Author Archives: Six Sigma Expert

DMADV

DMADV methodology is an acronym for five interlinked process steps: Define, Measure,Analyze, Design and Verify. It’s a strategy for the creating new product and designing new processes. The objective of this methodology is to create designs which are predictable and do not have any defects.

Define

In First step the design goals are defined so that they are consistent with the demands of the customer and goals of the company.

Measure

In this step four things are measured and identified which includes the CTQs(Critical to Quality), production process capability, product capabilities and risks.

Analyze

This step deals with the process of Analysis to develop and design alternatives. A high level design is created and evaluation of design capability is being done so that to select the best design.

Design

In this step the Design details are considered. The design is optimized and plan for the verification of designed is developed. Simulations may be required during this step.

Verify

This is the last step of the methodology and it includes the verification of the design, setting of the pilot runs, implementing the production process and verifying its abilities to meet the target goals. After verifying the design it is given to the owner of the process.

Difference between DMAIC and DMADV

DMAIC and DMADV are two different methodologies for implementing the six sigma. They have similar first three letters in their acronyms however they differ fundamentally from each other in their usage as per the product or process state and requirement. DMAIC is used for the existent processes and DMADV is used for the new processes.

If we look at the steps we can make out both the methodologies have similar first three steps and they differ in the last two steps. While DMAIC focuses on improving and controlling the process, DMADV stresses on designing and verifying the process design.

When to use DMADV

(1) When a new product needs to be created or a new process is designed

(2) When desired results are not obtained with the DMAIC methodology on existent product and processes.

Six Sigma Methodology

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Six Sigma Methodology follows the measurement based strategy that strives for the perfection in the process quality. It is a methodology which is rounded about statistics. It aims to make life better and easier for everyone involved in the process. There are many ways of performing a task in a more efficient manner and by regularly focusing on the efforts to improve quality we can bring about process improvement and variation reduction.

There are two methods of following the Six Sigma Methodologies as follows.

(a) DMAIC

(b) DMADV

DMAIC methodology is used to bring about the improvement in the existed process while the DMADV methodology is used for the creation of the new processs.

DMAIC

DMAIC methodology is an acronym for five interlinked process steps: Define, Measure,Analyze, Improve and Control. It’s a strategy for the process improvement where each step of the process is required to be followed to ensure best results.

Define

(1) Define the current business process, Scope of project, current and future state.

(2) Define the Customer , their requirements and expectations.

(3) Define the high level project goals, tangible deliverables, due date.

Measure

(1) Measure the performance of the current process and the key metrices

(2) Collecting relevant data by planning and executing data collection plan.

(3) Measuring the reliability and validity of the key metrices

(4) Measuring the progress and ultimate success.

Analyze

(1) Analyze the data to determine the cause and effect relationships.

(2) Analyze the current process performance and identifying the opportunities for the improvement

(3) Determine the source of failure and resources required for improvement

Improve

(1) Improve the process by designing innovative solutions using technology and performing required activities.

(2) Reintegrating the business projects and implementing the designed plan.

Control

(1) Control the various factors like risk, quality, scope, schedule, cost and designed plan to ensure that no deviations from target result in defects and they are corrected beforehand

(2) Monitoring the process continuously by setting the control mechanisms

(3) Maintaining the progress made and ensuring that business goals are being met

Six Sigma Levels

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There are various sigma levels of the processes. A sigma level of the process determines the accuracy and quality of the process. By knowing the sigma level of the process we can make out how the process is performing for eg. How many defects are occurring during the process. Higher the sigma number of the process, higher will be the accuracy and quality of it.

In Statistics, Sigma represents the Standard Deviation which measures how much variation a process shows from the perfection. The calculation is based on the number of the defects occurring per million of opportunities.

DPMO is Defects per million opportunities

DPMO = (Number of defects)*1000000/(Number of units)/(Number of opportunities for defects per unit

The relationship between the sigma level and DPMO clearly suggests the efficiency of the process. Higher sigma level means the lower value for the DPMO and increased levels of process efficiency. Vice Versa lower sigma level means higher value for the DPMO and decreased levels of process efficiency. Therefore a process should aims to achieve the higher Sigma Levels.

