How can you make DMAIC improvements last?

In my experience Lean Six Sigma improvement last if they are embedded in organization’s day to day working. Need to look beyond projects and make sure the methodology is part of culture.

One tool that is very effective to align goals with the company strategy is the Hoshin Kanri matrix. After using it in different organizations I have learned that at first some people feel overwhelmed by it's visual complexity but after understanding the meaning of each component people find it is a great tool to align efforts to a major goal.

The Control phase of DMAIC often fails due to lack of monitoring and follow-through. To prevent this: Implement Robust Control Plans: Outline specific metrics, responsibilities, and reviews. Assign Clear Responsibilities: Designate accountable individuals or teams. Regular Review and Feedback: Establish routine evaluations and adjustments. By adhering to these strategies, organizations can sustain gains achieved through the DMAIC process.

The critical stage for the DMAIC methodology implementation is management involvement, this help to align the strategic goals to the specific project goals.

Successful process improvement is not just about making initial changes; it’s about sustaining those improvements over the long term. Develop robust control plans, standard operating procedures, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the gains achieved are maintained and deviations are identified and corrected. The DMAIC improvement cycle is a core tool within the Six Sigma methodology for improving business processes. It is an in-depth, data-driven cycle that offers a good framework for addressing even the most complex business processes. .

Regularly review your measures and process to avoid cumulated inefficiencies. Document the change and communicate their added value to,all your stakeholders.

Standardizing and documenting DMAIC analyses using ready-made templates can help analyze recurring trends and detect inefficient processes through an intuitive dashboard. By using the phases of DMAIC and documenting your efforts, a complex problem can be made much easier to understand. Clear problem statements, non-anecdotal data, and visual process maps can go a long way toward getting multiple team members from different departments to understand the true situation.

the probability to make change stick is to extend the "ad-hoc" measure towards establishing a measurement system that continuously provides the data for continuous improvements beyond the DMAIC project. Thus, while the DMAIC project gives the immediate head start, you create also the culture of continuous improvements.

I find that this is where some teams go off track when really getting into the Control phase of DMAIC. Building the dashboard with that new software is cool and all, but unless the teams that need the data are using it, and more importantly, know what to do when thresholds are passed, that's the critical key to sustained improvements.

Process improvement is not about "set and forget it." Teams must continuously monitor data and processes to identify additional improvement ideas. Once a process is in "control" it is vitally important to assign someone to continuously monitor the KPI (for a set amount of time) to ensure the process remains stable. It is best practice to report out on the measure, being sure to discuss any challenges, barriers to success, and next steps, especially when the measure is in the "yellow."

Monitoring and reviewing DMAIC analyses can help analyze recurring trends and detect inefficient processes through an intuitive dashboard.

Definitely, the empowerment and engagement is very important. What have worked for me is have weekly meetings with the team to show the KPIs measurement using SPC charts. Then together, we develop a plan to correct the deviations and keep the process in control.

Engaging and empowering all stakeholders in DMAIC improvement can be accomplished by involving top management and frontline employees. To achieve this, all stakeholders should be provided with training, resources, and support.

The most common approach is to "give up" the focus as the solution works, often leaving the last and crucial part to almost finish by itself. Without morally closing the project via "celebration" and recognition it will become weight - something that ended "proforma" when the KPIs were met. By paying the time to acknowledge you send a clear message that you care not only for the result , but for the efforts too. It will be a boost in morale , otherwise with each "dead weight unclosed" activity you'll eventually loose the momentum and morph into a mundane activity.

The team members, stakeholders, and customers who contributed to the success of your DMAIC project should be recognized and rewarded. Communication of project results, benefits, and impacts should be done in a project report or presentation.

One of my favorite ways to make improvements last is by ensuring we have "poke yoked" the old way of doing things. Poke yoke means to mistake proof. By implementing a poke yoke you prevent the process owner/team from reverting to the old way of doing business. For example, while working on a hospital project to improve clinical documentation within the hospital's EMR, once the project was in the control phase we collaborated with the Clinical Documentation and IT teams to create a hard stop in the EMR. The hard stop prevented the nurses from charting how they used to chart (the old way). With the poke yoke in place the system forced them to follow the improved documentation process.

Cost Benefit Justification can be calculated utilizing Economic Value Added. This connects the operational and financial levers that enable even shop floor employees to think and act like owners. Pizza and "atta boys" are great, but money in the bank pays the bills.