AFFINITY DIAGRAM A PROBLEM SOLVING TOOL BY KAREN

AFFINITY DIAGRAM: A PROBLEM SOLVING TOOL BY: KAREN D. KALAL

AFFINITY DIAGRAMMING n n Created by Kawakita Jiro in the 1960 s Organized ideas from brainstorming

Need for Affinity Diagramming n n Large list of unsorted data (customer needs) Encourage out of the box thinking

Affinity Diagramming Process • • Describe the problem or issue Write out each idea on a sticky notepad Place all ideas on the wall or flipchart Each team member reads all notes before moving any

Affinity Diagramming Process Continued • • Create a total team consensus Create theme cards If necessary, regroup ideas and rename Once the diagram is completed, have all team members sign and date

Affinity Diagramming (Wedgwood, 2007)

Process Example Number One MAYA Design, Inc. n n Design consultant and technology research lab Evaluates products

MAYA Design, Inc. Process n n n Gather domain knowledge Evaluate the product Categorize the issues Prioritize the categories Write report including recommendations

Process Example Number Two Applied Marketing Science, Inc. n n Leader in using Voice of the Customer to develop superior products and services Development of medical devices

Applied Marketing Science, Inc. Process n n n Customers individually create affinity diagram Web based affinity diagrams Benefits: - Faster completion - Easier recruiting - Lower costs

Affinity Diagramming n “When you cannot see the forest for the trees, an affinity diagram may be exactly what you need to get back in focus” (Mind Tools E-Book, 2007).

Group Activity n Affinity Diagramming Word Search

Conclusion n Created by Kawakita Jiro in 1960 s Affinity diagramming – management planning tool Simple but powerful technique

Questions Are there any questions? ? Thank you