WHITE PAPER

Best Practices for Tracking Six

Sigma Projects
BPM Solutions for Project Management
ByJeremyJayV.LimSixSigmaBlackBeltPractitionerandProgramManager.BonitaSoftOpenSource
CommunityMember

BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Audience........................................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Background and Business Case ........................................................................................................................ 2
3. Features of BPM for tracking Six Sigma projects ............................................................................................... 5
3.1. User interface per phase: web forms........................................................................................................ 8
3.2. User interface per phase: User Experience inbox .................................................................................... 10
3.3. Other extensions to complete project tracking........................................................................................ 12
4. Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

1. Audience
Thiswhitepapershowcaseshowabusinessprocessmanagementworkflowcancontributetothe
successofSixSigmaprojects,whicharepartofthestrategicprocessimprovementframeworkinan
enterprise, by automating project tracking. This paper will also provide insights for managers of
other types of projects who have limited resources and are considering a lowcost solution for
tracking the progress of their projects based on standardized stages, milestones, and phases. In
this paper, we will also discuss how process workflow can help control the pacing and timing of
projectdelivery,aswellasprovideawaytostoreandaccesscriticalprojectinformation.

2. Background and Business Case

Due to emerging market demands, banking has to keep up to date and continually deliver more
value. This includes such things as being able to deliver ITenabled frontend solutions that can
make banking and financial services for loans, credit cards, negotiable instruments, and so on
easier,fasterandmoreaccurateforclients.ThebackendoperationsalsoneedITenabledtoolsto
handletheincomingtransactionvolume,andtomanageefficiencyandproductivityinprocessing
actions.
Because of these demands, a bank's IT unit is often very much preoccupied with developing
strategicandmissioncriticalapplicationsforclientsandforthebank'soperations.However,there
are also other supporting units in the bank who have notsomissioncritical requirements; for
example, to provide employee services, support business units administrative services, and
develop other business initiatives. Projects such as creating processes for new employee on
boarding and offboarding, for purchasing from requisition to delivery, for tracking corrective
actions,andthelikearedelayedorshelvedbecauseITputsmissioncriticalprojectsatthetopof
theirpriorities.
Thesekindsofprojectsdonotdisappearastimegoeson,becausetheyaregenuinelyneeded.They
canproviderealbenefitssuchastimesavingsforsupportunits,reductioninoverheadlaborcost,
 BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

and may even also help in risk reduction. But as there is strong competition within the bank for
limited ITresources to deliver muchneeded technologyenabled solutions, support units needs
aretoooftenarenotaddressedandtheprojectlistforITkeepsgettinglongerandlonger.
Theprojectsmentionedabovearegenerallyautomatedprocesstrackingwhichcouldbeaddressed
by BPM workflow tools. They don't need the same type of complex data querying that banking
financialsystemsrequire.Alltheybasicallyneedisautomationthatwillenablestreamlining,and
trackingflowsorinformationpassedamongthevarioushandlers,reviewersandapproversofthe
differentbusinessunitstheysupport.
Asanexample,wewilltakethecaseofarequirementfortrackingtheprogressofabank'sprocess
improvement initiative which includes a number of Six Sigma projects. Six Sigma is part of this
bank'sstrategicprocessimprovementprogram.Theseprojectsusuallyrunover6to8monthsand
followthegeneralSixSigmaDMAIC(DefineMeasureAnalyzeImproveControl)orDMADV(Define
MeasureAnalyzeDesignVerify)methodology.Thebanktypicallyrunsaround50oftheseprojects,
andthereareonly3to5supportingBlackBeltsforallofthem.EachBlackBeltspendsaround20
hours per project per month reviewing its progress and coaching the project leaders. Thus,
manually tracking each project's status and related concerns is a tremendously timeconsuming
taskfortheBlackBelts.

Figure1.SixSigmaProgram/ProjectManagementStructure

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BESTPRACTICESFORTRACKINGSIXSIGMAPROJECTS

Thegeneralrequirementinmanagingtheseprojectsistotrackthestatusoftheprojectasitgoes
through the required DMAIC phases, along with its associated documentation. The Six Sigma
program requires an intranet webbased tracking system to facilitate tracking of project progress
includingapprovaltoproceedtothesucceedingphases.However,sincetheSixSigmaprogramisa
noncriticalinitiative,ITdevelopmentofthissystemhastakenthebackseattoother,morecritical,
bankingsystemneeds.
ThisiswhereaBPMtoolbecomesadvantageousforprojectworkflowtracking.
First,recalltheprojectlifecycleofaSixSigmaproject.

