Define Matrix

In the Define phase, the activities, objectives and tools that will be used to finding the CTQ are drawn by the Define Matrix bellow.

Six Sigma Breakthrough: DMAIC

Six Sigma can be used to creating the improvement of the business process. Output of our process sometimes influenced by some factors that measurable or not, predictable or not predictable. This process we can illustrate as the Functional Mathematics Y = f(X’s)
Y -> Output (Customer), Value, Result, Effect, Symptom, Depended Variable X’s -> Causes, Factor, Input, Problem, Independent Variable













To solve the problem by using Six Sigma, commonly steps in Six Sigma activities are DMAIC (Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control).

Why “Six”?? Achievement 99% Enough?

Our Next question is Why use Six as the target of Six Sigma Activities? As the main goal of Six Sigma are creating errors or defects 3.4 per millions. This number compared by its success (999,996.6 devices) is too small or near to Zero or perfect condition. That’s why this condition wants to be achieved and implemented in our organization process. For more objectives, in the Six Sigma activities we use σ (Sigma)-level to reflect our process capability. Based on the statistical research shown that 3.4 defects/error per million equal if our process capacity reach 6 Sigma Level. Detail defect compared with its Sigma Level will shown table bellow.

Refer to illustration above, indicated that 99% accurate in process is not enough to become world class organization. If our process capability have got 99% (refer to 3s) we still have a big number of errors / failures / defects. Only if we reach Six “s” we can reduce the process in small error.

Other Six Sigma Team Members

** Quality Leader / Manager
To ensure the success of a Six Sigma project, the champions need to be backed by a motivated team whose members act as driving forces for the implementation of new processes.
The Quality Leader or Manager is responsible for representing the needs of the customer and improving the operational effectiveness of the organization.

** Master Black Belt
another team member, the Master Black Belt, typically provides the technical leadership in a Six Sigma project. This position also involves examining a specific area within the organization and coaching other in the Six Sigma methodology. The area may be a functional area, such as human resources, or a process-specific area, such as order processing.

** Process Owner
Process Owners are the individuals responsible for a specific process. For instance, the Vice President of the Legal department would be the Process Owner of the processes followed in the Legal department.

** Black Belt
Black Belt is technically oriented individuals who lead quality projects and work full time on them. They are usually familiar with computer usage and data analysis techniques.

** Green Belt
Employee trained in Six Sigma who complete projects and provide project status data to the Six Sigma team are called Green Belt. They perform their regular work responsibilities in addition to their responsibilities as Green Belt. They are also capable of taking their projects from concept to completion.

Champion Attributes

*) Authoritative
To implement a Six Sigma project successfully, a champion must be authoritative, open-minded, and persuasive.
Being authoritative enables a champion to make organizational divisions adopt or 'buy in' to the Six Sigma initiative. The position of authority also enables a champion to make manpower other resources available to organizational divisions.

*) Open-minded
Champions should also be open-minded to view disagreements with a team-member or an employee from that persons perspective. This often requires the champion to understand the problems of team members and other employees and suggest solutions.

*) Persuasive
Implementing Six Sigma often means a change in working methods for all employees leading to resistance to the Six Sigma initiative. The champion needs to be persuasive to increase employee 'buy-in'.
The champion also needs to be persuasive to get management support for the initiative.

Understanding the Factors Affecting the Selection of a Champion

The department heads in an organization would not be good candidates for the champion role because of their unfamiliarity with cross-functional issues. However, a Vice President fits well in the role because of his or her deep understanding of cross-fictional issues and access to the senior management of the company.

Factor Affecting the Selection of a Champion

There are a number factors we should consider when selecting a champion. A champion should be familiar with the cross-functional issues and their relevance to the existing processes. The champion should have a deep understanding of Six Sigma and be committed to its success in the organization. The champion should also be capable of communicating Six Sigma initiatives at every opportunity.

