Defi ine

Define Module Lear M rning Objec ctives The purp pose of the Define phase of the DMA methodo D AIC ology is to id dentify an im mprovement project th is valuab enough to dedicate tim money, and resource to accomp hat ble o me, es plish. Once t this phase is completed, the value has been establ c t s lished, the p project is def fined, and the resources c e can be alloca ated. Signific time and effort must be placed o the Defin phase. Tea have been cant d t on ne ams known to fail, stall, or cycle back to Define because they were not di o o k b y iligent in this phase. To better understand this concept, th ASQ Bod of Knowle s he dy edge provide the follow es wing topics: Process managemen for projec m nt cts

Define and de D escribe proce compone and bou ess ents undaries. Rec cognize how processes c w cross various functi ional areas and the chall a lenges that re esult for pro ocess improv vement effor rts. Id dentify proce owners, internal and external cus ess stomers, and other stake d eholders in a pr roject.

Identify and classify internal and external customers as applicable to a particular project, and show how projects impact customers. Use various methods to collect customer feedback (e.g., surveys, focus groups, interviews, observation) and identify the key elements that make these tools effective. Review survey questions to eliminate bias, vagueness, etc. Use graphical, statistical, and qualitative tools to analyze customer feedback. Assist in translating customer feedback into project goals and objectives, including critical to quality (CTQ) attributes and requirements statements. Use voice of the customer analysis tools such as quality function deployment (QFD) to translate customer requirements into performance measures.

Project management basics

Define and describe elements of a project charter, and develop a problem statement, including baseline and improvement goals. Assist with the development of project definition/scope using Pareto charts, process maps, etc. Assist with the development of primary and consequential metrics (e.g., quality, cycle time, cost) and establish key project metrics that relate to the voice of the customer. Use project tools such as Gantt charts, critical path method (CPM), and program evaluation and review technique (PERT) charts, etc. Provide input and select the proper vehicle for presenting project documentation (e.g., spreadsheet output, storyboards, etc.) at phase reviews, management reviews, and other presentations. Describe the purpose and benefit of project risk analysis, including resources, financials, impact on customers and other stakeholders, etc. Describe the objectives achieved and apply the lessons learned to identify additional opportunities.

Management and planning tools

Define, select, and use: affinity diagrams interrelationship digraphs tree diagrams prioritization matrices matrix diagram process decision program charts (PDPC) activity network diagrams

Business results for projects

Calculate process performance metrics such as defects per unit (DPU), rolled throughput yield (RTY), cost of poor quality (COPQ), defects per million opportunities (DPMO), sigma levels, and process capability indices. Track process performance measures to drive project decisions.

Define and describe failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). Describe the purpose and use of scale criteria and calculate the risk priority number (RPN).

Team dynamics and performance

Define and describe the stages of team evolution, including forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning, and recognition. Identify and help resolve negative dynamics such as the unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts, groupthink, feuding, floundering, the rush to accomplishment, attribution, discounts, plops, digressions, tangents, and overbearing, dominant, or reluctant participants, etc. Describe and define the roles and responsibilities of participants on six sigma and other teams, including black belt, master black belt, green belt, champion, executive, coach, facilitator, team member, sponsor, process owner, etc. Define and apply team tools such as brainstorming, nominal group technique, multivoting, etc. Use effective and appropriate communication techniques for different situations to overcome barriers to project success.

Proc Manage cess M ement for P t Project ts

Objectivesa andIntroduct tion

At the end of this Defin topic, all learners wil be able to: ne ll
defi ineanddescr ribeprocessc componentsa andboundari ies. Recognizeh howprocesse scrossvariou usfunctionalareasandthe e challengest thatresultfor rprocessimp provementeff forts. iden ntifyprocess owners,inter rnalandexternalcustome ers, andotherst takeholdersi naproject. sifyinternala iden ntifyandclass andexternalc customersas s applicabletoaparticular rproject,and dshowhowp projectsimpac ct customers. usevariousmeth hodstocollec ctcustomerf feedback(e.g., surveys,foc cusgroups,in terviews,obs servation)andidentifythe ekey tive.Reviews elementsth hatmakethes setoolseffect surveyquesti ions to oeliminatebi ias,vaguenes ss,etc. us segraphical,statistical,an ndqualitativetoolstoanallyzecustomerfeedback. as ssistintranslatingcustomerfeedbackintoprojectg goalsandobje ectives,includ dingcriticalto o ools quality(CTQ)a attributesand drequiremen ntsstatement ts.Usevoiceo ofthecustom meranalysisto su uchasquality yfunctiondep ployment(QF FD)totransla tecustomerrequirements sinto performancem measures.

