Relationship diagram
A relationship diagram is used to illustrate the interactions between the causes of a problem and can be used for the precise analysis of sub-areas of the cause-effect diagram . The individual factors are arranged according to their relationships and the relationship is illustrated by arrows for effects.
An arrow may only point in one direction, so that in case of doubt it must be determined which effect is stronger. In addition, the influences should have the same direction of action, ie not “the more control, the fewer rejects”, but “the more control, the more correct parts”.
By counting the arrows that emanate from a feature and lead to it, the so-called effect number can be determined. Positive effect numbers, i.e. if more arrows start from a characteristic than lead to it, show an active influence, while negative numbers characterize a passive characteristic. This can be further differentiated if one evaluates the arrows in terms of the strength of their influence. In addition, a distinction is made between 1st, 2nd and 3rd order causes, depending on how direct the influence is on the problem. Direct influence means a cause of the first order.
See also: causality
