The most important factor in getting the relevant information is asking the right questions. The right questions help the respondents to understand it and answer accordingly.

Consider a situation where a help desk technician receives a call from a frantic customer saying she has spilled coffee onto a keyboard. The technician in this situation should think and dig deeper for more information about the keyboard. The technician then instructs the customer to clean it with water, as the keyboard is easily replaceable.

Within an hour, the technician receives a call from the customer’s manager, demanding to know who suggested putting water on an expensive brand new laptop. The technician in this situation should have asked for more information about the keyboard, such as the brand, its specifications and so forth.

When data collection is to be done for the purpose of a Six Sigma project, it is necessary to keep a few things in mind:

Simplicity

The most important thing to bear in mind is to keep your questions simple so that customers will understand them correctly and not misinterpret them. If you are using a form for data collection, design the form so that data is collected in a column format, similar to software spreadsheets.

This will help to prevent conversion or exporting problems later on.

Clarity

There should be clarity as to why you are collecting the data. You should develop good questions that relate to the information you need for the project. You should also be clear as to how you are going to use that data. An equally relevant factor to keep in mind is the fact that you have to decide how much data is needed and how much time you want to allocate to it.

Use the appropriate data analysis tools and make sure that the data you are collecting is in line with the requirements for those tools. You should the get accurate information from your respondents.

Inform the Respondent

Additionally, all respondents should also be informed about the reason that you are collecting the data, so that they respond accordingly. They will then not have any misunderstanding or fear about your intention when it comes to collecting that data.

Information about the Problem

If you are aware that factors such as location, shift, equipment, and suppliers are a part of the problem under consideration, ensure that you plan and develop the data collection form accordingly.

You do not want to miss out on any data and repeat your collection efforts, because your customers may not react positively the second time around.

Training

The data collectors should be well-trained on the guidelines to be followed for data collection. The training will be dependent upon the complexity of the data collection effort and the expertise of the individual collectors.

You can also conduct a trial run of the data collection plan to examine the teams’ understanding of the type of data expected. The results will help the team to refine the questions further and to pay special attention to missing information.

Simple Information

When it comes to data collection for Six Sigma, you should ensure that you are including additional space to collect information, such as the collector’s name and the time and date that the data was collected. Though this seems to be no-brainer, you never know when this information may be useful when analyzing the data collected. Any feedback needed would be easily available.

By keeping these simple, basic things in mind and planning for Six Sigma data collection, you will ensure that a similar story, like the IT Technician one above, does not happen. Asking the right questions is the key to perfect Six Sigma data collection.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

There are various factors that should be in place to ensure that a project is successful. For a project to succeed it has to be well-aligned with the business plan and the Black Belts should be adequately trained – along with the commitment of senior management and a connected Champion.

The champion is generally a person in a senior position like a senior manager or someone else who has the Six Sigma vision. They are in a position to resolve any issues that arise between the Black Belts and any other person in a higher position in the company.

The Champions act like buffers in any disagreements between the Black Belts and senior management. The Black Belts can then concentrate on their project area rather than be involved in disputes.

The deployment Champion has a support function within a line of business, customer segment or a core process team.

Business Interface

The Champions should be familiar with the technology being used in the various processes under consideration by the Black Belts for the project. They should avoid impeding into the processes and offering solutions. They have to ensure that the Six Sigma projects are aligned with the strategic business objectives.

Project reviews should be conducted to ensure that the project is moving along according to the plan, and that the results achieved as per the needs of the organization. From this, the Champion can also identify other areas for improvement.

Companies should use the Balance Score Card to apply metrics and measure the performance of the Champions.

Six Sigma Project Selection

Six Sigma project selection is an important function of the Champions. They should take it as an opportunity to improve the process. In project selection, again the key concern should be the alignment of the process to the objectives of the organization.

Six Sigma Pace Mediation

The Six Sigma Champions have to take the responsibility of pacing the deployment of the project. Sometimes, the Six Sigma provider or the internal experts who are responsible for the deployment tend to see completion of the project as the only metric of success. When a plan is made it should have goals, targeted at increasing the customer satisfaction.

