Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Practice Exam

The primary purpose of a cause-and-effect diagram, often referred to as a fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram, is to visually represent potential causes of a problem. This diagram helps teams to systematically explore and display the various factors that may contribute to a specific issue or outcome, enabling a more thorough analysis of the root causes. By laying out the possible causes in a structured format, it encourages team collaboration and brainstorming, leading to more effective problem-solving strategies.

In the context of Six Sigma, understanding the underlying causes of defects or inefficiencies is crucial to improving processes. The diagram helps to categorize potential causes into categories such as People, Process, Equipment, and Environment, making it easier to identify areas for improvement.

While prioritizing problems, analyzing data distribution, and calculating process capability are essential aspects of the Six Sigma methodology, they do not capture the primary role of the cause-and-effect diagram, which is fundamentally about mapping out all possible influences leading to a problem.