Posted by The phase of Six Sigma implementation
In order to reduce process variation and the associated high defect rate, Six Sigma focuses on improvement methodology application, then the DMAIC is mentioned most frequently now and a lasting improvement method. The representative’s meanings of five English letters are as follows:
Define
The top management shall identify the problem according to customer feedback, strategy and mission of company, define customer requirements, and set goal.
Measure
Measurement is a key transitional step on Six Sigma road, one that helps the project team refined the problem and being the search for root causes which will be the objective of Analyze step in DMAIC. Therefore, the project team needs to validate problem/process, refine problem/goal, and measure key steps/input.
Analyze
In analyses stage, the project team shall use data analysis tools and process analysis techniques to identify and verify root causes of the problem. For the reason, the project team needs to develop causal hypotheses, identify vital few root causes, and validate hypothesis.
Improve
The goal of the improve stage is to find and implement solutions that will eliminate the causes of problems, reduce the variation in a process, or prevent a problem from recurring. So the project team needs to develop ideas to remove root causes, test solutions, and standardize solution/measure result.
Control
Once the improvement has been made and results documented, continue to measure the performance of the process routinely, adjusting its operation. It is very important for the project team needs to establish standard measures to maintain performance and correct problems as needs. Without control efforts, the improved process may well revert to its previous state.