Question

What types of activities do Six Sigma teams work on? What process do they use to do problem-solving?

Answer 1

The Six Sigma approach is known for its efficiency and reliability. The following are a the five classic project types on which these teams work:

• Quick Win type project
  • Involves deploying a simple solution to a known issue
  • The problem is limited to one department, the root cause is known and the fix is easy
  • Also called “Just-Do-It” or Fast Track
• Process Improvement
• Incremental improvement in defects, cycle time or cost
• The problem has an unknown cause and solutions are not predetermined
• Also called DMAIC, Lean, or PDCA
• Process Design
  • Creation of new, non-existent process
  • There is no existing process to analyze which require benchmarking and collection of VOC
  • Also called DFSS or DMADV
• Process Redesign
  • Overhaul of non-capable, existing process
  • The process exists, but incremental improvements will not be able to satisfy requirements
  • Also called Reengineering
• Infrastructure Implementation
  • Establishment of key measurement systems
  • Monitoring of process capability and VOC are established to better focus improvement efforts
  • Also called Process Management

Six sigma has a number of problem solving methods tools. One of the most common ones is called DMAIC problem-solving method. The term DMAIC stands for the five main steps in the process: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

• Define: Define the problem or project goals- be specific, accurate and have numeric representation.
• Measure: Once defined, decisions should be made on additional measurements required to quantify the problem.
• Analyze: After the measuring stage has defined the additional measurements, the data is analysed. At this stage, we determine whether the problem is valid or whether it is a random event. Also, the data that has been collected can be used as a reference base level for future comparisons.
• Improve: After the analysis stage, possible solutions can be developed. Test data can be created and pilot studies launched to find which of the solutions offers the best improvements to the issue. When the most appropriate solution is selected, the team can develop an implementation plan and a timeline for the completion of the project.
• Control: After implementing the solution, controls should be put in place to measure the validity of the solution going forward and to prevent recurrence of the problem. The control measurements can be scheduled periodically and the results must be well documented.

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