Relationship between Sigma Levels and DPMO is as follows

One sigma = 690,000 DPMO = 31% efficiency
Two sigma = 308,000 DPMO = 69.2% efficiency
Three sigma = 66,800 DPMO = 93.32% efficiency
Four sigma = 6,210 DPMO = 99.379% efficiency
Five sigma = 230 DPMO = 99.977% efficiency
Six sigma = 3.4 DPMO = 99.9997% efficiency

The performance of the processes can be compared throughout an entire organization by determining the sigma levels of the processes. Determining the sigma levels is independent of the process, as it calculates only opportunities and defects. Different processes may differ in number of opportunities for making mistakes and different number of units produced, however by comparing the DPMO of these processes we can make out which process is performing better.

Why Six Sigma

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One of the main goals of various Corporations around the world is to improve the customer satisfaction retaining them and keeping the customers delighted all the time. After all it is the customer who is driving the market scenario. In the quest of achieving the high quality performance of products and services, Six Sigma got evolved which basically focuses on reducing the variation thereby achieving the stability in the process results.

It is a well known fact that organizations depends a lot on the leaders to drive their growth. In the scheme of Six Sigma, effective leadership is at the core of the infrastructure wherein it is imperative that leaders should take Six Sigma Training . Effective Leaders should be able to inspired and energise others. In companies where the Six Sigma is being implemented the leaders have the responsibility of setting a vision for the future wherein the company goals are clearly defined along with various measures which define success.

Six Sigma approach requires the commitment and dedication at all levels in the organizations. It stressed on the continuous effort from everyone to achieve the long term success. After a thorough analysis of the process using the statistical methodology the defects and their root causes are identified. It is followed by experiments and redefining of process and its goals.

Six Sigma encourages a rational thinking for devising the solutions of the problems. It helps in removing the defects in a system in a proper way leading to progress and growth of the process. Apart from that philosophy of six sigma leads to change in the attitude of the people involved towards acheivng the quality in the process and in other areas of their life. Thus it contributes towards bringing positive change in the life of people and enabling them in making the meaningful contributions towards society.

Six Sigma has been implemented by various organizations across the globe and success stories have been evident in various sectors of the business. Many organizations have achieved the phenomenal growth by implementing path breaking process strategies. There is a cost involved in providing the employees with the Six sigma training however benefits obtained truly outweighs the cost incurred.

Six Sigma Overview

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Definition

Six Sigma is a philosophy of business management which aims to improve the quality of the process. It focuses on identifying and eliminating the causes of defects and variations in business and manufacturing processes across the various sectors of the industry and is being used as the effective quality management strategy.

Meaning What is Six Sigma

In Statistics the standard deviation is represented by the Sigma (the lower-case Greek letter ?) and Six Sigma refers to the Six Standard Deviations. A process is Six Sigma Process when it has six standard deviations between the mean of the process and the nearest specification limit thus looking to achieve the perfection in quality measures. Statistically a process is Six Sigma process if it produces 3.4 defective parts per million opportunities (DPMO). Here defect refers to the anything which is outside the defined limits which may leads to customer dissatisfaction. Opportunity refers to the total number of chances of defect.

Historical Overview

In 1986, Bill Smith at Motorola had formulated the methodology of Six Sigma. It is trademark of Motorola. It adopts the best practices of the previous quality improvement methodologies like TQM, Zero defects e.t.c . and adds some of the unique features of its own. It was evolved in the manufacturing sector however later on it got spread to the various different sectors of the industry.

Six Sigma quality improvement initiatives includes a well defined infrastructure of “Champions”, ‘Master Black Belt”, “Black belt” who are responsible for implementing the Six Sigma principles. They ensure that any Six Sigma project will yield an measurable and quantifiable gains for the organization. Decisions are always based on the data and role of outstanding leadership in leading the organization is emphasized.

Importance

Six Sigma improves the existing business process by focusing on continuous efforts which leads to stable and predictable results related to the process ensuring quality improvement. It follows the strategy which is measurement based wherein a process can be measured, analyzed, improved and controlled. It implies that in order to achieve the business success through quality control, everybody in the organization should be commited. It applies various quality management methods, various tools, resources and qualified professionals having required level of expertise.

Six Sigma Projects

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Defining Six Sigma Projects.

