MikeSmith-HR.com : Process Management / Six Sigma / Project Management

Process Management / Six Sigma / Project Management

All work occurs in a system of interconnected processes. Understanding what work is performed (inputs and outputs in relation to specifications), and how the work is performed in relation to the Organization's strategic objectives, is essential to be able to manage and improve the organization's outputs. To do this you determine what the customer specifications are (voice of the customer) and how the process "behaves" (voice of the process). The difference in the VOC and the VOP are improvement opportunities. Six Sigma's data based problem solving methodology is the most effective way to determine whether the process is capable and what steps to take to improve the process. DMAIC is the acronym used to describe the Six Sigma problem solving methodology. It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Finally, effective Project Management is a key ingredient for any improvement project.

This page will be "populated over time with articles, examples and tools that help you mange process and projects with DMAIC as a fundamental tool.

Process Management Foundation:

All work occurs in a system of interconnected processes.
Variation occurs in all processes
Understanding and reducing process variation is the key to process management

A process mapping course

A sample Initial Process Owner meeting

A couple slides showing Process Maturity

An article on developing metrics

Process Management Roadmap: This is an illustration of the steps one would follow when engaging in a process management project.

Process questions for any process: These are questions to use as a guide or to give to the team working on a process improvement to get them thinking.

When starting to work with processes in an organization there are a lot of
terms that are new to people. This is a quick "test" of process terms with
answers.

What Process Owners Do: This is a short explanation of the role of Process Owners

A Sample Value Added/Non Value added cycle time worksheet

DMAIC Explained slide deck

One-page process management system sample

Problem Statement-Guide: One of the most difficult parts of getting started on a Six Sigma Project is the Problem Statement. The first file is a guide to help develop problem statements. The second file is an example of one that was done.

5 Whys: This is a handout I use in training to show how you use the 5 Whys when doing a Fishbone.

Lean Office: Lean is an improvement technique originally developed for use in manufacturing. This is a presentation on Lean in the office environment-waste needs to be rooted out in the office too :-).

Detailing Process Steps: This is a job aid for working with the work group on what the various process steps really involve.

Six Sigma Tool Use Chart: People often get confused by the many Six Sigma tools available. This chart is one we use in training to show when certain tools are typically used during the DMAIC process.

The FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is used in the Analyze phase of DMAIC to determine the most important aspects of a process to work on. In the Improve phase FMEA is used to identify potential problems once an improvement is implemented and develop prevention or mitigation steps for these problems.

The FMEA Roadmap is a slide of the FMEA process.
The FMEA word doc is a description of the process.
The FMEA form is a template to use.
The FMEA TTF is an example of FMEA used in a Human Resources Recruiting process where the time-to-fill jobs (TTF) was the process in question.

● Hypothesis Testing: This is always something that our Six Sigma
candidates have difficulty with. Check out the Hypothesis Testing Roadmap, and Hypothesis All Thumbs for clear explanations.

● Variable Gage R&Rs are difficult to interpret unless you use them all the time. Here is an Excel spreadsheet with a completed Gage explanation (along with the data so you can try it out yourself).

● Control Charts: Dr. Donald Wheeler says just use IMR charts. They always work and the underlying distribution does not have to be normal. But, you still want to know when to use XBarR vs. IMR. Here is an article to help with that decision.

I co-authored an article about Root Cause Analysis that is posted on isixsigma.com.

● Final Solution Via Root Cause Analysis
By Michael Lee Smith and James A. Erwin

You can also view the:
Template for Root Cause Analysis Excel Spreadsheet



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Process Management / Six Sigma / Project Management All work occurs in a system of interconnected processes. Understanding what work is performed (inputs and outputs in relation to specifications), and how the work is performed in relation to the Organization's strategic objectives, is essential to be able to manage and improve the organization's outputs. To do this you determine what the customer specifications are (voice of the customer) and how the process "behaves" (voice of the process). The difference in the VOC and the VOP are improvement opportunities. Six Sigma's data based problem solving methodology is the most effective way to determine whether the process is capable and what steps to take to improve the process. DMAIC is the acronym used to describe the Six Sigma problem solving methodology. It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Finally, effective Project Management is a key ingredient for any improvement project. This page will be "populated over time with articles, examples and tools that help you mange process and projects with DMAIC as a fundamental tool. Process Management Foundation: All work occurs in a system of interconnected processes. Variation occurs in all processes Understanding and reducing process variation is the key to process management A process mapping course A sample Initial Process Owner meeting A couple slides showing Process Maturity An article on developing metrics Process Management Roadmap: This is an illustration of the steps one would follow when engaging in a process management project. Process questions for any process: These are questions to use as a guide or to give to the team working on a process improvement to get them thinking. When starting to work with processes in an organization there are a lot of terms that are new to people. This is a quick "test" of process terms with answers. What Process Owners Do: This is a short explanation of the role of Process Owners A Sample Value Added/Non Value added cycle time worksheet DMAIC Explained slide deck One-page process management system sample Problem Statement-Guide: One of the most difficult parts of getting started on a Six Sigma Project is the Problem Statement. The first file is a guide to help develop problem statements. The second file is an example of one that was done. 5 Whys: This is a handout I use in training to show how you use the 5 Whys when doing a Fishbone. Lean Office: Lean is an improvement technique originally developed for use in manufacturing. This is a presentation on Lean in the office environment-waste needs to be rooted out in the office too :-). Detailing Process Steps: This is a job aid for working with the work group on what the various process steps really involve. Six Sigma Tool Use Chart: People often get confused by the many Six Sigma tools available. This chart is one we use in training to show when certain tools are typically used during the DMAIC process. The FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is used in the Analyze phase of DMAIC to determine the most important aspects of a process to work on. In the Improve phase FMEA is used to identify potential problems once an improvement is implemented and develop prevention or mitigation steps for these problems. The FMEA Roadmap is a slide of the FMEA process. The FMEA word doc is a description of the process. The FMEA form is a template to use. The FMEA TTF is an example of FMEA used in a Human Resources Recruiting process where the time-to-fill jobs (TTF) was the process in question. ● Hypothesis Testing: This is always something that our Six Sigma candidates have difficulty with. Check out the Hypothesis Testing Roadmap, and Hypothesis All Thumbs for clear explanations. ● Variable Gage R&Rs are difficult to interpret unless you use them all the time. Here is an Excel spreadsheet with a completed Gage explanation (along with the data so you can try it out yourself). ● Control Charts: Dr. Donald Wheeler says just use IMR charts. They always work and the underlying distribution does not have to be normal. But, you still want to know when to use XBarR vs. IMR. Here is an article to help with that decision. I co-authored an article about Root Cause Analysis that is posted on isixsigma.com. ● Final Solution Via Root Cause Analysis *By Michael Lee Smith and James A. Erwin* You can also view the: Template for Root Cause Analysis Excel Spreadsheet

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