Fishbone Diagram — 4P Categories

Chapter 6: Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagrams  |  Mastering Problem Solving Toolkit

When to Use 4P vs. 6M

Use 4P (People, Process, Policy, Plant) for service, administrative, transactional, and office environments.
Use 6M for manufacturing, production, and technical processes.
 
 
 
 
People

Training / knowledge gaps

 

Workload / burnout

 

Motivation / engagement

 

Other:

 

Role clarity / responsibilities

 

Communication / handoff

 

New/temporary staff

 

Other:

 
Process

Steps missing or out of order

 

Inefficient workflow

 

Handoffs between teams

 

Other:

 

Lack of standardization

 

No error-checking built in

 

Response time / bottlenecks

 

Other:

 
Policy

Policy unclear or missing

 

Policy not communicated

 

Policy outdated / conflicting

 

Other:

 

Rules not enforced consistently

 

Compliance / regulatory issue

 

Approval authority gaps

 

Other:

 
Plant / Equipment / Technology

Software / system issues

 

Equipment condition

 

Layout / ergonomics

 

Other:

 

Technology not fit for purpose

 

Maintenance / upkeep

 

Access / availability

 

Other:

 

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