Managing the Process Improvement Effort

@TracyWiggins,

That’s a good question.  At my current organization most of our projects are small (comparatively) and we just use DMAIC and when we get to the implement phase, that’s when we would look at PM methods.  Mostly we would use straight waterfall, I wouldn’t venture into Scrum unless you are developing software although it can be applied to other projects.  I’m a fan of following Plan-Do-Check-Act as well, in other words do a pilot project before full deployment.  You can model your entire project from DMAIC to PMBOK as well (Define = Initiate).  One of the problems following DMAIC is that their isn’t a project planning phase and that has caused projects.  I’ve seen LSS projects that have steps without task completion dates, such as VOC, which causes the project to spin indefinitely.

You know, DMAIC and Agile do have a fit in that the projects often involve the unknown.  One idea I was toying with was to have a planning conference at the beginning of each phase.  If you went agile-ish, and focused on Scrum, you could run sprints through every phase, beginning with the Measure phase.   Discuss and plan events in the planning meeting for your sprint.  A two week sprint might work.  It might keep more interest by putting the project into short bursts – not sure how familiar you are with Scrum and estimating the length of tasks.

@TracyWiggins I think this article will be right up your alley! https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/software/integrating-lean-six-sigma-agile-and-scrum/

I’ve used a hybrid approach treating process improvement as a programme for planning and as PDCA based for the execution of specific initiatives. So three structures. Core PM phases (initiation, planning, monitoring) as the orchestrator so to speak. Then use agile concepts like ‘backlog’ prioritization to allow flexibility while aligning with overall objectives. Finally, the actual process improvement can be done with DMAIC and PDCA methodologies. This way there is a structure (PM), established methodology and tools for process improvement (LEAN), and agile ‘concepts’ (not necessarily rituals or buzzwords) tailored to add flexibility.