DEFINE

when Motorola introduced Six Sigma, they did not include the Define
step. They used a four-step methodology of Measure, Analyze,
Improve, and Control. The Define step was added by General Electric
a few years later when they experienced some basic problems in
implementing Six Sigma in their company.
In this critical first step, the Six Sigma team determines what the
project is and exactly what it should accomplish.
Asafriendofmineusedtosay,"Whenyouaresuccessful,howwillyouknowit?"Youneedtoknow
whatindicatorsyou'llusetoevaluatethatsuccess.Itmightbeareductionindefectsinamanufacturing
processoranimprovementindeliverytimeforyourtransportationunit.MostpeopleagreethataSix
Sigmaprojectmustincludeafinancialmeasurement.Successismeasuredbythefinancialoutcomeofthe
project.ItisreallyimportantthatintheDefinestageofyourprojectyoucalculatetheexpectedfinancial
benefitintermssuchascostreductionsorrevenueincreases.

Once you have done this, I highly recommend that you get the
finance department to sign off on your calculation. In other words,
finance is agreeing at the beginning of your project that if you
accomplish your goal, it will result in this estimated benefit. If finance
has approved your assumptions and formulas in advance, it's much
easier to have them approve your calculated results at the end of the
project. This financial aspect of measuring your success is really
important in the Six Sigma world, but you need to go beyond the
project and also define the problema
So in a sense, in the Define step of the DMAIC process, you have
established the strategy of your Six Sigma Project
MEASURE

Measure
"Ifyoucan'tmeasuresomething,youcan'tunderstandit."Youmayhaveheardthisquotebeforeor
someversionofit.Arecognizedexpertinperformanceimprovement,Dr.H.JamesHarringtonis
certainlyspeakingdirectlytotheSixSigmagoalsofimprovingandcontrollingtheprocess.Youwantto
understandtwoaspectsofmeasurementhere:whattomeasureandhowtomeasure.Todothis,youfirst
mustknowwhatquestionsyouwanttoanswer.Thiswilldeterminewhattypeofdatayouneedtocollect.
AndtheMeasurestepofDMAICisallaboutthedata.Whereisit?Whocanhelpyoufindit?Howdo
youmakesurethedataisaccurate?Youneedtodetermineinadvancewhatdatayouneedandhowtoget
it.Agoodapproachhereistheclassicalmathematicalexpression,Yisafunctionofx.Whatistheinput
youneed,x,todeterminetheoutputyou'relookingfor,Y.Forexample,todeterminethethroughputofa
machineinyourfactory.

Analyze
Youcan'tfindthesolutiontoaproblemuntilyoutrulyunderstandwhyyouarehavingtheproblemin
thefirstplace.Thisiswhattheanalyzeprocessisallabout.Youfocusonwhy.Whyareyouexperiencing
thisparticularproblem?Youwanttounderstand,forexample,whatiscausingthevariabilityinyour

process,ortheunacceptablenumberofdefects,oratrendofincreasederrors.Youmusthavethis
understandingbeforeyoucanfigureoutasolution.You'llrelyveryheavilyonstatisticalanalysisinthis
stage.

AndthatisoneofthethingsthatdistinguishesSixSigmafrommanyqualityprograms.Quiteoftenthe
SixSigmateamwillneedadditionaltraininginstatisticalmethods.Andthisiswherethecompany's
BlackBeltandMasterBlackBeltexpertscomein.Theseareveryexperiencedpeoplewhoactascoaches
totheteam.Providingadvice,guidance,andtrainingforthedataanalysistools.Yourgoalintheanalyze
stageistomakesenseofallthatdatayou'vecollectedsofar,andtouseyouranalysistofindthesourceof
youproblems.
YouusemanyofthestandardSixSigmatoolstotakeanevencloserlookatyourdata.Beforeyoucan
discoverthe"why"ofyourproblemyoumusttrulyunderstandhowtheexistingprocessworksandhow
thatprocessshouldwork.Youcanuseprocessmappingtodrilldowntoevenmoredetailintheprocess.
Youshouldconsidersuchelementsastime,cost,yield,andcapacity.IntheprocessmapI'mgivingyoua
betterunderstandingofhowtheexistingprocessworks.

youreffectivenessintheanalyzestagegreatlyimpactsyourabilitytoimprovethe
problem.

