Use a Cause and Effect Diagram (also known as an Ishikawa Diagram or a Fishbone Diagram) to display multiple potential causes for a problem. The below example is from the Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia.

Related Resources

• Analytic Cause Tree - Peel back the layers of a problem, reveal all of the possible causes, identify the root causes, develop corrective actions aligned to the root causes, and put the QI team's thoughts, rationale, and conclusions on one page.
• Solve the Real Problem Using Root Cause Analysis - Define the main cause of a problem and identify the actions necessary to permanently eliminate it
• Diagnostic Force Field Analysis - Understand and analyze the driving (positive) forces and restraining (negative) forces on the road to a desired improvement.