DMAIC

This structure of problem solving forces the users to focus on what the root cause of a problem is while staying within the bounds of the project. The following is a more detailed description of the objectives in each phase of DMAIC:

 

Define

  • Establish the Project Charter
  • Define the scope of the project including the objectives, timeline and budget.
  • Outline the high level process under consideration in the project scope.
  • Identify the project stakeholders
  • Select the project team members
  • Get the go ahead from the project sponsor.
  • Train the members of the project team in Lean Six Sigma in preparation for the start of the project.
 

Measure

  • Gain a detailed understanding of the process, the process inputs, and results.
  • Decide on a measurement strategy to measure the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the process.
  • Capture the current state of the process and quantify the outputs. Compare these outputs to the known requirements of the customer.
  • Evaluate the measurement system and the process which captures the data. This ensures that the data collected is valid and not influenced by an inaccurate or biased measurement system.
 

Analyze

  • Analyze the value stream or process to identify ways to meet the standards of the customer (given that the current state of the process was failing to meet customer standards).
  • Find and analyze any sources of variation in the process. These variations can contribute to poor quality of the process outputs.
  • Determine which inputs to the process have the most significant effect on the output.
  • Identify a benchmark of a similar product or service to compare results to. Improve
  • Identify a benchmark of a similar product or service to compare results to. Improve
  • Design and implement a solution to the problems found in the previous phases (Measure and Analyze).
 

Control

  • Verify that the changes put in place through the Six Sigma project meet the objectives of the project.
  • Develop a plan to control the process with the new changes.
  • Implement the control plan.
  • Document any lessons learned from the current project so that they can be referenced in future Six Sigma projects.