Affinity Diagrams
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Steven Bonacorsi
Aug 17, 2011, 12:29:16 AM8/17/11
to Lean Six Sigma
The affinity diagram is a management and planning tool. Use of this
tool is based on the understanding that time invested in planning will
produce remarkable dividends as the generated ideas and plans are
acted upon and implemented. Unlike the basic tools for improvement
that deal primarily with collecting and analyzing hard data, this tool
focuses on issues and ideas, soft data.
An affinity diagram is the result of a creative process focused on
finding the major themes affecting a problem by generating a number of
ideas, issues or opinions. The process identifies these ideas, groups
naturally related items and identifies the one concept that ties each
grouping together. The team working on a problem reaches consensus by
the cumulative effect of individual sorting decisions rather than
through discussion.
What can it do for you?
Affinity diagrams can help you organize random data to show the
underlying organization of a problem or issue. They are especially
useful if the situation seems chaotic because there is an excess of
ideas, influences, objectives or requirements, or if breakthrough
thinking rather than incremental improvement is required. An affinity
diagram can help clarify the broad themes and issues acting on any
situation. The affinity process lets you sift through large volumes of
information efficiently and allows truly new patterns or approaches to
emerge for consideration. Affinity diagrams are especially useful in
the measure and analyze phases of Lean Six Sigma methodology.
How do you do it?
1. The first step is to assemble the right team.
The team should consist of five or six people who have knowledge about
the situation to be considered. They should be relatively familiar
with each other and accustomed to working together and should "speak
the same language," but care should be taken not to bring together the
same old people to work on the same old problem. Include people with
valuable input who may not have been included in the past. If the team
needs specific information beyond the scope of the members' knowledge,
the team should draw in resource people as temporary team members.
2. Phrase the issue to be considered.
The affinity process seems to be most effective if the issue is
loosely or vaguely stated. The more explanation or limitation in the
issue statement, the more likely the thought process will be
constrained. The statement should be neutral to avoid limiting or
directing responding ideas.
For example, "How are we going to fix our quality problems?" might
produce a fuller and more valuable collection of responses if
rephrased "What are the issues affecting product quality?"
When you have decided the phrasing of the statement, write it on the
top of a flipchart or board so that it is visible to the group.
3. Generate and record ideas.
This step of the process uses the traditional guidelines for
brainstorming:
o No criticism or discussion of ideas
o Generate many ideas in a short time
o Everyone participates
o Record the ideas exactly as spoken and not as interpreted by the
recorder.
One technique is to have team members silently record their ideas on
3x5 cards or Post-it(TM) notes for some amount of time. Members can
then take turns offering ideas one-at-a-time for the recorder to write
on a flip-chart or board. As the ideas are recorded, other team
members can use those ideas to help generate additional ideas and
additional cards.
To be most useful, idea statements should be:
o Concise, about five to seven words
o Unambiguous, at least one noun and one verb
o Legible, printed neatly, one idea to a card
Another technique is to generate ideas and have the recorder write
them directly on a flip-chart or board (without having team members
first write them on cards). After all the ideas have been recorded,
the team would then transfer them to cards.
4. Display the completed idea cards.
Randomly lay out the cards so that all the team members can see them.
5. Arrange the cards in natural groupings.
The purpose of this step is to collect ideas that go with each other.
In silence, all team members should simultaneously begin moving idea
cards, collecting and arranging in columns the cards that each person
believes belong together. All the cards should remain visible during
this process so that everyone can consider and reconsider the
arrangement as it emerges.
If cards are redundant, overlap them but in such a way that both can
be read. Team members should freely change cards between groupings or
create new groupings as they feel appropriate. Team members are
allowed to disagree with a placement by making a new placement or
returning to a previous one. Back and forth moves may occur for some
time until the team settles on an arrangement that is acceptable to
everyone.
Some cards may be loners that do not seem to fit in any grouping. They
should be left that way rather than try to force-fit them into a
grouping.