As Defin activities begin, the Si Sigma pra ne b ix actitioner sho ould begin to construct t "big pict o the ture" of what the project or projects wi entail. In Process Man t r ill nagement fo Projects, th essence o the or he of project is identified, including th processes, the stakeho s he olders, the ow wners, and th customer he requirem ments

Process Elements
Process Elements

Process Components Processes can be defined as a series of events that produce an output. They contain different elements, actions and steps. The objective of most business processes is to add value to the product or service being created, which, in turn, will be sold to a customer. Not every process adds value directly, but may be necessary for the business to support other value-adding processes. In assessing the organization's existing processes, those that are identified as not adding value or are not functioning efficiently may be selected for process improvement efforts or for elimination. Process components include everything it takes to get from "step A" to "step B," including inputs, process steps and outputs. It is important to identify specific process steps in order to determine those that add value to the process. The measurements captured for the inputs, process steps and outputs can be used to optimize (or eliminate) the particular process measured. The items to be measured can be controlled and changed. At a minimum, a process contains the following elements:

Inputs:Thepeopleororganizationsthatprovidetherawmaterialorresourcestouseinthe process Taskorprocesssteps:Howrawmaterialsandresourcesaretransformedintoaproductor service.Theprocessstepsshouldbehighlevelprocesssteps,withnodecisions.Thesteps shouldbeusedasascopingmechanismalso. Outputs:Thepeopleororganizationsthatreceivetheproductorserviceproduced

The diagram below illustrates an example of these elements. Process Boundaries As a variety of processes flow through an organization, there are points where one process ends

and anoth begins. Process boun her P ndaries are th beginning and end po he g oints of a pro ocess. These e boundari are identi ies ified using fl lowcharts an process m nd maps. Given t complex nature of m the x most modern business processes, defin b ning process boundaries is clearly im mportant to th improvem he ment process. The trans sition points between boundaries are especially i e important. T They can ofte represent a en transition between pe n eople, depart tments or div visions. Any process is s y susceptible t inefficienc to cies at these points. This transition iss makes it all the more important t set clear b p t sue t e to boundaries f a for process to be evaluat The focu should be on a project with clear b ted. us e t boundaries a endpoin as and nts you will learn in the Define lesso of this cou on urse. tting bounda aries for a pr rocess under evaluation, be cautious where the b boundary exi ists When set to avoid issues of tran nsition (hand d-offs) betw ween departm ments or orga anizational le evels. Mitigating potential issues at the "hand-off" points is ke and the fo e ey, ollowing too can help i the transit ols in tion:

Controloractionplans Pilotorphased dapproachof fimplementingsolutions Tr raining

Process Hand-Offs Diagram H A critical challenge to setting cle project bo l t ear oundaries is that many b business proc cesses cut ac cross multiple departments An example of such a process is q s. quote-to-cash shown bel h, low. The dia agram depicts th process fr he rom one dep partment to th next, show he wing how ea transitio is a potent ach on tial leaking point. At any of these points, data are lost, was increases delays occ informat a p ste s, cur, tion disappear and the process becom less effi rs, p mes icient. Cross-Fu unctional Challenges C It can be difficult from a people management perspective to work tow m t e ward improv ving efficien ncies across de epartments. Department leaders bring their own agendas and reward-bas behavior to D g d sed r such mee etings. In add dition, this may be the fi time two particular l m irst o leaders have been in a ro oom

together working toward the same goal. Furthermore, by nature of the current processes, a naturally antagonistic relationship may exist between the two departments. Making this processes more efficient takes a great deal of cooperation and often major change. Cross-functional area challenges include:

