Brainstorming With an Affinity Diagram An affinity diagram is a visual tool that organizes ideas by themes often used in brainstorming sessions to determine both root causes and potential solutions for a problem. Use this tool to brainstorm a viable business problem and its root causes and determine the best one that fits within the scope of influence you and counterparts might have on that particular problem. This tool is most effective for face-to-face meetings; however, with the advancement of technology and shared desktop spaces, this method could be adapted for virtual teams. Participants in the process should include individuals from all stakeholder groups associated with the problem. 1. Identify a high-level problem in your business or industry. Consider areas where the organization or department is not meeting metrics (example: low customer satisfaction, attrition problems, defects, etc.). Normally, the facilitator has identified the problem or issue prior to the meeting and introduces the problem or issue to the participants. The process of introducing the problem and explaining how it is defined in the context of the project increases understanding of the participants, as well as producing ideas that are aligned with the problem. Example Problem/Issue: Voluntary attrition in the call center is 60%. 2. Proceed by brainstorming causes for the problem. Participants should use a separate sticky note to identify each item they believe is a cause of the problem (see example below). "Why" questions are often very beneficial when thinking about the problem. Example "Why" Question: Why are call center employees voluntarily leaving the company at such a high rate? Lack of performance standards Lack of employee training Low compensation No leader training Systems hard to use Lack of performance feedback Lack of career path Systems are frequently down Lack of procedural support tools Lack of training 3. Next, sort the ideas into themes based upon commonalities (see example below). Systems Leadership Progression Compensation and Benefits Employee Training and Tools Low compensation Lack of employee training System hard to use No leader training Lack of career path Benefits too costly Lack of procedural support System frequently down Lack of performance feedback Lack of performance standards 4. Work with your counterparts to establish connections. Discuss the categories and examine how they could potentially link together. Example Connection: In this case, the "Leadership" theme had the most items. This item could be potentially aligned with the "Progression" theme since employees do not believe they are receiving feedback or have a clear career path. 5. Use the connections to establish the root cause of the problem. Look at the established themes and ask "why" questions until the real root cause of the issue is identified (see example below). At this stage of the process, many people prefer the use of ...

1. Brainstorming With an Affinity Diagram
An affinity diagram is a visual tool that organizes ideas by
themes often used in brainstorming sessions to determine both
root causes and potential solutions for a problem. Use this tool
to brainstorm a viable business problem and its root causes and
determine the best one that fits within the scope of influence
you and counterparts might have on that particular problem.
This tool is most effective for face-to-face meetings; however,
with the advancement of technology and shared desktop spaces,
this method could be adapted for virtual teams. Participants in
the process should include individuals from all stakeholder
groups associated with the problem.
1. Identify a high-level problem in your business or industry.
Consider areas where the organization or department is not
meeting metrics (example: low customer satisfaction, attrition
problems, defects, etc.). Normally, the facilitator has identified
the problem or issue prior to the meeting and introduces the
problem or issue to the participants. The process of introducing
the problem and explaining how it is defined in the context of
the project increases understanding of the participants, as well
as producing ideas that are aligned with the problem.
Example Problem/Issue: Voluntary attrition in the call center is
60%.
2. Proceed by brainstorming causes for the problem.
Participants should use a separate sticky note to identify each
item they believe is a cause of the problem (see example
below). "Why" questions are often very beneficial when
thinking about the problem.

2. Example "Why" Question: Why are call center employees
voluntarily leaving the company at such a high rate?
Lack of performance standards
Lack of employee training
Low compensation
No leader training
Systems hard to use
Lack of performance feedback
Lack of career path
Systems are frequently down
Lack of procedural support tools
Lack of training
3. Next, sort the ideas into themes based upon commonalities
(see example below).
Systems
Leadership
Progression
Compensation and Benefits

3. Employee Training and Tools
Low compensation
Lack of employee training
System hard to use
No leader training
Lack of career path
Benefits too costly
Lack of procedural support
System frequently down
Lack of performance feedback
Lack of performance standards
4. Work with your counterparts to establish connections.
Discuss the categories and examine how they could potentially
link together.
Example Connection: In this case, the "Leadership" theme had
the most items. This item could be potentially aligned with the
"Progression" theme since employees do not believe they are
receiving feedback or have a clear career path.
5. Use the connections to establish the root cause of the
problem. Look at the established themes and ask "why"
questions until the real root cause of the issue is identified (see
example below). At this stage of the process, many people
prefer the use of different colored sticky notes for the root