6. Create headers.
Look for a card in each grouping that describes the central idea that
ties the whole group together. In many cases that central idea will
not exist yet on a card. If it does not, the team should decide on the
central idea and create a concise, usually three to five words, header
card for that grouping. While silence is important for sorting,
discussion should be used for selecting or creating headers.
If one or more groupings are unusually large, look for sub-groupings
within the larger groups. Sub-groupings should also have headers.
Resist the temptation to create endless groupings and sub-groupings.
Keep the number of headers between five and ten, if at all possible.
7. Draw the finished diagram.
Your finished diagram could simply be Post-it(TM) notes stuck to flip-
chart paper with lines containing and connecting the groupings or 3x5
cards pinned or taped to the wall. It is a good idea, however, to make
an actual drawing of the finished diagram and to share it outside the
team for comments and modification. The team should continue to change
the diagram until it reflects the actual situation.
Now what?
If your time is limited or you don't know whether applying a whole
cycle of tools will be valuable, try making an affinity diagram and
see what happens. In general, an affinity diagram will help add
clarity and understanding whenever:
1. There appears to be chaos in the facts or ideas relating to the
situation
2. Old solutions do not seem to be working and breakthrough thinking
seems in order
3. Support for any proposed solution is critically essential to its
success.
Creating an affinity diagram may not be very valuable if:
1. The solution to the problem is simple
2. The situation demands quick, decisive action.
Making an affinity diagram will allow you to sift through large
volumes of information and ideas with efficiency, however. It will
also let truly new ways of looking at a problem or situation emerge
for your consideration.
Steven Bonacorsi is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
instructor and coach. Steven Bonacorsi has trained hundreds of Master
Black Belts, Black Belts, Green Belts, and Project Sponsors and
Executive Leaders in Lean Six Sigma DMAIC and Design for Lean Six
Sigma process improvement methodologies.
Author for the Process Excellence Network (PEX Network / IQPC)
Process Excellence Network
Steven Bonacorsi, President of International Standard for Lean Six
Sigma(ISLSS)
Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
47 Seasons Lane
Londonderry, NH 03053
Phone: +(1) (603) 401-7047
E-mail: sbona...@islss.com
Process Excellence Network: http://bit.ly/n4hBwu
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Bonacorsi
tool is based on the understanding that time invested in planning will
produce remarkable dividends as the generated ideas and plans are
acted upon and implemented. Unlike the basic tools for improvement
that deal primarily with collecting and analyzing hard data, this tool
focuses on issues and ideas, soft data.
An affinity diagram is the result of a creative process focused on
finding the major themes affecting a problem by generating a number of
ideas, issues or opinions. The process identifies these ideas, groups
naturally related items and identifies the one concept that ties each
grouping together. The team working on a problem reaches consensus by
the cumulative effect of individual sorting decisions rather than
through discussion.
What can it do for you?
Affinity diagrams can help you organize random data to show the
underlying organization of a problem or issue. They are especially
useful if the situation seems chaotic because there is an excess of
ideas, influences, objectives or requirements, or if breakthrough
thinking rather than incremental improvement is required. An affinity
diagram can help clarify the broad themes and issues acting on any
situation. The affinity process lets you sift through large volumes of
information efficiently and allows truly new patterns or approaches to
emerge for consideration. Affinity diagrams are especially useful in
the measure and analyze phases of Lean Six Sigma methodology.
How do you do it?
1. The first step is to assemble the right team.
The team should consist of five or six people who have knowledge about
the situation to be considered. They should be relatively familiar
with each other and accustomed to working together and should "speak
the same language," but care should be taken not to bring together the
same old people to work on the same old problem. Include people with
valuable input who may not have been included in the past. If the team
needs specific information beyond the scope of the members' knowledge,
the team should draw in resource people as temporary team members.
2. Phrase the issue to be considered.
The affinity process seems to be most effective if the issue is
loosely or vaguely stated. The more explanation or limitation in the
issue statement, the more likely the thought process will be
constrained. The statement should be neutral to avoid limiting or
directing responding ideas.
For example, "How are we going to fix our quality problems?" might
produce a fuller and more valuable collection of responses if
rephrased "What are the issues affecting product quality?"