Metrics should be set to decide on adjusting the project plans. The Champion should carry out thorough reviews of the project at various phases and provide appropriate support.

Otherwise, the Champion should allow the Black Belts to carry out the Six Sigma project and not redirect them unnecessarily.

Results Implementation

The Champion should not consider the Black Belts to be the only change agents; rather, the Champion should be the leader of change. If those in senior management believe in the change, then there will be quicker acceptability of the change.

Six Sigma Training

Training and assembling the right people to carry out a viable and fruitful Six Sigma project is the responsibility of the Champion. They Champion has to do it with determination, patience and conviction. They should also make the project fun to work on and ensure that the team doesn’t lose interest in the project until its completion.

The Champion is responsible for overall alignment of the Six Sigma project with the goals and objectives of the organization, facilitating the identification and prioritizing of the projects, establish the training plan, planning a communication strategy and removing barriers for the teams.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Without the acceptance of employees, Six Sigma process improvement is bound to fail. Resistance to change has to be anticipated by the Six Sigma project team.

Resistance may be shown by employees by ignoring the new process, disagreeing with the benefits, or criticizing the new tools or software applications.

Communication is the Key

Six Sigma team leaders must keep reminding employees of the vision of the organization. It helps to maintain employee morale and belief in the change process. Frequent communication about the positive results of any basic changes will help build up faith in change among employees.

When a company implements Six Sigma, some people will show resistance by ignoring the new process. Change agents can illustrate with examples the new processes being merged with the existing processes and giving better results. They can make the process impossible to ignore by linking it to annual reviews, incentives and appraisals.

Six Sigma Training Sessions

If employees are not trained properly and clearly on the new process, then they may resist, it considering it to be very difficult to implement. This will happen if they are accustomed and experienced with another process for a long time. Clear communication by way of newsletters and emails or discussions will make Six Sigma implementation a lot easier

One-on-one training is also a solution, as some people absorb changes better in a situation in such a setting. Allow them to ask the simplest questions about the change, so that they return satisfied about the need for the change and the relevance of the Six Sigma implementation.

By making checklists about the various factors and providing helpful guidance or quick references, the processes can be made much simpler to implement.

Feedback Mechanisms

The most common way of showing resistance is by way of criticizing the new applications or tools. Keep a feedback mechanism for tool enhancement and continuous improvement. This helps give a sense of ownership to employees, and an improvement makes their contribution visible.

Though it may not be implemented in the end, the participation of each employee is very relevant to their acceptance of the change.

Unless the benefits of the Six Sigma implementation are clear, there will be resistance to change. If there is concrete proof – by way of charts or sheets showing the success of the implementation – the acceptability of the process becomes simpler. You should have examples of success stories in hand before rolling out the new process.

Never grant any exceptions to any process that needs even a minimum change. This will lead to more exceptions being expected or desired by others, which will result in the ultimate resistance to change. Never allow putting off the Six Sigma implementation to a further date than planned. If the change is beneficial, implement the project at the earliest opportunity.

Do not react to resistance with surprise; Six Sigma team leaders should expect it and plan accordingly. Your efforts in resistance management will help you overcome the greatest hurdle in managing Six Sigma implementation resistance from employees and managers.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Six Sigma Black Belts act as change agents. They are looked upon as prospective leadership material in areas other than Six Sigma also. They are knowledgeable and skilled in the use of Six Sigma tools and methods.

When you are selecting Six Sigma Black Belt candidates, you need to look broadly at some of the attributes like the personal attributes of the candidate, Six Sigma training, technical ability, experience and aptitude.

Black Belts will typically have undergone four weeks of Six Sigma training and achieved proficiency in the subject matter.

Customer Promotion

Black Belts should be able to realize the importance of the customer to the success of the Six Sigma project and the growth of the organization as well, because the customers are the final word on the product and its quality.

They should be able to understand that the CTQs and customer needs are important for process improvement. They should be able to appreciate the elimination of the process variations for business improvement. In-depth knowledge of the process is also necessary.

Personal Attributes

The most important quality of a Black Belt is being able to motivate others on the fundamentals of Six Sigma projects. They should be self-motivated, with a positive personality. Sometimes they will need to show readiness for initiating a project, as well as showing the drive to continue even in the face of adversities.

