Process Design for Six Sigma Course

The Process Design for Six Sigma Course will teach you the DMADV five phased approach to new process development. The five phases of the DMADV approach are Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate.

To facilitate the course we follow an actual new process being developed, a Quality Management System, step by step using the Process Design for Six Sigma method. You will see first hand how the deliverables lead to the creation of the new process.

You will be provided a set of tools that can be used to develop a new process following the DFSS, Design for Six Sigma methodology. The course features animations, videos, interactive quizzes, and a final exam. The course takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes of total seat time. No module within the course is longer than 30 minutes. There are 20 modules in this course which includes 6 quizzes and a final exam.

Course Outline

• Introduction
  • Course Outline
  • Introduction and Overview
  • Process DFSS Toolkit Downloads
  • Process DFSS Roadmap Video
  • Introduction Quiz
• Process DFSS Course
  • Define Phase
  • Define Quiz
  • Measure Phase
  • CTQ Tree Video
  • Voice of Customer QFD Video
  • Function Analysis Video
  • Measure Quiz
  • Analyze Phase
  • Analyze Quiz
  • Design Phase
  • Design Quiz
  • Validate Phase
  • Validate Quiz
• Process DFSS Course Wrap Up
  • DMADV Deliverables Review
  • Final Exam

This course is priced at $200. A bargain for learning how to develop new processes that will meet and exceed customer requirements. Register Today!

Keys to Successful Operations Improvement

Operations improvement is not magic, but strategically focused hard work. The keys to successful operations improvement include these five elements:

• Performance Metrics tied to business goals and objectives
• Leadership agreement on, and support for, select improvement projects
• Project teams staffed for success
• Project centric training
• Accountability for timely successful project completion

Include these elements sequentially in the operations improvement plan as your strategy for success.

Performance Metrics tied to business goals and objectives

The leadership team reviews the goals and objectives for the business and selects the performance metrics that measure success. Often, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) or a Prioritization Matrix is used to align and rank the performance metrics with the business goals and objectives. The marching orders are now set for the improvement projects.

Leadership agreement on, and support for, select improvement projects

The leadership team reviews the processes across the supply chain from the beginning to the end. Where are the issues? Where do we fall short of expectations? Where is the waste in the system? These questions drive the brainstorming to identify potential improvement projects. A list is made of the projects and incorporated into another QFD or Prioritization Matrix to align and rank the improvement projects with the rated and ranked performance metrics. Using the matrices keeps the prioritization of the projects aligned with the business goals and objectives.

Project teams staffed for success

The leadership team focuses on the top four or five projects based upon the priorities they have agreed on using prioritization matrices. The teams for these projects are selected from the best and the brightest personnel within the organization that have knowledge or skills relevant to the project. Often these individuals are considered too important or too busy to work on improvements. That is the reason for their selections. These personnel decisions answer the question, “Are you serious about making improvements?”

Project centric training

Each project and its assigned team progress through the Lean Six Sigma training and apply the tools and techniques directly on their improvement opportunity. As quickly as methods are learned they are applied to make progress toward the completion of the project following the train and do philosophy. If the opportunity is a process improvement the methodology follows DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control). If the opportunity is a design improvement the methodology follows DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design, and validate), or Design for Six Sigma.

Accountability for timely successful project completion

Success requires the leadership team and the improvement project teams be held accountable to complete the projects in a timely manner. Deliverables based project plans focus the effort of the teams to move through the DMAIC, or DMADV, process phases successfully. Phase exit reviews are held between the project and the leadership teams. Phase exit reviews assure that all parties involved are held accountable to achieve successful strategically focused operations improvement.

DMAIC or DMADV, Which Process to Choose?

To choose the proper process for the improvement project requires a brief understanding of each of the acronym based processes of DMAIC and DMADV.  DMAIC is namely Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Its five phases are geared toward breakthrough improvements in products, processes, and service delivery.  DMADV is namely Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate.  Its five phases are geared toward development of new products, processes, or service delivery.

Choosing which process to follow can be a little confusing at the outset of an improvement project where the names of the first three phases for each of the processes is exactly the same.  To clarify the differences in the first three phases in DMAIC it’s clearly spelled out as Define, Measure, and Analyze with no hidden meanings.  In DMADV the definitions need clarification:

• Define - Development Project Definition


• Measure – Product, Process, or Service Delivery Requirements Definition


• Analyze - Product, Process, or Service Delivery Conceptual Design

If the project’s goal is to develop a new product, process, or service delivery than clearly the process to follow is DMADV, which is a five phased development process.  If the project’s goal is to improve an existing product, process, or service delivery than clearly the process to follow is DMAIC, right?  In most cases it is, but if the existing situation is so broken and just fixing it won’t provide the ability to meet or exceed customer requirements a course correction to DMADV from DMAIC is in order.

Was time wasted by starting off with DMAIC?  The Define and Measure phases in the DMAIC process generate deliverables that will be essential in the development project.  The Analyze phase provides great detail about the failure modes that a new product, process, or service delivery will have to mitigate to be successful.  Time wasn’t wasted, but the conversion from DMAIC to DMADV should take place during the Analyze phase at the latest.  Often after the Measure phase it is clear that a new development is required to meet customer expectations.

From the outset if the project is a new development it is DMADV.  Otherwise, start with DMAIC and course correct if it is determined that redesign is required for the product, process, or service delivery.  Time will not have been wasted unless you don’t course correct.

Process Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)

Designing a new process, or dramatically improving an existing one, is handled best by following a structured process. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) has a five phase development process with the DMADV acronym. This acronym stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate, but what does it actually mean with regard to a development project?

