Fishbone Diagram Maker

Visualize Root Causes with Cause and Effect Diagrams

Uncover root causes faster — collaborate in real time, analyze issues, and find solutions together.

Create a Fishbone Diagram

Start instantly with ready-made fishbone diagram templates
Work together with your team, brainstorm causes, and refine solutions
Export, present, or share your diagrams instantly with stakeholders

Snapshot of Creately's fishbone diagram maker workspace

Over 10 Million people and 1000s of teams already use Creately

Diagramming

Visual Collaboration

Org Chart

Used by Over 10 Million People and 1000s of Teams

A Comprehensive Tool for Visual Collaboration and Diagramming

it is ease of collaborative diagramming and real-time editing. This allows teams to brainstorm, create, and refine diagrams together in a way that feels intuitive and seamless, regardless of location.

JUAN LEONARDO G

Small-Business

Efficient and User-Friendly Diagramming Tool

I love how easy it is to create and collaborate on diagrams with Creately. The real-time collaboration feature is incredibly helpful for team projects, and the extensive library of templates and shapes saves a lot of time

Aymen G

Small-Business

Creately provides best diagram structure.

Creately has proven to be an incredibly creative tool, enhancing the visual appeal of our company tasks significantly. Additionally, its pricing is highly competitive, offering great value for the features it provides.

Ruchika N

Assistant Manager

Creately: Simple Diagram Tool

I like that Creately is easy to use. It helps me create diagrams quickly and easily.

Ananya G

Executive Committee Member

Creately: A smart choice for expressing ideas over diagrams

Creately is a simple and user-friendly application for creating diagrams to visualize complex technical ideas and data flow on wireframes, flow charts, and other visual options. The best part of this tool is its real-time collaboration features, which help us to enhance the workflows in the team.

Gulam M

Software Engineer

User friendly and visually appealing!!

The interface is easy to use. The look is aesthetically pleasing as well. Love the functionality.

Chrisoula

Small-Business

Intuitive Design and Effortless Creativity

What I like best about Creately is its intuitive design and the ease with which it allows me to create attractive designs. From the moment I started using it, I was impressed by how easy it was to navigate the platform and how quickly I could bring my ideas to life in visually appealing diagrams and charts.

DARWIN M.

Mid-Market

Creatly Awesome App

In creatly easy to use and easy to design our all network diagrams for the clients and easy to export and Creately offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to create various types of diagrams without extensive training or experience. We used creately on daily basis for making diagram.

Surya Prakash M

Tech Lead Security

Easy to use

Creately has better options than Canva. It has great templates. it is a great product to use for visual org charts.

Jennifer D.

Initial Implementation

Great AI features

AI Modelling capability. It gives Prompt examples so user can learn how to create effective prompts

Karma A.

Business Manager

How to Create a Fishbone Diagram Online?

VISUALIZE

Brainstorm and Organize Causes Visually

Snapshot of Creately's in-app fishbone templates

Quickly get started with fishbone diagram templates and organize your causes visually.
Break down complex problems into actionable insights with cause categorization.
Enhance each branch with notes, sticky notes, and attachments to capture all details.
Customize branch layouts and styles to make your diagram clearer and easier to read.

Snapshot of Creately's fishbone diagram workspace with version history panel

COLLABORATE

Collaborate in Real Time with Your Team

Share your diagram and co-edit instantly with live collaboration to keep everyone on the same page.
Gather feedback efficiently using comments and reactions directly on branches.
Keep your work organized with version history that tracks all changes.
Brainstorm remotely as effectively as in person using real-time team collaboration.

EXECUTE

Customize and Extend Your Analysis

Snapshot of Creately's fisbone diagram maker integrations

Adjust layouts, colors, and styles with flexible customization to make diagrams clear and readable.
Connect supporting files and references with data integration for deeper analysis.
Link your fishbone diagram with flowcharts, mind maps, and other tools in Creately to create a comprehensive problem-solving workflow.
Turn insights into action by linking your fishbone diagram to Creately’s Kanban boards for task management and follow-up.

