Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

Lean Six Sigma Certification

• Green Belt Certification course offered
• Topics covered include the Define phase of the DMAIC model, applied projects, and Lean Six Sigma methodology

DMAIC Model

• Define phase:
  • Launch team establishment
  • Project charter creation
  • Identifying customer needs
  • Planning for change
• Measure phase:
  • Documenting the process
  • Collecting baseline data
  • Narrowing project focus
• Analyze phase:
  • Analyzing data
  • Identifying the root cause
• Improve phase:
  • Generating solutions
  • Evaluating solutions
  • Implementing solutions
• Control phase:
  • Controlling the process
  • Validating project benefits

Define Phase: Road Map for Improvement Projects

• Identify standards, metrics, objectives, and customer problems
• Result: Problem statement and project plan
• Maintain, monitor, and control variation
• Result: Control plan
• Plan, apply, and deploy improvement tools
• Result: Reduced variation and improved performance
• Map and measure the process
• Result: Good quality data collection
• Organize and analyze data
• Result: Identify failure modes, variation sources, and root causes

Define Phase: Key Concepts

• Activities:
  • Identify customer problems and draft the problem statement
  • Identify performance standards (CTQs)
  • Identify improvement objectives (Goals)
  • Develop high-level process maps
  • Identify the customer (define their needs)
  • Link problem to key business drivers
• Tools/Deliverables:
  • Project Charter
  • Team Charter
  • SIPOC Diagram
  • Voice of the customer

Overview of the Define Phase

• What is the Define step?
  • Identify the product/process to be improved
  • Define the project: Purpose, scope, background info on the process and customers
  • Secure resources for the improvement project
• Why is the Define phase important?
  • Sets expectations for the improvement project
  • Keeps the focus on customer requirements
• What are the outputs of the Define step?
  • Project Charter: Purpose, goals, resources, boundaries
  • Well-defined problem/opportunity statement: Impact, effect on organization, timeline
  • High-level process map (SIPOC): Displays major process events
  • Voice of the Customer data: Customer needs & perceptions

What We Will Cover in the Define Phase

• Project Charter
• Project Teams
• Stakeholders
• High-level Process Flow
• Voice of the Customer (VOC)

Defining a Project

• Projects require explicit definition before applying process excellence tools
• Project definition clarifies purpose, objectives, goals, boundaries, and timeline
• Poorly defined projects:
  • May not deliver expected results
  • Lose focus and credibility
  • May not receive management support

Project Charter

• Agreement between management and team members on project expectations
• First step in Lean Six Sigma methodology
• Can make or break a project by defining resources and boundaries; ensuring focus, effectiveness, and motivation
• Can be considered a contract between project team and executive team

Project Charter – Ongoing Process

• Project charters often evolve as the project progresses
• Review charters after data collection/verification and DMAIC phase completion
• Be flexible and willing to revise based on findings

Choosing a Project

• Evaluate a project's alignment with team control, team member participation in activity/process/operation, process owner/sponsor support, and supportable business case.
• Needs to have a definite time frame for schedule.

Project Charter (Template)

• Includes elements like problem statement, project definition/scope, team members, milestones/projected timeline

Project Charter - Additional Considerations

• Project value: Understanding the value of the project.
• Assumptions/concerns: Documenting sources and concerns
• Business case/ROI calculations: Savings estimations.
• Areas of concern: Discussing project characteristics.
• Next steps: Future actions needed

Problem Statement

• Defines the problem, its magnitude, trend, and baseline performance
• Specific, quantifies the issue, states effect/pain, defines defect.
• Doesn't include cause or solutions

Problem Statement Example (Good/Bad)

• Example statements demonstrating appropriate problem statement composition

Project Goal/Mission Statement

• States the project's goal & how much improvement is sought.
• Must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)
• Related to the problem identified

Project Goal: Good or Bad?

• Example project goals demonstrating efficacy and effectiveness of the statement

Project Scope

• Clearly describes the project boundaries (beginning and end points)
• Identifies what's within/outside team's area of influence
• Constrains, products, locations, etc.

Project Scope Example

• Example project scopes outlining specific boundaries

Stakeholder Analysis

• Identifies individuals, groups, or organizations impacted by the project
• Those with an interest in the project success, influencing and involved in the project

Types of Stakeholders

• Includes managers, process owners, project team, employees, upstream/downstream departments, customers, suppliers, and finance personnel

Stakeholder Analysis (Power-Interest Grid)

• Framework to asses stakeholders, categorize them by power and interest, and define appropriate engagement strategy for each

Identify Core Processes and Key Customers

• Identify critical day-to-day operational processes (HR, accounting, etc.) and associated customers

Voice of the Customer (VOC)

• Process of collecting customer needs and feedback for high-quality services/products
• Capturing stated and unstated needs/requirements
• Captured through discussions, surveys, focus groups, and customer specifications

VOC – Why It Is Important?

• Crucial for continuous improvement initiatives.
• Understanding diverse customer perspectives.
• Identifying external and internal customers.

Defining Customer Requirements

• Translating generic customer needs into specific critical-to-quality requirements (CTQs)
• Ensuring CTQs are precise, measurable, definable using a formula, as a project metric.

CTQ Example

• Example CTQ derived from customer feedback

CTQ to Metric Example

• Illustrating the link between a need (desired product characteristic), a CTQ, and a metric used to measure the characteristic.

The Right Voice of the Customer

• Illustrative representation of a good VOC process

Kano Model

• Overview of the Kano Model

All Work is Done in a Process

• Understanding work is a process that involves people. resources, and steps.

SIPOC Diagram

• Defines start and end, provides a 30,000-foot view of the process
• A process likely includes multiple suppliers, inputs, outputs, and customers
• Lists these in a specific manner

A SIPOC Diagram

• Details how suppliers, inputs, the process itself, outputs, and customers relate to define the elements of a process comprehensively in a thorough manner.

Expanded Process SIPOC Template

• Guidelines for using a SIPOC to understand process activities
• Steps for defining process boundaries and identifying critical points of the process

High Level SIPOC Example

• Example of a high-level SIPOC, showing the interrelation and inter-dependence of elements

High-Level Process (Activity) Map

• Diagram of sequential process steps
• Helps understanding actual processes and identifies variation causes

Process Step/ Operation Symbol

• Represents the step where entity changes due to work
• Also known as task, step, or operation

Decisions

• Symbols used for decision points with clear Yes/No options and branching paths

Decisions/Symbology

• Graphic illustration of the components of a decision flow.