The Psychology of Quality and More

A Toolbook for Quality Improvement and Problem Solving (contents)

Relationship Diagram: When to use it

The Quality Toolbook > Relationship Diagram > When to use it

When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to do it | Practical variations

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When to use it

• Use it when analyzing complex situations where there are multiple interrelated issues.
• Use it where the current problem is perceived as being a symptom of a more important underlying problem.
• It is also useful in building consensus within groups.
• It is commonly used to map cause-effect relationships, but also can be used to map any other type of relationship.
• Use it, rather than an Affinity Diagram, when there are logical, rather than subjective, relationships.
• Use it, rather than a Cause-Effect Diagram, when causes are non-hierarchic or when there are complex issues.

Fig. 1. Using the Relationship Diagram in problem solving

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