4/4/2014 Interrelationship Diagrams - Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships

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Interrelationship Diagrams
Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships
Also known as Relations Diagrams

When you have a problem to solve, it's often useful to identify all of its possible
causes, and then to address each of these.
This will be fine in many situations.
Sometimes, though, this can be time-consuming and costly, particularly if some of the
possible causes will be expensive to deal with.
This is where it's helpful to use an Interrelationship Diagram.
Use this technique to unrav el the causes and ef f ects
These simple diagrams help you map out the relationships between all of the possible of a problem.

causes of the problem. From this, you can identify the most significant causes, so that © iStockphoto/FredFroese

you can focus on these.

In this article, we'll look at Interrelationship Diagrams, and we'll explore how you can use them to identify the probable
root causes of a problem.

About Interrelationship Diagrams

Interrelationship Diagrams (also known as Relations Diagrams) are simple diagrams that help you find the root causes
of a problem, by helping you understand the relationships between all of the issues that you face. The technique is
often associated with Six Sigma, but you can use it in many situations.
Once you've created an Interrelationship Diagram, you'll be able to see which issues are fundamental causes of your
problem and which are the effects (symptoms) of these causes. You'll also have a good understanding of which
causes you need to deal with first, so that you can make best use of your time and resources.

How to Use Interrelationship Diagrams

It's easy and simple to create an Interrelationship Diagram.
You can do this alone or with your team. If you're on your own, all you'll need is a large piece of paper and a pen. If
you're with a group, you can use a whiteboard, flipchart, or computer and data projector. You may also find sticky
notes helpful.

Step 1: Identify Your Problem

Your first step is to write down the problem that you need to solve. Write this issue at the top of the paper or
whiteboard that you're using.
Example
Janet and her team members are trying to analyze why morale in their organization has plummeted. She starts her
Interrelationship Diagram by writing this down at the top of a whiteboard.

Step 2: Brainstorm Possible Causes

You now need to brainstorm issues that may be contributing to your central problem. As you identify these, write
each one down around the edge of your piece of paper, or write them on a sticky note, so that you can move them
around.

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4/4/2014 Interrelationship Diagrams - Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships
Explore using tools such as Brainstorming, Cause and Effect Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, CATWOE, and the
5 Whys to identify as many of the issues related to your problem as possible.
Example
Janet's team members come up with the following issues that they believe might be causing low morale:
A recruitment freeze.
Falling sales.
No training opportunities.
No promotion opportunities.
Staff under pressure from management.
Negative attitudes.
Pay freezes.
People working long hours.
Dreary workspaces.
Miscommunication, resulting in rumors.
She adds these to her Interrelationship Diagram, as shown in figure 1 below.
Figure 1 – Step 2 of Janet's Interrelationship Diagram

Step 3: Identify Cause and Effect Relationships

Now, go through each issue and identify whether it is a cause of another issue or an effect (symptom).
If it's a cause of another issue, draw an arrow from it and connect it to the issue it affects. If it's an effect of another
issue, draw an arrow to it from the other issue.
Go through each issue to make sure that you have analyzed the causes and effects thoroughly.
Example
Janet and her team identify the cause and effect relationships shown in figure 2, below.
Figure 2 – Step 3 of Janet's Interrelationship Diagram

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Note:
Avoid drawing two-headed arrows – for the purposes of these diagrams, a relationship shouldn't be both a cause and an
effect.

Step 4: Identify Causes and Effects

Now, count up the number of arrows going in and going out for each issue.
Issues with the highest number of arrows leading out are likely to be important drivers or root causes of your problem.
(You should also pay attention to issues that feed into these.)
Issues with a high number of arrows leading in are probably important outcomes or effects. You should be able to
eliminate many of these as you deal with the root causes.
Example
Janet tallies up the arrows for each issue as follows:

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Issue Arrows In Arrows Out

Recruitment freeze. 0 4

Falling sales. 5 1

No training opportunities. 0 2

No promotion opportunities. 0 1

Staff under pressure from management. 2 1

Negative attitudes. 8 0

Pay freezes. 0 1

People working long hours. 1 2

Dreary workspace. 0 2

Miscommunication resulting in rumors. 0 2

She can now see that the recruitment freeze is likely the most significant cause of her problem, as this is contributing
to four other issues.
Miscommunication, a dreary workspace, and lack of training opportunities are also causes of several issues (without
having causes themselves).

Tip:
If you want to, you can identify the strength of each relationship by using a solid or dotted arrow: solid arrows represent
strong relationships, and dotted arrows represent weaker relationships.
Then score each issue appropriately when you tally up the arrows in and out, using, say, 0.5 for a dotted arrow and 1 for
a solid arrow.

Step 5: Deal With the Root Causes

Once you've analyzed your Interrelationship Diagram, you can take steps to deal with the root causes of your problem,
or you can do further analysis.
When you analyze your diagram, bear in mind that each of the effects that you have identified will have a different
bearing on your overall problem. That's why it can be useful to use decision-making tools such as Decision Matrix
Analysis, Pareto
Analysis, and Force-Field Analysis when deciding which issues to deal with first.

Key Points
Interrelationship Diagrams are useful tools that help you identify the root causes of problems.
There are five steps in using an Interrelationship Diagram:
1. Define your problem.
2. Brainstorm possible causes.
3. Identify cause and effect relationships.
4. Identify causes and effects.
5. Deal with the root causes.
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It's best to use this technique alongside other problem-solving and decision-making tools.

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