4. causes that align to the ideas that have been brainstormed.
Example: Five Whys Root Cause Analysis:
Defined Problem: Voluntary attrition in the call center is 60%.
Why are call center employees voluntarily leaving the company
at such a high rate?
· Employees feel there is a lack of leadership.
Why is that?
· Employees do not know the performance standards.
Why is that?
· Employees do not receive feedback about their performance.
Why is that?
· Managers have not been trained in providing performance
feedback.
Why is that?
· There is no manager training program.
Why is that?
· Most managers are promoted from the call center floor to fill
immediate vacancies, so there is no time for training.
6. Finally, validate the root causes (or causes) of the problem.
Validation of root causes requires collecting data and reviewing
reporting or survey results. The validation phase separates the
"noise" from real root causes of the problem. Noise is
considered any item of low impact and low volume; however, it
may be a recent event that individuals considered when
brainstorming, like system downtime.
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5. Writing a Problem Statement
When writing a problem statement, it is important to clearly
identify and state the organizational problem that needs to be
resolved. To articulate this information clearly, use the
following steps as building blocks to complete the final problem
statement. The final problem statement you create should be
supported with factual data (e.g., percentages, frequency, cost).
Therefore, you are required to document sources at the end of
the worksheet.
Template forWriting a Problem StatementWorksheet
Original problem or focus question
Restate the initial problem that launched the inquiry process or
rewrite the focus question or one of the clarifying questions as a
statement.
Stakeholders who are most affected by the problem
Identify who is most directly impacted by this problem.
Alternately, who would benefit the most if this problem were
resolved?
Type of problem
For example, is the problem based upon skills, attitudes,
knowledge, resources, competition, defects, or something else?
Suspected cause(s) of the problem
Based on the data analysis or the root cause analysis, what does
the team think is the most significant cause or causes
contributing to this problem? What, if addressed, would make
the greatest impact on resolving the problem? Include specific
evidence.
Goal for improvement and long-term impact
Describe the target for impact. The goal should be measurabl e.
Impact to stakeholders
Describe the possible impacts to stakeholders if the problem is
not addressed.
Proposal for addressing the problem and determining impact
from Christian worldview perspective
The proposal is a high-level strategy that represents promising
practices drawn from research, local knowledge, and local

6. expertise. Note sources, if possible, when presenting this
information. This proposal will become the basis for subsequent
action planning.
As an agent of change, describe the impact your solution will
have on stakeholders in the company from the Christian
worldview.
Final problem statement
Tie the above statements into three to five coherent sentences
that could be easily understood by a wide range of stakeholders.
Documentation of sources
Use APA format to document the sources used to support the
problem statement.
SampleWriting a Problem StatementWorksheet
Original problem or focus question
· Call center representatives are not meeting quality standards.
Stakeholders who are most affected by the problem
· External customers and call center representatives.
Impact to stakeholders
· Loss of customers and revenue.
· Lower performance evaluations for representatives.
· Higher call center attrition.
· Potential missed service level agreements (fines).
Type of problem
· Skills and resources: Without the appropriate skills training
and tools to perform the job, the call center representatives are
not prepared to succeed in their positions.
Suspected cause(s) of the problem
· Call center representatives do not receive adequate training.
· There are insufficient online resources for representatives to
refer to in production.
· There are insufficient management resources for coaching and
mentoring representatives.
Goal for improvement and long-term impact
· The call center will achieve a 99.8% quality rating with no
more than 2% of the staff on quality action plans.
Proposal for addressing the problem and determining impact

7. from Christian worldview perspective
· Increase training time to meet industry standards.
· Provide relevant, updated online tools for call center
representatives.
Final problem statement
· Many call center representatives are not achieving quality
standards, thereby contributing to the overall low -quality rating
(92%) for the call center. Through data and process evaluation,
it was determined that the training time for call center
representatives is 30% less than other similar call centers,
which may contribute to lack of skills training. In addition, the
online tools available to the call center representatives are not
updated frequently with procedural changes and do not contain
all required information necessary for representatives to
perform their job. The low quality over the past 6 months has
resulted in a 2% decrease in customers and a $550,000 loss in
annual revenue. Decreased employee satisfaction in the call
center due to the issue has contributed to a 5% increase in
voluntary attrition, which costs the business $80,000 annually.
There is an opportunity to improve quality and reduce both
customer and employee attrition by addressing the skills
training and resource issue in the call center. Therefore,
restoring employee satisfaction and promoting human
flourishing in the workplace.
Documentation of sources
· Use APA format to document the sources used to support the
problem statement.
Writing a Problem Statement Worksheet
Complete each section of the chart below. Refer to the
guidelines presented in the template and the completed sample
worksheet above as needed.
When complete, delete the template and the sample table and
submit only this completed worksheet to your instructor.
Original problem or focusing question
·
Stakeholders who are most affected by the problem

8. ·
Impact to stakeholders
·
Type of problem
·
Suspected cause(s) of the problem
·
Goal for improvement and long-term impact
·
Proposal for addressing the problem and determining impact
from Christian worldview perspective
·
Final problem statement with consideration for Christian
worldview
·
Documentation of sources
·
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