Improve
It'sonethingtocreateaproduct,buttherealsweetspotisimprovinguponyourworktimeandtime
again.ThisistheheartofanySixSigmaproject,theImprovestep.EverythingdonesofarintheDMAIC
method,define,measure,andanalyzehasledyoutoyourultimategoal,improvetheprocess.Yourjob
hereistoimplementachangethatwillresolvetheproblemandimprovetheperformancemeasure.There
aretwomajortoolsusedintheImprovestageofaSixSigmaproject.
Younowmustimplementyoursolution.Nothingreallychangesuntilyouhaveasuccessful
implementation.Andthekeyhereistoensureyouareeffectivelycommunicatingwitheveryoneinvolved
withthechange

Makesureeveryoneisinformedofthechangestotakeplaceandwhythesechangesareimportant.It's
humannaturetoresistchangeinanyform,andeffectivecommunicationtechniquescaneasethe
transition.Oneverygoodwaytoeasetheresistancetochangeistorecognizethoseemployeeswhowill
beaffectedbythechangeandinvolvethemintheprojectearly.
OncetheSixSigmateamhassettledonaproposedsolution,it'sagoodideatogetinputfromthose
employeesbeforefinalizingthesolution.Thisgivesthemafeelingofinvolvementandownershipinthe
solution.Andjustasimportant,theirsuggestionscouldgreatlyimproveyourproposal.Havingthatsense
ofpartnershipintheproject,anychangesinprocedureswillcertainlybemorereadilyaccepted.Youalso
wanttomakesureyouhavethesupportoftheprocessowner.
Theprocessownercontrolsalltheresourcesneededtoimplementyoursolution,andhere,again,the
earlieryouinvolvethatpersonthebetterfortheteam.Followgoodprojectmanagementtechniques
duringtheImprovestage.Makesuresomeoneontheteamisassignedtoensureeverythingisdoneon
scheduleandthatthesolutionisproperlyimplemented.Makesureallstakeholdersareinformedas

needed.SixSigmaprojectsvarywidelyacrossyourcompany,sotheskillsneededforimplementation
andprojectmanagementwillalsovarywidely.

Control

ControlisthemostimportantstepintheDMAICmethodology.Now,that'saprettybold
statement,soletmetellyouwhythisisso.Controliswhatenablesyoutohaveacontinuous
improvementorganization,andeverysuccessfulcompanytodayiscontinuouslyimproving.In
thecontrolphase,youmaketheimprovementpermanent.Youputinplacetoolsandprocedures
toensureyoursolutionismaintainedandthechangeiseverlasting.Indoingso,youhavenow
establishedanewprocessandanewbaselineforperformance,andyouarereadytoimprovethat
newprocessagain.

The important thing is to have a mechanism in place to ensure you

maintain the new baseline of performance.
Since the Six Sigma team often is not directly responsible for the
improved process, it is important that the new process is documented
properly for the process owner.
Atthispointinthecontrolprocess,theteamshouldalsodocumentthegainsrealizedfromthe
improvement,comparingoutputdataoftheoldandthenewprocesses.Thisdatagoesintoyourfinancial
calculations,whichestablishthesuccessofyourSixSigmaproject,andthisstepmarkstheendofthe
project.Onceyourimprovementisinplacewiththepropercontrolmeasuresandyouhaveverifiedthe
financialbenefitofyournewprocess,youareabletoformallycloseyourproject,andyouarenowready
tocelebrateyoursuccess.

DesignforSixSigma
Sometimesyoudon'tneedtoimproveyourprocess.Sometimestheexistingprocessissobad,youneed
tothrowitawayanddesignanewone,andsometimesyoudon'tevenhaveaprocesstoimprove.For
example,whendevelopinganewproductandtheprocessesthatgowithit.Fortunately,thedesignforSix
Sigmamethodologyaddressesjustthissituation.Whenimprovinganexistingprocess,youareprimarily
dealingwithonevariable,asyoudevelopmethodstomakethatprocessbetter.Whenyouarecompletely
redoingaprocess,ordesigninganewprocess,therearearealotmoreunknowns.
Thisisthemostsignifiantdifferencebetweenimprovingaprocessanddesigninganewprocess.Andin
mostcases,newprocessesandproductshaveevenmorefocusonmeetingthecustomer'sperformance
objectives.DesignforSixSigmahelpstoensurethatyourproductwillmeetthosecustomerneedsand
thattheprocessescanmeetSixSigmacapabilities.Yourfocusisonthoseattributesthatarecriticalto
qualityintheeyesoftheultimatecustomer.DesignforSixSigmausesthemethodologyof:Define,
Measure,Analyze,Design,andVerify.