The success of a company depends on the strategic planning of the projects. Projects are the works assigned by a company, to meet the needs of the clients. For the successful implementation of the project, there should be a complete planning, adequate links between strategy and actions, and effective communication. Lacking of all these main factors, results in the poor performance of the production work and the customer’s dissatisfaction about the product. Six sigma accomplishes one project at a time. The stories of companies who have saved billions of dollars, have proved the effectiveness of the properly selecting and defining business issues. When the business issues are properly selected and defined, these issues can be assigned to Green Belts and Black Belts for solving it effectively. Six sigma projects are the perfect selection that a company or an organization can take to reach its strategic goals.

Six sigma projects uses the help of project charters, for evaluating and formalizing the issues which will allow you to prioritize for implementation. It is the first step developed by the six sigma methodology, through the define steps of DMAIC. The charter can make or brake a successful project. It can bring out the success through specifying necessary resources and boundaries. The braking up of the project is done through reducing team focus, effectiveness and motivation. some of the major area where there is the need of project charter are as follows:

Project Title:

The importance of naming the project with a properly descriptive title is that it will help the other people to view and select your projects quickly with the help of keywords and phrases.

Black Belt and Green Belts:

These are the personalities, to whom the process improvement project is given. This identification is that important for the identifying the project leader by the management. It also helps to know who is leading the efforts and the others can find out the leader for gathering further details about the work at a later date.

Mentor or Master Black Belt:

It is important to identify a project leader, who ensures a helping hand to everyone in need. A successful project should have a helping hand always ready. Mentor or master black belt is a resource for the project leaders to learn and understand if any project question or issues arises.

Project Start Date:

It not possible for a project to maintain momentum, because the field is mainly for documentation purposes. So the project leaders formally start the working of the project of the date fixed.

Anticipated Project End Date:

The business guidelines are set on the basis how long projects should take to complete the work. The duration of the project helps in providing the leader and the team to get the adequate time to complete the project, business conditions, work load, holiday schedules. It is the mentor, master black belt or quality leader who is anticipating the project end date.

Six sigma does the project selection ideas according to its function. The project selections according to the functional areas are:

Finance/ Accounting six sigma project ideas

Human Resources six sigma project ideas

Sales six sigma project ideas

Shipping or Receiving six sigma project ideas

Information Technology

Six Sigma Projects Product or Service Design six sigma project ideas

Call Center six sigma project ideas

Under each functions, the implementation of six sigma project is used to solve different types of issues. for example:

Under the function product or service design, the six sigma project ideas are” reducing time required to design a product or service, reduce errors in design, reduce production time, reduce testing time”.

Six Sigma Consultant

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Six Sigma

Six Sigma Consultant Many a times it is seen that companies advertise as Six Sigma Certified. People read the word Six Sigma but never know what it means. Six Sigma refers to the ability of producing highly capable processes that can provide maximum level of quality with minimum defect levels. It is mainly used to gain Quality control, Zero Defect & Total Quality Management.

Six Sigma concentrates on different methodologies or processes like Design, Control, Optimization, Verification, Measure, Defining, Analyzing, Improving, Invent, Innovation, Develop, Describe, Implement, Evaluate, etc.

Six Sigma Origin

Bill Smith developed six sigma being one of the oldest tools used in determining the effectiveness of an process in 1986. The methodology used in developing it was available in 1920’s itself, which was then developed by luminaries like Shewhart, Deming, Ohno & many others. Six Sigma programs are considered to be a part of the Quality Engineering knowledge.

Six Sigma is a registered trademark of Motorola Inc., as it was first developed & used by them to achieve an unbelievable savings of US$17 Billion as of 2006 reports. Today Honeywell International & General Electric (GE introduced by Jack Welch) are the other companies that adopted Six Sigma & practicing it.

Six Sigma Consultant

Six Sigma Consultant Change is considered very important to survive in the competitive world. Every organization has to change its methodologies according to the prevailing market demand. Most of the time people realize that a change in its working methods is necessary but have no idea what to do or how to proceed.

An outsider or an Consultant is the right person who can help people lead the change. Consultants have better knowledge & know more than an employee who has knowledge on certain subjects relating to Six Sigma. They have exceptional communication skills in both written & verbal and hence they provide better explanations on the related subject.

Six Sigma Consultants are technically trained people who have implemented & maintained quality in providing service to many different organizations. Today it is one of the most demanded profession as these Consultants are more recognized in Corporate world rather than with the internal staff members.

