Certified Production & Operations Manager (POM) Practice Exam

Cause-and-effect diagrams are sometimes called:

1. run charts

2. responsibility charts

3. pareto diagrams

4. fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

The correct answer is: fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

Cause-and-effect diagrams, widely recognized as fishbone diagrams or Ishikawa diagrams, are tools that visually represent the relationship between a specific issue and its potential causes. The name “fishbone” comes from the diagram's fish-like appearance, where the main "bone" represents the problem and "bones" branching off signify different categories of potential causes. These diagrams are particularly useful in identifying various factors contributing to a problem, allowing teams to focus on root causes rather than symptoms. Developed by Kaoru Ishikawa, the fishbone diagram emphasizes a systematic approach to problem-solving by categorizing causes into major groups, such as People, Methods, Machines, Materials, Environment, and Measurements. The other options do serve different purposes: run charts illustrate changes in data over time, responsibility charts clarify who is responsible for certain tasks, and Pareto diagrams prioritize problems to focus on the most significant contributors to issues based on the Pareto principle. However, none of these options function as cause-and-effect diagrams, which is why the fishbone diagram is the fitting designation for this type of analysis.