Here’s a list of free fish diagram you can use as an example and reference in making your own diagram. The fishbone diagram is explained with labels and description. We’ll start by giving you the general overview of a fishbone diagram below.

The fish diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem. It can be used to structure a brainstorming session. It immediately sorts ideas into useful categories. This fishbone diagram is used when identifying possible causes for a problem. Especially when a team’s thinking tends to fall into ruts. The defect is shown as the fish’s head, facing to the right, with the causes extending to the left as fishbones; the ribs branch off the backbone for major causes, with sub-branches for root-causes, to as many levels as required.


Learn how to make the also-called fishbone diagrams by using the following fishbone templates for immediate download and use. Create a visual diagram of the causes of a specific event with this diagram template. To construct a fishbone, start with stating the problem in the form of a why question. Framing it as a “why” question will help in brainstorming, as each root cause idea should answer the question. Check out the templates in the following images.


All the pictures of the diagrams and templates are downloadable. Customize the category of causes based on your requirements. Find more diagram templates in this site by browsing through our categories!