Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC)

In the define stage in DMAIC you as an individual are identifying what the problem is in the organization. This step is the most important step because it is the first step to solving the problems successfully. It is also important to understand why these problems are happening so it can be prevented or minimized in the future. In this step you can set up different goals to reach your conclusion which would make it beneficial for you to keep track of your progress through the steps.

When you are in the measure stage it is critical that you gather all the information you need to perform the task properly. When looking at the performance you want to make sure you find out where the current level of performance is at now. Since you know where the performance levels are at now you can successfully set a baseline of where to start and see where you would need to improve. This Stage also identifies the current process flow which could mean how the employees have been working. If something needs to be changed the next stage will show.

The Third Stage is Analysis, and this stage is important because it when the team comes together to look at all the information that was gathered in the first two stages. Many times, teams would use different tools in this stage to help identify the issue for the root cause. In many instance the root cause could be Improper training, Lack of coaching, Toxic Leadership, and inefficient material to work with.

The fourth stage is the Improve stage where you and the team would use Recommended solutions that you have determined. This stage is also used to find out if these solutions should be made permeant or if they should be discarded. Although if the recommendations are approved then they would be implemented during this stage.

During the final stage control this stage is critical because it is used to monitor the ongoing performance of the changes that were made. You and your team would be using SPC Statistical Process Control charts that are used to help monitor the everyday performance that should improve. This chart will also provide any early warning signs of problems related to the performance and to help the team stay back on track.