Affinity Diagram: When to use it

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When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to do it | Practical variations

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When to use it

• Use it to bring order to fragmented and uncertain information and where there is no clear structure.
  
• Use it when information is subjective and emotive, to gain consensus whilst avoiding verbal argument.
  
• Use it when current opinions, typically about an existing system, obscure potential new solutions.
  
• Use it, rather than a Relations Diagram, when the situation calls more for creative organization than for logical organization.
  

Fig. 1. Using the Affinity Diagram in problem-solving

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