Which diagram is used to organize the potential causes of a problem into categories such as methods, machines, materials, and manpower?

• A. Fishbone Diagram
• B. Pareto Chart
• C. Scatter Plot
• D. Mind Map

Answer: (A)

Organizing potential causes into methods, machines, materials, and manpower is done with a fishbone diagram, also called a cause-and-effect diagram. It lays out the problem at the head and builds a central spine with branches for major categories (the four Ms). Each branch holds specific causes, so the team can brainstorm comprehensively and see where to focus investigation. This visual structure is especially helpful for root-cause analysis. A Pareto chart prioritizes problems by frequency or impact, a scatter plot examines the relationship between two variables, and a mind map is a more general idea organizer, not fixed to cause categories. So the fishbone diagram is the best fit.