Six Sigma Yellow. Belt

Six Sigma Yellow Belt
© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved

Six Sigma Yellow Belt – Part I
Index
 Evolution of Six Sigma
 What is Six Sigma?
 Goals of Six Sigma
 Six Sigma Approach
 Why do organizations adopt Six Sigma?
 Six Sigma –Mathematical Interpretation
 Roles in Six Sigma Organization
 Key Stakeholders
 DMAIC Methodology
© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 2

Evolution of Six Sigma
 The concept of Six Sigma evolved progressively over a period of two
decades in step with the concerns of the organizations worldwide for
quality, value-creation and customer delight. The phases of this
evolution can be identified as being concurrent with emphasis on some
of the critical business parameters. The timelines can be approximately
summarized as follows: Defect Elimination
Cost Reduction
Value Creation
1980 1990 2000

What is Six Sigma?
 Six Sigma is a data driven, customer focused, and result oriented

methodology which uses statistical tools and techniques to
systematically eliminate the defects and inefficiencies to improve
processes.
 Six Sigma methodology has the following characteristics:

• Customer centric
• Process focused
• Data driven/ factual
• Breakthrough performance gains
• Structured improvement deployment
• Validation through key business results

Goals of Six Sigma
 Reduction in variation
 Elimination of defects
 Improvement in yield
 Enhancement in customer satisfaction
 Strengthening of the bottom line
 Example: GE’s Medical System division (GEMS) used Six Sigma design
techniques to create a breakthrough in medical scanning technology. Patients
can now get a full body scan in half a minute, versus three minutes or more with
previous technology. Hospitals can increase their usage of the equipment and
achieve a lower cost per scan, as well.

Six Sigma Approach
 Six Sigma approach is to find out the root causes of the problem,
symbolically represented by Y = F(X).
 Here, Y represents the problem occurring due to cause (s) X.

Why do Organizations Adopt Six
Sigma?
 Organizations embrace the Six Sigma way as this methodology

systematically and measurably enhances the value of the organizations
by making them competitive, quality-conscious, customer-centric, and
forward-looking. Some of the benefits that the organizations derive from
the Six Sigma initiatives are:
• Waste prevention
• Defect reduction
• Cycle time reduction
• Cost savings
• Market share improvement

Six Sigma – Mathematical Interpretation
 Sigma, represented by the Greek alphabet ‘σ’, stands for standard deviation
from the ‘mean’. ‘Six Sigma’ represents six standard deviations from the
mean*.
• USL - Upper specification limit for a

performance standard. Any deviation above
this is a defect.
• LSL – Lower specification limit for a
performance standard. Any deviation below
- 6σ + 6σ
this is a defect.
• Target – Ideally, this will be the middle
point between USL and LSL. LSL T USL
Mean: It is the simple average of data. * Details will be provided in our Six Sigma Black
Standard deviation: It is a measure of variability of data. Belt and Green Belt course.

 Process standard deviation (σ) should be so minimal that the process

performance should be able to scale up to 12σ (6 Sigma each on either
side of the origin on the X-axis) within the customer specification limits*.
* Details will be provided in our Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt course.

Sigma
Defect % Resultant Situation for different industries
Level
7 hrs of no power supply/month

3 6.6807%
15 minutes of unsafe drinking water/month
500 in-correct surgical operations/week

4 0.6210%
20,000 in-correct medical prescriptions/year
1 wrong landing of airplane/month

5 0.0233%
200 of mails lost/day
1 minute of unsafe drinking water supply every seven month

1 hour of no power supply once in 34 years
6 0.00034% 1.7 in-correct surgical operations/week
68 in-correct medical prescriptions/year
10 mails lost/month
Please note: As the sigma level increases, the defect percentage decreases, which improves the
efficiency of the process.

Roles in Six Sigma Organization
Executive Leadership
Champion
Master Black Belt
Black Belt
Green Belt
Project Team
Team Member Team Member Team Member

Roles in Six Sigma Organization
 Executive Leadership - Executive Leadership includes project

sponsors and process owners. They create the Six Sigma vision for an
organization. They are responsible for ensuring that everyone in the
organization understands the vision and all work with unity of purpose to
realize it.
 Champions - Champions are selected by Executive Leadership or

Senior Champions. They organize and direct the initiation, deployment,
and implementation of Six Sigma throughout the organization. They
ensure that Six Sigma is properly implemented in all the business
activities of the organization. Champions can be either Deployment
Champions or Project Champions.

