Affinity diagram
Encyclopedia
The affinity diagram is a business tool used to organize ideas and data. It is one of the Seven Management and Planning Tools
.
The tool is commonly used within project management
and allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.
The affinity diagram was devised by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s and is sometimes referred to as the KJ Method.
Once the cards have been sorted into groups the team may sort large clusters into subgroups for easier management and analysis. Once completed, the affinity diagram may be used to create a cause and effect
diagram.
Seven Management and Planning Tools
The Seven new Management and Planning Tools have their roots in Operations Research work done after World War II and the Japanese Total Quality Control research...
.
The tool is commonly used within project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
and allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.
The affinity diagram was devised by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s and is sometimes referred to as the KJ Method.
Process
- Record each idea on cards or notes
- Look for ideas that seem to be related
- Sort cards into groups until all cards have been used.
Once the cards have been sorted into groups the team may sort large clusters into subgroups for easier management and analysis. Once completed, the affinity diagram may be used to create a cause and effect
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagrams are causal diagrams that show the causes of a certain event -- created by Kaoru Ishikawa . Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention, to identify potential factors causing an overall effect...
diagram.