The Define Phase is best described as the Development Project Definition. Where the keys to success are:

• Development Project Charter


• Business Case


• Deliverables based Project Plan with defined gate review requirements


• Risk management plan based upon FMEA results


• Organizational change management plan

The Measure Phase is best described as the Requirements Definition. Where the keys to success are:

• Voice of the Customer Requirements that include internal and external customers and suppliers to the process


• Functional requirements for the process to mitigate risks


• QFD analysis to prioritize VOC requirements and Functional Requirements


• Staffing skill sets based upon functional requirements


• Defined performance metrics (KPMs) and tracking requirements for the process

The Analyze Phase is best described as the Conceptual Design. Where the keys to success are:

• Detailed descriptions of the processes needed to satisfy prioritized functional requirements


• SIPOC process maps for each of the processes and IT supporting systems


• Roles, responsibilities, and staffing requirements to execute the processes


• Evaluation of process design’s capability to meet KPMs and VOC requirements

The Design Phase is best described as the Detailed Design. Where the keys to success are:

• QFD analysis of Functional Requirements versus Process Components and Systems


• Detailed future state deployment (swim lane) process maps


• Management and Control Plans


• Job descriptions for required staffing


• Pilot test plans for processes and IT supporting systems

The Validate Phase is best described as Test, Validate, and Implement. Where the keys to success are:

• Develop policies, procedures, and work instructions to execute all future state processes
  
• Pilot test future state processes with the policies, procedures, and work instructions
  
• Train process personnel and implement the future state processes on a full scale
  
• Implement the Management and Control Plans
  

Process Design for Six Sigma requires collaboration among the process stakeholders. Often being face to face for the collaborative meetings is not possible from a logistics, or cost standpoint, which is where on-line Webinars provide the solution.

At EducateVirtually.com we provide the facilitation and coaching required for extremely productive Webinars that accelerate the DFSS process. We have found that communication is enhanced and documentation is more complete using internet based meetings. New processes have been developed and implemented in as little as 12 weeks starting from a clean sheet of paper.

For additional information, or to contact us visit EducateVirtually.com

SIPOC, The Key to Process Design for Six Sigma

Designing new processes is a complex task especially if your desire is zero defects. The Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) process is geared toward identifying the failures in the process that must be eliminated. The premise is the new design will mitigate all risks and potential failures because they were identified and then designed out of the process.

The question becomes, “Just how do you do that?” The DFSS process has the acronym of DMADV, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate. Let’s clarify these terms and make them understandable.

• Define: Development Project Definition


• Measure: Requirements Definition


• Analyze: Conceptual Design


• Design: Detailed Design


• Validate: Test, Validate, and Implement

Process DFSS is a development project that should follow the typical development phases as named previously. During the requirements definition phase the voice of the customer and the business are defined. Potential failure modes are identified and the process functions that mitigate the risks are developed.

The tricky transition is coming up with the conceptual design following the completion of the requirements definition. Here is where the SIPOC process mapping method comes into play. SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers.

The conceptual process design is at a high level. To begin, identify who supplies inputs into the process and what those inputs are. Next, where does the process start and where does the process end. The process steps from the beginning to the end are limited to five steps. Then the outputs from each step, 1 thru 5, are defined along with the customers both internal and external who receive those outputs.

The SIPOC process map becomes the conceptual design of the new process. The suppliers who provide inputs into the process are defined. The beginning and ending points are defined. The process outputs and their customers are defined.

The next questions to answer are what volume will flow through the process and how often does the process cycle. These answers lead to the staffing requirements. Information technology solutions are identified at this point as well. The SIPOC process map facilitates timely completion of the new process conceptual design.

At EducateVirtually.com we offer Webinar on Demand to coach and facilitate Process Design for Six Sigma. Visit us today.

QFD Process Design Roadmap

The task of designing a new process or dramatically improving an existing process can seem overwhelming. Quality Function Deployment, QFD, provides a collaborative tool to guide decision making and trade off evaluations. QFD contrasts “What” the customer wants with “How” the “What” will be satisfied. The Process Design Roadmap assures that the newly designed process will successfully meet customer requirements.

We begin with capturing the Voice of the Customer requirements for the process being designed. Often, the VOC comprises External Customers, Internal Customers, and the suppliers to the process. A series of criteria are applied to collaboratively weight and rank the requirements.

The first QFD matrix defines the functional requirements for the process. Just what is it that the process is supposed to do? Each function is then evaluated for its relationship to the delivery of each customer requirement. They are scored only where relationships exist. The outcome is the list of prioritized functions that drive meeting VOC requirements.

The second QFD matrix designs the process. To meet the functional requirements we need processes and IT support systems. These are input into the QFD and compared against the prioritized list of functions. We then assess if our process design can deliver the functions that will satisfy the Voice of the Customer. During this iterative QFD analysis the outcome is the new process design, with a ranking of processes and systems that are critical to success.

The last QFD matrix designs the organization that is required to run the processes. Roles, responsibilities, skill sets, structure, and staffing are determined.

The results from the QFD roadmap are:

• A comprehensive design of the processes and IT support systems


• A completed organization design that will manage and execute the processes


• And it all ties back to the Voice of the Customer Requirements

That’s the Quality Function Deployment Process Design Roadmap click here to Take the Free Nano Course

At educatevirtually.com we offer e-learning, on demand webinars, and on site training, coaching, and facilitation to support your operations improvement needs.

Contact us for training, coaching, or facilitation support at EducateVirtually.com