Even if Black Belts are not in management positions, they should be able to inspire the Six Sigma team to accomplish their tasks on time. They should also be able to present complex ideas and theories in a simple, understandable manner.

They should enjoy doing their job as team leader as well as team member.

Leadership Qualities

Six Sigma Black Belts are also called “change agents”. They should be able to accomplish business changes and even be the initiators of changes in the existing system. They should also be able to achieve positive changes while countering resistance to change.

Black Belts are looked up to as business leaders. They should be able to display their ability to link Six Sigma projects to business growth. Black Belts also need to be able to manage Six Sigma projects from initial scope, requirements, and resources to variance viewpoints. Knowledge of project management fundamentals coming form experience is relevant.

They also have to be result driven. If Black Belts have experience in diverse fields, they will be able to appreciate most of the features of the project.

Good Communicators

The most important quality of Black Belts is being effective communicators, as they are often in the role of trainer, coach, mentor and change agent. They are also an important link between the line employees and executive management; and as such, they should have the skills to adapt themselves according to the target audience.

Six Sigma Black Belts should be able to express their ideas with the help of visual aids and they should equally be attentive to feedback from others. They should be able to motivate others to improve their skills, which is beneficial for each individual and the project as well.

Technical Aptitude

Though it is not necessary to have an engineering or statistical background, it is better to have at least some basic knowledge in these areas, because they are required to collect, analyze and determine the relevant data for further process improvement.

It is better if Black Belt candidates have some knowledge about computers, as they will be working on worksheets, databases, presentation tools and so on. They should also be able to pick up technical subject quickly.

These qualities will typically make for good Black Belts – and will lead to the success of Six Sigma implementation in any company.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Telephone Surveys

A telephone survey is a basic way to randomly select and carry out customer surveys. The sample generated can be generalized to an entire target population. A great example of this is if you want to carry out a survey of customers who have bought or have viewed a newly-launched product.

A standard questionnaire should be prepared and the interviewer makes phone calls to the customers and record the data on the basis of the information provided.

The data collected is very useful, but this method is expensive. Its success depends upon the accuracy of the questionnaire prepared. It will take a couple of weeks to get the information from the select group. The questions should be asked in a similar manner, the question wording should be the same and all the responses should be categorized.

Mail Surveys

Mail surveys can also provide companies with a substantial amount of data – and at a much lower cost than that on telephone surveys. However, mail surveys have a low response rate and can take quite a few months to complete. The lower the rate of response, the lower the reliability of the survey.

If you decide to do follow up with new letters and questionnaires, it will add on to the cost. A response rate of fifty percent is the lowest rate acceptable.

Focus Groups: In-Person

In the in-person focus group is a discussion carried out among 15-20 people who are lead by a moderator with a detailed discussion in the area on which information needs to be collected. The group cannot be generalized to the larger population, but a vast amount of data can be collected. Effective visual aids can be used for communication.

The discussion group can come up with the reasons for customer dissatisfaction and possible solutions to the problem. There are traveling costs of participants, charges on the location and so on to contend with. The entire process typically takes a week or two for preparation of guidelines and recruiting participants.

The downside, though, is that the participants can be used again at a later date.

Focus Groups: Online

Online groups are similar to in-person focus groups. The difference is that the discussion takes place on the Internet, saving companies looking to implement Six Sigma the cost of getting participants to the interview site. Online focus groups are more suited for younger age groups, as they are usually very comfortable with online chats than individuals above age 40.

This group can generate a lot of information.

One On One Interviews

If your company is implementing Six Sigma, then one-on-one interviews allow you to get detailed information that cannot be achieved from a survey – even though it cannot be generalized to the larger population. When you require information from people like CEOs, Doctors and celebrities, it is impossible to get a large group together in a meeting at the same time.

However, busy, important people like the ones above can fit interviews into their schedules. The cost involved is lower, though some costs may have to be incurred by both the interviewees and the interviewers.

Intercepts

Intercepts involve getting information from people at public locations like stores, malls or theatres. Often, the information received is of the utmost importance.

