To put it succinctly, yes, a cause-and-effect diagram is just an Ishikawa or Fishbone Diagram. You’ll know this tool if you have any familiarity with the 7 QC tools found in Six Sigma.

But our experience of the problem—it’s impact—doesn’t really tell us why it’s happening—the cause. If we don’t know the cause, we won’t be able to prevent it from happening again. Investigating a ...