The Six Sigma Champion

The leader of the Six Sigma team is referred to as the 'Champion'. The champion acts as the project sponsor and interfaces between user departments and senior management.
These functions require the champion to be a part of the senior management of a company, usually the ECO or a Vice President.

The Six Sigma Project Team

We create a Six Sigma project team by selecting member that have deep process knowledge from all levels of the organization. A Six Sigma project team usually comprises a Champion, a Quality Leader, a Master Black Belt, a Process Owner, Black Belts, and Green Belts. It isn't always necessary to involve all these members, especially in smaller company, or in an initial improvement effort, but the functions of each role should be present and defined.

Key success implementing Six Sigma in the organization

Key success implementing Six Sigma in the organization must be have a good system and good methodology.

1.       Top Down procedure

The Concept Six Sigma working must be known first and directed by the Top Management of the organization. Six Sigma cannot work properly without good awareness by the Top. They must be active in controlling, creating system review (champion review/project review), and awarding system by the Top also good knowledge of Top about Six Sigma content itself. By developing awareness and controlling Six Sigma activities by Top, will be pursue the whole six sigma process activities in the organization (Down activities). General Electric success implementing six sigma because of the Top (Jack Welch) have good knowledge about six sigma and provide good leadership in the six sigma activities. Jack Welch always publicizes the policy periodically. That is the Power.

2.       Must be involved all member of the organization

In the organization usually consist of many process of business. In example, Manufacturing process not only has business in manufacture, but also has a services process business. Six Sigma must be implemented in all business process. Its mean that all member must be participate on Six Sigma activities. Involving all member to conduct Six Sigma must be facilitate by organization policies, such as providing training program about concept six sigma regularly, project based on six sigma, evaluation system performance of member. In Some Organization have a system evaluation performance based on six sigma activities that supported certification system.

3.       Global Standard of the Organization

To create good and deep awareness of six sigma activities, we must create global standard of the organization. Six sigma must be become the common language of organization process (CTQ, Sigma Level, Capability process, etc…) or all process drawn by variation, or reporting system by six sigma steps is the example how to standardize six sigma in the whole organization activities. Therefore, organization must be often to create the case study. Some company practice the six sigma system by creating project personal, everyone must be creating a project six sigma in their area. Besides it will be culturing six sigma in the organization also will develop the organization knowledge.

Any business uses a number of processes for its operations. Improving many of these may lead to significant measurable gains. However, we must select a small number of these processes for improvement in a Six Sigma project.

A Six Sigma project is a team effort. We create an implementation team and clearly define specific designation as wess as job responsibilities for team members. We should also obtain complete commitment from senior management for allocation of adequate manpower and other resources.

How does Six Sigma Works?

Six Sigma can be applied in many fields of business. Design, Services, Sales, Manufacturing, etc have the own six sigma steps and process (DFSS: Design for Six Sigma).

In the Manufacturing field usually use the Six Sigma Manufacture with its DMAIC (Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control). The Manufacturing Six Sigma focuses on assuring the quality in manufacturing process, improvement in serious problem, monitoring of CTQ, etc.

R&D with the R&D Six Sigma commonly uses the steps IDOV (Identify – Design – Optimize – Verify) to perform the Six Sigma Projects. This type used for designing and developing new process/products as the fulfilling the customer need. R&D Six Sigma activities involve election of

CTQ to fulfill the customer need, determining the tolerance of part spec, cost down product development, quality assurance of products capability, etc.

Beside both type of Six Sigma, the Transactional Six Sigma as the one kind of type that performs in Sales/Services areas. Usually cases in Transactional Six Sigma are Cost improvement, improving cycle time and accuracy of products need by customer, etc.

What are the Six Sigma Activities?

Six Sigma is the way how to maximize the outcome and aim to customer satisfaction by applying all possible methods of organization. Some organizations use the Six Sigma method as the main way to get the success.

