12 Step Process for Six Sigma Projects


Project Definition

What product or service do you want to improve during this project?
 Establish Objectives and a multifunctional team.

Step 1
Select Customer CTQ’s

What are the most important customer CTQ’s?
 Define all customers for this product/service.
 Determine what the customer considers critical to quality
 Write a problem statement to keep the team focused.

Step 2
Define Performance Standards

What does the customer consider a defect?
 Translate all qualitative customer needs into quantitative product/service requirements.
 Determine how and where to collect data from the product /service or process.
 Establish metrics based on defects and opportunities.

Step 3
Validate measurement system

How accurate is the current measurement system?
 Determine measurement gage accuracy.
 Eliminate excessive variation in the measurement system before proceeding.

Step 4
Establish Product Capability

How good or bad is the product/service today?
 Does the product/service currently meet customer performance standards?
 Establish where you are today in terms of short term DPMO and Sigma.
 If the product is 6 Sigma capable, then maintain at current level.


Step 5
Define Performance Objectives

What is our goal for improving the product/service?
 Establish 6 Sigma goals based on results from step 4.
 Work with the customer and establish a project /service performance CTQ.

Step 6
Identify Variation Sources

What could be causing the problem?
 Identify potential input factors and processes that impact performance CTQ’s
 Use process mapping to investigate all possible input factors.

Step 7
Screen Potential Causes

What are the key variables effecting the performance CTQ?
 Screen to identify the vital few factors (X’s) that impact the output (Y).

Step 8
Discover variable relationships

Is there a predictable relationship between input factor(s) and the output?
 Understand the combined effects the vital few (x’s) have on the output (y) using Design of Experiments (DOE).
 Determine a mathematical relationship between the (x’s) and the (y’s).

Step 9
Establish operating tolerance

Find the best settings for all key factors and make improvements.
 Establish new operating range for inputs to optimize output.
 Establish improved process to achieve goals.
 Eliminate variability with an improved process or by controlling input factors.
 Consider design or extensive process changes if it is found that reducing variation alone fails to meet targets established in step 4.



Step 10
Validate Measurement system

How well can you measure after improvements are made?
 Revalidate measuring capability from step 3 on the outputs.
 Develop or improve measurements on the inputs as required.

Step 11
Determine Process Capability

Has this project eliminated all sources of unwanted variability?
 Reevaluate how capable the product/service is in meeting performance CTQ’s
 Recalculate the improved DPMO & Sigma.
 Go back to step 5 if the DPMO did not lower by 80% and reassess goals, or tune vital factors found in the improve phase.

Step 12
Implement Process Controls

How can we sustain the gains for the long term?
 Utilize current quality systems to document process changes
 Maintain mistake-proof procedures
 Establish a process control plan
 Monitor performance metrics

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