Roles in Six Sigma
 Master Black Belts - Master Black Belts are in-house experts selected
by Champions. They manage project selection and human resource
training with the help of Champions. They train Black Belts and Green
Belts in Six Sigma implementation.
 Black Belts - Black Belts are those who apply the tools and techniques
and knowledge of Six Sigma principles to a given project of an
organization. They are responsible for accomplishing the tasks
entrusted to them by Champions and Executive leadership. They
dedicate all of their work hours on Six Sigma implementation.

Roles in Six Sigma
 Green Belts - The Green Belts are those employees of an organization

who implement Six Sigma while discharging their other assigned duties.
Green Belts have fewer Six Sigma responsibilities compared to Black
Belts and Master Black Belts. They dedicate only a part of their work
hours on Six Sigma implementation.
 Project Team - They are the employees who work on the Six Sigma
project. It includes the Project Manager as well. Project team members
need not be a Green Belt or Black Belt.

Key Stakeholders
 Customers – they are very important stakeholder whose requirements

have to be considered.
 Employees – they are the people involved in the six sigma initiative in
the organization.
 Suppliers - they are people who provide inputs to the process.
 End users – they are people who actually use the product or service.
End users can also be customers.

DMAIC Overview
 DMAIC is a data-driven Six Sigma methodology for improving existing

products and processes.
 The DMAIC process should be used when an existing product or

process requires improvement to meet or exceed the customer’s
requirements. This initiative should be consistent with the business
goals of the organization.
 Companies using DMAIC Methodology: GE, Motorola, etc.
• GE – Reduces invoice defects and disputes by 98%, speeds up

payment, and creates better productivity.

DMAIC Overview
 D – DEFINE the problem
 M – MEASURE the outcome (Y) to determine the current process

performance (baseline) and validate the measurement system
 A – ANALYZE, identify X’s (root causes of the defects, variation

sources)
 I – IMPROVE the process by eliminating the defects
 C – Control X’s for sustained performance

Define*
Inputs Tools Outputs
 Need for Six  Organization  Project Charter

Sigma project hierarchy  Established
 Executive  High level process metrics
Management maps  Problem
Sponsorship  High level Pareto Statement
 Core team charts  Roles and
identified  Idea generation Responsibilities
and categorization
tools
*The Inputs, Tools and Outputs are covered in more detail in our Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt course .

Measure*
 Project Charter  Data Collection Tools  Well-defined

 Roles and and Techniques Processes
Responsibilities  Detailed process  Baseline Process
 Problem Statement maps Capabilities
 Stakeholder  Cause and Effect  Process parameters
Requirements Diagrams affecting CTQ
 Established metrics  Flowcharts  Cost of Poor Quality
 Brainstorming (COPQ)
 Statistical  Measurement
Distributions Systems
 Probability
 Gauge R&R study

Analyze*
 Well-defined  Failure Mode and  Important causes of

Processes Effects Analysis defects
 Baseline Process  Data Analysis  Performance gaps
Capabilities  Hypothesis Testing  Special and common
 Process parameters causes of variation
affecting CTQ  Costs and benefits of
 Cost of Poor Quality proposed solutions
(COPQ)  Points of Failure
 Measurement
Systems

Improve*
 Important causes of  Solutions Design  Costs and Benefits

defects Matrix of different solutions
 Performance gaps  Design of  Process Capability of
 Special and common Experiments proposed solutions
causes of variation  Taguchi Robustness  Selection of solutions
 Costs and benefits of concepts for implementation
proposed solutions  Response Surface  Implementation Plan
 Points of Failure Methodology

Control*
 Costs and Benefits  Data Collection  Implemented

of different solutions Methodology Solutions
 Process Capability of  Control Chart  Revised
proposed solutions  5S Measurement
 Selection of solutions  Kaizen Systems
for implementation  Kanban  Control Plans for
 Implementation Plan  Total Productive Sustaining Benefits
Maintenance  Improved Process
 Cycle Time Capabilities
Reduction  Lessons Learned
 Measurement
System Reanalysis

