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Affinity Diagram/Chart

Definition

The Affinity Diagram or Chart is a method for organising the information and data in a more useful and instructive way.

Explanation

Often at the beginning stages of an improvement effort, information is disorganised, ambiguous and chaotic. There are complaints and anecdotes, little data, and little of help, insufficient even to define what is the problem or need.

The affinity chart is a way to begin to bring order out of chaos. It is one of the most intuitive of the improvement methods. Constructing an affinity chart involves several stages of group activity:

• Identifying the topic and purpose of the study.
• Gathering information: Complaints, anecdotes, rumours, opinions and whatever relevant data and specialised knowledge exists.
• Brainstorming whatever else may be important to this issue.
• Placing each individual item identified in the previous two steps on its own index card or Post-it Note™.
• Silently “group” the items.
  • Do it silently – each participant may move cards around until there is a silent consensus.
  • New cards may be written during the grouping.
  • If a group exceeds three cards, subdivide the group.
  • When the groups are completed, label the group, placing the label on a separate card. Continue the silence during this activity.
  • “Group the groups” of cards, no more than three subgroups to a group; label the groups of subgroups. Continue the silence.
• Discuss: What has emerged? What patterns seemed to be clear? What are the implications for the work ahead?

Note: The Japanese also call the Affinity Chart the K-J Diagram and it is one of the seven management tools.

An example of an affinity chart

Theme: What is going wrong in our volunteer organisation?

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