The first fishbone diagrams were created in 1943 by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa at the University of Tokyo. They are visual organizers used to identify the potential root causes of known or anticipated results within a given process. Potential causes are usually grouped into categories such as people, methods, machines, materials, measurements, and environment, with other connected "bones" used to further define each aspect. While primarily used within manufacturing environments, many other industries have adopted variations.
Have your students research the 5/6 Ms used by Manufacturing, the 8 Ps used by Marketing, and the 5s used by the Service industry.