Six Sigma Roadmap
Six Sigma is one of the most effective project management methods around the world. It has redefined and developed the project management scenario in the market completely. It focuses on improving processes and dealing with problems that arose. It has two major methodology sets, namely the DMAIC and the DMADV. DMAIC stands for ‘Define Measure Analyze Improve Control,’ and DMADV stands for ‘Define Measure Analyze Design Validate.’ The former is a methodology driven forward by data that helps in the betterment of existing products or services while the latter focuses on delivering redesigned products or services according to the customer demands. Though the latter seems more promising, the former is the most widely accepted among the two.
Companies believe that DMAIC has a winning edge as it is very linear, and the approach towards the processes is iterative.
The improvement process with DMAIC:
DMAIC and DMADV are both implemented at different phases of production to provide the best results, but, DMADV is not quite implementable by all the companies. Hence, DMAIC is taken as the basic roadmap mechanism to solve problems and improving the processes in different stages. Its linearity makes it easy to implement and effective in almost every project management scenario.
Phases of DMAIC that define the roadmap:
- Define Phase: This phase deals with defining the goals involved and customer requirements for deliverables in any specific project. This is done in a few steps.
- Knowing and acting on the needs of the customers as well as the project requirements.
- Statement developing for problems arising, goals set, and benefits offered by the project.
- Careful analysis of traits for the involved champion, dedicated Process Owner, and effective team members to work o the project in order to complete it effectively.
- Analyzing the in-hand resources available for the project.
- Breaking down and ensuring full support from the organization.
- Planning the project efficiently and setting achievable goals keeping an eye on the resources.
- A well-analyzed process map to track the project progression.
- Measure Phase: This phase deals with measuring all the aspects of the project, including the performance of the team, the quantity of the problems involved, and the quality of deliverables. Steps for the phase:
- Detection of defect opportunities metrically.
- Appropriate action/error area detection.
- Plans to foster an effective collection of data.
- Proper evaluation of the measurement system.
- The Sigma baseline identification and measuring process capability.
- Analyze Phase: This phase deals with the determination of errors and problems. This helps in reaching the main reason for the defects. Here are the steps.
- Performance objective determination.
- Detailed analysis of processes that may or may not add value to the project.
- Variation analysis
- Hunting roots that caused the variations
- Improve Phase: This phase deals with the defects and eliminates them subtly. The steps involved in this are as follows:
- Experiment designs are reframed.
- Figuring out ways to solve arising problems.
- Identification of operating tolerance in any functional system.
- Analysis of failed models involved in the project in order to find a viable solution.
- Studying crucial project scenarios and identifying potential improvement areas.
- Re-analysis of the solution to make sure that they would work.
- Control Phase: This phase deals with controlling the future processes involved in the betterment of the project. The project processes are controlled to keep a check on the deliverables by the following steps.
- Control systems are monitored properly in order to determine the effectiveness of individual improvements in the project processes.
- The processes under control set standards to be met and procedures to be followed later.
- Controlling processes involved in the project by having a statistical approach and implementation of changes wherever necessary.
- Figure out the positives and negatives of the project to see what the project is capable of doing in the market.
- Proper analysis of financial resources to calculate benefits, saved resources, and the growth in profits.
- Closing the project properly and documenting everything properly.
- The Plan Of Control (POC) should be crafted skillfully and handed over to process owners in order to help them understand the project progression better and all the changes that the project went through. The plan must also help in getting the project recognized in terms of the efforts put into improving it.