Reference no: EM132365606

Action Research Project Assignment -

Assignment 1 - Affinity Diagram and Root Cause Analysis

Brainstorming With an Affinity Diagram - An affinity diagram is a visual tool that organizes ideas by themes and is often used in brainstorming sessions to determine both root causes and potential solutions for a 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. Introduce the problem or issue to participants. Normally, the facilitator has identified the problem or issue prior to the meeting. The process of introducing the problem and explaining how it is defined in the context of the project increases understanding of the participants and produces ideas that are aligned with the problem.

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.

3. Sort ideas into themes based upon commonalities.

4. Establish connections. As a team, discuss the categories and examine how they could potentially link together.

5. 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.

6. Validate the root causes (or causes) of the problem. Validation of root causes requires 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.

Assignment 2 - Problem Statement

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, the following pieces can be used as building blocks for the statement.

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 possible impacts to stakeholders if the problem is not addressed.
Proposal for addressing the problem	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.
Final problem statement	Tie the above statements into three to five coherent sentences that could be easily understood by a wide range of stakeholders.

Writing a Problem Statement Worksheet -

Complete each section of the chart below. Refer back to the section guidelines and completed sample worksheet above as needed.

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

Final problem statement

Attachment:- Assignment Files - Problem Statement.rar