What is Six Sigma System?
Six sigma system is the specialized package of six sigma methodology, lean manufacturing programs and consulting services. Six sigma system rely on quality results of the products or services to meet the customer satisfaction, through better quality faster. The programs are set to meet the needs of the clients. The application of six sigma system depends on the business goals, opportunities and organizational landscape. It is on the basis of these three factors, six sigma system is designed and customized. Six sigma system always try to meet the industry standard through the practice of six sigma and lean manufacturing principals. According to six sigma system, the measurement of success is been measured on the client’s success and not on the number of clients or people trained, in six sigma system.
The implementation of six sigma system is mainly done in the area of business process improvement. the establishment of Kanban systems by the six sigma system has reorganized product flow at various manufacturers.
Six Sigma Methodology:
The purpose and the origin of the process six sigma is the result of need for business improvement through customer satisfaction, reduced costs, production of high quality products with less defects and increased profits. Hence the fundamental aim of the six sigma methodology is the implementation of a systematically based measurement strategy focusing the improvement process. Within this improvement aspects the six sigma methodology includes the responsibilities of the improving the team, helping the team in identifying the process, the defects and the corresponding measurements. It is because of this wide range of flexibility in quality improvement, six sigma methodology toolkit is the best existing software process implementation.
Six sigma implements the quality improvement process through the application of six sigma improvement projects. These projects are accomplished with the help of the use of two six sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC & DMADV.
DMAIC method: the six sigma methodology is consisted of five steps which includes Defining, Measuring, Analyzing, Improvement and Controlling. DMAIC involves in the improvement of an existing business process. Here the six sigma methodology deals with defining of the process improvement needed for setting the goals on the basis of customer demands and the enterprise strategy. Once the goal defining is done the project conductors are asked to measure the current strategy of the process or the work done and then to collect the data for the future comparisons. The third step is of analyzing the relationship between the cause (data) and with the result and defining it, making sure that all factors involved are taken into consideration. The fourth step follows the analysis report, by providing with sufficient improvements using the techniques like Design of Experiments. It should be ensured that all the variances are corrected before it result it defects. This is done through the controlling of the process, which is the final step in six sigma process of systematical improvement of the process.
DMAIC Six sigma leader roles are to establish the selection criteria of the project, approving the projects, selecting the project leaders, providing the resources and training, reviewing the Black Belt and Green Belt projects monthly, ensuring the communication process, reviewing the entire process every 3-6 months, establishing and linking the rewards with the performances, and finally being accountable for the success of the effort.
DMADV methods: as in the DMAIC method, here also it has 5 steps like defining, measuring, analyzing, designing and verifying. DMADV method is used in creating a new product or process, setting designs for predicting and then ensuring defect-free performances. The method deals with the duties like defining the goals, which comes out form the designed activity which is related to the customer demands and enterprise strategy. Once the goals is defined out of the activity, measuring and identifying the quality, product capabilities, production process capability and risk assessments are done.
The third step of the method involves in the analyzing process for developing the designing alternatives, creating high level design, evaluating designs and selecting the best design. Then comes the step, where detailing about the design selected, optimizing the design, and setting plans for the verification of the designs. This step is required simulations. At the final step the design set is verified and the pilots are run. There by the production process is implemented and the process is hand over to the process owners.
Apart from the above said six sigma methods there are other designs for six sigma methodologies. They are:
CDOC – conceptualize, design, optimize, control
DCCDI – define, customer concept, design and implement
DCDOV- define, concept, design, optimize, verify
D-IDOV-M – define, identify, design, optimize, verify, monitor
DMADOV – define, measure, analyze, design, optimize and verify
DMAI C – define, measure, analyze, improve, implement, control
DMEDI – define, measure, explore, develop and implement
IDOV – identify, design, optimize and validate
I2DOV – invent, innovate, develop, optimize, validate
MEDIC – map and measure, explore and evaluate, define and describe, implement and improve, control and conform
VCPCIA – visualize, commit, prioritize, characterize, improve, achieve
Lean Manufacturing Programs:
The philosophy of lean manufacturing is derived from the “Toyota Production System”. Lean manufacturing is a generic process of management, for the production of goods through the removal of waste and implementing the flow. The operational strategy in lean manufacturing gives importance in the achievement of better production of goods that meet the customer’s satisfaction, through the process of shortest possible cycle time by eliminating waste and reducing incidental work. Lean manufacturing is a technique which helps in decreasing the time between the customer need and the shipment. It is designed in a way that there is a rapid improvement in the profit, gaining the customer satisfaction, reducing the production of time and sustaining the employee emotions. In general it is said that lean manufacturing is considered as a company’s “half human effort, the half manufacturing space, the half investment in tools and the half engineering hours for the development of a new product with in the half time scheduled”. It is clear that the benefits gained through the implementation of lean manufacturing is the lower costs, higher quality and shorter lead time for the production.
The characteristics of lean processes are:
-Single-piece production
-Repetitive order characteristics
-Just-in-time materials or pull scheduling
-Short cycle times
-Quick changeover
-Continuous flow work cells
-Collocated machines, equipment, tools and people
-Compressed space
Lean manufacturing approaches:
Lean manufacturing is used under two approaches. The first approach is used for the identification and the continuous elimination of the waste. It is clear that as the waste is being eliminated, the quality of the product improves, while the production time and cost is reduced. The second approach to lean manufacturing, is focusing on improving the “flow” of the work. By the word flow means, the smoothness of the work. in the second approach the focus is given in the smoothening of the work, through the system and not the waste reduction. The second approach was promoted by Toyota.
The difference between the two approaches lies not on the attainment of the goal, but achieving the goal at the first time itself. In the second approach, the smooth flow of the work helps in exposing the defects or the quality problems which is there in the work already. This exposing of the defects leads to the reduction of the waste naturally.
Consulting or Customer Service:
Six sigma system gives importance to customer service and customer satisfaction. The aim of six sigma system is to provide better quality products to make sure the customer satisfaction and services.