Stakeholdersinvariousfunctionalareas(theyneedtogetbuyinfromdifferentpeopleinthe organization) Teammembersinvariousfunctionalareas(theprojectisnottheirmainjobfunction) Timecommitment(teammembersmaynothavemuchtimetospendontheprojectdueto otherexpectations) Departmentswithdifferentopinionsonwhichprocessismostimportanttobefixedmayfight fortheirprojectandbeunwillingtoworkonotherprojects Departmentsunwillingtoshareinformation(processes)thatwouldhelpaproject

Owners and Stakeholders

Defining Owners and Stakeholders Quality Improvement projects cannot happen without the appropriate decision-makers taking ownership of the project. In addition to key resources buying in to the change, these and other resources must be available to give an appropriate level of input and make decisions. Often, the resources that are needed are the busiest and will not find time to participate in the project unless its level of importance is appropriately elevated. The following resources should be identified early on and informed of their role on the project as soon as practical. What is a stakeholder? A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in the business. This broad group includes investors, customers, vendors, employees, employees' families, neighboring communities, as well as local, city, and federal government. Each stakeholder will have a different interest based on its relationship with the business. What is an owner? Quality narrows the definition of owner to a process owner, a senior manager responsible for a process. This Process Owner will lead the improvement effort for his or her area of responsibility, identify all stakeholders within the process and thoroughly understand all the relevant process elements, process flows, and process boundaries as well as associated measurements to enable process improvement. Which Stakeholders and Owners Should be Included on My Project?

Primary Stakeholders

Shareholders Owners

Process Owners

Principalstakeholders(s)oftheproject PlantManager VicePresidents Upperlevelmanagement

Internal Customer Stakeholders

Receivevaluedownstreamfromprocess Affecteddownstreamfromprocess Worktoserveexternalcustomers

External Customer Stakeholders

Purchasetheproductand/orservicefromtheorganization

Other Stakeholders

Questions to ask:

Whoisimpactedbytheprocess,butnotdirectlyinvolvedwiththeproject? Whoelsestandstogainorlosefromthesuccessorfailureoftheproject?

Examples:

Companysuppliers Localgovernment

Iden ntify Custom C mers

Customer C

Since Six Sigma quality is a cust x tomer-focuse process, t customer is the only one qualifie to ed the r ed specify th meaning of quality. Before gather he B ring informa ation to defin the voice of the custo ne omer, you must identify all internal, int t termediate, and external customers, including all end-users. a Internal customers ar anyone in the organiza c re ation affecte by the gen ed nerated prod or servic duct ce. Information and prod ducts pass th hrough a proc cess, and ma do not th any hink of them mselves as a product supplier to a customer. s

Voice of the custom (VOC) is the means to capture th f mer s t he requirem ments/feedbac of one's customers. This process i ck c is all about being proac ctive and con nstantly inno ovative in g ng ents c ver capturing the changin requireme of the customers ov time. There are many ways to capture VOC and to understand e s V the custo omer's stated and unstated needs or re equirements s. They include direct discussion or interviews, surveys, d r , oups, submit custome specifications, tted er focus gro observati warranty data, field reports, com ion, y mplaint logs, , etc.

This data is used to id a dentify the quality attrib q butes needed to be incorp d porated in th product or he r service. VOC is critic to an org V cal ganization in order to: n

decidewhatproductsands servicestooff fer. id dentifycriticalfeaturesand dspecificationsforthosep productsandservices. decidewheret tofocusimpr rovementeffo orts. es stablishabas selinemeasur rementofcus stomersatisfa mpareandcontrast actiontocom im mprovement. id dentifykeydr riversofcusto omersatisfact tionloyalty.

