
• Make edits in the resulting window, and then select Save. 

To edit an Item Cause Row:

• Hover over the Cause Row and select the pencil icon to the right of the Item name.
• Make edits in the resulting window, and then select Save. 

Delete Cause Rows

To delete a free text Cause Row:

• Select the cause on the Fishbone you want to delete. 
• In the resulting window, select Delete. 

To delete an Item Cause Row: 

• Hover over the cause and select the pencil icon to the right of the Item name.
• In the resulting window, select Delete. 

Move Cause Rows

Use drag and drop to rearrange the causes within a category or move a cause to another category. 

• Hover over the Cause Row you would like to move. This will highlight the cause in gray.
• Select and hold down. Move your mouse to drag the cause to a different position on the Fishbone. 
• Each new spot where you can drop the cause will be marked with a dashed box. 
• Drop the cause in one of the dashed boxes to change its position. 

Highlight or strikethrough a Cause Row

To convey a better visual understanding of the Fishbone Diagram, highlight or strikethrough any of the causes listed on your diagram. These changes will be visible to anyone who accesses the diagram. 

To highlight or strikethrough a cause, navigate to the Fishbone Diagram and right-click on a cause. 

• In the resulting drop-down menu:
   
  • Click Highlight to give the cause a yellow highlight.
  • Click Strikethrough to draw a line through the cause.

To remove a highlight or strikethrough, navigate to the Fishbone Diagram, and right-click a cause that has been highlighted or struck through. 

• In the resulting drop-down menu:
   
  • Click Remove Highlight to clear the highlight from the cause.
  • Click Remove Strikethrough to remove the line from the cause.

Remove or Clear a Fishbone Diagram

To remove or clear the Fishbone Diagram from an Item, hover over the top right of the Panel.

Select the ellipse icon. 

• Select Delete in the resulting dropdown to remove the Fishbone from the Item. 
  • Check the I understand this cannot be undone checkbox.
  • Select Delete.
  • The Fishbone Diagram will be removed from the Item Work Panel. If a Panel or tab were added to that Item following the diagram's creation, it would also be removed.
• Select Clear in the resulting dropdown to remove all information from the Item. 
  • Check the I understand this cannot be undone checkbox.
  • Select Clear. 
  • The Cause Rows, editable Cause Categories, and the problem will be cleared from the Fishbone. 

Filter Items with Fishbone Diagrams

You can filter Items based on whether they have a Fishbone Diagram added to them. This feature comes in handy when you need to retrieve lists of improvements or projects that do or do not have a Fishbone Diagram attached to them. This helps you verify whether Fishbone Diagrams are being correctly integrated into your processes.

To filter for Items that have a Fishbone Diagram added to them:

• Open the Item Filter. 
  • If you are using the Items section, open the Item Filter by selecting the filter icon. 
  • If you are using an Item List Card, open the Item Filter by selecting the ellipse icon and selecting Edit. 
• Create a new rule with the "Additional" criteria. 
  
• Set your logic:
  • Select 'is any of" to include Items with Fishbone Diagrams in your List. 
  • Select "is not any of" to include Items without a Fishbone Diagram in your List. 

• Choose "Has Fishbone" in the drop-down of additional filter criteria. 
  
• Select Save.