Six Sigma DMAIC: Improving the Process

Overview/Description
 Laotzu, a Chinese philosopher, said, "The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small," but as far as business processes are concerned, even catching a problem when it's small might not get at the root cause. Six Sigma Black Belts know that to find the root cause of a problem, you have to develop an improvement strategy, and then use precision tools to employ the improvement strategy and target the problem with perfect accuracy. In this course Six Sigma Green Belts and team members will explore the tools and techniques for developing an improvement strategy. You'll also look at why, how, and when to pilot an improvement plan, and how to avoid common pitfalls. In Lesson 1, Creating an Improvement Plan, you'll consider how to work only the best ideas into an improvement plan by brainstorming improvement ideas, and by making effective use of the prioritization matrix. You'll also be introduced to FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) and DoE (Design of Experiment analysis), sophisticated analysis tools which can be used when the conditions are right. In Lesson 2, Building Support for an Improvement Plan, you'll explore why you should pilot an improvement plan. You'll also consider the key components of an implementation plan, and the best strategies for marketing the plan.

Target Audience
 Potential Six Sigma Green Belts and other Six Sigma team members in companies that have already made the decision to implement Six Sigma

Expected Duration
4.5 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Creating an Improvement Plan

  • recognize the benefits of developing an improvement plan based on the appropriate use of tools.
  • match the rules for effective brainstorming with descriptive examples.
  • identify the steps for developing a prioritization matrix to evaluate alternative solutions.
  • apply the steps for developing a prioritization matrix for the solutions to a hypothetical problem.
  • identify the steps for calculating an RPN (risk priority number) for process failures detected by FMEA.
  • calculate the RPN (risk priority number) for a hypothetical process failure detected by FMEA.
  • identify characteristics of situations when it is appropriate to use DoE (Design of Experiments) analysis.
  • apply situational criteria to determine whether DoE is indicated in a hypothetical business situation.

    • Building Support for an Improvement Plan

  • identify the benefits of building support for an improvement plan.
  • identify the key components of an implementation plan.
  • use key components to develop an implementation plan for a hypothetical Six Sigma project.
  • identify reasons to pilot an improvement plan.
  • identify strategies for marketing an improvement plan.
  • apply strategies for marketing a hypothetical improvement plan.

    • Course Number: OPER0147