Six Sigma

  
Developed by Motorola in 1987, popularized by General Electric, Six Sigma drives breakthrough quality improvement by reducing variation. It is also a strategic tool for developing products and technologies, linked with the 'voice' of customer. It is being used in a broad range of industry and service organizations as a framework for quality improvement.

Starting with manufacturing, today Six Sigma is being used in industries such as Banking, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Insurance, Government, Construction, Healthcare, and Education.

Bank of America has used Six Sigma for credit risk assessment reduction, fraud prevention, and customer satisfaction improvement, etc. Bank of America's Six Sigma initiative resulted in benefits of more than US$2 billion; and increased customer satisfaction by 25%.

Mk4 uses the two base Six Sigma methodologies DMAIC and DMADV.
We use DMAIC to improve an existing business process. DMADV is used to create new product/service designs or process designs in such a way that it results in a more predictable, mature and defect free performance. Sometimes a DMAIC project may turn into a DFSS project because the process in question requires complete redesign to bring about the desired degree of improvement.

The DMAIC methodology consists of the following five phases:

  • Define; formally define the process improvement goals that are consistent with customer demands and enterprise strategy.
  • Measure; to define baseline measurements on current process for future comparison. Map and measure process in question and collect required process data.
  • Analyse; to verify relationship and causality of factors. What is the relationship? Are there other factors that have not been considered?
  • Improve; optimize the process based upon the analysis using techniques like Design of Experiments.
  • Control; setup pilot runs to establish process capability, transition to production and thereafter continuously measure the process and institute control mechanisms to ensure that variances are corrected before they result in defects.
  

The DMADV Basic methodology consists of the following five phases:

  • Define: formally define the goals of the design activity that are consistent with customer demands and enterprise strategy.
  • Measure: identify CTQs, product capabilities, production process capability, risk assessment, etc.
  • Analyze: develop and design alternatives, create high-level design and evaluate design capability to select the best design.
  • Design: develop detail design, optimize design, and plan for design verification. This phase may require simulations.
  • Verify: design, setup pilot runs, implement production process and handover to process owners.

Mk4 provides a broad range of improvement services and uses a number of tools to measure variances in the systems, processes, structure and people, see TOOLS.
Improvement extends across the organisation and we are uniquely positioned to help implement corrective actions in the form of;
 

• Process improvements
• Structured learning
• Motivational programs
• Supply chain adjustments

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