IMPROVING THE WAY ORGANIZATIONS RUN

The

Design
for
Six
Sigma
MEMORY
JOGGER™
Tools and
Methods for
Robust
Processes
and Products

Dana Ginn
Oriel Incorporated
Evelyn Varner
Vital Statistics Incorporated

First Edition
GOAL /QPC
The Design for Six Sigma Memory Jogger ™
© 2004 by GOAL/QPC.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any part of this publication without the
written permission of GOAL/QPC is prohibited.
Six Sigma is a federally registered trademark of Motorola, Inc.

Oriel, Inc.
Dana Ginn, Writer
Evelyn Varner, Writer
Barbara Streibel, Writer
Christine Jersild, Project Manager

GOAL/QPC
Daniel Picard, Editor
Michele Kierstead, Cover Design, Graphics, and Layout
Bob Page, Project Manager

GOAL/QPC
12B Manor Parkway, Salem, NH 03079-2862
Toll free: 800-643-4316 or 603-893-1944
Fax: 603-870-9122
E-mail: service@goalqpc.com
Web site: www.goalqpc.com
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 1-57681-047-X
 Table of Contents
Foreword ........................................................................ iv

Six Sigma Overview ....................................................... 1

The DMADV Methodology ......................................... 21

Define .............................................................................. 25

Measure .......................................................................... 59

Analyze ......................................................................... 121

Design ........................................................................... 155

Verify ............................................................................. 235

Appendix ...................................................................... 257

 How to Use this Book
The Design for Six Sigma Memory Jogger™ is designed to
be a learning and performance support resource that
will help all members of your team understand the
sequence of activities in the DMADV process and learn
how to perform each step and substep in the process.
To achieve these objectives and help you understand
how all of this information fits together, we have created
a number of features for this book, including:
• A flowchart and unique numbering system for the
major DMADV process steps and substeps. (The
complete flowchart is shown in The DMADV
Methodology chapter, and sections of the flowchart
are shown again as each major step is introduced.)
• A matrix that describes the major steps, the tools
used to execute the steps, and the major outputs of
each step. (The matrix is also included as part of
The DMADV Methodology chapter.)
The individual chapters of the book explain each of the
DMADV process steps in detail. The tools you will use
to complete each step or substep can be identified by a
toolbox icon at the beginning of each tool section, and
are set off from the text by a blue background, to make
them easier to locate. (Tools that are “nested” within
other tool sections are set off on a white background.)
In addition, the Appendix to this book includes:
• A resource section with text and web-based re-
sources for many of the highly detailed, industry-
specific tools that are, unfortunately, beyond the
scope of this book.
• A sigma conversion chart, for quick reference.
• A section on Storyboards, for convenience.
We hope you find this information useful on your
journey to excellence!
 D
M
A
Six Sigma
D Overview
V

What is Six Sigma?

Sigma is a statistical concept that represents the
amount of variation present in a process relative to
customer requirements or specifications. The higher
the sigma level, the better the process is performing
relative to customer requirements.

Too much Hard to produce output Low sigma

variation within customer requirements values (0–2)
(specifications)
Moderate Most output meets customer Middle sigma
variation requirements values (2–4.5)

Very little Virtually all output meets High sigma

variation customer requirements values (4.5–6)
(less than 4 defects per mil-
lion opportunities)

To increase the sigma level of a process, you must

decrease the amount of variation and make sure that
the process is targeted appropriately. Decreased
variation provides:
• Greater predictability in the process.
• Less waste and rework, which lowers costs.
• Products and services that perform better and
last longer.
• Happier customers who value you as a supplier.