Six Sigma Consultants are professionally trained & expertised people who provide variety of services. They are not trained in any one subject of Six Sigma, instead they provide support in all the fields no matter whether it is documentation, management, training, legal or technical.

Six Sigma people are identified by different roles namely Yellow belts, Green belts, Black belts, Master Black belts, Champions & Executive Leadership according to their level of skills in providing services to their clients. Being technically trained, Consultants provide precise & quick solutions by understanding a client’s requirements & developing appropriate programs accordingly.

Six Sigma Consultancy

Six Sigma Consultants & Consultancies are a proven support system to implement changes in an organization & also prepare them in facing the challenging world. They are not only seen at National level but are also engaged in providing International services.

Six Sigma Consultancies provide expert, customized & specialized training in different aspects like Reengineering, Change Management, Training, Technology, Project management, Development, Integration, Medical, Designing, Quality Management, etc.

Training Institutions

Six Sigma training institutions can be found all over the world.

Converge Consulting Group Inc.
DeLeeuw International Associates
Indian Institute of Quality Management
Institute of Sigma Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Business Strategic Solutions
On-line Training

Six Sigma Seminars

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What is six sigma seminar?

Six sigma seminars are instructional process, conducted for the candidates to know and discover how to apply systematically the statistical methods of six sigma for the organizational growth and for customer satisfaction. Instructions are given to the candidates about the importance and usage of data, information, analysis, and communication for a successful problem solving.

Six sigma seminars are conducted on the effective application of the six sigma theories and process, so as to make sure that the candidates are able to apply their knowledge effectively to assist the organizations to achieve the best in the global marketing. It also helps in reducing the costs, improving the time, eliminating the defects and improving the quality and the satisfaction of the customer.

Seminars are organized in such a way for the participant’s to use it friendly for the complete understanding of the methods used in six sigma. The participant’s are provided with training certificates after the completion of each seminar. The below mentioned topics are the different subjects offered for the six sigma seminars.

Measurement systems analysis

Process capability and performance

Advanced statistical methods

Design and analysis of experiments

Statistical process control and management

Measurement Systems Analysis:

Seminar deals with the training how to use six sigma measurement systems analysis. with in an organization all data are subjected to various measurement variation and it is important to improve the quantification of measurement errors. Through MSA it is able to quantify the measurement for the continuous improvement

Process Capability and Performance:

Building up a framework for an effective process management system which leads to a business improvement is the aim of process capability and performance seminar. Since with out a stable process, it is difficult to meet the customer satisfaction and the competitive global marketing, the importance of this seminar is at it’s height. If a process cannot produce a product that meets a desired standard of quality, the hope of customer satisfaction and remain competitive is lacking.

Advanced statistical methods:

Variation is inherent in all processes. There for the hypothesis testing is used to point out the cause and effect that take place between a process variables. It is done to find out the relationship between the cause and effect. The seminar gives the candidates training in how to design and test the importance between the variables that are possible for the cause and effect relationship.

Design and Analysis of Experiments:

The aim of the analysis of the experiment is to bring out a product or service that has enhanced reliability, low defects, faster cycle times and low costs. For the attainment of such type of products or services, it is important to find out the vital few process inputs that significantly affect the process output quality. It is this output quality assures the optimal operating conditions in an organization.

Statistical Process Control and Management:

Six Sigma Seminars The seminar section of statistical process control aims at developing the skills in the participants, how to design and implement sufficient feedback methods that directs quality improvement in products or services. It gives importance to process management also. This is because, in order to bring out the customer satisfaction and remain competitive it is essential to have a stable and predictable process. Using statistical process control, it helps the participants to provide the mans for the scientific control of product and the service quality.

Six Sigma Calculation And Calculators

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Six sigma calculator:

Six Sigma Calculation Six sigma metrics are the different types of measurements used in six sigma methodology, in order to measure the success of the company’s product quality. It doesn’t means, the simple collection and calculation of the data and defects are enough for the attainment of the success. In order to get the right measurement through the use of six sigma metrics, a successful business should apply these metrics in the right context in a innovative ways so as to solve the customer’s critics to the quality of the products. Therefore there are certain steps and six sigma metrics, in six sigma methodology to be applied for the defect-free products. six sigma calculator is the tool used for the measurement of the quality of the product in six sigma metrics. some of the areas in which the calculation is done are:

Defects Per Opportunity (DPO):

This is the calculation made in six sigma metrics for finding out the total number of possible defects that can be counted in a service. The formula of the defects per opportunity, uses the number of defects and the number of units times that is the defect opportunities.