DMADV

Leanmetrics

WhenmostpeopletalkaboutLean,theyimmediatelythinkofToyota,andthefamousToyota
ProductionSystem.Butactually,manyoftheprinciplesofLeanproductiongobacktoHenry
Fordinthe1920's,whobelievedthatyoushouldeliminateanythingthatdoesnotprovidevalue.
Andthat'sthebasicpremiseofLean.Fordbelievedinpayingattentiontothedetails,andthat
littleproblems,ifleftunattended,ultimatelybecamebigproblems.Thus,HenryFordwasoneof
thefirstproponentsofcontinuouslyimprovingyourbusinessprocesses.

5Ss

LeonardodaVincioncesaidthat"Simplicityistheultimatesophistication."Hebelievedthat
themostadvancedsystemswerethesimplestsystems.Toyotaagreeswithhim.Thefoundation
forgoodprocessesisanorganizedworkplace.

Totalproductivemaintenance
Afactorycannotfunctionunlessthemachinesareworkingandavailablewhentheyareneeded.Now
thatmayseemlikeaprettysimplisticstatement,butthisiswhatTotalProductiveMaintenance,orTPM,
isallabout.TPMtriestounderstandbothpreventiveandcorrectivemaintenanceproceduresandtoapply
thosemethodsinthemosteffectivemanner.Andthatmeans,tokeepthefactoryrunningwhenneeded.
TPMpracticesensurethatmachineswillnotbreakdownunexpectedlyandthatscheduledmaintenance
willbecompletedinatimelymanner.

Qualityatthesource
HenryFordexpresseditquitewellwhenhesaidthat,"Qualityisdoingitrightwhennooneislooking."
Tome,that'stheessenceoftheconceptofqualityatthesource.Ifyoudoitright,youdonotneedanyone
toinspectyourwork.Theinspectionstepisnolongerneededintheprocess.Anonvalueaddedactivity
cannowbeeliminated,whichfurtherhelpsyoutostreamlinetheprocess.Stoppingaproductionlineis
notsomethingonetakeslightly.Bringingproductiontoacompletehaltandthenstartingitupagain,isa
verycostlythingtodo.

Toyota'sproductionsystemastonishedthemanufacturingworldwhentheyauthorizedanypersononthe
assemblylinetostopproductioniftheysawaqualityproblem.Notthemanager,notthesupervisors,but
thelineoperator.Allhehadtodowaspullacord.Thisabilitytrulyallowsqualityatthesource.Each
individualisresponsibleforthequalityoftheirworkanddoesnot,underanycircumstances,allowa
defecttopassontothenextworkstation.
Ifsomethingiswrongwithanypartoftheassemblyprocess,theentirelineisshutdownuntilthe
problemisresolved.Thisguaranteesthattheproductmeetsspecificationrequirementsasitmovesfrom
onestationtothenext.JustasitisusedintheSixSigmamethodology,mistakeproofingisanimportant
elementinqualityatthesource.TheJapanesetermforthisis"pokayoke",whichmeansfoolproof.And
thisisacommonlyusedLeanexpression.
Proceduresareputinplacetomakesureamistakeisnotmadeandthenpassedontothenextstation.The
impactofqualityatthesourcegoesfarbeyondproductqualityontheshopfloor.Infact,thisisakey

