Professional Flowcharting Software

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These diagrams can be downloaded and edited. It is often easier to modify an existing diagram than to draw a new one.

If you don't have RFFlow installed already, download the free trial version. Then you can open the samples on this page directly in RFFlow by clicking on the .flo file links below. From there you can zoom in, edit, and print the sample chart.

Many of the shapes used on this page are in the Cause-Effect (Fishbone) Diagrams stencil. To open this stencil, click the More Shapes button , Cause-Effect (Fishbone), and Add Stencil.

Cause-and-effect diagrams are also called Ishikawa diagrams after their creator, Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa. Fishbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, and Ishikawa diagrams are all different names for the same diagram. These diagrams are used in identifying and organizing the possible causes of a problem. They are sometimes referred to as fishbone diagrams because they resemble the skeleton of a fish, with a head, spine, and bones.

The problem you are investigating is placed on the right side of the fishbone diagram.

The spine is the large arrow going horizontally from left to right and pointing to the problem or Effect on the right.

The lines diagonally pointing to the spine are the main categories of potential causes of the problem. The smaller lines are more detailed causes of the problem

For detailed instructions on drawing a fishbone diagram, see:
How to Draw a Fishbone Diagram