5 Minute Lesson: Continuous Improvement Methods Affinity Diagrams & Interrelationship Diagraphs Dr. Jamison V. Kovach Assistant Professor, College of Technology & Director, UH-Six Sigma Program Phone: Website:

2 Affinity Diagrams Basic Format: Purpose: Used subsequent to brainstorming sessions –Identify issues associated with a particular problem Organize ideas into natural relationships –Moves habitual thinking beyond preconceived ideas Helps to converge on a number of themes that can be addressed later to deal with the problem Created by Jiro Kawakita - Also known as: KJ method

3 Constructing an Affinity Diagram

4 Brainstorming Grouping Establishing Themes

5 Constructing an Affinity Diagram

6 Example of an Affinity Diagram

7 Interrelationship Diagraphs Basic Format: Purpose: Used subsequent to: –Affinity diagram –Cause-and-effect diagram –Tree diagram Analyze the links between ideas –Allows the key issues to emerge naturally Identify areas of greatest impact –Root cause(s) –Key drivers and outcomes Also known as: Relations diagram

8 Constructing an Interrelationship Diagraph Ideas from a previous tool or a brainstorming session Look for cause- effect relationships between all of the ideas and draw relationship arrows.

9 Constructing an Interrelationship Diagraph Tally the number of outgoing and incoming arrows for each item –Key driver = Highest number of outgoing arrows –Key outcome = Highest number of incoming arrows

10 Urban Poverty Example

11 Resort Management Example

5 Minute Lesson: Continuous Improvement Methods Dr. Jamison V. Kovach Assistant Professor, College of Technology Director, UH-Six Sigma Program Phone: