DMAIC Lean Six Sigma
Continuous improvement (DMAIC cycle) should be a priority for any company. However, if the advantages of implementing such a process are no longer to be demonstrated, it is not always easy to find the right method.
Lean Six Sigma is an approach that relies on the collaboration of teams to improve processes and therefore the company’s performance while eliminating waste. The performance that Lean aims to achieve is as much about productivity as it is about improving quality, deadlines, or reducing costs.
DMAIC is a powerful tool that follows naturally from Lean Six Sigma: in order to achieve its objectives of customer satisfaction, saving resources, protecting the environment, or improving working conditions, it is necessary to know and solve the problems encountered. This is where DMAIC comes in: by analyzing precisely the problem to be solved and by identifying the most efficient solution to solve it.
DMAIC is a problem-solving methodology that drives Lean Six Sigma and it’s used to improve business performance. It has five distinct stages: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Its main goal is to improve existing process problems with unknown causes.
Define
The first step is to identify problem areas in the process, to observe a problem, or to identify potential areas for improvement to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the company. Here are some questions usually asked at this stage: What part of the overall process is the problem? Is the problem serious? Is it a problem that needs to be addressed immediately? The company should not only define the problems and their scope but also look at the structure of the organization and the responsibilities of its members. It is also during this phase that it is necessary to define the objectives to be put in place and the teams that will be in charge of the project, as well as the resources and tools allocated to tackle the problem.
Measure
The next phase consists of gathering different types of information to better evaluate the company’s current situation with the help of figures and data, allowing better quantification of the problem and a better comparison of results throughout the project. This step consists of using tools to evaluate the processes in a precise manner using variables, statistics, and cause & effect relationships. It is important to gather relevant and accurate data because poor measurements could have serious repercussions on the analysis and the other phases of the DMAIC.
Analyze
This phase is fundamentally related to the previous one, as it consists of a detailed study of the measurements obtained in the second phase. Six Sigma relies heavily on the analysis of numbers and statistics, and this analysis phase allows the newly obtained measurements to be used to better understand the source of the problems, whether they are delays, inefficiencies, a too high defect rate…
Improve
Once the causes of the problem have been defined, it is then necessary to move on to the problem resolution phase, which is crucial and particularly complex. Indeed, problems vary from one company to another. It is, therefore, necessary to improve or innovate, which requires creativity, co-creation, reflection, and expertise. Identifying a problem may be easy, but innovating to solve those same problems can be much more complex.
Control
This phase ensures that innovations and improvements are implemented correctly. It is important to ensure that a follow-up system is in place to keep track of the evolution of new methods and to make corrections if necessary. The data obtained during the second phase of “Measurement” can also be used to compare the new results obtained and thus determine if the implemented solutions are really effective. Moreover, new methods are implemented but a few weeks or months later, we observe a return to the initial situation due to a lack of follow-up and control.
THE VSM
What is the VSM
The VSM: Value Stream Mapping is the Lean Management tool that will allow to visually list, by groups, all the activities (processes), those with added value (VA) and those with non-added value (NVA).
The VSM is also called: Value Chain, Material and Information Flow Mapping (by Toyota).
When should I use it?
Remember that a tool must be used to find an answer to a question and must not be used “because I was told about it” or “it’s part of my toolbox, so let’s use it!
In the case of the VSM, the question could be “in my activity X: (example invoicing), what is the part of added value and what is the part of non added value when invoicing a customer? This question can be used for all types of activities/processes of an organization.
Who is concerned?
The construction of a VSM will be done with all the actors concerned by each phase of the activity, on which we will want to observe and understand the flow. It will be a collaborative work led by the person in charge of the activity who will have to remain neutral and listen to the participants’ remarks. It is often considered very difficult.
One of the main principles of Lean management is to accept that the best people to talk about something are those who actually do it, in spite of the hierarchical level.
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