Our processes sometimes are not accurate with our target that opportune to make errors. Or, if we calculated our process in average there are matches with our target but have a big variance. I.e. we will make a dress and cut the clothes in 7 inch length. Some process cut it less than 7 inch, but some machine cut it more than 7 inch. These matters are often occurring in our organization process and we need to reduce it or eliminate it.

The Main concept of Six Sigma is how the reducing the variation in the process and shifting the process to the target.

The Implementation Six Sigma as the Strategy of Business.
Implementing Six Sigma as the Business Strategy to seize the success should be involved some activities.

  1. Six Sigma is a Statistical Measurement

As the statistical measurement, Six Sigma will provide us the information about our process or products/services whether it’s good or not.  This information can help us to determine the next improvement step to fulfill the customer satisfaction totally.

  1. Six Sigma is a Improvement Tools

Six Sigma give the option of Statistical Tools from defining problem to improvement action comprehensively and can be applied in all condition such as in Design, Manufacture Process, sales, services, etc…

  1. Six Sigma as the Business Strategy

By reducing variation and good process match by the target will give the advantages for the organization reducing the wastes, and improving profits by creating high quality and innovative products that customer needed.

  1. Six Sigma is a Philosophy

Six Sigma itself will be success if reach level of Management and Culture Philosophy.

1.       6σ does not mean only absolute work but Smart work efficiently.  By its method, six sigma provide steps structurally that guide the person to get the goal clearly and effectively.

2.       100PPM is to cut the trunk of weed; 6σ is to extract the root of weed. This statement same that 99% of accuracy is enough? Six sigma concepts are how to achieve the process in 3.4 defects per million closer in perfect zero.

3.       6σ is Top Down management of field. Many innovation activities are failed because of Lack of leadership of Manager (17% - Survey of 100 enterprises). To create the result form the bottom-line, we must know the direction of the six sigma activities in the organization. Top Management must be aware and directly practice, control, and strength monitoring in the six sigma activities before asking the bottom line to do it.

4.       6σ is Common Language of our organization. By using six sigma system of organization role, expecting six sigma will be automatically become the language of any activities in the organization.

History of Six Sigma

The roots of Six Sigma as a measurement standard can be traced back to Carl Frederick Gauss (1777-1855) who introduced the concept of the normal curve. Six Sigma as a measurement standard in product variation can be traced back to the 1920's when Walter Shewhart showed that three sigma from the mean is the point where a process requires correction. Many measurement standards (Cpk, Zero Defects, etc.) later came on the scene but credit for coining the term "Six Sigma" goes to a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith. (Incidentally, "Six Sigma" is a federally registered trademark of Motorola).

In the early and mid-1980s with Chairman Bob Galvin at the helm, Motorola engineers decided that the traditional quality levels -- measuring defects in thousands of opportunities -- didn't provide enough granularity. Instead, they wanted to measure the defects per million opportunities. Motorola developed this new standard and created the methodology and needed cultural change associated with it. Six Sigma helped Motorola realize powerful bottom-line results in their organization - in fact, they documented more than $16 Billion in savings as a result of our Six Sigma efforts.

Since then, hundreds of companies around the world have adopted Six Sigma as a way of doing business. This is a direct result of many of America's leaders openly praising the benefits of Six Sigma. Leaders such as Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal (now Honeywell), and Jack Welch of General Electric Company. Rumor has it that Larry and Jack were playing golf one day and Jack bet Larry that he could implement Six Sigma faster and with greater results at GE than Larry did at Allied Signal. The results speak for themselves.

Six Sigma has evolved over time. It's more than just a quality system like TQM or ISO. It's a way of doing business. As Geoff Tennant describes in his book Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services: "Six Sigma is many things, and it would perhaps be easier to list all the things that Six Sigma quality is not. Six Sigma can be seen as: a vision; a philosophy; a symbol; a metric; a goal; a methodology." We couldn't agree more.