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Affinity Diagram

Will Six Sigma Be Relevant For The Future
  • Affinity diagram is the next step to the brainstorming session
  • After you've generated ideas through a brainstorming session, sort them into groups based on their similarity (or affinity)
  • The affinity diagram groups a large number of ideas (or causes) into natural relationships.

When to use an Affinity Diagram

Will Six Sigma Be Relevant For The Future
  • When you're faced with too much information or ideas that seem to be in chaos
  • When problems seem to be too big and complicated to understand
  • When it's essential to reach a group consensus

Example of Affinity Diagram

There is an increase in demand for automotive components. One of the manufacturing companies decides to take advantage of the current demand and planned to increase production capacity. The Process head decide to conduct a brainstorming session followed by an Affinity diagram.

Will Six Sigma Be Relevant For The Future

Step 1: Generate Ideas
Write down the problem. Then list down the ideas, data on cards, or Post-it notes. This needs to be quite exercised so that no one person(s) biases the other team member’s ideas.

Example of Affinity Diagram

Will Six Sigma Be Relevant For The Future

Step 2: Homogeneous Groupings

  • Attempt to look for relationships between individual ideas
  • and have team members simultaneously sort the ideas (without talking) into five to 10 related groupings.
  • Repeat until all notes are grouped.
  • It’s okay to have “loners” that don’t seem to fit a group. It is also okays to move a note if someone else has already moved.
  • If a note seems to belong in two groups, make a second note.

Example of Affinity Diagram

Step 3: Affinity Heading
Develop affinity heading cards. For example, there is a homogeneous grouping for human resources-related items

Will Six Sigma Be Relevant For The Future

Expert's Comment

  • Affinity Diagram, a powerful technique to help brainstorm both the causes and generate new ideas

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