Model-Driven DFSS

The use of models and simulations can accelerate innovation in a product development process that leverages DFSS methods. ...

... "A model-driven development process used in the context of a DFSS methodology can play a vital role in ensuring that the CTQs defined in the Customer Analysis phase are met in the final Verification phase. " ...

Via Embedded: Design for Six Sigma methodology

Quality Role in Six Sigma Organization

Quality needs to be repositioned in a Six Sigma culture and organization model. Quality leader(s) can create a strategic view of quality in the business. The quality team has a role in operations to ensure focus on those variables that are critical to quality from a customer perspective. Don't ignore the opportunity to rethink the quality organization as Six Sigma is implemented. ...

... "Strategic quality work begins with an understanding of where the company and its products fit in the marketplace. The vice president of quality or the quality manager must join top management in setting the strategic direction of the company. " ...

Via Qualilty Mag: Quality Evolution

Six Sigma Healthcare: Premier Expands Agreement with Standard Register to Provide ...

From Business Wire (press release) ... Leveraging its deep industry expertise, innovative solutions, Six Sigma capabilities and leading technology, it is helping healthcare organizations enhance ...

Standard Register (NYSE:SR) is a leading information solutions company, with more than 90 years of innovation in improving the way business gets done in healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and other industries. The company helps organizations increase efficiency, reduce costs, enhance security and grow revenue by effectively capturing, managing and using information. Its offerings range from document and label solutions to e-business solutions to consulting and managed services. More information is available at www.standardregister.com.

First, what it is not. It is not a secret society, a slogan, or a cliché. Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps us focus on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services. Why "Sigma"? The word is a statistical term that measures how far a given process deviates from perfection. The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many "defects" you have in a process, you can systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to "zero defects" as possible. In fact, the goal of Six Sigma is to decrease defects to only 3.4 per million opportunities for a given product or service transaction. The Six Sigma approach has changed the way we work and everything we do in every product and design. Six Sigma is embedding quality thinking, process thinking, and associate engagement across every level and every operation.

Clients are the center of Fulfillment Services' universe of Six Sigma: they define quality. They expect performance, reliability, competitive prices, on-time delivery, service, clear and correct transaction processing, and more. In every attribute that influences client perception we know that just being good is not enough. Delighting our clients is a necessity. It is a MUST. Because if we don't do it, someone else will!

The Six Sigma quality approach requires us to look at our business from the client's perspective, not ours. In other words, we must look at our processes from the outside-in. By understanding the transaction lifecycle from the client's needs and processes, we can discover what they are seeing and feeling. With this knowledge, we can identify areas where we can add significant value or improvement from their perspective.

People create results. Involving all associates is essential to Fulfillment Services' Six Sigma approach. We are committed to providing opportunities and incentives for associates to focus their talents and energies on satisfying clients.

All of our associates will be trained in the strategy, basic statistical tools, and techniques of Six Sigma. Training workshops are offered at various levels:

Yellow Belt Training: Basic tool introduction to equip associates to participate in Six Sigma projects.

Black Belt and Green Belt Training: In-depth quality training that includes high-level statistical tools, basic quality control tools, action workout process, and flow technology training.

DFSS – (Design for Six Sigma) is a systematic methodology utilizing tools, training and measurements to enable us to design products and processes that meet client expectations and can be produced at Six Sigma quality levels.

DMAIC – (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) is a process for continued improvement. It is systematically, scientifically, and factually based. This closed-loop process eliminates unproductive steps, often focuses on new measurements, and applies technology for improvement.

Six Sigma – A vision of quality which equates to only 3.4 defects per million opportunities for each product or service transaction; striving for perfection.

Control Chart – Monitors variance in a process over time and alerts the business to unexpected variance which may cause defects.

Defect Measurement – Accounting for the number or frequency of defects that cause lapses in product or service quality.

Pareto Diagram – Focuses on efforts or the problems that have the greatest potential for improvement by showing relative frequency and/or size in a descending bar graph. Based on the proven Pareto principle: 20% of the sources cause 80% of any problems.