enablerofjustintimecapabilitiesforyourcompany.Ifdedicatedinspectionstepsareeliminatedfrom
yourproductionprocesses,yourthroughputtimeissignificantlydecreased.Thisallowsyoutodeliver
yourproductstoyourcustomersquicker,andwithgreaterflexibility,allowingjustintimedeliveryif
requested.
Qualityatthesourcewithinyourkeysuppliersalsoenablesajustintimedeliveryofmaterials,
components,andsubassembliestoyourfactory.Suppliersarenotdelayedbyinlineinspections,orby
havingtoperformafinalinspectionbeforeshippingtoyou.Becauseyouareassuredthateverythingis
withinspecificationlimits,youdonotrequireanincominginspectionwhentheitemsarrive.Inshort,
suppliersdelivermaterialsthatgodirectlyfromyourreceivingdocktoyourfactorymachinesinatrue,
justintimemanner.
Enablingthiscapabilitywithyourkeysuppliersandcustomers,makesforahighlycompetitivesupply
chain.Thewidespreadbenefitsofqualityatthesource,makeitoneofthekeyelementsofLean
Manufacturing.

Continuousimprovement
"Ifyou'renotgettingbetter,you'regettingworse."PrettygoodadvicefromPatRiley,thefamous
basketballcoach.Yousimplycannotstandstillbecauseyourcompetitorsarecontinuouslygettingbetter
andpassingyouby.Youalsomustcontinuouslyimprove,thebusinessworldknowsthistoo.Mostofus
workinacontinuousimprovementenvironmentanduseLeanprincipalstosomeextent.EveryLeantool
isintendedtoenableimprovementintheprocesstothereductionofwasteandwastefulactivities.
TheLeanexpressionisKaizen,aJapanesewordthatmeansgradualandorderlycontinuousimprovement.
Kaizenisintendedtobeusedinallbusinessactivities.Notjustintheproductionarea,butalsoin
services,administration,safety,transportation,newproductdevelopmentandliterallyeverypartofthe
organization.So,anyefforttoimproveanypartofyourbusinessistechnicallyaKaizenevent.
WithaKaizenphilosophy,you'renottryingtomaketheprocessperfect;youaresimplytryingtomakeit
alittlebetter.TheprincipalsofKaizenareintendedtobepartofeveryone'sdailywork.Therearespecific
improvementprojectsofcoursebutcontinuousimprovementshouldbepartofthecompanyphilosophy
andguidethewaywework.Assuch,therearethreeveryimportantaspectsofacontinuousimprovement
approach.Thefirstisoperatingpracticesandprocedures.
Companyprogramsguidedailyworksotheyalsocanrevealopportunitiesforimprovement.For
example,anontimedeliveryprogramquicklyrevealsinefficientandweakprocessesjustasaquality
programrevealsweaknessesinmeasurementandmetrics.Anotherimportantaspectistotalinvolvement,
everyoneinthecompanystrivesforimprovement.Topmanagementprovidesthesupporttoencourage
improvementprograms.
Managersandsupervisorsdirecttheireffortsmoretowardsimprovementthansupervision.Workers
participateinsuggestionprogramsandimprovementteams.Youmustalsoconsidertraining.Self
developmentprogramsareencouraged,classesteachproblemsolvingskillsatalllevelsofthecompany.
Everyoneisseekingtoenhancetheirjobperformancelevel.Needlesstosay,movingintoacontinuous
improvementmodeisnotaquickandeasything.Ittakestimetochangetheorganization'sculture.
Now,ImentionedthatKaizenisagradualandsteadyapproachtoimprovementlookingforincrimental
changes,butsometimesthebusinesssituationrequiresalittlefastermovementintherightdirection.This
iswheretheKaizenBlitzisused.Ifaperformanceissueoraqualityproblemcomesupthatmustbe
solvedquickly,wecanapplytheKaizenBlitzapproach.Sayyouhaveasuddenproductrecallduetoa
safetyhazardorahealthissue,youcertainlyhavenotimetowasteinfindingthecauseoftheproblem
andresolvingallrelatedissues.

KaizenBlitzteamsarecrossfunctionalteamsbringinginemployeesfromallfunctionalareasinvolved
withtheprocessortheproblem.Theyareexpertenoughtounderstandtheproblemandareempoweredto
makethechangesrequiredtoimplementasolution.Thisisanintenseandrapidimprovementprocess.
Thecompanyprovidesallthepeopleandresourcesneededforwhatisusuallyaveryshorttimeperiod.
Allteammembersarededicatedfulltimetotheeffortuntilasolutionisimplemented.
TheKaizenBlitzapproachhasproventobeveryeffectiveinsuchemergencysituations.Asafinal
thought,it'simportanttorecognizethatcontinuousimprovementiswhatconnectsLeanwithSixSigma.
ContinuousimprovementisfoundintheKaizenapproachofLeanandinthecontrolphaseoftheSix
SigmaDMAICMethodology.Inacontinuousimprovementbusinessenvironment,LeanandSixSigma
canprovideamuchneededformalstructureforthecompany'sefforts.