The formula for the calculation of defects per opportunity go like this:

DPO = Number of defects divided by the Number of units X Number of opportunities

number of defects

DPO = —————————————————————

number of units X number of opportunities

Critical To Quality (CTQ):

The measurable character critical to quality is the key to measure the product or process, whose performance standards must be met in order to satisfy the customer needs. This procedure is done on the basis of the customer’s requirements. CTQ gives the result of the product and the services through the customer’s definition. These definition includes the upper and lower specification limits. All the factors related to the product or service are also included to customer’s demand. The CTQ is invited from a qualitative customer. The CTQ should be actionable, and quantitative business specification. in general it is said that CTQ is something that the customer is expecting from the product that is the basic need of the customer.

There are different types of calculators used for the calculation. Capacity calculator, process sigma calculator, sample size calculator and sigma level calculator are those among them.

Sample Size Calculator:

A spreadsheet used as a tool for the calculation is the sample size calculator in six sigma calculation. It is used to determine the number of data points or sample size. This is needed to eliminate the properties of population

Sigma Level Calculator:

There are three types of six sigma level calculator. They are as follows:

Sigma level form DPMO

Sigma level from Quality Yield

Sigma level for DPM for Non Centered Process

Process Sigma Calculator:

Used for the purpose of defining the unit, opportunity, defect, DPU, DPMO, defects(%), and yield (%)

Lean Six Sigma

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What is lean six sigma?

Lean six sigma is a methodology of business improvement, which is the combination of lean manufacturing and six sigma tools. The aim of lean six sigma is the production of products which yields the “better quality faster”.

An organization implement the use of lean six sigma in order to reduce the time of production with the high quality expected. This is possible through the combination of the lean manufacturing and the traditional six sigma methodology. While lean manufacturing pays attention towards the speed, the traditional six sigma focuses on the quality of the product. Both action results in the production of a “better quality faster”.

The implementation of lean six sigma acts as an inter process inspections, in order to find out and eliminate the defective units. Lean six sigma gives importance in finding out the cause of defective units rather than further processing.

The steps that are involved in lean six sigma method is:

Finding out the processes, both in the functional department and in a business, which is more important in delivering the customer value

Mapping the processes using the value stream mapping

Identifying the bottlenecks or the obstacles in the value stream

Standardizing the relevant process steps through the application of variation reduction by using DMAIC or DMADV methods.

Lean Six Sigma Certification

Lean six sigma certification provides the professionals with both techniques of service and manufacturing in industries. Along with this lean certification makes an individual attain the following requirements:

– Focusing how to move fast in order to accomplish the objectives with in the industry.

– Involves in business enterprise, identifies and eliminates the activities which do not provide values to the product or to the service given to the customer.

– Awareness of the lean and six sigma methodology help the business enterprise in attaining a stable improvement.

– The improvement will start from the bottom level and will be having a fast accomplishment

– Identifying the potential areas, deciding the improvements, meeting the customer expectation and the business results are other fields in which the trainees concentrate.

Emphasis is given in chasing the variations and waste out of the system, so as to make sure that the improvements are sustained.

What is value stream mapping?

Value stream mapping is a technique in lean, used in the identification of the flow of materials and the information up to date, in order to bring out the product or service to a consumer. Value stream maps are drawn by hand using the pencil so as to make the mapping process easy and simple. It also helps in making simple corrections according to the needs. The idea of value stream mapping helps in the drawing of the map with out any delay, while observing the situations of the target process. It also helps in identifying the opportunities for the improvement of the products with in the lead time. This value stream mapping is commonly used in the lean environment, because the lean methodology aims at the production of the better quality with out time waste.

Lean Six Sigma Value stream mapping is used with manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, service related industries, software development and product development. The associated analysis methods of value stream mapping are as follows:

Process activity mapping

Supply chain responsiveness matrix

Product variety funnel

Quality filter mapping

Forester effect mapping

Decision point analysis

Overall structure maps