Printable 6M Fishbone Chart

This 6M fishbone sheet is for teams, teachers, and anyone working through a cause-and-effect problem. The page shows a blank fishbone drawing in letter landscape format, with a main spine and branches for the 6M method: Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, and Mother Nature.

Free printable · PDF

1 page
US Letter, landscape — choose “Fit to page” for A4
PDF, 39 KB

Download free PDF

Free for personal, family and classroom use.

Need to edit it? The full pack has the editable Word and Excel files plus all 7 sheets — $5.00, one-time.

Use it to write a problem statement at the head of the chart, then add possible causes on each branch. Fill in the lines by hand during a meeting, workshop, or individual review, and use the chart to sort ideas before choosing what to investigate first.

Good for

Root cause analysis meetings
Process improvement brainstorming
Classroom problem-solving exercises

Tip: Print on landscape settings and keep a few blank copies nearby for quick team sessions.

7 files · PDF, DOCX, XLSX

Get every sheet: Fishbone Diagram Template Pack

This sheet plus 6 more in one download, with the editable Word and Excel files. Printable fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams — blank, 6M, 4S, 4P and a filled example — plus an editable Word template, an Excel cause log with 5 Whys and a facilitator checklist.

$5.00 USD, one-time 7 files · about $0.71 each