This information is generalized to a specific target group, such as women with infants who may be asked about a certain baby food. Additionally, it will be specific to that day, as well as the location.

User Testing

Six Sigma user testing involves having the individuals use the company’s product while they are being observed. Alternatively, they may be made to log that data in a diary or a sheet for a period of time. This helps the company to understand if the user finds any difficulties in using the product.

The company website will also be checked in this manner. The amount of time taken to do this will vary depending on the product.

Customer Complaints

This is one way of obtaining data that will give you an idea of the problem area, but it will not necessarily be qualitative. The cost involved is low. The complaints have to be monitored and tabulated as they come in, providing a general idea of the situation.

One or a combination of these techniques can be used to listen to the customer and collect information that is necessary for any Six Sigma project to succeed.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

All of the “Belts” play various roles in the Six Sigma project. Green Belts and Black Belts are allowed to commence, expand and lead projects in their functional areas.

Project Implementation

Green Belts are those employees who are trained to implement Six Sigma projects under the guidance of the Black Belts to achieve the desired goals. They carry out these activities along with their regular responsibilities. Green Belts spend around 25-50% percent of their time involved in the Six Sigma projects. They are aware of all the important activities that they have to carry out.

They should be able to explain the importance of the y=f(x) formula to the business and the processes. They are trained in the various tools needed to carry out the data collection and for validating the measurement system. They are also well-trained on DMAIC methodology and statistics.

The Black Belt coach imparts detailed instructions on the statistics and creation of histograms and pareto diagrams. This experience is valuable, and their prowess with Six Sigma methods helps them in getting promotions and incentives within the organization.

Upper management also reviews the Six Sigma Green Belts’ projects and provides the necessary feedback on developments and shortfalls in the project path.

Monitor Project Progress

Six Sigma Green Belts are selected by the management team to receive either Six Sigma online or classroom training, or a combination of both on Six Sigma methods, tools and techniques. However, the Six Sigma training they receive on these tools is generally less than what Black Belts receive. The Black Belts carry out cross-functional responsibilities.

Green Belts carry out the project for their own areas of operations. Each company has its own set of Six Sigma certification requirements, which may include the completion of Six Sigma online training, written or online exams and completion of a project. Green Belts may be given incentives by companies to complete a project or even Six Sigma certification.

However, another company most likely will not recognize the certification of one company. Some companies require one project to be carried out to maintain the certifications. They need to carry out meetings with Black Belt coaches to review the project progress and seek improvements.

Understanding Benefits

With the Green Belts training, they are able to understand the benefits and gains out of the project success. They understand the relevance of the project to make the processes easier and the overall effect of it on the team and the organization as a whole.

Timely completion of the Six Sigma project is necessary before the tollgate review. Green Belts have to plan properly and stay in control of the progress of the project. The project should be strictly based on data; if Green Belt has no knowledge of finance, the Green Belt project will give them an opportunity to learn it, know about the issues faced by management, and to quantify the benefits.

Carry Out Tests

Six Sigma Green Belts know that tools exist, though they may not be using them. They will be able to calculate the average and standard deviation from the set standards of the various metrics; however, they are business professionals and not quality controllers. They will be able to carry out statistical tests using software such as Minitab and JMP.

Green Belts should be aware of the importance of preparing the Fishbone diagram to understand the basis of process defects. They will be able to help their bosses and co-workers by preventing defects. This will also help them in winning support for the Six Sigma project. Green Belts should be able to form a base for change with less resistance from co-workers, if they have shown visible improvements in the processes and the output.

Green Belts should start their projects only after top management commits to the necessary resources for improvement. They should share information with others above them, their co-workers and others who have a stake in the growth of the company.

These are a few things that the Green Belts should know. The list, though, goes on and on.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

For defining the Six Sigma projects, senior management designs a project charter, which clearly defines the specific goals and objectives of the project. The project manager can then allocate the resources needed for the project to be completed in a specific time period.

If you want to define a Six Sigma project for your business, you have three major considerations; customer focus, data and methodology.

Customer Focus

For any organization, customer satisfaction is very important. While defining any project, the focus should be on the customer. The output of any process should be planned to meet customer specifications.

