The Define Phase of a Six Sigma Project…

Why is 99% performance not good enough anymore? 99% performance, in these contexts, means: Thousands of articles of mail are lost per hour. Drinking water is unsafe for minutes each day. Electricity is not available for hours each month. Thousands of incorrect surgical procedures are done each week. Hundreds of thousands of drug prescriptions are filled incorrectly each year. We would not accept 99% quality in these instances. A higher sigma performance level or process capability is necessary and possible. 

The success of any enterprise is determined by the quality of the decisions it makes. We need to help our organizations make better decisions. Better decisions come from better information. Better information comes from successfully collecting relevant data and converting it into usable information. We need to become successful in our ability to collect and analyze data.

How can Six Sigma create value for your organization? It can help you to reduce operating expenses. It can eliminate rework and scrap. It can improve yields and increase capacity. All of which have a positive effect of the reduction of expenses. Six sigma also creates value for an enterprise by increasing revenue. It can improve product differentiation and shorten the cycle time of bringing new products to market and can increase your customer satisfaction level. An enterprise’s capital expenses can be reduced. Six sigma improvements can postpone or minimize planned capital expenditures. Working capital is another high-value opportunity area for six sigma improvements. Inventory and accounts receivables can be lowered. These benefits go right to the bottom-line of an enterprise.

Motorola initially developed the six sigma black belt methodology in the 1980’s. Allied and GE transformed it into a project-based drive for financial results in the 1990’s. More recently, many companies have embraced six sigma. The methodology involves the use of statistical tools on projects that yield high return-on-investment, or ROI. Projects are implemented by managers, called six sigma black belts. Black belts are expected to deliver annual benefits in excess of one million dollars through four or more six sigma projects per year, with leadership support from executives and six sigma champions.

The road map for the six sigma methodology has these five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. The Define phase leverages these tools: Brainstorming, affinity diagrams, voice of the customer, surveys, focus groups, market research, interviews, and the business case. It is essential to select and scope a six sigma project to deliver high impact results. Understand customer needs and metrics – what they see as critical to quality. Define targets for the project measures. These targets are set for the key process output variables. Determine the financial impact of the project. Develop the project resource estimate. Develop the project business case and create an executive summary. Finally, pass a Define phase gate-review.

When should you use the six sigma methodology? If you have performance gaps in a process, that is driven by business strategy, has a high financial or customer impact, resisted past attempts at improvement, or the root cause and solutions are unknown, then you have an ideal candidate for a six sigma project. Assemble a small working team to complete the Define phase of the project.

Six Sigma DMAIC Quick Reference - Define Phase... Six Sigma DMAIC Quick Reference - Define Phase. ...

Define Phase   File Format: Microsoft Powerpoint 97 ... Six Sigma (VBSS). 2001-$135 million in cost savings. Linked VBSS to the company’s strategic plan. Go for quick wins. Match project and resources. Define Phase Do ...

Microsoft Accelerator for Six Sigma:  Planning and Architecture ...... The Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify (DMADV ... processes to ensure attainment of Six Sigma quality levels ... Sometimes, two additional phases are added to ...

Six Sigma Live! - Sigma Breakthrough Technologies, Inc.... Online Survey: As with any Six Sigma project we are collecting the Voice of the Customer. ... DEFINE PHASE, Define Phase. MEASURE PHASE, Measure Phase. ...  

Applying Six Sigma to Revenue Cycle Improvement   File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat    ... and Assignment of Roles • Financial Opportunity from Revenue Cycle Improvement • Basics of Six Sigma • Case Study Description DEFINE Phase and Exercise ...

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Six Sigma & STATISTICA...   Define phase is concerned with the definition of project ... addressed to achieve the higher (better) sigma level ... of the Measure phase of the Six Sigma strategy is ...

Six Sigma Black Belt Consulting - Training and Certification...   We have found that candidates need the define phase training to help understand project ... them to use the statistical tools required to make six sigma successful ...