Final Business Proposal

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%.High employee turnover rate.

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? Why are employees voluntary leaving the department at such a high and steady rate?

Lack of performance standardsNo or minimum training

Lack of employee trainingLack of growth

Low compensation pay

No leader trainingFavoritism

Systems hard to useLack of trust

Lack of performance feedbackFlawed performance rating/system

Lack of career pathWork not properly assigned (heavy workload)

Lack of procedural support tools Employees cannot confidently express their concerns. thout

Systems are frequently downHaving to use PTO hours on holidays

Lack of trainingPoor management

Poor or no management training. Benefits too costly

3. Next, sort the ideas into themes based upon commonalities (see example below).

SystemsOrganizational

Leadership

Progression

Compensation and Benefits

Employee Training and Tools

Low pay

Low compensation

No or minimum training

Lack of employee training

Work not properly assigned (heavy workload)

System hard to use

Poor management

No leader training

Lack of career pathgrowth

Having to use PTO hours on holidays

System frequently down

Favoritism

Lack of performance feedback

Flawed performance rating/system

Lack of performance standards

Lack of procedural supportLack of trust

Employees cannot confidently express their concerns. Benefits too costly

Poor or no management training Benefits too costly

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.Leadership has the most issues. Some of the issues from organizational overlap and go hand in hand which leads to no growth career wise for an employee.

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 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%.High employee turnover rate.

Why are employees voluntary leaving the department at such a high and steady rate?

are call center employees voluntarily leaving the company at such a high rate?

Employees feel there is a lack of leadershipEmployees feel there is poor management.

Why is that?

· Employees do not know the performance standards.Employees feel there is favoritism shown towards select employees.

Why is that?

· Employees do not receive feedback about their performance.do not receive true performance ratings because of the favoritism.

Why is that?

· Managers have not been trained in providing performance feedback.Employees cannot confidently express their concerns without receiving backlash from management.

Why is that?

· There is no manager training program.There is limited or no training for managers.

Why is that?

· Most managers are promoted from the call center floor to fill immediate vacancies, so there is no time for training.Most managers are long time employees of the company, and have been promoted based off their seniority or favoritism not skill set or knowledge of the job.

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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