VOC Sources and Outputs Sources for customer information are found inside and outside the organization. Once the information is gathered, the following is a list of typical outputs of the VOC process:

Alistofcustomersandcustomersegments Identificationofrelevantreactiveandproactivesourcesofdata Verbalornumericaldatathatidentifycustomerneeds Definedcriticaltoqualityrequirements(CTQs) SpecificationsforeachCTQ

VOC and Levels of Quality VOC is also characterized by customers spoken and unspoken expectations, priorities, and needs that determine customer satisfaction. The VOC drives satisfaction in both products and services. Noritaki Kano developed a model of the relationship between customer satisfaction and three levels of customer expectations: basic needs, expected needs, and exciting characteristics. Basic Needs involve the basic level of quality customers assume products or services will have. Meeting these does not inspire satisfaction, but if these types of needs are not met, customers will be dissatisfied. Examples

Banktellerwillbeabletocashacheck. Hospitalroomswillbecleanandquiet. Mechanicwillbeabletochangeatire. Keyboardswillhaveaspacebar.

Performance needs or attributes are those where a change in amount correlates to a change in satisfaction. Over time, performance needs become basic needs. Performance creates either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Examples:

Theamountoftimewaitinginthedriveupwindowtogettothebankteller(lessissatisfying) Numberofnursesonstaff(moreisbetter) Gasmileage(moreisbetter) Softwareeaseofuse(easierisbetter)

Exciting Characteristics Frequently, exciting characteristics are unknown to the customer and are created due to innovation. This level occurs when the customers get something they did not expect. Only satisfaction and delight occur since they were not expected. Over time, the exciting characteristic moves to performance needs, and then to basic needs. Examples:

Thedriveupbanktellergreetsyoubynameandhasyouraccountopenforyou. Thenursebringsyouabookthatyoumentionedinpassingyouenjoy. Themechaniccleansandvacuumsthecartoastatethatisbetterthanwhenyoubroughtitin. Yourcomputerrunsselfdiagnosticandrepairprogramsforanyandallviruses.

Iden ntify Custom C mers: Kano Analy K ysis

Kano Analysis Purpo ose

Develope by Noriak Kano, the Kano analy tool prior ed ki ysis ritizes custo omer requirem ments based on d their imp to custom satisfact pact mer tion. Although all requir rements are i important, th may not hey t carry equ importan to the cus ual nce stomer. Kano defines cu o ustomer satis sfaction for f features into basic req quirements, satisfiers, and delighters. s d . Also call the Kano model led o Benefits

Gainabetteru understandingofthecusto omersdesire es Ev ventualincreaseincustom mersatisfactio on

When to Use & User Tips

Developingriskassessment tsaboutcusto omersatisfac ction Id dentifyingcus stomerneeds s Determiningfu unctionalrequirements Analyzingcompetitiveprod ducts

User Tip ps

Useinconjunc ctionwithQFDandprioriti izationmatric ces(moreonthesenext).

Twokeyquestionstocustomers: Rateyoursatisfactioniftheproducthasthisattribute. Rateyoursatisfactioniftheproductlacksthisattribute. Basedonthreesetsofcustomerneeds: Dissatisfiers:Themustbefeaturescustomerexpectsthemandwillbeunhappyifnotmet Satisfiers:Additionalfeaturesthatpleasethecustomer Delighters:Featuresbeyondthecustomersexpectations;theunexpectedleadingtoa competitiveadvantage

Iden ntify Custom C mers: QFD Q

QFD and VOC: Bas House d sic

Quality function deployment (QF links VO to quality and satisfa f FD) OC y action. QFD is a methodology translat ting custome needs and requiremen into speci products and service er d nts ific s es. Descripti ion Introduce by Yoji Akao (1966), ed A , quality fu unction depl loyment is a structured, disciplined m d methodology and mathem y matical tool used to identif the custom fy mers' quality requiremen and transl them int important design targe y nts late to t ets. One portion of QFD is a matrix called "Hous of Quality the "hous construction" is as c se y," se follows: This hou part... use ...contain ns... Left side Customer nee eds/wants Right sid de Customer prio orities Foundati ion Benchmarking and target values Ceiling Design featur and techn D res nical requirem ments Roof A description of the relati n ionship betw ween design f ade-offs) features (tra

QFD and VOC: Bui d ilding Hous ses

As a tool for use by the whole or l t rganization, QFD is a cou in itself so the follo Q urse f, owing informati only provides an ove ion erview. Mult tiple houses will be built and interre t elated, as sho own in the dia agram below w. Benefits

