The seven basic tools of quality are a fixed set of visual diagrams identified as being most helpful in troubleshooting issues related to quality.

The designation arose in postwar Japan, inspired by the seven famous weapons of Benkei.[6] It was possibly introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa who in turn was influenced by a series of lectures W. Edwards Deming had given to Japanese engineers and scientists in 1950.

The Project Management Institute references the seven basic tools in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge as an example of a set of general tools useful for planning or controlling project quality.

The seven basic tools stand in contrast to more advanced statistical methods such as survey sampling, acceptance sampling, statistical hypothesis testing, design of experiments, multivariate analysis, and various methods developed in the field of operations research.

• Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the “fishbone diagram” or Ishikawa diagram)
• Check sheet
• Control chart
• Histogram
• Pareto chart
• Scatter diagram
• Stratification (alternatively, flow chart or run chart)