So,thequestionisnotwhetheryourcompanyshoulduseLeanorSixSigma.Thereal
questionishowcanyouuseboththeseapproachestocontinuouslyimproveyourprocesses
andstayaheadofyourcompetition.

Measuring and managing

Beforeyoucanimproveaprocess,youneedtoknowwhetheritneedsimproving.Andthen,assoonas
youstarttointervene,somemightsayinterfere,youneedtoknowwhetheryou'vemadeadifference.Or
ratheryouneedtoknowwhetherthechangeswereduetowhatyoudidorduetosomethingelse,orjust
duetopurechance.Afterall,there'sa50/50chancethatthisyearwillbebetterthanlastyearevenifyou
donothing.Soweneedtomeasurewhat'sgoingonwithourprocesses.Infact,it'sbeensaidthatifyou
can'tmeasureit,youcan'tmanageit.
Butdoyouthinkthat'sreallytrue?Can'twemanagesomethingwithoutbeingabletoreduceitdowntoa
number?Infact,caneverythingbemeasured?Whataboutqualityorserviceordesignorculture?Can
thesebemeasured?Well,Iwouldsayyes,butthenIstartedoutasanengineersoI'mboundtosaythat.
AndIdobelievethatifyou'renotmeasuringsomethingthenthere'sariskthatyou'llendupassuming
thingsareokaywhenmaybethey'renot,andyouwon'ttakeactionuntilthey'vegotreallybadandthe
problemhasbecomevisibleeventosomeonewho'snotmeasuringanything.
Itwouldbegoodtonotleaveitthatlate.SoI'mgoingtobesuggestingonthiscoursethatweworkout
thekeythingsandmeasurethemsothatwecanmonitorandthenoptimizethem.Andoptimizedoesn't
meanmaximizeorminimize.Thebestplacetobeisoftenat80%ratherthan100%aswe'llsee.Soitall
startswithscientificmanagement.Decidewhereyouwanttobeandthenmeasureyourprogresstowards
thatpoint.MyheartsinkseverytimeIhearacompanysay,"We'rehavingareorganization."BecauseI
justknowthatthatmeansthey'regoingtohaveseveralyearsofchaos,expensivechaos,withthegood
peopleleavingandbadoneswaitinginthehopeofredundancymoney.
Andthenwhenallthepiecestheythrewupintheairhavefallenbackdownagainintoadifferentpattern,
yes,it'sdifferent,butisitanybetterthanbefore?Somebitsareprobablybetter,butsomearealso
probablyworse.Somuchbetterwouldbetomeasureeverything,workoutwheretheproblemsare,and
justtargetthoseareas,andthenmeasurewhetheryou'regettingthoseproblemareassortedoutornot.So
thefirstquestionofprocessimprovementisareyoumeasuringenough?Whataretheblackholes,the
processesthatapparentlycan'tbemeasuredinyourareaofwork?Ifyouhadtomeasurethem,howwould
youdoit?

Facilitating change
Nomatterwhatindustryyou'rein,you'redealingwithchange.Iffornootherreasonthanthefactthat
technologyischangingsofast.Someindustriesarebuiltonchange,andareinfactaboutgettingothersto
change.Likefashionforexample.Theysellchangeforeveryseason.Changehappensallthetime,but
theimpactofchangecanbeeitherpositiveornegative.Didyouknowthat70%ofchangeinitiativesfail?
Thinkaboutthat.Thisstatisticrepresentsahugelossoftime,energy,andmoney.andthisfailureisdue
mainlytopoorleadership,becausethechangeprocesswasnotcorrectlyfacilitated,doomingtheinitiative
andpossiblytheorganization.Thisisbecausepeoplefocusmainlyonthechange,andtheyforgetto
addressthetransition.
Let'stakeacommonexample.Serenaispromotedtoanewposition,regionaldirector.Changeisthe
structuralshiftthatoccurs,likethenewjobdescription,placementontheorgchart,andthemovingof
herbelongingstoanewoffice.It'sfactualandunemotional.Transitionontheotherhand,isthe
psychologicalprocessthatinvolvesthehumanthoughtsandfeelingsthataccompanyanychange.Inthis
case,Serenamaybethrilledforthisopportunity,butfeelssomesadnessatleavingherteam.Otherpeople
mayalsohavereactionssuchashappinessforSerenaorevenworryaboutwhatthischangemightmean
forthem.Andthisiswhatfacilitatingchangeisallabout,Tendingtothepsychologicalprocessof
transition.
Researchhasshownagainandagain,thathumanshaveafairlypredictablepatternwhenitcomesto
change.Infact,it'scalledthechangecurveanditlookslikearollercoaster.Whiletheremightbe
excitement,there'saninitialandsometimesdramaticdropinproductivityandmorale.

