Affinity Diagram

Intro

An Affinity Diagram groups ideas or data into themes to reveal patterns. In EA, it helps organise stakeholder inputs, requirements, and findings into coherent categories.

Key points:

• Improves sense‑making for large sets of qualitative inputs
• Supports prioritisation and clarity in workshops and reviews
• Common use cases: requirement clustering, risk/theme grouping, design ideation, research synthesis, process improvement
• Pitfall: forcing themes can hide important outliers

Examples:

• Clustering pain points into capability‑level themes
• Grouping integration issues by interface or pattern
• Organising risks by domain: business, data, application, technology

In practice:

With OrbusInfinity, teams link this concept across strategy, processes, applications, and technology for traceability.

Related terms: Workshop; Prioritisation; Brainstorming

FAQs:

Q: When should I use an affinity diagram?
A: When you need to structure many ideas or qualitative inputs quickly.

Q: How do I keep it objective?
A: Use clear labels, involve multiple reviewers, and validate themes with data.

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