A project charter is the first step in the Six Sigma methodology. It takes place in the Define step of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), and the charter can make or break a successful project. It can make it by specifying necessary resources and boundaries that will in turn ensure success; it can break…
Organizations are often challenged with managing seemingly unmanageable work volumes with available staff. At times, staff may feel overwhelmed with high work volumes, or underutilized during periods of low work volumes. When a management team finds itself confronting these issues, team members may ask the following questions: How can staff respond to internal and external…
Initially Six Sigma process improvement projects followed four phases: Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Today, some companies still omit the Define phase because a project’s definition is seen as mainly management work. Following this logic, the same might be true for Control: ensuring that the process improvements are implemented and monitored is only a business…
Practitioners sometimes encounter potential sponsors and Champions who seem not to be able to point to the real “pain” in their organization. Inputs are either very general (“boil the ocean”-type projects) or fuzzy, leaving the final project definition to the Black Belt – and risking missing the real issue intended by the Champion. This results…
Like morning leads the day, a well-defined, well-scoped Six Sigma project is more likely to be completed and lead to savings. A DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) project that starts directly at the Measure phase has the potential to be ditched as investigation of the current problem may open a can of worms that…
The SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) process map is one of the most valuable tools in a Six Sigma professional’s toolbox. It typically can be completed with the project team in less than an hour, and has a strong tie to the project charter. It also makes previously unknown customers suddenly appear out of…
Six Sigma practitioners know that operational definitions are definitions to do business with. An operational definition can be defined as a clear and understandable description of what is to be observed and measured, such that different people collecting, using and interpreting data will do so consistently. An operational definition is a concept to guide what…
This Information Technology (IT) case study was done during the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in a financial services company with several hundred computers and computer users in multiple locations throughout India. The results have widespread applicability and in particular are aimed at organizations with large computer networks, IT facilities management companies and customer…
Zack Swinney
Karim Houry
Massimo Appiotti
Manfred Reithinger
Mayukh Ghosh
Chris Powers
Kathy Parker
Niraj Goyal