Lean Six SigmaSix Sigma Definition: Six Sigma is a set of techniques and t... Learn More...Six Sigma Green BeltThe Six Sigma Green Belt is a certificate that professionals... Learn More... project selection is a critical part of the continuous improvement effort. Like other LeanLEAN Definition LEAN is a production method aimed primarily ... Learn More... Six SigmaSix Sigma Definition: Six Sigma is a set of techniques and t... Learn More... tools, project selection should be quantifiable, based on objective data, and not subjective guesswork. Show
A Lean Six Sigma Green BeltThe Six Sigma Green Belt is a certificate that professionals... Learn More... project is a problem that is planned for resolution. Lean Six Sigma projects are connected to the company’s strategic goals (or KPIs). They solve customers’ (whether internal or external) problems. A successful project should lead to cost savings, improvements in quality, added capacity. It can also be used to satisfy the needs of shareholders. Only a limited number of Lean Six Sigma practitioners can be employed by an organization. This means that only projects with the highest potential for success and greatest benefit to the company should be implemented. How do you know when the wrong project is selected?Before I tell you what the attributes are of a “Good” Lean Six Sigma project, I think it would be valuable to recognize a “Bad” project (one that will end in failure). A “Bad” project usually fitsFitted values can also be known as fits. The fitted val... into one or more of six categories:
Characteristics of a “Good” Lean Six Sigma projectLean Six Sigma Green Belt projects that will have a measurable effectIt's the change in the average value of the output caused by... on the organization and a rapid return on investment have six clear attributes:
Without these attributes, the project has little chance of being successful in the short term nor sustainable in the long term. Selecting the Right Lean Six Sigma Green Belt ProjectA measurable effect on the Output (or Y)A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt project should have a measurable effectIt's the change in the average value of the output caused by... on the Output (or Y). That effect must be initially determined in a well-developed Lean Six Sigma CharterWhat is a Six Sigma Project Charter? The project charte... “Goal Statement”. For example, a goal statement on a charterWhat is a Six Sigma Project Charter? The project charte... might read “Increase fill height capability (PpK) on line 5 filler from .82 to company target of 1.42 by December 20XX”. The difference between the current unimproved state (Ppk .82) and goal (1.42) can be correlated to an increase in value to the organization. This increase should then have a direct effect on an organizational Key Performance Indicator (or KPI). We should not “already know the solution”When selecting the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt project, we should not “already know the solution” to the problem. A good Lean Six Sigma project has a solution that must be discovered through the process of analysis in the Analyze phase of the DMAICDMAIC is an abbreviation of the five improvement steps it co... roadmap. Understand the Output (the “Y”) in measurable termsWe should understand the Output (the “Y”) in measurable terms. For example, if something is a defectA defect is a physical, functional, or aesthetic attrib... or not a defectDefective definition in Six Sigma: A defective unit is one t..., do we know exactly what separates the good from the bad? Is this a subjective measurement that could be interpreted differently by different operators? Do we have upper and/or lower specifications and a target? We should have measurable and controllable inputs (X’s)We should have measurable and controllable inputs (X’s). For a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Project, these measurable and controllable inputs (X’s) can be Discrete data and/or Variable data. For example, a process to fill a bottle full of a liquid could have the following “X’s”: Fill Date (Discrete), Fill Time (Discrete), Fill Operator (Discrete), Fill Height (Variable), Fill Weight (oz.) (Variable), Fill Liquid Pressure (Variable), etc. These measurable inputs (X’s) combine to produce an Output (Y): Some Measure of Good or Bad. The “Y” could also be a measure of Capability using PpK. We need to be able to statistically analyze the dataThis past data should be collected to populate a multi-Vari sheet. For example, a Multi-Vari Sheet could be an Excel spreadsheet where each row has a measurement for each of the “X’s” and each “Y” (if more than one “Y”). In our “Bottle Filling” scenario, each time a bottle is filled, there should be a measurement for each “X” that creates the “Y.” If we take a sample of one hundred bottles, we should have one hundred rows of data. This data helps us to do hypothesis testingHypothesis testing definition A statistical hypothesis test ... as well as other statistical analysis to understand the true nature of the process. We need to know the specifications of the inputsIn a Green Belt Project, once discovering the Key Process Input Variables (KPIVs), we might find that we do not know what specifications would optimize the KPIVs. For example, if we find that Fill Liquid Pressure is a KPOV but we do not know the Optimum Pressure Tolerance (Upper Spec Limit, Target, and Lower Spec Limit) to get an Optimum Product (Output “Y”) then we can use a Design of ExperimentsIn the context of Design of Experiments (DOE), center point... (D.O.E.) to find the Optimum Pressure Tolerance. Questions to ask when Identifying a Six Sigma ProjectWouldn’t it be great to have a checklist to help you determine if a potential Lean Six Sigma Green Belt project is a “good” project? Below are the questions you should ask when Identifying a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Project:
If you do not have the answers to the questions, then this is not presently a “good” Lean Six Sigma project to initiate. That doesn’t mean it is not a “good” project candidate. If you don’t have the right answers to these questions, table the project and find the right answers. More warning signs of a “bad” Lean Six Sigma Green Belt projectNow that we have a better understanding of the questions to ask when identifying a “good” project, let’s show some more characteristics of a “bad” project. Projects that should not be identified as a Lean Six Sigma Project
In conclusion,Project selection is a critical part of the continuous improvement effort. Like other Lean Six Sigma tools, project selection should be quantifiable, based on objective data, and not subjective guesswork. A successful project should lead to cost savings, improvements in quality, added capacity. It can also be used to satisfy the needs of shareholders. There are key attributes of a project candidate that will result in a higher probability of success. There are also key attributes of a project candidate that will result in failure. Related SSDSI Articles |