Figure2.DMAICProcessFlowforSixSigmaProjectTracking

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 BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

Thegeneral,highlevelstepsoftheDMAICmethodologyare:
Definecreationofprojectcharter
MeasureandAnalyzeidentificationofthecausesofdefects/inefficienciesandvalidation
ofrootcause(s)withdata
Improve implementation of the proposed improvements focusing on solving the root
cause(s)ofdefects/inefficiencies
Controlsustainingtheresultsoftheimprovedprocess
At each phase of the process, the project leader needs approval of the project storyboard
documentation, through a project tollgate review, in order to move to the next phase. These
tollgatereviewsareconductedwith:
the Six Sigma program manager regarding the status of the project depending on the
DMAICphase
theprojectChampionregardingtheresultsoftheproject;and
the project stakeholders so they can provide input on project direction and help resolve
risksandissues.
Thus,intheprocessdesign,youwillseetherearerepeatingreviewsandapprovalsforeveryphase
throughthetollgatereviewsastheprojectprogresses.
Inthiswhitepaper,I'llexplainthebasicsoftheautomatedworkflowandalsoshow,usingBonita
OpenSolution,howaBPMprocesscanmeettherequirementsforprojecttrackingincludingreview
andapprovaloftheSixSigmaprojectdocumentation.

3. Features of BPM for tracking Six Sigma projects

ThediagrambelowshowsafullSixSigmaprojectwithalltherequiredphases.TheprocessofSix
Sigmaprojectexecutionishighlyrepetitiveoncetheprojectiskickedoff,througheachphasefrom
DefinetoControl.
Whatgoesoninaphaseasitgoesthroughthedesignedworkflowwillbediscussedinmoredetail
inthefollowingsections.

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 BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

Figure3ad.ProcessflowtemplateforaSixSigmaproject
Let's look at the Six Sigma process example. After a project has been confirmed, the Six Sigma
Project Management Office (or Six Sigma Program Manager) registers it in the project tracking
systemandthistriggerstherestoftheprocess.

Figure4.DefinephaseofaSixSigmaproject
Thustheprocessstartswithregistration,andthentheprojectisdefinedaccordingtotheSixSigma
criteria.DuringthisDefinephase,theprojectleader(whoiseitheraBlackBeltoraGreenBelt)is
requiredtosubmitdocumentationwhichisneededfortheapproval/completionofthisphasesoit
canmovetotheMeasurephase.
Inthisprocess,atimerboundaryeventhasbeenaddedtothe"SubmitDefinePhase"stageandis
representedgraphicallybyaclockiconintheprocessdiagram.ThisdesigninBonitaOpenSolution
isexecutable;whenthisprocessisrun,anautomaticemailremindernotificationiscreatedaftera
certainnumberofcalendardayshavepassedwithoutaction.Thisnotificationissenttotheproject
leaderasaremindertosubmittheupdatedstoryboard.Inthisspecificdesign,onlyoneemailis

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BESTPRACTICESFORTRACKINGSIXSIGMAPROJECTS

sent, but the process might be designed in such a way that it sends out the email reminder at
regular intervals until the required project report is finally submitted for review and approval to
moveontothenextphase.1TheBonitaemailconnectorserviceishelpfulherebecauseitreduces
time spent on following up and reminding the project leaders to update their Six Sigma project
status.
Project phase review and approval requires specific Six Sigma project documentation. That
documentationcanbeuploadedatthe"SubmitDefinePhase"stage(seeSections3.1and3.2,User
interface per phase: Web forms and User Experience, below). The workflow can be configured to
savetherelevantprocessinformationanddataintoanexternaldatabase(inthiscase,MySQL).
AftertheDefinephaseoftheprojectiscompletedandsubmittedforapproval,itgoesthroughthe
processofdesktopreviewbytheprojectBlackBeltMasterorChampionbeforeitisapprovedto
proceedtothenextphase.
Tollgate reviews are also conducted separately or in parallel to formally approve the project's
movementtowardprojectclosure.
ThereisaloopshownontheSubmitDefinePhaseandResubmitDefinePhasestage(shownby
acirculararrowinthediagraminFigure3)ineachphase,becausetheprojectcannotproceeduntil
itisendorsedbythereviewingprojectcoach.
This same sequence is repeated in the subsequent project phases, from Measure to Control.
ThereforetheportionoftheprocessshowninFigure3isessentiallyrepeateduntiltheprojectend.

3.1. User interface per phase: web forms

BPMworkflowimplementedwithBonitaOpenSolutionprovidesawayforuserinteractionthrough
webapplicationsandatasklistinterface.
Below is a view of the web form design used for project registration. It allows for the entry of
relevant project information into fields defined to manage it as standardized project execution
processdata.
This web form contains mandatory fields for the project title, names and email addresses of the
stakeholders,ameanstouploadafileasanattachment,andaremarksfield.