Process Mapping – Illustrated description of how things get done, which enables participants to visualize an entire process and identify areas of strength and weaknesses. It helps reduce cycle time and defects while recognizing the value of individual contributions.

Root Cause Analysis – Study of the original reason for nonconformance with a process. When the root cause is removed or corrected, the nonconformance will be eliminated.

Statistical Process Control – The application of statistical methods to analyze data, study, and monitor process capability and performance.

Tree Diagram – Graphically shows any broad goal broken into different levels of detailed actions. It encourages team members to expand their thinking when creating solutions.

Black Belt – Leader of a team responsible for measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling key processes that influence customer satisfaction and/or productivity growth. Black Belt is a full-time position.

Control – The state of stability, normal variation, and predictability. Process of regulating and guiding operations and processes using quantitative data.

CTQ: Critical to Quality (Critical "Y") – Element of a process or practice which has a direct impact on its perceived quality.

Client Needs and Expectations – Needs, as defined by clients, which meet their basic requirements and standards.

Defects – Sources of clients' irritation. Defects are costly to both clients and to manufacturers or service providers. Eliminating defects provides cost benefits.

Green Belt – Similar to Black Belt but not a full-time position.

Master Black Belt – First and foremost teachers. They also review and mentor Black Belts. Selection criteria for Master Black Belts are quantitative skills and the ability to teach and mentor. Master Black Belt is a full-time position.

Variance – A change in a process or business practice that may alter its expected outcome.

Healthcare RFID: St. John Health pursues near perfection with launch of Six Sigma

As the saying goes, nobody’s perfect. St. John Health (SJH) is taking bold steps to come very close to near perfection with the launch of Six Sigma, a management philosophy and process that employs rapid, evidence-based decision-making that pursues 99.99966% effectiveness. The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many “defects” you have in a process, you can systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to “zero defects” as possible.

St. John Health is one of only a few health systems in the country to embark on the revolutionary process. Coached by experts from General Electric (GE) whose CEO Jack Welch championed the philosophy during his tenure as head of the company, St. John Health leaders and staff are embracing the process and tools to achieve sustainable and measurable change in improving patient care and performance.

Some of the key commitments St. John Health has made in adopting Six Sigma include:

· Pursuit of perfection in patient care delivery

· Measuring everything that is done

· Tying together cost, quality and service – committing to all of these, every time

· The customer (patient) dictates quality

· Senior management is intimately involved in the quality of care and its improvement

· Six Sigma permeates everything that is done, from one-on-one discussions with employees to building new facilities

“Our vision is to be the preferred healthcare provider in southeast Michigan by consistently providing the highest quality patient care experience in all that we do,” says Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of St. John Health. “We are investing significant financial and human resources in Six Sigma to achieve our vision,” he says.

James Tucci, MD, chief medical officer for St. John Health and a key member of the Six Sigma project team says Six Sigma, which has been used with great success in other industries, is based on a scientific process of decision-making that is driven by data, not guesses or anecdotes. “The Six Sigma process improvement relies on hearing the voice of the customer to first understand the customer’s “critical to quality” (CTQ) expectations. This is being done through customer telephone and written surveys, interviews, and observation,” he says. “ For example, we know that on average hospitals across the country take up to nine hours for a patient to be seen from the triage area where they are evaluated to admission to the hospital,” says Dr. Tucci. “A critical part of Six Sigma is to ask our customers their expectations for a particular process. If the customer says that the time should take no more than six hours, our goal and process for achieving success will be six hours,” he adds.

Dr. Tucci says Six Sigma methodology teaches that the most effective way to improve complex processes is to accurately focus on one aspect of the problem where there is the greatest opportunity for improvement. To that end, St. John Health is launching four projects at Providence Hospital and Medical Center and St. John Hospital and Medical Center to reduce average wait times and to decrease variation in wait times for the emergency departments, operating room and patient discharge.

During the next fiscal year the remaining St. John Health Hospitals will identify people trained as facilitators to lead process improvements. “Six Sigma will be the way we work at St. John Health, not an add-on to existing work. The process will allow us to establish a consistent, disciplined approach to process improvement across our health system which will increase speed and confidence in decision making and provide the highest quality patient care experience for our customers,” says Joseph.

