Source Critique 3

Cause-and-Effect Diagram
Defense Acquisition University (DAU). (2007). Cause-and-Effect Diagram. Retrieved from https://acc.dau.mil/adl/en-US/184574/file/32043/caue%20and%20effect.pdf

Ishikawa Diagram

Purpose
This article is from a series of training and professional development materials entitled “Basic Tools for Process Improvement” prepared for U.S. Department of Defense acquisition personnel, contractors, and international partners.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
>  Cause-and-effect diagrams help increase group knowledge of processes and allow everyone to learn more about the factors at work and their interrelationships.
>  Team members can analyze existing problems in a structured manner and plan corrective actions.
Weaknesses
>  The group dynamic may differ significantly if the effect to be analyzed is defined as a positive (an objective) or a negative (a problem).
>  Branches with multiple sub-branches may need to be broken out into separate diagrams.
>  Cause-and-effect diagrams identify potential causes; teams may need to utilize another method, such as a Pareto Chart, to help determine which cause to focus on first.


Description
DAU describes the process for creating cause-and-effect diagrams in six steps:
1.  Collect a team of contributors and work together to identify the effect to be analyzed.
2.  Begin drawing the diagram by creating a horizontal “spine” and write the effect to the right.
3.  Identify the main causes contributing to the effect, and add these as branches off the spine.
4.  Consider the main causes and identify specific factors of each which may be directly impacting the effect.
5.  Continue to incorporate process details and organize them under each related causes.
6.  Analyze the resulting diagram for cause-and effect interactions as well as areas that will require additional study.


Uses
Cause-and-effect diagrams are used to identify the root causes of a problem in a systematic manner by incorporating group knowledge of processes. Diagrams offer an easy-to-interpret blueprint of cause-and-effect relationships and help identify potential causes of quality variations. Additionally, this method effectively detects areas where more information is needed.

Comparison
This article differed from previously reviewed sources that were developed primarily for project management requirements by including a clear focus on working with a team to construct and analyze cause-and effect diagrams. Additionally, this article included more detailed instructions for physically drawing diagrams.

Sources Cited
Brassard, M. (1988). The Memory Jogger, A Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous Improvement, pp. 24-29. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC.
Ishikawa, K. (1968). Guide to Quality Control. Tokyo, Japan: Asian Productivity Organization.

Most Informative
This article provided several secondary steps and considerations for analyzing completed cause-and-effect diagrams which are helpful for determining potential root causes, action items, and intelligence gaps.  

Source Author
DAU provides a full range of certification and training for Department of Defense acquisitions personnel and partners. The organization supports a dispersed workforce with a need for online knowledge-sharing tools and users requiring learning modules at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Source Reliability
Very high credibility

Critique Author
Kenda Puchalski, kenda.puchalski@gmail.com, “Mercyhurst College, Erie PA, Advanced Analytic Techniques Course,” 13 January 2011.