Define Phase
 The Define Phase is used to identify the areas of improvement and

define goals for the improvement activity and ensures that resources are
in place for the improvement project.
 The Define Phase will focus on a customer requirement and identify

project CTQ’s (Critical to quality). A CTQ is a product or service
characteristic that satisfies a customer requirement or process
requirement

Measure Phase
 The Measure Phase evaluates the process to determine the current

process performance, that is, the baseline.
 It uses exploratory and descriptive data analysis to help in

understanding the data. The Measure phase allows you to understand
the present condition of the process before you attempt to identify
improvements. The inputs to the measure phase are the outputs of the
Define phase

Analyze Phase
 The Analyze phase is used to identify few vital causes from a list of
potential causes obtained from the Measure phase, actually affecting
project outcome using six sigma methodologies. The data collected in
the Measure phase are examined to determine a prioritized list of the
sources of variation.

Improve Phase
 The improve phase of Six Sigma is used to improve the system to do

things better, cheaper or more rapidly by finding optimum solution for Y,
implement the new approach and validate using statistical methods. The
main objective of the improve phase is to improve the process by
eliminating defects.

Control Phase
 The control phase of Six Sigma is used to develop and implement

process control plan to ensure sustenance of the improved process. The
major activities in the control phase are to validate measurement
system, verify process improvement and develop control mechanism.
So far we have identified the best settings for each of the vital ‘X’. The
key now is to ensure that the X’s don’t fluctuate away from the targeted
setting. Process control is an important tool to ensure that the Six Sigma
project delivers lasting benefits.

Six Sigma Yellow Belt – Part II
© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved

Six Sigma Yellow Belt – Part II
Index
 7 Basic Quality Tools
 Types of data
 DFSS

The 7 Basic Tools
 Check sheets
 Flow chart or Process map
 Histograms
 Cause and Effect diagram
 Pareto diagram
 Scatter diagram
 Control charts

Types of Data
 Before we get into details of the 7 basic tools, let us familiarize with the
concept of data types.
 Data can be broadly categorized into two types: Continuous data and
Attribute (discrete) data.
 Continuous data is measurable by some physical instrument and the

value is continuous (i.e. it can be any number including decimals, need
not be only integers). Example: weight, height, length, density etc.
 Attribute data is countable and they can not be measured by any

physical instrument. They are also classified as good or bad, yes or No
etc. Example: Number of defects, defectives.

Check sheets
 Check sheets are very important tool for data collection. Inputs gathered
from check sheets can be used for creation of Pareto diagrams,
Fishbone diagrams etc.
 The purpose of check sheets is to ease the compilation of the data in

such a manner that they may be used / analyzed comfortably.
 It is a simple and convenient recording technique for collecting and

determining the occurrence of events.
 It is constructed with each observation to give a clearer picture of the

facts.

Creating Check sheets – steps involved
 Determine the objective by asking questions such as "What is the

problem?", "Why should data be collected?", "Who will use the
information being collected?", "Who will collect the data?“
 Decide the features/ characteristics and items are to be checked.
 Create a tabular form for collecting data. Traditionally the features/

characteristics, items, type of defects etc. are listed on the left side of
the check sheet.
 Collect the frequency of data for the items being measured. Record
each occurrence directly on the right side of the Check Sheet as it
happens.

Creating Check sheets – steps involved
 Tally the data by totaling the number of occurrences for each category
being measured
Sample Check sheet
Defect Type Tally Total
Total

Histogram
 It is a visual representation of variable data.
 It organizes data to describe process performance.
 It displays centering of the data and pattern of variation.
 It demonstrate the underlying distribution of the data. Histogram can be

used to check whether the data is Normally distributed or not.
 It provides valuable information for predicting future performance.
 It helps to identify whether the process is capable of meeting

requirements.

Creating Histogram – steps involved
 Collect the variable data in a table.
 Ensure that all the measurements are in the same unit
 Arrange the data in ascending order such that the minimum and
maximum value can be identified
 Choose some suitable interval length of uniform size
 Use a check sheet to count the number of observations corresponding

to each interval
 The number of observations for a particular interval is said to be the

height of that interval and displayed as vertical bars.

