by Helium01

Created on: August 01, 2010

Six sigma is a leading edge quality standard. A six sigma project is done to improve a process or product to meet or maintain the six sigma quality standard. A six sigma control plan is done to ensure that the changes made to improve the process or product stay in effect.

What is the six sigma process?

Six sigma is the quality goal of having 3.4 defects or fewer per 1,000,000 products. Six sigma can also be measured per million opportunities for a defect to occur, such as a million assembly steps or a million computer transactions. Six sigma projects use the DMAIC methodology. DMAIC stands for define, measure, analyze, improve and control.

What is the define step?

The define step is used to select the objective of the project. This is the problem to be resolved by the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) process. There may be multiple problems on the assembly line or several issues to resolve. The define step is when one problem is selected to be solved.

What is the measure step?

The measure step involves measuring the current process or product as it is. It is essential to know the current operational flow before changing it. The statistical process output of the process should also be determined so that the defect rate and its variance are known.

What is the analyze step?

The analyze step involves finding the root cause of the defined problem. Finding the root causes requires cause and effect analysis of all possible factors that could be causing the problem to be solved. The root causes are then analyzed, thus identifying those root causes with the greatest impact on the defined problem.

What is the improve step?

The improve step involves the planned modifications to the process or product to eliminate or mitigate the root causes that are causing the defects. This step may involve manufacturing process changes, replacing equipment, tightening inspection intervals or changing the materials used.

What is the control step?

The control step involves monitoring the changed process or product to ensure the changes made stay in effect and are not undone by stakeholders. It also involves verifying that new problems do not arise because of the changes. This is when the control plan is put in place.

What happens in a control plan?

A control plan may specify statistical sampling of product to ensure the new quality standard is met. It may involve continuous user training on new processes. It can involve system audits or process reviews.

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