Diagraming

Methods for diagram creation

Spray Diagrams

Spray diagrams are mainly used for representing the structure of an argument, to encapsulate the relationships between the ideas of others or for note taking and were developed by Tony Buzan in 1974. Spray diagrams are sometimes confused with mind maps which have different functions. Mind maps, are a way of generating and collating ideas a bit like brainstorming where you are trying to get your own ideas onto paper in an unstructured way.

Rich Pictures

Rich Pictures were developed as part of Peter Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology for gathering information about a complex situation in 1981. The idea of using drawings or pictures to highlight issues is useful for problem solving because our intuitive consciousness communicates more easily with symbols than in words. Rich pictures are used to depict complicated situations. Rich pictures are drawn at the pre-analysis stage, before you know clearly which parts of the situation should best be regarded as process and which as structure.

Systems Map

A systems map is essentially a snapshot. It shows components of the system and environment, at a point in time. Systems maps are used to identify your system of interest, to clarify thoughts at an early stage of analysis, decide upon structural elements and some components are grouped into sub-systems to set out the boundaries.

Influence Diagram

This is often developed from a systems map representing the interrelationships of the elements of the situation.

Multiple Cause Diagram

This diagram can be used to find out why events happened or why certain events keep happening. Showing causal loops can help to show why things went wrong.

Ishikawa Diagram

Ishikawa Diagram can have various names Cause and Effect diagram, Fishbone and Root Cause Analysis. The inventor of the tool was K. Ishikawa (1969). Cause and Effect also aptly describes the tool, which is used to capture the causes of a particular effect and the relationships between cause and effect. The term fishbone is used to describe the look of the diagram on paper and the basic use of the tool is to find root causes of problems.

The problem of interest is entered at the right of the diagram at the end of the main bone. Typically there are three to six sub-bones which are the general causes of the problem under consideration. The causes which are responsible for the problems sit under the sub-bones. The depth of this tree is usually about four or five levels. The fishbone is complete picture of all the possibilities about what could be the root cause for the problem. Identify causes rather than symptoms.

The Ishikawa Diagrams have the following goals:-

• Focus attention on one specific problem
• Organize and display graphically the root cause theories of the problem
• Show the relationship of factors influencing the problem
• Provides an aid for problem solving
• Shows relationships and possible causes
• Provides insight into process behaviours
• Identify the causes not the symptoms