7.3.1 Similarities
As shown in the sample diagrams in Figure 7.5 and 7.6, both the fishbone diagram and mind map are able to capture and present a huge amount of ideas in one single page. They can both be used to facilitate brainstorming and help trigger new ideas generation.
7.3.2 Differences
The key difference between the fishbone diagram and the mind map is the appearance of the diagram. It is believed that the appearance of the diagram is able to direct and influence the thinking process.
88 Fishbone Diagrams vs. Mind Maps
Speech
Audience Age Sales
Information Depth
Fun
Motivation Current Target
Race Education
Income
Interest
Profession
Size
−
Duration
Short (1-2hrs) Medium (3-4hrs) Long (>4hrs) Style
Fun Speaker
Microphone VCD/DVD Screen
Air-conditioning Table Chair Audio-Visual
Facility Size
Format Casual Attire
Serious Musical Computer
Flip-chart Marker Whiteboard Tablet
Equipment Who When Public Not Provided
Transport
Provided
Room Logistic
Location Drive
Map Address
Bus
Taxi Objectives
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
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Figure 7.4 Completed mind map.
Packaging Supply
Vendor Storage
Inaccuracy Malfunction Repair
Accuracy Speed
Training Hiring
People Materials
Machinery Methods
Delayed Computer Chip
Release
Figure 7.5 Sample fishbone diagram.
Comparison between Fishbone Diagrams and Mind Maps 89
Pitch it the Right Way Tell a Good story
Know the Publication Know Your Reporter
Celebrate Your Success
Give Writers what they need
Watch your language
At the Right Time People to talk to
Experts to quote Graphics Industry stats Photos of key players
Company name In Headline
Types Buzzkiller.net
Time of Day Day of Week Week of Month How much lead time do they want / Do you need I writers have a pretence
Read what he/she writes
Create article map Subscribe to Sentence What kinds of stories do they like Do they tend to be Positive or Negative
Search publication Search online publication Gelemalls of latest article
Publish often enough Courier Your Type Products Are they big enough Are they too big Just because you think Its interesting Does II pass the
“Cocktail Party Test”
How about the “Beuator Ride ” test
email One ata time for a specific story
tax phone small mall
If two media outlets discover that you have pitched the same story at the same rime. They will not be happy campers.
Pitching Your Story To The Press
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Figure 7.6 Sample mind map.
7.3.2.1 Direction of arrows
For the fishbone diagram, the arrows are pointed towards the ‘effect’ (as shown in Figure 7.7), which in our case is the problem we are trying to solve. Thus, a brain- storming session using this diagram will tend to be very focused. Every new idea (or
‘cause’) generated is likely to have direct relationship with the effect.
As for the mind map, there are no arrows pointing in any direction, but lines radi- ating out from the center of the page (as shown in Figure 7.8). This kind of diagram will inevitably direct the thinking into ‘exploration’ mode and, not uncommonly, lose sight of the ‘shore’ (the original intent).
7.3.2.2 Colour, line thickness and symbols (or images)
For the fishbone diagram, there is not much emphasis on the use of different colours and line thicknesses to differentiate the different levels or signal differences in
CAUSES
EFFECT
Figure 7.7 Direction of arrows for fishbone diagram.
90 Fishbone Diagrams vs. Mind Maps
Give Writers what they need
Watch your language
People to talk to
Experts to quote Graphics Industry stats
Photos of key players
Company name In Headline
Typos Buzzkiller.net
Pit
?
Figure 7.8 Direction of branches for mind mapping.
importance. This is understandable as the primary function of the tool is just to trace the cause-and-effect relationship and present it in diagram form. Symbols (C, N, and X) to indicate whether a key process input variable is a ‘controllable’, ‘noise’ or design factor may added to indicate the nature of the input variables. For the mind map, the use of colors, line thickness and images is almost mandatory. The reason is that the use of all these will stimulate the senses to improve the efficiency of the brain in memorizing them and trigger the creative process.
7.3.2.3 Guidelines for the main branches
The established guidelines for the fishbone diagram -- man, machine, method, mea- surement, material and environment (M5 E) for operational scenarios, and policy, people procedure, place, measurement and environment (P4ME) for transactional scenarios -- have been proven to be good guidelines that trigger the team to start thinking in a certain direction. As for the mind map, no such guideline exists, as, firstly, creativity is one of the key objectives of the tool. A guideline like this may stifle creativity as human beings generally like to take the easy way out and just limit their thinking to a small number of few categories. Secondly, the intended application of the mind map is too wide to give a sensible, general guideline for the main branches.
7.3.3 Other practical considerations 7.3.3.1 Ease of use and software support
Ease of use and software support are a key concern when a new tool is being intro- duced. For example, we could not implement Six Sigma fully if there were no statistical software and computer power available in the market.
References 91 The fishbone diagram has the advantage that it can be created using common soft- ware such as PowerPoint, Excel, Visio or any other graphic software. On the other hand, the mind map has the advantage of having powerful dedicated software that makes creating a mind map effortless, although without it too much effort is required to create a mind map the way it should look.
7.3.3.2 Acceptance level
All new tools need time before they are accepted. The fishbone diagram has the advantage of being the industrial standard as a brainstorming tool for problem-solving and for quality improvement. The mind map, on the other hand, is still not widely accepted in industry although it has been gaining popularity over the past few years.
What will probably close the gap between them is that for a person who is familiar with the fishbone diagram, learning about the mind map does not take much effort.