In nvolvestheen ntirecompan ny;bridgesde epartments Providesthelinkageandfurtherbreakdo ownofneeds sintotheirsim mplestcomponents Providesdocumentationforthedecision nmakingpro ocess Fo orcesearlyco ommunication,planning,a anddecision making Createsacusto omerdrivenenvironment mervalue Es stablishesprioritiesandim mprovesquali ityandcustom Prioritizesproc cessimprovements Reducescosts, ,andcanincr reaseprofitsa andmarkets hare

Using QFD The QFD technique thoroughly explores, def D t e fines and con nverts custom requirem mer ments into d design requirem ments, throug part characteristics and into manufacturing an production processes a gh d nd n and controls. In the case of services, the QFD pro o t ocess conver customer requiremen through rts nts service fe eatures to their operation processes and contro nal ols. Data Ga athering Too ols

Complaintdatafromsimilarproductsor rservices Customerserv vicecalldata Fi ieldreports Fo ocusgroups Onetooneint O terviews Observations O Returns,recalls,refunds,re eplacements,repeatservic ces Su urveys Tr radeshowinf formation Sc crap,rework,rejects,nonc conformance edata Monthlyinspe M ectionsofallp processes

Data Analysis Tools

HouseofQualitymatrix Pairedcomparison Rankingtechniques Principles StartwithcapturingtheVOCatthehighestlevelandusingthewordsofthecustomer. Carrythroughhighlydetailedinstructionstomanufacturingorservicesoffering. Useaseriesofmatricesandcharts.

When to Use:

Withcrossfunctionalteams Indevelopmentofanewproduct,serviceorprocess

User Tips

Refertothefollowinginformationinthiscourse:matrixdiagrams,HouseofQualitymatrix, customerdatacollectiontools. Usespecializedsoftwaretodevelopacomplexmatrix. QFDrequiresanopensharingofinformation. SetupcrossorganizationalteamstocreatetheQFD. Customerdatamayexistwithintheorganization,butnotbecommunicatedtothoseneeding theinformation. LeteachkeyfunctionalareaflowitsindividualQFDdownfromthesingle(top)QFD. Avoidthe"weknowbetterthanthecustomer"attitude.

Collecting Customer Data

Collecting Customer Data Customer feedback techniques are critical for measuring customer satisfaction. Tool selection must consider the studys purpose, key decision factors, as well as match the desired evaluation level and data type. These techniques help organizations:

captureandintegratethevoiceoftheircustomers. increasetheirunderstandingofcustomerneeds,prioritiesandexpectations. identifyanddriveimprovementpriorities. gaincustomervalidationofcontinualimprovementsuccesses. buildcustomerrelationshipsandmanagecustomerexpectations. makecomparisonsagainstcompetitors.

Purpose

Identifyurgentproblems. Identifycompetitor'sedge. Identifycustomerpreferences. Determinethecustomer'sdesiredlevelofquality. Determinecustomerneeds. Measurecustomersatisfaction. Understandtheirexperiencewithaproductorservice.

Key Decision Inputs

Credibilityofthesamplesource Staffskillsinanalyzingthedataandconductingasurvey Cost/budget Timeconstraints Levelofevaluationdesired

Levels of Evaluation

Knowledge Behavior Attitude Opinion

Types of Data f

QualitativeData Q o Descriptive o Notqu uantifiable QuantitativeD Q Data o Measu ured o Numerical o Canbe eeitherdiscre eteorcontinu uous

Tool Selec l ction

Tool Selectio Appropriateness T on Four different levels of ev valuation ex knowled behavio attitude, a opinion xist: dge, or, and (F Fishbein and Ajzen, Beli Attitude, Intention a Behavior Addison-W d ief, and r. Wesley, 1975 5.). Selecting the tool to matc the desired level of ev ch valuation (re esult) is one f factor in gaining re eliable data. For instance customer service recor may prov informa e, s rds vide ation about t the nu umber of complaints or service calls but do not g s gather inform mation abou the custom ut mer's kn nowledge. General Stat G tements abo Selected Tools out Surveys are the most com t mmon tool used to measu and repo on custom satisfacti ure ort mer ion an loyalty. nd In nterviews an focus gro nd oups are use to identify the drivers of satisfaction and ed y s dissatisfaction as well as are being ke sources o VOC as re n, ey of elated to the kinds of pr roducts and services nee eded to meet the custome needs. t ers' Observations are a good source of in O d nformation to find out ho customer would use a o ow rs e pr roduct or wh might be a successfu new produ or service for examp observing hat e ul uct e. ple, g dr rivers' behav viors stimula the deve ated elopment of cup holders in motor ve s ehicles.