©2004 GOAL/QPC Six Sigma Overview 1

Estimates place the quality levels of key processes in
successful businesses today within the three- to four-
sigma range. But an entire world operating at a four-
sigma level would incur:
• At least 20,000 wrong drug prescriptions dis-
pensed per year.
• Ninety-six crashes per 100,000 airline flights.
• Unsafe drinking water for almost one hour each
month.
• No telephone service or television transmission
for nearly ten minutes each week.
However, when a process operates at a six-sigma
level, the variation is so small that the resulting
products and services are 99.9997% defect free. A
world operating at a six-sigma level would be much
safer, with far fewer errors than the ones listed above.
In addition to being a statistical measure of variation,
the term Six Sigma also refers to a business philosophy
that says an organization is committed to
understanding and providing what its customers
need, by analyzing and improving its business
processes to meet those needs. The organization has
set a level of six sigma (no more than 3.4 defects per
million opportunities [DPMO]) as a quality goal for
the products and services it provides to its customers.
Note: Six Sigma is commonly denoted in several
different ways—as 6 σ , 6 Sigma, or 6s. In this book,
we will use the generic terms sigma or process sigma
to refer to the current capability of a process (i.e.,
how well the process is performing relative to
customer specifications).

2 Six Sigma Overview ©2004 GOAL/QPC

ures for the design, a rapidly changing en-
vironment, a tendency for the project scope to extend
beyond the initial project boundaries, changing
resource availability, complexity, and unproven or
new technologies.
The task of identifying known and potential risks
and defining a plan to reduce, minimize, or eliminate
these risks is referred to as mitigating risks. Use a risk
management plan to mitigate the risks associated
with your design project.

Risk
Ma

an
Pl

a
n

ge t
What is it? m en
A risk management plan includes a categorization of
known and potential risks and a plan to address
those risks.

Why use it?

To mitigate any foreseen risk associated with
the design project. Failure to recognize and
address a significant risk could jeopardize an
entire project.

How do I do it?
1. Brainstorm a list of all known and potential
risks.
2. Categorize the risks by their probability of
occurrence and their impact on the project.
• The probability of a risk impacting a project
ranges from “green light” to “red light.”

©2004 GOAL/QPC Define 53

 Assessing the Probability
and Impact of Risks

Yellow Light: Red Light: Red Light:

High
Probability of Occurrence

Proceed Address before Do not

with caution proceeding proceed
Medium

Yellow Light: Yellow Light: Red Light:

Proceed Proceed Reassess
with caution with caution project

Green Light: Yellow Light: Red Light:

Low

Proceed Proceed Address

with caution before
proceeding

Low Medium High

Impact on Project

3. For each risk in the yellow or red category,

determine when and how you will address the
risk in the design process.
• Different responses are appropriate based
on the perceived severity of the risk. Risks
in the yellow category can be addressed
further downstream in the design process,
but you must address risks in the red
category before proceeding further. (Not all
risks in the red category result in termination
of the project but some action must be taken
now.) Convert all risks in the red category
to yellow or green before proceeding to the
next major step in the project.

54 Define ©2004 GOAL/QPC

 Deliverables:
5 1 ❑ Project charter
Verify Define Define:

58 Define
Develop a clear definition ❑ Project plan
4 2 of the design project ❑ Organizational change plan
Design Measure
3 ❑ Risk management plan
Analyze
❑ Storyboard presentation

• What is the problem or opportunity you are trying to address?

• What is the specific process, product, or service you are (re)designing?
• What are the strategic drivers for the project?
• Why is the DMADV method right for this project?
• What is the scope of the project?
• What is the project timeline and completion date?
• Are additional team resources needed?
• What are the major risks associated with the project? How will these risks be addressed?
• How will you ensure the organization embraces and supports changes resulting from the design?
• What barriers have you encountered?
The Define Tollgate Review Form

• Is your project plan on track?

• What are your key learnings from the Define step?
• What are your next steps?

©2004 GOAL/QPC
 D

Measure
A Customer
D Requirements
V

Why do it?
To translate the Voice of the Customer (VOC) into CTQs.

Tools used in this step:

• The Customer Segmentation Tree
• The Data Collection Plan
• Customer research tools:
- Interviews
- Contextual Inquiry
- Focus Groups
- Surveys
• The Voice of the Customer Table
• Affinity Diagrams
• The Kano Model
• Performance Benchmarking
• The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Matrix
• The CTQ Risk Matrix
• The Multistage Plan
• Tollgate Review Forms

Outputs of this step:

• Prioritized CTQs
• Updated risk managment plan and multistage
©2004 GOAL/QPC Measure 59