An understanding of customer requirements down to the smallest detail is necessary. It is also important to know the level of deviation that may be acceptable to the customer. If the organization requires a product to reach out to new customers, there should be room for its development.

Data Driven

Six Sigma projects are data driven. They are dependent upon the data collected to understand the defects in the process. The project requires the resources to be assigned to the specific unit, standards set and to data collection to find the shortfall in achieving the target.

A proper analysis of the data is important for the success of the Six Sigma project deployment.

Robust Methodology

To solve customer and business issues you need more than just data. A robust methodology, which defines the defect measurement, analysis, improvement and control, must be utilized. It helps maximize business productivity.

The business processes should be based on the customer’s ideal requirements.

Project Charter

The project charter is an ideal document issued by senior management that contains a detailed description of the business needs to be tackled. It contains a detailed description of problem and mission statements.

It may even contain the new business opportunities and business threats from competitors. The charter is based on the customer feedback and suggestions.

The problem statement in the charter lists out the essentials of the project and helps the manager to identify the scope of the project. It recognizes the complexity of the project, and the need to break it up into smaller projects to be executed by the team members.

The mission statement allows the project team to understand the relationship between the scope of the project and the larger goals and objectives of the project. The objectives to be achieved are quantified and defined in clear terms.

The mission statement quantifies any defect and its relevance to the customer behavior. Mission statements for different projects are separated to avoid confusion due to overlapping statements.

The project charter is very useful in defining the project for your organization. Managers can refer to it and get an idea about what is being done and what needs to be done to achieve the goal of customer satisfaction.

It allows smooth implementation of the project to achieve all aims and objectives of the process.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

The commonalities basically are prescribed procedures that every business organization needs to follow in order to ensure the success of the ongoing project.

For better understanding, let’s try to shed some more light on this topic.

Ensuring Top Management Support

This is necessary for every Six Sigma quality deployment project, irrespective of the size or type of business. Although most of the deployment-related work is done by ground staff, top management support is still required because bare essentials such as procurement of funds, men and material can only be provided by the top management.

Top management support is also required for providing the right guidance to managers and deployment team members. The lack of it can jeopardize the overall progress of the deployments. This is because problems and complications occur in every deployment project and, in most cases, it is only top management that has the requisite experience and expertise to devise an effective solution.

Apart from these, top management support also helps in boosting the confidence and motivation level of employees who are generally hesitant of taking their own decisions when faced with a problem.

With proper support and guidance, employees will find it a lot easier to shoulder their newfound responsibilities.

Redefining Organizational Culture

Businesses may be termed as money-making machines, but what is surprising is that each one of them has its own specific culture and characteristics. Since these are often difficult to change or alter, businesses need to consider these factors before starting the deployment process.

Most of these are based on employee beliefs, perceptions and ethics – and as such, it is not wise to make changes that might conflict with the existing setup. Employee support and cooperation is essential for the success of Six Sigma deployment projects and businesses just cannot afford to do something that might cause widespread employee dissatisfaction.

The right way of bringing about a cultural shift is to take the employees into confidence, which can be done easily by communicating to them the benefits of the proposed changes.

Creating a Detailed Deployment Roadmap

To ensure the success of Six Sigma deployment projects, businesses also need to create a detailed roadmap, listing out each and every detail, no matter how irrelevant it might seem on paper. The stakes are usually high in Six Sigma deployment projects, and it helps to take the requisite precautions wherever necessary. While preparing the roadmap, planners should also try to use simple language, charts, and symbols that employees and deployment team members might find easier to understand and interpret.

A Six Sigma deployment project is certainly not a cakewalk; but if businesses properly consider the factors described above, they will at least be able to make it a lot easier. It will also help in increasing the probability of the project’s success.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Process management involves the mapping of the processes from the beginning to the end, executing the process, managing the process and analyzing the process. Execution of the process requires the responsibilities to be assigned to process owners, and for them to be held accountable for it.

The processes are managed through information flow and related activities. Based on the metrics, process performance is analyzed for further improvements.

Traditional Functional Structure of Management

In the traditional functional structure of management the business will be organized into specific functions, for example, marketing, sales, operations, finance and so on. Though this structure will ensure results, it does not necessarily concentrate on customer satisfaction.