Tool Types
Tool Types Different instruments exist for listening to the customer. Although each instrument has strengths and weaknesses, the selected tool should be appropriate and bias free. Surveys and Questionaires:

FocusGroup

Interviews:

CustomerServiceRecords

Bias and Error s E

Intention or not, hu nal umans are pr rone to both bias and erro Culture, preconceive ideas, or. ed perceptio and poorly worded qu on y uestions are a few of the factors affec cting the interaction. Whether in writing questions for a survey or leading a fo q ocus group d discussion, re esearchers m must guard aga ainst bias be ecause bias in nfluences th results. he For exam mple, conside the follow er wing question Which do you like bet n: tter, A or B? The wordin ? ng leads one to believe that feature A should be offered in a new produc however, it is possibl e t ct; le that neith is liked and A is disli her a iked less tha B. Additio an onally, there are several actions (usu e ually unintended) that can bias results.

Customer Data Analysis Tools

Customer data changes over time because of the customer's attitude, situation, need and market niche. Many tools analyze customer data; however, selecting the most appropriate tool optimizes the analysis. Check Sheets Check sheets are a simple, yet structured method for collecting data. Although an easy way of collecting high-frequency data, check sheet development requires thinking because categories need to be clearly defined. Histogram

Histogramsgraphicallyrepresentthefrequenciesorrelativefrequenciesofcategoriesofdata. Histogramsarethefirststepinpursuingastatisticalanalysisofthedatainquestion. AhistogramhasavariablealongtheXaxis(abscissa)andthefrequencyofthevariablealong theYaxis(ordinate). Whentheresolutionofvariableistoogreat,itisgroupedintoclassintervalsandthefrequency oftheintervalisplottedagainstthemidpointoftheclassinterval. AverticalbarchartissimilartoahistogramexceptfortheXaxiswhichisanattributerather thanavariable.

Line Graphs Line graphs display trends and can show interdependency of two or more data sets. For example, a line graph showing the frequency of customer calls by day of the week and a line graph of average wait-time by day show a relationship between two variables. Control Charts If data is time-sequenced, control charts display trends in data. Applying SPC methodology may signify whether a change in reported satisfaction is really a change or a normal variation.

Pareto Analysis

Paretochartsidentifythetoporkey("thevitalfew")areastobeaddressed. AParetochartmayshowtheareasofdissatisfactionorcouldshowthemostcommonproblems sharedbyacustomersegment. Theseproblemsareopportunitiesforthedevelopmentandmarketingofanewproductfeature, functionorservice.

Affinity Diagram Affinity diagrams gather and group customer need requirements allowing for easier understanding of the underlying messages. Nominal Group Technique Nominal group technique balances participants by giving everyone an equal voice. Matrix Diagram A variety of matrix diagrams display data for comparison.

Prioritization Matrix A matrix for prioritizing customer needs by applying criteria and weights. This matrix keeps the organization focused on those items bringing the greatest return for the least amount of investment effort.

Statistical Analysis Analyzing numbers through a series of statistical equations focuses the situation. Analysis includes:

centraltendency(mean,median,mode). standarddeviation. variance. correlation. hypothesistesting.

Check Sheets ASQs Certified Quality Auditor learning series states that statistical quality control relies on data, and data reflect facts. Check sheets are a simple tool commonly used to collect data. As the name implies, a visual element (such as check marks or Xs) is recorded on a check sheet. The data categories on a check sheet are defined so that they are clear, unique, and unambiguous. The most desirable characteristic of check sheets is that they make it easy to record data that can be automatically analyzed.

