Stakeholder Analysis

QI Essentials Toolkit:

Driver Diagram A driver diagram is a visual display of a team’s theory of what “drives,” or contributes to, the achievement of a project aim. This clear picture of a team’s shared view is a useful tool for communicating to a range of stakeholders where a team is testing and working.

A driver diagram shows the relationship between the overall aim of the project, the primary drivers (sometimes called “key drivers”) that contribute directly to achieving the aim, the secondary drivers that are components of the primary drivers, and specific change ideas to test for each secondary driver.

Primary drivers are the most important influencers on the aim, and you will have only a few (we recommend 2 to 5); secondary drivers are influencers on (or natural subsections of) the primary drivers, and you may have many. As you identify each driver, establish a way to measure it.

Remember: It’s unlikely that a single individual has a clear view of an entire complex system. When developing a driver diagram, enlist the help of team members who are familiar with different aspects of the system under review.

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IHI’s QI Essentials Toolkit includes the tools and templates you need to launch and manage a successful improvement project. Each of the nine tools in the toolkit includes a short description, instructions, an example, and a blank template. NOTE: Before filling out the template, first save the file on your computer. Then open and use that version of the tool. Otherwise, your changes will not be saved.

• Cause and Effect Diagram • Driver Diagram • Failure Modes and Effects

Analysis (FMEA)

• Flowchart • Histogram • Pareto Chart • PDSA Worksheet

• Project Planning Form • Run Chart & Control Chart • Scatter Diagram

QI ESSENTIALS TOOLKIT: Driver Diagram

Institute for Healthcare Improvement ∙ ihi.org

Instructions 1) On the left, list the project aim (what will be improved, by how much, for whom, and by when)

and draw a box around it.

2) To the right of the aim, list a few “primary drivers” — the most significant high-level influencers on the aim you’ve identified. Draw a box around each of the primary drivers, and draw lines to connect the primary drivers to the aim.

3) To the right of each primary driver, list as many “secondary drivers” that influence the primary driver as you can think of. Draw a box around each secondary driver, and draw lines to connect the secondary drivers to the primary drivers. Note: Secondary drivers can connect to more than one primary driver.

o Tip: To show strong relationships, use solid lines; to show weaker relationships, use dotted lines.

4) To the right of each secondary driver, list specific change ideas you will test to influence the secondary driver. Note: Change ideas can connect to more than one secondary driver.

QI ESSENTIALS TOOLKIT: Driver Diagram

Institute for Healthcare Improvement ∙ ihi.org

Example: Driver Diagram

QI ESSENTIALS TOOLKIT: Driver Diagram

Institute for Healthcare Improvement ∙ ihi.org

Before filling out the template, first save the file on your computer. Then open and use that version of the tool. Otherwise, your changes will not be saved.