Essential Tools for SIX SIGMA Success

A business process is a set of interrelated activities designed to produce a specific output. Business processes exist in all types of organizations, and they are used to keep track of the workflow influx. Processes are a fundamental factor for the proper functioning of a business. Each process usually has well defined goals, which create the foundation for satisfying the business needs. Well defined processes drive long-term competitive advantage, but in order for them to do so they have to be optimized regularly. Once the organizations set the processes, they should continuously improve them. Dysfunctional processes might stimulate customer and employee dissatisfaction, increase errors and delays, and increase costs.

Business processes that used to be adequate in the past do not always support continuous changing business needs. Shifts in business processes often come as a result of changes in business strategy, leadership, or changes in the market. Due to this fact, organizations end up with processes that are ineffective and yield losses. Business process improvement aims at spotting the activities and employee skills that need to be modified to drive more coherent, effective, and efficient workflow and business growth. Process improvement is important because it allows organizations to eliminate unnecessary or repetitive tasks, and adjusts them to the current business needs. One of the most sophisticated process improvement methodologies is Six Sigma.

Six Sigma uses Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) as a process improvement methodology, and a set of statistical and graphical tools in each stage to support the project. The set of tools used in a Six Sigma projects varies based on expert’s opinions, but some of the main tools used in each step include:

Define 

Project Charter is a document which sets the Six Sigma project team’s roles and business goals, and also serves as a contract between the project sponsor and the team. The charter can be used to delegate the roles to the project team while it also includes other information such as the problem statement, project scope and goals, costs, resources, project risk analysis and other information showing why the project is important to the interested parties.

 Voice of customers is a process which is used to capture customer’s preferences and experiences to provide them with the best product or service quality. This process is used to determine the stated or unstated customer expectations and deliver products accordingly.

 Value Stream Analysis is a tool used to plan the activities required from the moment customer requests are received, until they are fulfilled. Value stream analysis takes into consideration both Value (VA) and Non Value Added (NVA) activities when making a product or service. VA activities usually add value to the end product or service, whereas the NVA activities are usually the ones that need to be improved. Through Value Stream Mapping one can determine the least costly functions needed for product and service provision.

Measure 

Process Flowchart is a tool used to document and understand processes within an organization. This tool allows us to break down processes from the beginning to end, enabling us to see the logical flow and relationship between steps. Process flowcharts can be visually displayed through process flow mapping, which connects a series of symbols and boxes with arrows.

Data collection plan is a predetermined format specifying the data to be collected. According to ISO 13053-2:2011, “data collection plan is an important tool used to show the status of various organizational, technical, environmental, and commercial processes, at any given time, and to provide data on product characteristics at different stages of their development.

Analyze 

Pareto Charts are a graphical display used to describe the discrete data collected during measure phase of DMAIC. Pareto charts are usually constructed by segmenting the range of the data into groups. The bar length is arranged from the highest to the lowest, usually representing frequency or cost.

Histograms are graphical summaries of variation in a set of data, through which we can better understand the frequency or infrequency of the given data set. Continuous data are usually displayed by histograms.

FMEA is a technique used for carrying out qualitative analysis on system safety or reliability, to determine failures and errors that occur in manufacturing, design or production of products or services. Risks can be anticipated through FMEA, and the most critical points are prioritized through indicators.

Root cause analysis is a tool used to identify the root causes of problems or events. It is considered one of the most important steps of the Analysis phase of DMAIC. It is important not to skip this part of the project and jump to the improvement phase, because doing root cause analysis properly is crucial to project success. During this part of the project, projects that need to be undertaken first are prioritized.

The following steps can be undertaken to do root cause analysis properly:

• Step one: during this step tools such as brainstorming can be used to generate ideas
• Step two: during this step tools such as affinity diagram can be used to divide the ideas generated in the step one

• Step three: during this step tools such as Fishbone diagram can be used to determine the roots of the problem. Cause and effect diagram (also known as fishbone or Ishikawa diagram) visually displays possible causes of a problem.

Improve 

Design of Experiments is the design of any information-gathering exercises to be observed in order to optimize the desired output. The aim of DOE is to better understand the effects of these observations on the organization, or the problems they might cause.

Control 

Control charts are tools used to determine the state of statistical control of a process over a specific period of time. According to ISO 13053, “control charts involve selecting a product characteristic or a parameter from a process and sampling it over time.”

5S stands for sort, set, shine, standardize, and sustain, which derives from Japanese words seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. This method is used to organize the workplace suited for achieving organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

PECB International is a certification body for persons on a wide range of professional standards. PECB International offers ISO 13053 – Six Sigma training and certification services for professionals wanting to gain a comprehensive knowledge in Six Sigma, its principles, core subjects and issues. These trainings provide a thorough explanation of different tools and techniques used in Six Sigma, among them the above mentioned tools. ISO 13053 Certificate proves that you have the knowledge and skills to develop a Six Sigma projects and shows that you can apply different Six Sigma tools.

ISO 13053 and Six Sigma Trainings offered by PECB:

• Certified ISO 13053 Lead Implementer (5 days)
• Certified ISO 13053 Lead Auditor (5 days)
• Certified ISO 13053 Foundation (2 days)
• ISO 13053 Introduction (1 day)

Lorika Bina is the Quality Management Systems (QMS) Course Development Manager at PECB. She is in charge of developing and maintaining training courses related to QMS. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: training@pecb.com. 

For further information, please visit PECB Six Sigma Training Courses.