They will have their own set of requirements – input and output.

Six Sigma Process Management Structure

Six Sigma process management is a structured set of tools and techniques designed to address the needs and expectations of the customer. The strength of Six Sigma lies in its rigorous data collection and analysis. It helps identify event the smallest opportunity for process improvement.

The process management structure helps by providing tools to automate process improvements and ensure that they are implemented throughout the organization. Take, for example, a credit card company that deals with online customers. Let’s see the Six Sigma process management structure can be used for better results:

1. The customer basically has to know about the product for any further sales process to begin. For this, you can identify the first macro process (i.e. publicity of the product). You can have metrics such as click-through rates and budgetary effectiveness. The process starts with the customer viewing the media and ends with the customer entering the site and then checking out.

2. Here, the customer is instructed on the in-depth details of the product and services. The success of the measurement lies in how understandable the content is and how quickly the product is sold. The macro-processes here are is conversion of the prospect to a customer.

3. Once the application is submitted, a detailed review of the application is done – such as performing credit check, reviewing application form details and so on. This macro process is processing and it involves further actions, such as printing the card and welcome letter, packaging and dispatching the card to the customer.

4. The metrics here would involve calculation of the total time taken to process the application to the card being received by the customer.

5. When the card is received and activated, the next process would be the various services to be provided – such as sending statements, reminder emails and other requests made by the customer. The measurement here is of the time taken to service the requests and the successful resolution of any problems. The processing or servicing process only ends with the termination of the account.

From the above example, you can see that the processes are built up around the experience of the customer. It is not the company view of measurement of the process, but the performance based on the customer’s response or the satisfaction of the customers needs that counts.

Similarly, other organizations will have their own set of macro-processes. Other processes, such as human resources and legal and finance matters may be built into these processes and sub-processes.

The success of process management structure is dependent on employees, the business and most importantly, the customer. The process management structure, combined with Six Sigma metrics, can work wonders for any organization.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

One of the main objectives is to achieve near-perfect business processes wherein the total number of defects never exceeds 3.4 per million opportunities that might exist for such defects to occur.

For achieving this, businesses mostly use Six Sigma methodologies such as DMAIC and DMADV. Here’s some more on the two methodologies to help you understand them better.

The DMAIC Methodology

Short for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control, the DMAIC methodology is used when the basic task is to improve the efficiency of existing business processes, products or services. The methodology comprises of a set of step-by-step procedures, in the same sequence as described above.

The first step in the DMAIC process deals with the identification of main problems or issues that might be preventing a given product or service from achieving the desired objectives. In the second step, each of the identified problems and issues are measured in order to understand their overall impact on the final outcome.

After this comes the analyze phase, in which Six Sigma professionals try to find the best possible solutions for the identified problems and issues. In the next step, the devised solutions are finally utilized for making the necessary changes to the product, service or business process.

In the last step, process related data is gathered through control systems, something that allows Six Sigma professionals to track the actual progress. Remedial measures are quickly undertaken in case of any deviations.

The DMADV Methodology

DMADV stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. This may appear quite similar to the DMAIC process, but the reality is that the DMADV process is a lot different from DMAIC. The most basic difference is that DMADV is used when the task is to design and develop a new product or service from scratch.

This methodology stresses collecting data about customer tastes and preferences during the initial stages, so as to help designers and developers in creating the most appropriate product or service. When this technique is employed, it greatly increases the probability that the designed product or service will find ready acceptance amongst targeted customers.

After the product or service is introduced in the market, the last phase starts, which mainly deals with the collection of customer feedback data. Changes, if required, are made in accordance with the collected feedback and reviews.

In certain situations, when feedback data turns out to be entirely negative, the DMADV process starts all over again. This cycle continues until the desired Six Sigma quality levels are achieved.

Since business processes have become increasingly complex over the years, these two methodologies are nowadays supported by advanced software systems. These help in speeding up the DMAIC and DMADV process, something that has become a necessity in today’s highly competitive markets.

The accuracy of these systems also helps in deriving the best possible results from these two methodologies.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.