Histogram
 A sample diagram is
given here where
the raw data are
displayed in the
form of a histogram.
 Also we can see the

shape of the
underlying
distribution

Study of Histogram
Important aspects to be considered when studying Histogram:
 Location of mean of the process
 Spread (variation) of the process
 Shape (pattern) of the process

Flow chart/ Process Map
 It is a graphical representation of processes in an organization

displaying the sequence of tasks performed and their relationships.
 It is a prerequisite to obtain an in depth understanding of a process,

before application of quality management tools such as FMEA, SPC etc.
 Process maps are progressively elaborated: i.e. a high level process

map is defined early on in the six sigma project which shows major
processes and this will be made more explicit and detailed as project
team develops a better and more complete understanding of all the
processes.
 Standard symbols are used in creation of process maps.

Benefits of Process Map
 Helps clarify several process steps and process flow which may not be
understood clearly before.
 Shows problem areas, unexpected complexity, redundancy, idle time,

unnecessary loops and where simplification may be incorporated.
 Visually shows the various alternatives possible and helps in selecting

an appropriate solution.
 Helps all members of the team gain appreciation for the work being
done by others in the team.
 Compares and contrasts actual versus the ideal flow of a process.
 Can be used as a training tool.

Symbols used in Process Map
 Rectangle: represents a process step or action taken. Each process

step has one or more inputs, does some activity, and creates one or
more outputs.
 Diamond: represents a decision step i.e. different alternatives possible

depending on the input to this step.
 Oval: represents the start of stop of a process map, also used to depict
if the process map continues in another page.
 Arrow: represents the direction of flow in a process map.

Creating Process Map – steps involved
 Put together a cross functional team who have knowledge of the

process and appropriate subject matter expertise to create the process
maps.
 Define the process and its boundaries, including the start and end
points.
 Describe the stages of the process in a sequential manner.
 Assess whether the stages are in correct sequence.
 Draw the process map using the conventional symbols
 Get it reviewed by the people involved in the process to check its

accuracy.

“As-is” & “To-be” Process Map
 Try to find out existing process maps which may already be in existence
in the company.
 Map all the “As-is” high level processes i.e. processes as they exist now.
This will create an awareness within the team about the processes in
existence currently, and also let all team-members understand the
contribution from others. This is the “As-is” Process map.
 Ask the cross-functional team to study the process and identify

opportunities for improvement.
 Based on the inputs from cross functional team, map all the “To-be”
processes. This is the “To be” Process map.

Cross Functional Process Map
 When more than one functions or departments of an organization are

involved in a process (which is very likely in general) then we need to
create cross functional process map instead of simple flow chart.
 It is the simple process map along with the various functions displayed
on the left side of the diagram.
 Sequence of tasks are mapped in such a way that they correspond to

the respective functions.
 It may be possible that some task(s) is performed by two functions.

Hence this activity to be displayed in such a manner that it falls in both
the functional zone. Lets take an example:

Cross Functional Process Map

Cause and Effect Diagram
 It is a graphic representation of possible causes for any particular

problem under study.
 This tool was developed by Kaoru Ishikawa in 1960’s to determine and

break down the main causes of a given problem.
 This tool is employed where there is only one problem and the possible
causes are hierarchical in nature.
 This diagram is also known as Fish bone diagram (because of its fish
bone like structure) or Ishikawa diagram.
 It gives the relationship between quality characteristics and its factors.
 It focuses on causes and not the symptoms.

Cause and Effect Diagram
 Usually created by a group of people who have knowledge of the

process and understand the problems in the present system.
 It assist in helping to find the root causes of a problem and in generating

improvement ideas.
 It clarifies the understanding the team has regarding the process. If an

Ishikawa diagram does not show appropriate level of detail, it indicates
that the team has a superficial knowledge of the problem. Hence,
additional study of the system or involvement of Subject Matter Experts
is required.

