Free Cause and Effect Diagram Maker
Diagrams & FlowsMake a cause and effect diagram (fishbone or Ishikawa) online for free. Put the problem at the head, add up to six categories of causes, type the causes straight onto the diagram, and download a PNG — no signup.
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How to Use
- 1
Choose a starter first
Choose Product defects, Missed deadline, Low sales or Service complaints before typing. These are illustrative examples. Selecting a starter replaces the effect, categories and causes, and resets the palette, custom colors and fish outline.
- 2
Replace the sample effect
Click the text in the head and enter a short, specific problem. For the fictional workshop example below, use "SAMPLE: Late start". Replace the starter wording rather than presenting its sample causes as facts.
- 3
Organize possible causes
Click category and cause text to edit it. Use + Category to add a branch; hover a category to find its remove and add-cause controls. Each cause has a remove control. Keep 2–6 categories with at least one cause each, and use short labels.
- 4
Check the layout
Choose one of five palettes and Wide, Standard or Banner canvas size. Accent and Paper set custom colors; Show fish toggles the outline. Review every label at the chosen size. A crowded diagram or long text may need shorter labels or fewer causes.
- 5
Download and inspect the PNG
Download PNG gives a free standard PNG without signup or watermark. Open the file to check its labels before sharing. HD PNG, SVG and MP4 need Pro or an active export pass; Save requires an account and is separate from downloading.
Why Choose GraphMake?
Worked example: a workshop that starts late
This is a fictional exercise, not customer data or a finding about a real workshop. Choose Missed deadline first. Remove External and Communication, leaving four categories. Replace the effect with "SAMPLE: Late start". Keep Planning and People, rename Process to Materials, and rename Tools to Communication. Replace all eight sample causes.
Under Planning, enter "Agenda sent late" and "No setup buffer". Under People, enter "Host not assigned" and "Late arrivals". Under Materials, enter "Projector missing" and "Room not ready". Under Communication, enter "No start reminder" and "Room change missed". Each is a possible explanation to investigate, not an established cause.
Choose Ocean, Wide and Show fish on, then Download PNG. The expected standard file is 1200 × 720 with the sample effect, four category labels and all eight causes. Check that every label is present and readable. Keep longer investigation notes outside the diagram so the short labels remain useful in a meeting.
Turn the diagram into an evidence checklist
Start with one hypothesis, such as "No start reminder". Check whether a reminder was scheduled and sent, when it was sent, and whether participants received it. Compare those records with the workshop start and arrival times. A label on the diagram alone does not establish that missing reminders caused the delay.
For "Room not ready", inspect the room-booking and setup records or ask for observations from that session. Record what supports or contradicts each explanation, what is still unknown, and who will check it. Decide on a change only after reviewing the evidence; then observe whether the problem improves.
Choose a diagram for the question you are asking
Use this page to group possible causes of one effect. The fishbone diagram maker covers the same diagram type with 6M terminology.
Use the flowchart maker when the question is about steps, decisions and routes through a process. Use the mind map maker for a broader collection of ideas without forcing every branch to explain one effect. Choose the structure that makes the investigation easier to follow.
What You Can Create
Quality investigations
Group possible explanations for a defect, then identify the process records or observations needed to check them.
Delayed workshops or projects
Separate planning, people, materials and communication hypotheses, using the fictional workshop example as a starting structure.
Service reviews
Organize possible contributors to a recurring complaint so the team can choose specific evidence to collect before changing the service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cause and effect diagram the same as a fishbone diagram?
Yes. Cause and effect diagram, fishbone diagram, and Ishikawa diagram are three names for the same chart: the problem at the head, and the possible causes branching off the spine in categories.
Does the diagram prove a root cause?
No. It organizes the explanations you enter; it does not analyze evidence or establish causation. Investigate possible causes with relevant observations or records before choosing a fix. Asking further "why" questions can suggest what to investigate, but the answers still need checking.
Which categories should I use?
Use categories that fit the problem. Product defects starts with the 6Ms: methods, machines, materials, manpower, measurement and environment. The service and sales starters offer other sets. You can rename or remove branches; the fictional workshop example below uses Planning, People, Materials and Communication.
How many categories and causes can I add?
Use between two and six categories. Adding another category is disabled at six, and removing categories stops at two. Each category retains at least one cause. There is no fixed cause-count limit, but the canvas does not grow to make room for an unlimited list. Keep the diagram concise and inspect the output.
What happens if I choose another starter?
It replaces the current effect, categories and causes with that example, and resets the palette, custom accent, custom paper and fish visibility. Choose a starter before editing. Canvas size and motion settings are separate; selecting a starter is not a reset of every setting.
What size is the PNG, and will long labels fit?
The standard PNG uses the selected fixed canvas: Wide is 1200 × 720, Standard is 1040 × 760, and Banner is 1360 × 620. The on-page preview scales to the available screen width; that does not change the exported dimensions. Long cause text can wrap, but dense content and long category names can overlap or run outside the canvas. Use short labels and check the actual PNG.
Is the cause and effect diagram maker free?
Editing and standard PNG download are free without signup or a watermark. HD PNG at 2×, 3× or 4×, SVG and MP4 exports require Pro or an active export pass. Downloading a PNG does not save an editable account copy.
How do Save and Open in editor differ from downloading?
Save requires an account and stores an editable design to reopen. Download PNG creates an image file. Open in editor transfers the diagram to the full editor for further composition; its layout and export controls are separate, so inspect the result there rather than assuming it is identical to the studio PNG.
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