So you have a large number of ideas and need to organize them. The affinity diagram is the perfect fit to get the job done and to structure your ideas into their natural relationships. Basically the affinity diagram describes a structured outcome from a brainstorm session. You can use it to generate, organize and consolidate information related to a product or process, complex issues or different problems. After the brainstorming session you should group the ides according to their affinity or similarity. This idea creation method was created in the 1960s by Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita. 

When should you use an Affinity Diagram

The typical use of an Affinity Diagram is when you are confronted with many influences or ideas in a state of chaos. Sometimes a problem seems too large or just too complex to understand it at first sight. Or you simply want that the whole team has a common understanding of a topic.

Usually you are confronted with this situation:

•  After a brainstorming session

• When analyzing open questionnaires, such as survey results

• When collecting and organizing large sets of data

• When trying to develop relationships between different ideas

• Or trying to reduce input to a higher level of categories

Typical process of developing an Affinity Diagram

The Affinity Diagram process gives a group a direction to go beyond normal creative thinking and defines categories to get all thoughts in order. This technique opens the doors and shows relations in between the whole organization which is typically separated due to department silo thinking. The Affinity Diagram has no limits, so don’t be irritated if you have to deal from 20 up to 400 items after a session. It is a starting point not more not less.

Materials needed: Sticky notes or cards, marking pens, and for sure a large surface (wall, table, or floor). Brown paper is a good way to start. 

Step 1:

• The brainstorming

• Write down all ideas on separate sticky notes or cards.

• Spread the sticky notes or cards randomly all over the brown paper

• Gather all participants around the brown paper after all notes are taken

Hint: Use big markers so it easy to read for everybody from distance. Make key statements on the notes don’t write an essay.

Step 2:

• Try to sort all ideas that are related in some way and group them up

• Try to find relations between these several ideas

• Let the team sort ideas

• Try to find 8-10 relation groups

• Repeat until all ideas are grouped

It is fully reasonable that there might be an idea staying by itself or that team members will move an already grouped note again to another. If an idea belongs in two groups, make a second sticky note or card.

Hint: In this step it is crucial that there are chats going on, it has to be done in silence. Focus is on sorting and grouping ideas. Headlines are done afterwards! Not upfront!

Step 3:

Open discussion with your team.

Try to find common categories and define headlines for each group together with all team members. Discuss what you see or why members see an idea in a different category. If necessary, make changes and move ideas between categories. In the end, when all ideas are grouped in the consent of the whole team, define the headlines of each group. Try to find a catchy headline that describes the meaning of the category in short.

Hint: Cards with the headline should be in a different color than the rest and should be self explaining about the group.

Step 4:

If reasonable, try to define “mastergroups” of several “subgroups”.

Sort all ideas to their identified category by placing all ideas under the “headline card”.

Hint: The sorting is done by gut feeling, not with a scientific approach.