A statistical measure of variation which seeks to identify and remove

the causes of defects and errors in manufacturing and business

process.

The term "Six Sigma" comes from a field of statistics known as

process capability studies i.e. the ability of manufacturing processes
to produce a very high proportion of output within specification.

Processes that operate with "six sigma quality" are assumed to

produce defect levels below 3.4 defects per million opportunities
(DPMO)
 The Greek letter for Sigma, , represents one standard deviation
from the normal or average. The higher the sigma level the better the
quality level.

Standard deviation, a statistical measurement of variation, the

exceptions to expected outcomes. Standard deviation can be
thought of as a comparison between expected results or outcomes in
a group of operations, versus those that fail.
DMAIC is used to DMADV is used to create
improve an existing new product designs or
business process. process designs
 Determine the project CTQs Define the project
Identify your customers In-frame/out frame
Gather voice of customer(VOC)
Organize and Prioritize VOCs (Kano model)
Translate VOCs into CTQs(critical to quality)

Charter
Define Map the process
Business case Process operational definition
Problem and goal statement Benefits of process mapping
Project scope SIPOC model
Milestones Levels of mapping
Roles and responsibility Mapping guidelines
 Gather VOC
Use tools like surveys, interviews, competitive comparison to collect
data.
Translate VOC to need statement and develop CTQs.

Prioritizing CTQs- Kano Model

Horizontal axis indicates how functional a product/service is and
vertical axis indicates customer satisfaction.
Product is expected to shift from being a delighter to a one-
dimensional/competitive priority to a must be.
 Horizontal axis indicates how functional a product/service is and
vertical axis indicates customer satisfaction.
 Business case describes how the customer or stakeholders are
impacted by the problem. It also details the time period your
company has been experiencing the problem, and provides an
overview of why it is important to the company to proceed with this
specific improvement opportunity.

Problem statement must clearly define the problem, where it exists,

how big the problem is, and when the problem occurs.

Goal statement in the project charter describes the anticipated

improvement that your team is expecting.
 Scope statement states exactly what is included within the project.
An unclear scope statement will lead to scope creep causing the size
of the project to increase, and a loss of team focus and morale, cost
overruns, delays.

Milestones is the start and end dates of the project and each task
involved in the project.

Roles and Responsibility lists the key members of your team and
higher level contacts. For example, the project champion, team
leader and members should all be listed. Also consider listing any
key supplier or customer contacts.
 Process Definition is a collection of activities that takes one or more
inputs and transforms it into outputs that is of value to the customer.

Process mapping is the graphical representation of flow of

process/procedure.

Charts, graphs, and other images, you will easily save yourself the
trouble of writing up dozens of pages of information on the processes
that need fixing and the data that youve collected.

A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant

elements of a process improvement project before work begins. It
helps define a complex project that may not be well scoped.
Supplier Input Process Output Customer
The provider Materials, Collection of Products or Recipient of
of inputs to resources or activities that services that the process
the process data required takes in inputs result from the output
to execute the and create process.
process. output that is
of value to
customer
 Tool used for team formation and helps the team to consider four
critical aspects of teamwork.
Goals: How clear is the team on the goals of the team/project.
Roles: How effectively each member fulfills his/her roles &
responsibilities.
Processes: To what degree the team agrees to the
procedures/approaches for the completion of the project.
Interpersonal: What is the level of trust, openness and acceptance in
the team.

Ideally, this tool should be used in one of the first team meetings and
then updated as project unfolds.
Select Project

Measures
Types of data
Fishbone diagram

Develop data collection plan

Establish data collection plan

Define sampling procedures
Measurement system analysis

Variation

Causes of variation
Run chart, Bar chart
Normal curve
 Measure: Any element relating to the process under study which is
operationally definable & quantifiable.

Classified into 3 categories:

Based on SIPOC input, process, output
Based on Focus efficiency, effectiveness
Based on Statistics continuous, discrete
 It ensures that useful and accurate data is collected.

Sampling is a process of collecting a portion or a subset of the total

available data/population. Sample help in drawing conclusion about
the population.
 Process Capability Process capability

Segmentation & Stratification

Identify possible causes Process map analysis
Work value analysis
MUDA
Hypothesis testing
Narrow to root causes T-test
Chi-square test

Determine the quantum of benefits from

Quantify the opportunity
root causes
 Tool to determine if a process give its variation, is capable of meeting
customer requirement.

Cp=USL-LSL
6
If Cp<1, process is producing defectives
If Cp>1, process variation is under control
If Cp=1, process is just meeting the specifications
 Segmentation is a process used to divide large group of data into
smaller logical categories for analysis.

Stratification is a process which uses summary metrics(central

tendency, dispersion) to make decision about when to separate
processes for analysis.

Further detailed study of sub-processes defined in SIPOC map is

done which have the biggest impact on the output.

Muda means waste which is any activity that does not add value.
Eliminating waste is the fundamental objective.
 Select solutions
Brainstorming, TRIZ Criteria matrix, NGT

Refine solution
FMEA Error proofing

Test solution
Pilot planning Verification of results

Justify solution by cost benefit analysis

 Brainstorming is a process in which ideas are generated from
everyone or at random and then each idea is discussed and a
finalized list of all possible solutions is created.

Failure Mode & Effect Analysis identifies the possible failures and
their effect on the process. According to FMEA, impact of any failure
on a process is not only severity of the failure but also the frequency
of occurrence & the ability of the control mechanism to detect the
failure.
 Process Control
Implement solution Close project
Plan

Process Stakeholder Documentation

management analysis Communication
chart Implementation of learning
Selection & elements Project closure
interpreting
Control charts
 A control chart is a popular statistical tool for monitoring the quality of
goods and services, and for detecting when the process goes "out of
control" . Samples from the process are taken every time interval,
and their quality measured. Control charts are used to track the
sample quality over time and detect any unusual behavior.

Project closure include documentation and communication of results,

evaluating team success and at last disband project team.
 www.wikipedia.org
www.sixsigma.in
www.sixsigmatutorial.com