Effectiveleaderscanimpactthechangecurve,bymakingthehillslessdramaticandshorteningthelength
oftimetheprocesstakes.

Allofthiscanresultinhugesavingsinallkeymeasuresofperformanceandproductivity.Thethreekey
strategiesIwanttogiveyoutodayarethese.Numberone,empowerpeopleinthechangeprocess.
Thismeansthatinsteadofpushingpeopletochangewhichtriggersresistance,yougenuinelyinvolve

themindesigningandimplementingthechange.Bringthepeoplewhowillexperiencethechangeinto
thedecisionmakingprocessearly,andhavethemcocreatethechange.
Thisnotonlycreatesbuyin,butyouwillyieldsfarmoreeffectiveideasbecausethepeoplewhoaremost
impactedcanbringtheirexperiencetothetable.Numbertwo,buildandmaintaintrust.Becauseofthe
emotionalnatureofchange,youwanttodoeverythingyoucantocreateacultureoftrust.Thismeans
clarifyingtheorganization'sintentionswithachange,beingreliablebymatchingyourwordstoyour
actions,andbeingtrustworthybyhonoringyouragreements.Youcan'tbuildtrustovernight,soifyour
organizationhaslowtrust,youshouldfirstprioritizebuildingit,beforeyoutacklebigchanges.Number
three,tendtothepowerofhabit.
Recentresearchhasshownthathumansarebyandlarge,creaturesofhabit.Everydayweengageinhabit
loopsthathavebeenbuiltovertimeandinmanycases,arequitegrooved,bothbehaviorallyand
neurologically.Thinkaboutyourownday,habitisbehindyourcommutetotheoffice,howyoubehavein
meetings,andevenhowyouansweryourphone.

Whenweimplementchange,wearesimultaneouslyaskingpeopletobreakoldhabitsthatarewell
grooved,familiarandcomfortable.Tobereplacedbynewbehaviorsthatarenotyethabits,andare
thereforeunfamiliar,sometimesawkwardanduncomfortable.

EvenSerenawhosegoingtoanewandexcitingrole,willhavesomediscomfortasshelearnsnewhabits
forherposition.Luckily,Serena'ssupportedbyaclearvisualreminderasshehasanewoffice.Butwhat
aboutthemajorityofpeoplewhomustchangewhilesittingattheirsamedeskanddoingtheirsamejob.
Effectiveleadersfacilitatethechangeprocessbyintentionallyshiftingoldbehaviors.Theycreate
anendingtotheoldway,evenifit'ssymbolic.Andthengenerateexcitementaboutthe
implementationofthenewway.Here'sanexample.
Ifyou'removingpeopletoanewspaceorbuilding,havesomekindofsymbolicclosureoftheold,likea
casualgatheringwithfood,andshareafewwordsaboutallthegreatthingsthathappenedinthatspace.
Whenyougettothenewspace,haveagrandopeningofsorts,whereyouacknowledgesomeofthekey
changesandyoutalkaboutwhatyouhopetoaccomplishthere.Effectiveleadersarepatient,andallow
peopletimetomakethetransition,knowingthatafterabout40repetitionsofthenewbehaviorthings
willsettledown.Thinkabouthowyoucanusethesestrategiestofacilitatechangeinyourorganization.

Asaleader,youhaveapowerfulroletoplayinhelpingothersmovethroughchange.