An affinity diagram is a tool used in quality management and process improvement to organize and classify ideas, thoughts, or data gathered from brainstorming sessions or other sources. It is a visual representation that helps to identify patterns and relationships among the ideas and to group them into categories based on their natural affinities or similarities.
This diagram was invented by Kawakita Jiro and is also known as KJ Diagram. It is a tool that gathers a large amount of verbal data – ideas, opinions, issues etc. It organizes them into groups based on their natural relationship. It is a good way to get people to work on a creative level to address difficult issues.
When to use the Affinity Diagram?
An affinity diagram is used for:
- When you have to decide many issues or ideas seem too large and complex to handle.
- For example, a salesperson while identifying customers has identified their needs, in the form of large unsorted data. An affinity diagram will be of great help in organizing such data into groups.
- An affinity diagram is an excellent way to get a team to work on their creativity rather than getting lost in a mixture of things.
- As brainstorming is the first step, the team considers all ideas without criticism.
Steps to create an affinity diagram:
- Identify the issue or problem. The problem statement should be clear and the time goal for completing the process provided.
- Gather ideas or data to be organized. This can be done through a brainstorming session or by collecting data from various sources.
- Write each idea or piece of data on a separate card or sticky note.
- Spread out the cards or sticky notes on a flat surface, such as a table or a whiteboard.
- Look for patterns and relationships among the ideas, and group them into categories based on their natural affinities or similarities.
- Label each group with a descriptive name that represents the overall theme of the ideas in that group.
- Use lines or arrows to connect related ideas or categories.
An affinity diagram is a valuable tool for organizing and classifying large amounts of information, and for identifying common themes or patterns that may not be immediately apparent. It is often used in combination with other quality management and process improvement tools, such as Pareto charts, flowcharts, and cause-and-effect diagrams.
Example of Affinity Diagram:
