Set your paper to landscape mode.
Use a ruler to draw a horizontal line from the left edge of the paper to about one inch from the right edge of the paper. This line should be centered on the paper.
Draw an arrow at the right end of the line. This line is called the backbone.
Write the effect at the end of this line, just after the arrow. The effect is a resulting situation that comes about because of actions or problems, called causes. The effect can be a single word or a descriptive phrase.
Draw diagonal lines along the length of the backbone, on the top and/or bottom of the backbone. These lines resemble backward slash marks when they are on top of the line or standard slash marks when they are on the bottom of the line. Leave about an inch of space between the diagonal lines. Each diagonal will correspond with one cause.
Brainstorm the causes to your problem. Write in these cause words or phrases at the end of each diagonal line. You can have as many or as few causes as you need to support the effect.
Draw one or more horizontal lines to intersect each diagonal line. Use these horizontal lines to further brainstorm secondary causes of the primary causes of the problem.