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By Patrick Waddick

Control Phase       Jump To:          Deliverables          Checkpoints          Questions          Tools

Select A Phase For Detailed InformationDMAIC OverviewDefine PhaseMeasure PhaseAnalyze PhaseImprove PhaseControl Phase (Select a phase and click 'Go' to view in detail)

Deliverables Of Phase: Documented and implemented monitoring plan, standardized process, documented procedures, response plan established and deployed, transfer of ownership (project closure).   Checkpoints For Completion: Monitoring Plan   Control plan in place for sustaining improvements (short and long-term).   Process Standardization   New process steps, standards, and documentation are ingrained into normal operations.   Documented Procedures   Operating procedures are consistent.   Knowledge gained on process is shared and institutionalized.   Response Plan   Response plans established, understood, and deployed.   Transfer of Ownership (Project Closure)   Transfer ownership and knowledge to process owner and process team tasked with the responsibilities.   Questions To Determine Appropriate Application: Monitoring Plan   What is the control/monitoring plan?   How will the process owner and team be able to hold the gains?   What key inputs and outputs are being measured on an ongoing basis?   How will input, process, and output variables be checked to detect for sub-optimal conditions?   How will new or emerging customer needs/requirements be checked/communicated to orient the process toward meeting the new specifications and continually reducing variation?   Are control charts being used or needed?   How will control chart readings and control chart limits be checked to effectively monitor performance?   Will any special training be provided for control chart interpretation?   Is this knowledge imbedded in the response plan?   What is the most recent process yield (or sigma calculation)?   Does the process performance meet the customer's requirements?   Process Standardization   Has the improved process and its steps been standardized?   Documented Procedures   Is there documentation that will support the successful operation of the improvement?   Does job training on the documented procedures need to be part of the process team's education and training?   Have new or revised work instructions resulted?   Are they clear and easy to follow for the operators?   Response Plan   Is a response plan in place for when the input, process, or output measures indicate an 'out-of-control' condition?   What are the critical parameters to watch?   Does the response plan contain a definite closed loop continual improvement scheme (e.g., plan-do-check-act)?   Are suggested corrective/restorative actions indicated on the response plan for known causes to problems that might surface?   Does a troubleshooting guide exist or is it needed?   Transfer Of Ownership (Project Closure)   Who is the process owner?   How will the day-to-day responsibilities for monitoring and continual improvement be transferred from the improvement team to the process owner?   How will the process owner verify improvement in present and future sigma levels, process capabilities?   Is there a recommended audit plan for routine surveillance inspections of the DMAIC project's gains?   What is the recommended frequency of auditing?   What should the next improvement project be that is related to the process?   What quality tools were useful in the control phase?   Integrating and Institutionalizing Improvements, Knowledge and Learnings   What other areas of the organization might benefit from the project team's improvements, knowledge, and learning?   How might the organization capture best practices and lessons learned so as to leverage improvements across the business?   What other systems, operations, processes, and infrastructures (hiring practices, staffing, training, incentives/rewards, metrics/dashboards/scorecards, etc.) need updates, additions, changes, or deletions in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and improvements?   Useful Tools: Sign up for the newsletter to be notified when the tools are available.   [ Define | Measure | Analyze | Improve | Control ]