Cause and Effect Diagram – steps
involved
 The effect (a specific problem or a quality characteristics) is considered
to be the head, and the potential causes and sub-causes of the
problem, or quality characteristics to be the bone structure of the fish.
Hence write the key symptom or effect of the problem in a box to the
right-hand side.
 Draw a horizontal line from the left-hand side of the box.
 Identify the major categories for causes of the effect, which form the
main branches of the diagram.

involved
 Conventionally the main bone structure or branches are the 5Ms:
Machine, Manpower, Method, Materials, Maintenance (followed in
manufacturing industry) and the 4Ps: Policies, Procedure, people, Plant
(followed in non-manufacturing industry). The team may come out with
other relevant major categories according to the problem.
 Ensure that the team have a good knowledge of the process and
understand the problem under study.
 Conduct a brainstorming session with all the team members to generate

the possible causes of the problem.

involved
 Categorize the causes identified into groups and subgroups. A popular
way to do this is through using Affinity diagrams.
 Write the names of categories above and below the horizontal line. Start
with high level groups and expand each group (up to 3 or 4 levels).
Write down the detailed cause data for each category
Possible causes
Effect

Pareto Analysis
 It is a ranked comparison of factors related to a quality problem.
 Pareto diagram displays the relative importance of problems is a simple

visual format.
 Since availability of money, time and other resources are restricted,

Pareto analysis helps the team to consider only vital few problematic
factors out of trivial many, which if addressed with due care, will bring
greatest rewards with minimum resources.
 Pareto diagram is based on the Pareto principle, also known as 80-20

rule, which states that a small number of causes (20%) is responsible
for a large percentage (80%) of the effect.

Pareto Analysis
 The Pareto Diagram is named after Vilfredo Pareto, an economist from

Italy. Pareto studied distribution of wealth and found that the distribution
was not equal across the population. He found – majority of the wealth
is concentrated in relatively few.
 Pareto’s theory was popularized by Dr. Joseph M. Juran, who is

regarded as the father of quality control. It was Dr. Juran who called the
eighty-twenty ratio propounded by Pareto as the “Pareto principle”.
 Dr. Juran termed those few contributors which account for bulk of the
effect as ‘Vital few’.
 He termed other sources which do not contribute significantly to the

effect as ‘Trivial many’.

Pareto Diagram – steps involved
 Put together a cross functional team who have knowledge of the

different opportunities or problems.
 Create different categories for the opportunities.
 Select a time interval for the analysis which is reasonable.
 Determine the total occurrences of events in each category.
 Rank the total occurrences in each category from maximum to

minimum.
 Compute the percentage for each category by dividing by the category

total and multiplying by 100.
 Create a graph of the opportunities – with the category names in the X

Axis and the % of opportunities in the Y Axis.

Example: Pareto Diagram
200 100.0
180 90.0
160 80.0
140 70.0
120 60.0
100 50.0
80 40.0 Number of Complaints

Cumulative %
60 30.0
40 20.0
20 10.0
0 0.0

Example: Pareto Diagram
 This is an example of a Pareto diagram of the complaints received in a

Hotel over a period of last three months. The Hotel management is
concerned about the increasing customer complaints.
 The horizontal axis represents various types of complaints and the

vertical axis displays the number of complaints in each category.
 The right-hand vertical axis displays the cumulative percentage of the

complaints. The blue curve represent this data.
 From this we can see that only the first four complaint category (Room
service, Housekeeping, Reservation, Food and Beverages) constitute
80% share of the total complaints. Hence these four areas need
immediate attention to improve the process performance.

Scatter Diagram
 It is a graphical representation that depicts the possible relationship or

association between two variables, factors or characteristics.
 It provides both a visual and statistical means to test the strength of a

relationship.
Construction of a Scatter diagram:
 Collect the data on both variables, preferable sample size of 20 or more.
 Plot the data points on a XY plane where variable 1 is plotted along X

axis and variable 2 is plotted along Y axis.
 Identify the linear relationship between them if it exists.
 Identify the strength of the linear relationship as strong/ weak positive,

and strong/ weak negative.

Example: Scatter Diagram
100
90
80
70
60
50
Y
40
30
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
X
 From the above scatter diagram we can see that the factors X and Y are
having a negative liner relationship. Individual data points are plotted as
bullet points and the trend line indicates there is a linear relationship.

Control Chart
 It is a tool used in the control phase of the six sigma project.
 It distinguishes special from common causes of variation.
 Common causes of variation are natural in the process. They are small
in magnitude and difficult to identify / remove from the process.
 Special causes of variation occurs due to some special causes. They

are large in magnitude and easy to identify / remove from the process.
 There are three major components of a control chart: Upper Control

Limit (UCL), Lower Control Limit (LCL), and Center Line (Mean).
 Information required for a control chart is a count or measurement from

a process whenever an event occurs or at regular time intervals.

