Affinity maps and relationship diagrams: two tools to enhance performance improvement.

This article describes two performance improvement tools: an affinity map and a relationship diagram. The author suggests when to use them and provides instructions on how to scan the environment of a nursing unit to discover problems, organize ideas about the problem, and find the root cause and effect of the relationship among staff's ideas about the problem. When the main cause and effect of a problem are known, management and staff can decide where to direct their process improvement efforts.