Method guide · Arrange people and ideas
Affinity Diagramming (KJ Method)
Make sense of many observations without forcing outliers into a group.
- People
- 3–8
- Base procedure time
- 50 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Organise and narrow ideas; Generate ideas.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for organising many opinions by similarity of meaning. Use it when many opinions or observations have accumulated but the issues remain unclear, or a list of words does not reveal the overall picture. Write one item per sticky note, bring notes with related meanings together, and give each group a short heading that expresses its content. Draw lines between groups to show closeness, opposition, or cause and effect. Keep minority views that do not fit any group rather than forcing them into one. The result is one diagram containing the original opinions, group headings, and relationship lines. Do not use it to choose among predefined options or for analysis that requires statistical representativeness.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
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- Write ideas0–10 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Write. Participation: Individually.
Individual record
- Bring related notes together10–25 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Group. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Name each group25–35 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Name. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Draw relationships35–50 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Draw. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- Agree on a question. In silence, each person writes one item per note for 10 minutes.
- Spread everyone’s notes on the table. Read them aloud and bring similar notes together.
- When a small group of 2–5 notes emerges, write a short heading expressing its essential meaning and place it above the group.
- Leave notes that do not belong to any group on their own; do not force them into one.
- Draw lines between groups to show closeness, opposition, and cause and effect.
- Look at the resulting arrangement. Invite each person to say briefly what has become visible.
If something changes
If
There are too many notes to group together.
Then
First divide them into two broad islands, then group notes within each island.
If
Group headings have become too abstract.
Then
First restate the meaning in everyday language: ‘What this is saying, in short, is …’, then write the heading.
Preparation
Materials
- Sticky notes (20 per person, approximately 75 × 75 mm)
- One thick pen per person, medium tip or wider
- A large sheet of paper or a table, with at least an A1-sized work area
Room and setup
- A large table or floor area that everyone can reach
- If you mount the paper sheet on a wall, reserve one wall surface.
Adjust for people and time
Not recommended with fewer than 3 people: there is little comparison of perspectives and the result can lean toward one person’s classification. Up to 8 people, gather around one work area. Above 8 people, work separately in groups of 3–4, then bring only each group’s headings to a new work area and group those headings again.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Retain notes that do not fit a group. This arrangement is not evidence of statistical representativeness and is not a voting procedure.
Other methods to consider
- If time is short: 1-2-4-All
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Jiro Kawakita, Hassōhō (Chuko Shinsho)
The Japanese source states: the method’s procedure is outside copyright protection; this description is original.
- The Japanese source states that ‘KJ法’ is a registered trademark of Kawakita Research Institute Co., Ltd.; the name is used descriptively to explain the method.
Trademark notice
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
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Editorial provenance
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