Check Sheets Summ mary While ch heck sheets are a good, quick way to record data and gain som initial in a q me nsight, they d do have som potential limitations. ASQs Certi me l A ified Manag er of Quality y/Organizati ional Excelle ence learning series states that data are useless if the people co e t ollecting the interpret p em patterns and d categorie differently es y. Overall, Ishikawa rec commends making the most approp m priate and sim mplest check sheet that w k will suit the kind of data that can be collected as well as fulfil the purpos k t c w ll se. It is also beneficial to periodicall reevaluate the check s o ly e sheet to deter rmine wheth it can be her improved for easier and more eff d a ficient data collection. c
Con ntrol Chart

ASQs Certified Qua C ality Auditor learning ser states th the contro chart is us to monitor r ries hat ol sed and analy variation from a proc to see whether it is in statistical control. Su a picture of yze n cess w l uch e data, plot in time order, helps to distinguis between c tted o sh common and special (assignable) ca d auses of variati ion. Constructing a Con ntrol Chart Accordin to The Qu ng uality Toolbo second edition, the fo ox, e following are basic proce e edures for construct ting a contro chart ol Choose the appropria control ch for your data. ate hart r Determin the approp ne priate time period for co p ollecting and plotting dat d ta. Follow th procedure for that par he e rticular contr chart (de rol etailed in the next lesson Quantitativ e n, ve Methods and Tools). Conditional control lim will be calculated. Th l mits hese control limits will b l be fter nt llected over time. (See st 6.) t tep altered af sufficien data is col Look for out-of-contr signals on the contro chart. Whe one is ide rol o ol en entified, mar it on the ch rk hart and inves stigate the ca ause. Docum how you investigate what you learned, th cause, and how ment ed, u he d

it was corrected. It is important to note that other signals may apply depending on the type of control chart used. More information is provided in the Quantitative Methods and Tools lesson. Continue to plot data as they are generated. As each new point is plotted, check for new out-ofcontrol signals. When you have at least 20 sequential points from a period when the process is operating in control, recalculate the control limits. This will provide a more accurate set of control limits that better represents the natural variation of the process over time.

Analyze Customer Data

Customer data change over time because of the customers attitude, situation, need, and market niche. Many tools analyze customer data. However, selecting the most appropriate tool optimizes the analysis.
Tools

Histogram According to The Quality Toolbox by Nancy R. Tague, A frequency distribution shows how often each different value in a data set occurs. A histogram is the most commonly used graph to show frequency distributions. Histograms are used:

Whenthedataarenumerical. Whenyouwanttoseetheshapeofthedatasdistribution,especiallywhendetermining whethertheoutputofaprocessisdistributedapproximatelynormally. Whenanalyzingwhetheraprocesscanmeetthecustomersrequirements. Whenanalyzingwhattheoutputfromasuppliersprocesslookslike. Whenseeingwhetheraprocesschangehasoccurredfromonetimeperiodtoanother. Whendeterminingwhethertheoutputsoftwoormoreprocessesaredifferent. Whenyouwishtocommunicatethedistributionofdataquicklyandeasilytoothers.

Line Graphs According to The Quality Toolbox by Nancy R. Tague, A line graph is the simplest kind of graph for showing how one variable, measured on the vertical y-axis, changes as another variable, on the horizontal x-axis, increases. The data points are connected with a line. The xaxis variable is usually time or its equivalent and is called the independent variable. The y-axis variable is called the dependent variable, because its value depends on the value of the independent variable. Line graphs are used:

Whenthepairsofdataarenumerical. Whenyouwanttoshowhowonevariablechangeswithanother,continuousvariable,usually time. Onlywheneachindependentvariableispairedwithonlyonedependentvariable.

