Affinity Diagram - Gathering & grouping ideas II

How do I do it?
1. Phrase the issue under discussion in a full sentence

"What are the issue involved in planning fun family vacations?"

Tip From the start, reach consensus on the choice of words you will use. Neutral statements work well, but positive, negative, and solution-oriented questions also work.

2. Brainstorm at atleast 20 ideas or issues
 a) Follow guidelines for brainstorming.
 b) Record each idea on a Post-it™ note in bold, large print to make it visible 4-6 feet away. Use at minimum, a noun and verb. Avoid using single words, For to seven words word well.

Tip A "typical" Affinity has 40-60 items; it is not unusual to have 100-200 ideas.

3. Without talking: sort ideas simultaneously into 5-10 related groupings
 a) Move Post-it™ notes where they fit best for you; don't ask, simply move any notes that you think belong in another grouping.
 b) Sorting will slow down or stop when each person feels sufficiently comfortable with the groupings.

Illustration Note: There are 5 to 10 more groupings of ideas in a typical Affinity Diagram

Tip Sort in silence to focus on the meaning behind and connections among all ideas, instead of emotions and "history" that often arise in discussions.
Tip As an idea is moved back and forth, try to see the logical connection that the other person is making. If this movement continues beyond a reasonable point, agree to create a duplicate Post-it™.
Tip It is okay for some notes to stand alone. These "loners" can be as important as others that fit into grouping naturally.

4. For each grouping, create summary or header cards using consensus
 a) Gain a quick team consensus on a word or phrase that captures the central idea / theme of each grouping; record it on a Post-it™ note and place it at the top of each grouping. These are draft header cards.
 b) For each grouping, agree on a concise sentence that combines the grouping's central idea and what all of the specific Post-it™ note add to that idea; record it and replace the draft version. This is a final header card.
c) Divide large groupings into subgroups as needed and create appropriate subheaders.
d) Draw the final Affinity Diagram connecting all finalized header cards with their groupings.

Illustration Note: There are 5 to 10 groupings of ideas in a typical Affinity. This is a partial Affinity.

Tip Spend the extra time needed to do solid header cards. Strive to capture the essence of all of the ideas in each grouping. Shortcuts here can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the final Affinity Diagram.

Variations
Another popular form of this tool, called the KJ Method, was developed by the Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita while he was doing fieldwork in the 1950s. The KJ Method, identified with Kawakita's initials, helped the anthropologist and his students gather and analyze data. The KJ Method differs from the Affinity Diagram described above in that the cards are face-based and go through a highly structured refinement process before the final diagram is created.

Affinity Diagram - Gathering & grouping ideas I

Why use it?
To allow a team to creatively generate a large number of ideas /  issue and then organize and summarize natural groupings among them to understand the essence of a problem and breakthrough solutions.

What does it do?

• Encourages creativity by everyone on the team at all phases of the process
• Breaks down longstanding communication barriers
• Encourages non-traditional connections among ideas / issues
• Allows breakthroughts to emerge naturally, even on long-standing issues
• Encourages "ownershop" of results that emerge because the team creates both the detailed input and general results
• Overcomes "team paralysis," which is brought on by an overwhelming array of option and lack of consensus

>>> Continue Reading PART II

Activity Network Diagram(AND) - Scheduling sequential & simultaneous tasks : PART III

Variations
The constructed example shown in this section is in the Activity on Node (AON) format.

Another widely used, schedule-monitoring method is the Gantt chart. It is a simple tool that uses horizontal bars to show which tasks can be done simultaneously over the life of the project. Its primary disadvantage is that it cannot show which tasks are specifically dependent on each other.

Activity Network Diagram(AND) - Scheduling sequential & simultaneous tasks : PART II

How do I do it?

1. Assemble the right team of people with first and knowledge of the subtasks.

2. Brainstorm or document all the tasks needed to complete a project. Record on Post-its™.

3. Find the first task that must be done, and place the card on the extreme left of a large work surface

4. Ask: "Are there any tasks that can be done simultaneously with task#1?"

• If there are simultaneous tasks, place the task card above or below task#1. It not, go to the next step.

5. Ask, "What is the next task that must be done? Can others be done simultaneously?"

• Repeat this questioning process until all the recorded tasks are placed in sequence and in parallel.

Tip At each step always ask, "Have we forgotten any other needed tasks that could be done simultaneously?"

6. Number each task, draw the connecting arrows, and agree on a realistic time for the completion of each task.

• Record the completion time on the bottom half of each card.

Tip Be sure to agree on the standard time unit for each task, e.g., days, weeks. Elapsed time is easier than "dedicated" time, e.g., 8 hours of dedicated time versus 8 hours over a two-week period(elapsed time).

7. Determine the project's critical path

• Any delay to a task on the critical path will be added to the project's completion time, unless another task is accelerated or eliminated. Likewise, the project's completion time can be reduced by accelerating any task on the critical path.
• There are two options for calculating the total critical path and the tasks included within it. 

Longest cumulative path. Identity total project completion time. Add up each path of connected activities. The longest cumulative path is the quickest possible implementation time. This is the project's critical path.


Calculated slack. Calculate the "slack" in the starting and completion times of each task. This identifies which tasks must be completed exactly as scheduled (on the critical path) and those that have some latitude.

Finding the critical path by calculating the slack

Tip Determining the longest cumulative path is simpler than calculating the slack, but can quickly become confusing in larger ANDs

The calculated slack option determines the total project and slack times; and therefore the total project time and critical path are identified" automatically."

>>> Continue Reading PART III

Activity Network Diagram(AND) - Scheduling sequential & simultaneous tasks : PART I

Why use it?
To allow a team to find both the most efficient path and realistic schedule for the completion of any project by graphically showing total completion time, the necessary sequence of tasks, those tasks that can be done simultaneously, and the critical tasks to monitor.

What does it do?

• All team members have a chance to give a realistic picture of what their piece of the plan requires, based on real experience
• Everyone sees why he or she is critical to the overall success of the project
• Unrealistic implementation timetables are discovered and adjusted in the planning stage.
• The entire team can think creatively about how to shorten tasks that are bottlenecks.
• The entire team can focus its attention and scarce resources on the truly critical tasks.

>>> Continue Reading PART II

What do the different position of the runners mean?

Getting Ready - An important.first step is to select the right tool for the situation. When you are the "getting ready" position of the runner, expect a brief description of the tool's purpose and a list of benefits in using the tool.

Cruising - When you see this runner, expect to find construction guidelines and interpretation tips. This is the action phase that provides you with step-by-step instructions and helpful formulas.

Finishing the Course - When you see this runner, expect to see the tool in its final form. There are examples from manufacturing, administration/service, and daily life to illustrate the widespread applications of each tool.

Using The Quality Tools

Memory Jogger™
This guide is a convenient and quick on-the-job reference.

The alphabetical table of contents plus the four selector charts presented on the previous pages help you to put your finger on any tool within seconds.

Coach's Guide
More information and examples of application can be found in the Coach's Guide, a guide for facilitators who support teams in learning to apply the tools effectively.

The Coach's Guide lists addition material such as software for creating flowcharts, videotapes and CD-ROM to accommodate individual learning styles.

Quality Action Learning (QAL)
The tools can only be applied effectively in a learning organization. QAL workshops support teams on their road to Total Quality. These workshops are management-led, team-based and directly relevant to the work process, Actual work issues are dealt with and practical solutions are reached.