When you have decided the phrasing of the statement, write it on the
top of a flipchart or board so that it is visible to the group.
3. Generate and record ideas.
This step of the process uses the traditional guidelines for
brainstorming:
o No criticism or discussion of ideas
o Generate many ideas in a short time
o Everyone participates
o Record the ideas exactly as spoken and not as interpreted by the
recorder.
One technique is to have team members silently record their ideas on
3x5 cards or Post-it(TM) notes for some amount of time. Members can
then take turns offering ideas one-at-a-time for the recorder to write
on a flip-chart or board. As the ideas are recorded, other team
members can use those ideas to help generate additional ideas and
additional cards.
To be most useful, idea statements should be:
o Concise, about five to seven words
o Unambiguous, at least one noun and one verb
o Legible, printed neatly, one idea to a card
Another technique is to generate ideas and have the recorder write
them directly on a flip-chart or board (without having team members
first write them on cards). After all the ideas have been recorded,
the team would then transfer them to cards.
4. Display the completed idea cards.
Randomly lay out the cards so that all the team members can see them.
5. Arrange the cards in natural groupings.
The purpose of this step is to collect ideas that go with each other.
In silence, all team members should simultaneously begin moving idea
cards, collecting and arranging in columns the cards that each person
believes belong together. All the cards should remain visible during
this process so that everyone can consider and reconsider the
arrangement as it emerges.
If cards are redundant, overlap them but in such a way that both can
be read. Team members should freely change cards between groupings or
create new groupings as they feel appropriate. Team members are
allowed to disagree with a placement by making a new placement or
returning to a previous one. Back and forth moves may occur for some
time until the team settles on an arrangement that is acceptable to
everyone.
Some cards may be loners that do not seem to fit in any grouping. They
should be left that way rather than try to force-fit them into a
grouping.
6. Create headers.
Look for a card in each grouping that describes the central idea that
ties the whole group together. In many cases that central idea will
not exist yet on a card. If it does not, the team should decide on the
central idea and create a concise, usually three to five words, header
card for that grouping. While silence is important for sorting,
discussion should be used for selecting or creating headers.
If one or more groupings are unusually large, look for sub-groupings
within the larger groups. Sub-groupings should also have headers.
Resist the temptation to create endless groupings and sub-groupings.
Keep the number of headers between five and ten, if at all possible.
7. Draw the finished diagram.
Your finished diagram could simply be Post-it(TM) notes stuck to flip-
chart paper with lines containing and connecting the groupings or 3x5
cards pinned or taped to the wall. It is a good idea, however, to make
an actual drawing of the finished diagram and to share it outside the
team for comments and modification. The team should continue to change
the diagram until it reflects the actual situation.
Now what?
If your time is limited or you don't know whether applying a whole
cycle of tools will be valuable, try making an affinity diagram and
see what happens. In general, an affinity diagram will help add
clarity and understanding whenever:
1. There appears to be chaos in the facts or ideas relating to the
situation
2. Old solutions do not seem to be working and breakthrough thinking
seems in order
3. Support for any proposed solution is critically essential to its
success.
Creating an affinity diagram may not be very valuable if:
1. The solution to the problem is simple
2. The situation demands quick, decisive action.
Making an affinity diagram will allow you to sift through large
volumes of information and ideas with efficiency, however. It will
also let truly new ways of looking at a problem or situation emerge
for your consideration.
Steven Bonacorsi is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
instructor and coach. Steven Bonacorsi has trained hundreds of Master
Black Belts, Black Belts, Green Belts, and Project Sponsors and
Executive Leaders in Lean Six Sigma DMAIC and Design for Lean Six
Sigma process improvement methodologies.
Author for the Process Excellence Network (PEX Network / IQPC)
Process Excellence Network
Steven Bonacorsi, President of International Standard for Lean Six
Sigma(ISLSS)
Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
47 Seasons Lane
Londonderry, NH 03053
Phone: +(1) (603) 401-7047
E-mail: sbona...@islss.com
Process Excellence Network: http://bit.ly/n4hBwu
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Bonacorsi
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