Control Charts Accordin to The Qu ng uality Toolbo by Nancy R. Tague, ox y The control chart is a g l graph used to o study how a process changes ove time. Data are plotted in time orde A control chart alway w er a er. l ys has a cen ntral line for the average, an upper lin for the up , ne pper control limit and a l lower line fo the or lower con ntrol limit. These lines are determine from hist T a ed torical data. By comparin current d ng data to these lines, you ca draw conc l an clusions abou whether th process v ut he variation is c consistent (in n control) or is unpredi o ictable (out of control, affected by sp o pecial causes of variatio on). Control charts are used: c

Whencontrollingongoingp W processesbyfindingandc correctingpro oblemsasthe eyoccur. Whenpredictingtheexpect W tedrangeofoutcomesfro omaprocess. . Whendetermi W iningwhetheraprocessisstable(insta atisticalcontr rol). Whenanalyzin W ngpatternsof fprocessvariationfromsp pecialcauses(nonroutine eevents)or co ommoncause es(builtintotheprocess). Whendetermi W iningwhetheryourquality yimprovemen ouldaimtop preventspecif fic ntprojectsho problemsorto omakefunda amentalchang gestothepro ocess.

Pareto Analysis According to The Quality Toolbox by Nancy R. Tague, A Pareto chart is a bar graph. The lengths of the bars represent frequency or cost (time or money), and are arranged with longest bars on the left and the shortest to the right. In this way the chart visually depicts which situations are more significant. Pareto charts are used:

Whenanalyzingdataaboutthefrequencyofproblemsorcausesinaprocess. Whentherearemanyproblemsorcausesandyouwanttofocusonthemostsignificant. Whenanalyzingbroadcausesbylookingattheirspecificcomponents. Whencommunicatingwithothersaboutyourdata.

Affinity Diagram According to The Quality Toolbox by Nancy R. Tague, The affinity diagram organizes a large number of ideas into their natural relationships. This method taps a teams creativity and intuition. It was created in the 1960s by Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita. Affinity diagrams are used:

Whenyouareconfrontedwithmanyfactsorideasinapparentchaos. Whenissuesseemtoolargeandcomplextograsp. Whengroupconsensusisnecessary.

Translate Customer Requirements

CT Matrix

Creating a critical-to (CT) matrix helps translate customer feedback into project goals and objectives. By identifying the vital few qualities that outweigh the trivial many, a CT matrix shows the qualities to focus on for the greatest impact. This is accomplished by sorting the customers needs into the following characteristics:

Criticaltoquality(CTQ) Criticaltodelivery(CTD) Criticaltocost(CTC)

These characteristics are weighed against a fourth characteristic: Critical-to-process (CTP). A formula is applied that will help to reveal customer satisfaction, business success and product/service quality. The customer satisfaction needs are quality, price, and delivery. The supplier satisfies these needs by reducing defects, cost, and cycle time to satisfactory levels. Critical-to-Customer-Satisfaction = CTQ AND/OR CTP AND/OR CTD A "Critical-to" (Customer Satisfaction) Relationship Matrix (Prioritization Matrix) identifies priority operations, parts, tools, or tool characteristics that relate to systems, sub-systems, parts, or part features. Remember: Y = f(X) or prodect depends on process. Highest scoring process characteristics should receive priority attention.

Using CT Matrices

Procedure

Identifythecustomerandusespecificdescriptors. Identifythecustomer'sneedsanddocumentthesourcesofinformation. Identifythecustomer'sbasicandperformancerequirements. Breakdowntherequirementsintoadditionaldetail. Validatetherequirementswithcustomerssharingthesamedemographicsastheoriginally identifiedcustomers.

Use When

IntheDefinestageofDMAIC(ifusingSixSigma) Identifyingmethodsfordeliveringcustomerneeds

QFD shows the relative importance to Critical to Customer Satisfaction needs. These are compared to process characteristics (parameters) in a relationship mmatrix (prioritization atrix) and yield better results than a CT matrix because the importance of the customer requirement has been determined. Although QFD is typically associated with DFSS, it can be a powerful tool in the Define phase of DMAIC.

Summary
Process Management for Projects: SummaryBy completing a thorough analysis of the business processes, thereby understanding who will be impacted by the Six Sigma project as well as who must take ownership, the Green Belt can help ensure a solid project foundation. By working with the process owners and appropriate stakeholders to identify all customers and derive customer requirements from a variety of data sources, the Green Belt can better understand the customers needs and priorities, ensuring maximum impact on the organization.