Decision Quality

Gather and combine similar items (or ideas) in an iterative manner.

The affinity process is used when a team needs to sift through large volumes of data or when new patterns of thinking are to be encouraged. The process starts by collecting a large set of data (for example ideas, opinions or issues), often through brainstorming, and laying it out on an information radiator (a big visible board). The team then organizes the data by groups based on their natural relationships (collapsing many ideas/issues into clusters of big ideas), forming a more clear view of the different facets within each cluster. The groups can be thought of a collection of various points of views that relate to the same theme, bringing to light the root issues.

It doesn’t really matter how they decide this grouping, it’s enough that clusters are somewhat consistent. Once the clusters (the big ideas) are identified, a single sentence is formed that encompasses all the ideas/issues inside it. This helps in forming a single one-sentence prompt for each idea, that allows quick recall of the core and extent of the ideas/issues in the cluster. The result is a short list of the most important ideas/issues summarized into their most important points. It provides an "executive summary" (or a blue-sky view) of all what is important that was collected during the brainstorming phase.

The Affinity process is often used to group ideas generated by brainstorming, and it is a good way to get people to work on a creative level to address difficult issues. It may be used in situations that are unknown or unexplored by a team, or in circumstances that seem confusing or disorganized, such as when people with diverse experiences form a new team, or when members have incomplete knowledge of the area of analysis.