Affinity Diagram and Root Cause Analysis

PART 1

The purpose of this assignment is to identify an organizational problem to solve within the military and use an affinity diagram to brainstorm the root causes of the organizational problem and potential solutions for addressing it.

This is an opportunity for you to apply your learning while addressing a real-world problem. After you have identified a possible organizational problem, complete the “Brainstorming With an Affinity Diagram” resource to help you narrow and specify the root cause for the problem. Completing the affinity diagram will not only help you identify the root causes for the problem but also to determine the scope of influence you can have in reaching a potential solution. Keep in mind that this exercise is meant to identify a viable solution within the scope of influence in which you are directly involved and will ultimately allow you to be an agent of change.

Complete the affinity diagram action steps outlined in the “Brainstorming With an Affinity Diagram” resource, including the Five Whys Root Cause Analysis section. This can be done using online mind mapping resources, or through the use of Excel or Word documents and tables. When constructing the affinity diagram, be sure to complete all six steps described on the resource. 

Submit both the affinity diagram and the five whys root cause analysis.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

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PART 2

The purpose of this assignment is to construct a problem statement from the organizational problem you have identified previously in PART1.

Now that you have identified a potential problem, brainstormed the root causes, and determined how you might be able to influence change, you will construct a problem statement that can be used as the basis for an action research project. The problem statement must clearly articulate the single goal of the action research project and consider the influence of the organizational change that will occur.

Part of completing an problem statement and enacting organizational change includes understanding how the problem is tied to the mission, vision, and values of all the involved stakeholders and how these will drive decision making. The change that is enacted should be done to enable positive progress for your fellow coworkers and the organization at large. When developing your problem statement, you will also be asked to address the organizational problem and the potential solutions through a Christian worldview perspective.  

Read and complete the “Writing a Problem Statement” resource to construct your problem statement. Be sure to delete the template and sample worksheets provided. Submit only the completed “Writing a Problem Statement Worksheet”.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

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

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. 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 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%.

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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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 for
Writing a Problem Statement
Worksheet

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 measurable.

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 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.

Sample
Writing a Problem Statement
Worksheet

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

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% of the staff on quality action plans.

Proposal for addressing the problem and determining impact 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

·

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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