1
Thishasnotyetbeendevelopedbutwouldbeausefulextension.

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 BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

Figure5.WebformtoregisteraSixSigmaProject
When the project leader is ready to submit the Define Phase, they are required to supply a
significantamountofcriticalinformationabouttheSixSigmaproject.

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BESTPRACTICESFORTRACKINGSIXSIGMAPROJECTS

Figure6.WebformtocollectdataanddocumentationforDEFINEphaseapproval

For example, the timelines for each subsequent phase are the critical basis of project status
reporting.ThetimelinessofaSixSigmaprojectismeasuredagainstthedeadlineswhichareagreed
to by the project Champion and stakeholders. Ensuring that the projects are updated and
completedontimeiscriticalastheirvaluealsodependsontimelydelivery.Therearealsofieldsfor
enteringtheinformationrelatedtotheestimatedprojectsavesintermsofamountandthetype.
Allthisinformationaboutmultipleprojects,whentrackedmanuallyinaspreadsheet,simplytakes
toomuchoftheProgramManagerandsupportingBlackBeltstime.Thus,automatingthemwitha
BPMprocesshelpsgreatlyinsimplifyingtheprojectmanagementprocess.

3.2. User interface per phase: User Experience inbox

Bonita Open Solution provides realtime project status information in the User Experience
environment. Instead of a spreadsheet to track Six Sigma projects, there is a webbased project
interfacethatfollowstheDMAICprojectprocessflow.
Sincetheprojectleader,thesupportingBlackBeltsandtheSixSigmaProgramManagercannow
directlyaccessthedataanduploadeddocumentationthroughtheUserExperienceinbox,thereis

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 BEST PRACTICES FOR TRACKING SIX SIGMA PROJECTS

less time spent on followup and backandforth emailing of the file attachments, especially for
reviewandapproval.
Importantcommentsbasedontheprojectreviewcanbeenteredintheporcesscommentfeedso
that the project leader can do the necessary updates or corrections in the submitted project
storyboarddocumentation.

Figure7.UserExperienceinboxallowsprojectstakeholderstoaccessdatadirectlyandaddinformation

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BESTPRACTICESFORTRACKINGSIXSIGMAPROJECTS

3.3. Other extensions to complete project tracking
In addition to what has been specifically discussed in this process design, a complete project
trackingshouldalsohave:
Automated generation of dashboard reports, via the Jasper Report server, that uses the
datastoredintheexternaldatabase.ThiswouldrequirerunningaseparateJasperReport
serverinparallelwiththeworkflow.TheJasperreportservercanautomaticallycreatethe
customizeddashboardreportsbasedonacreatedreportwithiniReport.Thisisusefulfor
theBOScommunityversionwhichdoesnothavecustomizableKPIreports.
Automatic email reminders sent out based on the dynamic target submission dates per
phasesuppliedbytheprojectleader.(ThisextensionispossiblewithBonitaOpenSolution;
itrequiressomecustomdevelopmentthatIhavenotdoneyet.)
Adocumentrepositoryordocumentmanagementsystemtostorealltheattachedproject
filessubmittedthroughtheworkflowprocess,forexample,withtheuseofAlfresco.Thisis
possible using the Alfresco connector built into Bonita Open Solution. The Alfresco
connectors allow saving and retrieval of the efiles to and from the Alfresco document
serverwhichcanalsoruninparallelwiththeBOSworkflowserver.

4. Summary
BPM directly addresses the need for a project tracking system that can be implemented without
intensiveITsupport.Inthiscasestudy,welookedspecificallyathowaprocessimplementedwith
BonitaOpen Solutionisusedtotrack SixSigmaprojects,butthisexample canbeusefultoother
projectswhichuseastandardmilestoneplanningandexecutionframework.
Project tracking can be automated, where project management methodology has
standardized milestones and progressive phases as is the case for the process flow of Six
SigmaDMAIC.
Withitseasytocreatewebforms,formobjects,datamapping,andstatusdashboards,we
were able to use Bonita Open Solution to achieve an effective solution which uses Zero
CodingandcantrulybeconsideredasRapidApplicationDevelopment(RAD).
ITneedslesseffortandtimetocreateaneffective projecttrackingsystemasitdoesnot
requiredprogrammingeverythingfromthegroundup.
Implementationofprojecttrackingcanbedoneincrementally,startingwithworkflowand
forms and then adding extensions such as reports and dashboards, dynamic reminders,
documentmanagement,andsoon.Notonlyisthisincrementalapproachlessriskyforthe
enterprise,italsoresultsinasolutionwhichisverycosteffectivewhen comparedtothe
alternativeofacquiringanofftheshelfprojecttrackingsolution.

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