Control Chart
Lets take a look at a sample control chart. Data obtained from the process
is plotted in a chart as shown below.

Components of Control Chart
 Mean: It is the simple average of the process data. It is displayed as a

center line in the control chart and individual data points are scattered
around it.
 Upper and Lower Specification Limits (USL and LSL): These are
obtained by taking the voice of the customer. A process would satisfy
customer requirements if it falls within the specification limits.
 Upper and Lower Control Limits (UCL and LCL): These are calculated
from the process data and if all the process data stays within the control
limits then it is very likely that the variation is inherent in the process i.e.
common cause of variation. UCL and LCL lie within the upper and lower
specification limits. If the process data lies outside the control limits,
then it is a special cause of variation.

DFSS
 Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is an application of Six Sigma which

focuses on the design or redesign of the different processes used in
product manufacturing or service delivery by taking into account the
customer needs and expectations.
 DMADV is a common DFSS methodology used to develop a process or

product which does not exist in the company.
 DMADV is used when the existing product or process doesn't meet the
level of customer specification or six sigma level even after optimization
with or without using DMAIC.
 Companies using DFSS: GE, Motorola, Honeywell, etc.

DFSS
DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate)
 DEFINE the project goals and customer deliverables
 MEASURE the process to determine the current performance level
 ANALYZE and determine the root causes of the defects
 DESIGN the process in detail to meet customer needs
 VALIDATE the design performance and its ability to meet the customer
needs

We have learned the following topics in this course:
 Evolution of Six Sigma

 What is Six Sigma?
 Goals of Six Sigma
 Six Sigma Approach
 Why do organizations adopt Six Sigma?
 Six Sigma –Mathematical Interpretation
 Roles in Six Sigma Organization
 Key Stakeholders
 DMAIC Methodology
 7 Basic Quality Tools
 Types of data
 DFSS

Six Sigma Yellow. Belt

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Six Sigma Yellow. Belt

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Six Sigma Yellow Belt

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 2

1980 1990 2000

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 3

 Six Sigma is a data driven, customer focused, and result oriented

 Six Sigma methodology has the following characteristics:

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 4

 Enhancement in customer satisfaction

 Strengthening of the bottom line

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 5

 Here, Y represents the problem occurring due to cause (s) X.

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 6

 Organizations embrace the Six Sigma way as this methodology

• Cycle time reduction

• Market share improvement

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 7

• USL - Upper specification limit for a

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 8

 Process standard deviation (σ) should be so minimal that the process

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 9

7 hrs of no power supply/month

500 in-correct surgical operations/week

1 wrong landing of airplane/month

1 minute of unsafe drinking water supply every seven month

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 10

Master Black Belt

Team Member Team Member Team Member

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 11

 Executive Leadership - Executive Leadership includes project

 Champions - Champions are selected by Executive Leadership or

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 12

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 13

 Green Belts - The Green Belts are those employees of an organization

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 14

 Customers – they are very important stakeholder whose requirements

 Suppliers - they are people who provide inputs to the process.

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 15

 DMAIC is a data-driven Six Sigma methodology for improving existing

 The DMAIC process should be used when an existing product or

 Companies using DMAIC Methodology: GE, Motorola, etc.

• GE – Reduces invoice defects and disputes by 98%, speeds up

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 16

 D – DEFINE the problem

 M – MEASURE the outcome (Y) to determine the current process

 A – ANALYZE, identify X’s (root causes of the defects, variation

 I – IMPROVE the process by eliminating the defects

 C – Control X’s for sustained performance

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 17

Inputs Tools Outputs

 Need for Six  Organization  Project Charter

© 2014 6sigmastudycom. All rights reserved 18

Inputs Tools Outputs

 Project Charter  Data Collection Tools  Well-defined

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Inputs Tools Outputs

 Well-defined  Failure Mode and  Important causes of

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Inputs Tools Outputs

 Important causes of  Solutions Design  Costs and Benefits

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 Costs and Benefits  Data Collection  Implemented

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 The Define Phase is used to identify the areas of improvement and