Free Printable Fishbone Diagram Templates

About these fishbone diagram handouts

The fishbone diagram, also called an Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, shows the many causes of one problem. The problem sits at the head of the fish and the causes branch off the spine like bones. Kaoru Ishikawa, a quality control expert in Japan, created it in the 1960s for manufacturing, and teachers use it for any problem with several causes.

The simple version has six bones, three above the spine and three below, each with a label box for a category and three short lines for specific causes. The lined version has a smaller diagram with numbered bones at the top and six numbered writing boxes below, so students can name a category, then list causes in full sentences. This is the better choice for writing assignments that need detail.

In history, use it for the causes of an event such as a war or a movement. In science, use it for the causes of an environmental problem. In school or community projects, use it to think about why attendance is low or why a garden failed. Type the problem in the Subject box to print it at the head of the fish.

How to use them

1. Choose simple or lined.
2. Type the problem in the Subject box and print.
3. Brainstorm three to six categories of causes, such as people, places, rules and resources.
4. Write the categories on the bones.
5. Add specific causes on each bone, then circle the likely root cause.

Classroom tips

• Have students use the same categories across several problems so they see patterns.
• Ask them to circle the two causes they could actually change.
• Brainstorm causes in a group first, then sort them into bones.
• Use it before a cause-and-effect essay to plan body paragraphs, one per bone.

Where the facts come from

• Lean Enterprise Institute: Fishbone diagram created by quality control expert Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s

Last reviewed 2026-10-03. Handout Hero designs are original and made for this site. They are general reference material; check your own school, district or tradition where it matters.