Snapshot of Creately's fishbone diagram maker and presentation options

ORGANIZE

Present and Share Findings with Ease

Export your diagrams as PNG, SVG, PDF, or share links instantly using easy export options.
Present step-by-step findings with built-in presentation mode for professional clarity.
Integrate diagrams with Confluence, Google Workspace, Slack, and more using tool integrations.
Embed diagrams in websites, wikis, or apps for easy access and collaboration.

Ideate, plan, and execute ideas better with Creately

Create a Fishbone Diagram Book a Demo

The fishbone diagram is a diagram that shows the possible causes of a specific event or a problem. They were first introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa in 1968, which is why they are sometimes referred to as Ishikawa diagrams. Fishbone diagrams are widely used in quality management to identify root causes of problems.

How to Make a Fishbone Diagram in Creately?

Launch Creately and set up your workspace

Open Creately’s fishbone diagram tool, create a new workspace, and select a fishbone diagram template from the library (or start from a blank canvas). Add your problem statement as the “head” of the diagram. Invite your team as collaborators with edit or comment access.

Define and categorize potential causes

Use the spine of the diagram to organize categories such as people, processes, equipment, materials, or environment. Add shapes and labels directly from Creately’s fishbone shape library to structure your categories.

Brainstorm collaboratively on the canvas

With your team working in real time, add possible causes under each category using sticky notes, text boxes, or branches. Make use of live cursors, comments, and reactions so everyone’s input is captured visually.

Review and prioritize causes

Facilitate discussion within the workspace to review all potential causes. Use dot voting, color coding, and grouping tools to highlight and prioritize the most likely root causes right on the diagram.

Turn insights into an action plan

Attach tasks to specific causes using shape data fields. Assign owners, add deadlines, and track progress inside the workspace. Share the final diagram and action plan with stakeholders using presentation mode or by exporting to PDF/PNG.

Create a Fishbone Diagram

Create Your Fishbone Diagrams Using Editable Templates

Fishbone Diagram for Root Cause Analysis

Edit Diagram

Fishbone Diagram

Edit Diagram

Cause and Effect Template for Design Thinking

Edit Diagram

Cause and Effect Diagram

Edit Diagram

FAQs About the Fishbone Diagram Creator in Creately

What is the “5 Whys” fishbone technique?

The “5 Whys” technique is often used alongside a fishbone diagram. It involves asking “why” repeatedly (usually five times) for each identified cause to drill down deeper and uncover the root problem.

How can I share my fishbone diagram with others?

In Creately’s Ishikawa diagram maker, click the Share button at the top-right corner of your workspace. Enter emails to invite collaborators or copy the link to share access. You can also embed the Ishikawa diagram online in other platforms or export it as a PDF/PNG if you need a printable version.

How do I start drawing a fishbone diagram in Creately?

Open a new workspace in Creately’s fishbone diagram generator and choose a ready-made fishbone diagram template from the template library. You can also build your own from scratch on the infinite canvas using drag-and-drop shapes, text, and formatting tools.

What is a fishbone diagram used for?

A fishbone diagram is used to explore and analyze cause-and-effect relationships. It helps teams identify defects, variations, or failures, making it an effective tool for problem-solving, quality improvement, and preventing recurring issues.

Does Creately offer fishbone diagram templates?

Yes. Creately’s template library includes ready-to-use online fishbone diagram templates for common scenarios like quality issues, project risks, and process inefficiencies. You can quickly customize them to suit your specific needs.

What is the best software to make a fishbone diagram?

The best software to make a fishbone diagram is one that supports real-time collaboration, customizable templates, and easy sharing. Creately offers all these features in one platform, making it simple to create and work on diagrams with your team.

What are the elements of a fishbone diagram?

A fishbone diagram typically includes the main problem (the “head”), major cause categories (the “bones”), and sub-causes branching off each category. These elements help organize contributing factors visually to identify root causes.

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