Module 5
Once you have defined your AIM statement, the next step is to identify the factors that will influence your success and the actions that can help drive improvement. Building a Key Driver Diagram does not need to be complicated. Start by focusing on the most important drivers of your goal, then identify practical change ideas your team can test and refine over time. The process below provides a simple framework for turning your improvement aim into an actionable plan.
Step-by-Step Process
Use the AIM statement you developed in Module 3. Your AIM should clearly define what you want to improve, by how much, and by when.
Ask yourself: What needs to be true for us to reach this aim? Key drivers are the major factors that influence success and represent areas where your team can take action. Most projects have three to five key drivers.
If you completed the fishbone diagram, affinity diagram, or other root-cause tools in Module 1.3, you can draw directly from that work to identify your key drivers — those tools often surface the same underlying factors you'll list here. It can help to think of key drivers as the “whats” — the nouns, or the underlying areas or conditions driving your problem.
For each key driver, identify specific, testable actions that could lead to improvement. These change ideas become potential Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and should be practical enough to test on a small scale. If key drivers are the “whats,” change ideas are the “hows” — the verbs, or the specific actions your team will take to address each driver.
Not all change ideas are equally valuable or feasible. Use the Effort/Impact Matrix (discussed in detail in Module 5.4) to identify which ideas are likely to generate the greatest learning and improvement with the resources available. Prioritize high-impact, low-effort opportunities whenever possible.