St. John Health is comprised of eight hospitals plus more than 100 medical facilities. Its history of serving the Detroit area dates back to 1844. Every year at St. John Health, we touch thousands of lives in southeast Michigan through dozens of services in and out of the hospital setting. Our services include heart, cancer, physical rehabilitation, behavioral medicine, surgery, emergency and urgent care. More than 10,000 babies are born at St. John hospitals each year! We also operate nursing homes and senior residences. St. John Home Services serves thousands of patients each year in their own homes.

St. John Health's size means we have a stronger voice when advocating for those who have no voice -- the uninsured and poor. Through partnerships, coalitions, and program development and support, our innovative programs increase access to health care services and empower individuals to make informed health choices. Our community health programs include parish nursing, school-based health centers, a grieving children's program, literacy program and infant mortality initiative. We improve access to health care through our community health centers, health screenings and health education. In addition, St. John Health provided more than $100 million in uncompensated care in the past year.

It is our calling to serve, and we do it with pride. Our staff of professionals combines the skills of medical experts in more than 50 specialties and the talented, compassionate clinical staff to heal, to serve, together.

In addition, the St. John Health family includes thousands of volunteers and donors who support our health care mission with their generosity.

Six Sigma Healthcare...

WARREN, Mich., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- As the saying goes, nobody's perfect. St. John Health (SJH) is taking bold steps to come very close to near perfection with the launch of Six Sigma, a management philosophy and process that employs rapid, evidence-based decision-making that pursues 99.99966% effectiveness. The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many "defects" you have in a process, you can systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to "zero defects" as possible.

St. John Health is the first health system in the state and one of only a few health systems in the country to embark on the revolutionary process. Coached by experts from General Electric (GE) whose CEO Jack Welch championed the philosophy during his tenure as head of the company, St. John Health leaders and staff are embracing the process and tools to achieve sustainable and measurable change in improving patient care and performance.

Some of the key commitments St. John Health has made in adopting Six Sigma include:

Pursuit of perfection in patient care delivery
Measuring everything that is done
Tying together cost, quality and service - committing to all of these, every time
The customer (patient) dictates quality
Senior management is intimately involved in the quality of care and its improvement
Six Sigma permeates everything that is done, from one-on-one discussions with employees to building new facilities

"Our vision is to be the preferred healthcare provider in southeast Michigan by consistently providing the highest quality patient care experience in all that we do," says Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of St. John Health. "We are investing significant financial and human resources in Six Sigma to achieve our vision," he says.

James Tucci, MD, chief medical officer for St. John Health and a key member of the Six Sigma project team says Six Sigma, which has been used with great success in other industries, is based on a scientific process of decision-making that is driven by data, not guesses or anecdotes. "The Six Sigma process improvement relies on hearing the voice of the customer to first understand the customer's 'critical to quality' (CTQ) expectations. This is being done through customer telephone and written surveys, interviews, and observation," he says. "For example, we know that on average hospitals across the country take up to nine hours for a patient to be seen from the triage area where they are evaluated to admission to the hospital," says Dr. Tucci. "A critical part of Six Sigma is to ask our customers their expectations for a particular process. If the customer says that the time should take no more than six hours, our goal and process for achieving success will be six hours," he adds.

Dr. Tucci says Six Sigma methodology teaches that the most effective way to improve complex processes is to accurately focus on one aspect of the problem where there is the greatest opportunity for improvement. To that end, St. John Health is launching four projects at Providence Hospital and Medical Center and St. John Hospital and Medical Center to reduce average wait times and to decrease variation in wait times for the emergency departments, operating room and patient discharge.

During the next fiscal year the remaining St. John Health Hospitals will identify people trained as facilitators to lead process improvements. "Six Sigma will be the way we work at St. John Health, not an add-on to existing work. The process will allow us to establish a consistent, disciplined approach to process improvement across our health system which will increase speed and confidence in decision making and provide the highest quality patient care experience for our customers," says Joseph.

For further information about St. John Health, visit us on the internet at www.stjohn.org .