Determining the Cause of a Failed Deliverable - Best Tool for the Project Team

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The most appropriate tool for the project team to use to determine the cause of the problem, when a deliverable has failed during testing several times, is the Fishbone diagram, also known as Ishikawa or Cause-and-Effect diagram.

A Fishbone diagram is a graphical tool used to identify and organize the possible causes of a problem. It is called a fishbone diagram because of its shape, which resembles the skeleton of a fish, with the problem statement written on the right side of the diagram and the "bones" or "branches" of the fish representing possible causes of the problem. Each branch can have sub-branches to further elaborate on the possible causes.

The Fishbone diagram helps the project team to identify and understand the underlying causes of a problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable components. This helps to create a better understanding of the problem and aids in identifying potential solutions.

In the case of a failed deliverable during testing, a Fishbone diagram can help identify the possible causes of the problem, such as issues with requirements, design, development, testing, or communication. Once the possible causes have been identified, the project team can investigate further to determine the root cause of the problem and take corrective action.

The other options, Run chart, Scatter diagram, and Gantt chart are project management tools, but are not directly applicable for determining the cause of a problem. A Run chart is used to display changes in a variable over time, while a Scatter diagram is used to show the relationship between two variables. A Gantt chart is a tool used to visually represent a project schedule. While these tools may be useful in managing and tracking the progress of a project, they are not designed for problem identification and analysis.