DMAIC (Six Sigma)

Six Sigma is a widely-used and robust improvement methodology. It was originally developed by Motorola in 1986 to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects.  However, Motorola did not really "invent" Six Sigma  - the methodologies that underpin it had been available since the 1920s developed by people like Shewhart, Deming, Juran, Ishikawa, Ohno, Shingo, Taguchi and Shainin. (Ref 7)

Six Sigma has become associated with defect elimination, sophisticated statistical analysis, and an improvement team structure consisting of coloured belts, but its core strength lies in its disciplined approach to managing improvement projects.  This approach, referred to by the acronym DMAIC consists of the following five (5) steps:

  • Define opportunity
  • Measure performance
  • Analyze opportunity
  • Improve performance
  • Control performance

Most successful business improvement methodologies contain these five steps in some form or another – making this a useful recipe for improvement, regardless of whether you intend to implement a full Six Sigma program or not.  The text below outlines some basic improvement best practices, organised around the DMAIC steps.

Define

Project definitions should clearly indicate:

  • The problem to be solved.
  • How success will be measured.
  • Who the project owner is.
  • The resources required.
  • The timeline for delivery of results.

Improvement projects should be defined in terms of the benefits they will deliver to the business, not just in terms of the change that will be made.  A project to reduce process time will only deliver business benefit if it can be translated into additional output or reduced cost.  Any co-commitments to delivering the value should be clearly identified.

The outcomes of project should be measurable:

  • Current state and desired future state should be clearly articulated.
  • Leading and lagging indicators of success should be identified.

The project owner should be the person with accountability for the area affected by the project. Accountability for the success of the project should lie with the project owner.

Improvement targets should be based not only on what is technically possible, but also what the workforce is ready, willing and able to do.

Measure

Measure the current process and collect the data which will help to identify the root causes of any issues. If there isn’t sufficient data to conduct the analysis, then it may be necessary to put additional measurement processes in place before proceeding with the project.

Analyze

Prior to developing solutions, the problem should be thoroughly analysed, making use of all available data, to identify the root causes.

During the analysis stage, the project team should involve the shopfloor people who work in the area concerned, as they will have a unique understanding of the problem.  The project team should also consult widely during this phase to see whether there are learnings from elsewhere which can be brought to bear on the project.

Improve

The improvement activities should involve all key stakeholder groups, including the shop floor people.

Wherever possible, potential solutions should be tested using trials before implementation. 

It is recommended that early improvement actions be designed to deliver quick wins in order to generate momentum for the change effort.

Control

Accountability for sustaining the gains should be given to the appropriate people in the organisation.  If management focus goes off the improvement area, it is very likely that the gains will be lost.

Key metrics need to continue to be tracked and resources made available to correct any deviations and continue to improve the results. 

There should be a formal process of post-implementation review to capture and share learnings from the improvement process.