Tool 65: Deployment Chart (Down-Across)

AKA

N/A

Classification

Planning/Presenting (PP)

Tool description

A deployment chart reflects the sequence of required activities and the persons or teams responsible for completing them. The chart's down-across construction also indicates approximately when, by due dates, these activities are scheduled to be completed.

Typical application

• To provide a process or project overview of activities, people involved, activity sequence, and completion dates.

• To illustrate a process flow for teams to refer to during problem-solving or process-improvement efforts.

Problem-solving phase

	Select and define problem or opportunity
	Identify and analyze causes or potential change
→	Develop and plan possible solutions or change
→	Implement and evaluate solution or change
	Measure and report solution or change results
	Recognize and reward team efforts

Typically used by

	Research/statistics
	Creativity/innovation
	Engineering
1	Project management
	Manufacturing
	Marketing/sales
3	Administration/documentation
	Servicing/support
	Customer/quality metrics
2	Change management

links to other tools

before

• Demographic Analysis

• Consensus Decision Making

• Circle response

• Checklist

• Problem Analysis

after

• Action Plan

• Resource Histogram

• Project Planning Log

• Events Log

• Major Program Status

Notes and key points

• Deployment chart activities start at top-left of chart and move down-across. Due date (end of activity) is lined-up laterally with the bottom line of the activity box.

• Optional: A due date column is not necessary if due dates are placed on top of respective activity box.

Step-by-step procedure

• STEP 1 The facilitator draws an outline of a deployment chart (down-across) on a whiteboard. The process or project to be charted is reviewed and clarified.

• STEP 2 Team participants brainstorm required activities. See example Poster Development Process.

• STEP 3 With the assistance from the participants, activity blocks are drawn into the columns that reflect who or what group is performing this activity.

• STEP 4 Activities are inserted from the top down and across to show directionality and elapsed time. Lines are drawn to sequentially link all activity blocks in a downward flow.

• STEP 5 A column with due dates of respective activities is constructed as the last activity to complete the chart as shown.

• STEP 6 The team reflects the process flow of the chart, makes any revisions, and dates the chart.

Example of tool application

Poster Development Process