In this article you will get an idea of tools of DMAIC. DMAIC is an approach used in improvement projects particularly, six sigma. We will discuss tools of DMAIC by phase. Most times these tools are also called tools of six sigma. Purpose of each tool is also discussed.
We have listed around 40 tools and its uses for DMAIC in this article. Read on….
In1986 an American engineer Bill Smith introduced Six Sigma while working for Motorola. Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques designed in order to improve business by reducing the chance of error. Six Sigma aims to improve quality by finding defects, determining their cause, and improving processes by reducing errors and increasing accuracy of process results.
Stages of DMAIC
DMAIC, set of few steps also known as methodologies of Six Sigma which helps in improving existing processes. It is the most common method associated with Six Sigma. Lets now study about steps and tools of DMAIC in detail.
Five phases of DMAIC.
- Define.
- Measure.
- Analyze.
- Improve.
- Control.
Tools used in the Define phase
Define phase: In this phase, we will create the outline of the project which includes what is the problem, why should we find a solution to this problem, a timeline of the project, expected benefits, expected implementation cost and who all to be included in this project, etc.
This is problem defining stage. Problems are identified which causes negative impact on the processes and needs to be corrected.
Various tools and their uses are listed in the below table.
| Tools used | Use |
| Business Case | This will properly communicate the purpose of improvement project. Particularly why this project? or what all benefits will we get after completing this project. |
| Project charter | The project charter (written document that records and summarizes the elements of the project) is developed to communicate overall summary of the project including project description, goal of the project, team members and schedules and targets. |
| SIPOC | SIPOC is diagram which communicates the information about the Suppliers, Input, Process, Outputs and Customers of a process. Hence we will have more data for arriving the solutions and chances of missing a solution or cause will be less. |
| VOC | Voice of Customer (VOC) represents the feedback or expectations or needs of customer about your product or services. |
| CTQ identification | Critical to Quality (CTQ) are the various factors of the output of the service or products which affects the satisfaction of the customer. CTQ is derived from VOC. For example: On time delivery of the courier service. In this example on time delivery is a CTQ. |
| CTQ specification table | This table lists all CTQs and its specification. For example delivery to be made within 1 minute tolerance from the committed time. |
Tools used in the Measure phase
Measure : In this step extent of issue or simply we can say magnitude of problem is measured. In other words, we can say that this a data collection step. We measure CTQs identified in the define phase.
There are various tools we use in measure phase. Lets have a look at few of them.
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