The Six Sigma Champion
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Six Sigma Champion Certified (SSCC)™
The Six Sigma Champion
• The interest in Six Sigma is increasing as companies
realize the need for competitiveness, high performance,
and growth.
• The Champion is the individual in your company who
has the background knowledge of the Six Sigma
methodology combined with a high level understanding
of the business processes for the company.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• The intent of this course is to provide you with the key
knowledge of tools and process execution to successfully
serve as a Champion for Six Sigma Projects.
• Depending on the nature of your company, organization,
or business; operations, the amount of time you spend on
projects, and the number of projects you manage as the
Champion may vary but the fundamental skillset will be the
same.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• The Six Sigma Champion by definition is the individual in
your company who translates the mission, vision, and
values into a Six Sigma deployment strategy which
supports the goals of the company.
• They do this by determining which projects to deploy and
identifying resource needs and removal of roadblocks.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• Six Sigma team formation consists of stakeholders,
executives, champions, and team members (yellow
belts) who are led by a green belt or black belt.
• Project level membership may include master black
belts, black belts, green belts, or yellow belts who help in
management of the improvement initiative.
• Team members are obtained throughout the organization
for expertise and technical guidance.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• Executives provide the strategic alignment within the
organization for initiatives and Six Sigma projects.
• Champions guide the team through organizational
support and resources, removing roadblocks.
• Master black belts train black and green belts and
manage the strategic direction of the Six Sigma program.
• Black belts lead problem solving Six Sigma teams.
• Green belts assist with data collection and analysis for
black belt projects.
• Yellow belts review overall activities and participate as
project team members.
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The Six Sigma Champion
This chart provides an “at a glance” overview of the
different positions and their roles in a project.
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Position Role Action
Executive Management Champions Sponsor the project
Black Belts Consultants Provide Guidance
Green Belts Consultants Operations
Yellow Belts Consultants Identify processes that need improvement
Project team Process Execute the Actual Work
Subject Matter Experts Expertise Provide Guidance
Position Roles and Responsibilities
The Six Sigma Champion
• The Champion is the person that develops the idea to
undertake a Six Sigma project within a part of the business.
They are the person sponsoring the deployment.
• They will generally be a senior manager, often an
executive within the business such as a Vice President or
Director. They should have training in Six Sigma for
Champions in order to have a deep understanding of the
principles of the methodology.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• The Six Sigma Champion plays several important roles
in leading Six Sigma teams to the successful completion
of projects. Their responsibilities are to:
– Mentor and coach Six Sigma teams
– Remove organizational obstacles the team
encounters
– Ensure projects are aligned with the business’s
strategic plan
– Maintain team focus
– Ensure timely completion of projects
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The Six Sigma Champion
The Six Sigma Champion will support the project team by
providing several infrastructure needs such as:
• Supporting resources
• Inter-organization communications
• Six Sigma expertise and process driven techniques
• Project management skills
• Business metric development
• Training needs for project teams and company
employees for Six Sigma
• Spread and sustain improvements
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The Six Sigma Champion
• Six Sigma Project Champions drive the performance of
project black belts and green belts and are responsible for
the results of Six Sigma projects under their guidance.
• They communicate the link between Six Sigma and the
business strategy and identify the black belt and green
belts for the project based on their skillsets and the
requirements of the project.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• The Champion has a significant responsibility for the
success of a Six Sigma project, typically approving,
reviewing, or managing the project by providing the
resources, eliminating bottlenecks, and diffusing conflict.
• The champion is not expected to do a project, but they
are expected at a high level to have an in-depth
understanding of the process and requirements of Six
Sigma.
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The Six Sigma Champion
• The Champion is expected to have process knowledge
and Six Sigma knowledge at the level they can explain a
project to both Six Sigma belts and to executive leaders.
• As our course progresses, you will understand the
complexity of the level of Six Sigma knowledge you will
need for success.
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The Six Sigma Champion
Fundamentally, the Six Sigma Project Champion will have
these three business traits:
• Inherent customer focus
• Understanding of the company’s business metrics
• Solid foundation of Six Sigma Fundamentals
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The Six Sigma Champion
Under the three larger fundamentals, each Six Sigma
Champion should be able to perform a multitude of
functions which include:
• Being able to provide the history behind Six Sigma
• Recognizing the role of Six Sigma in the business’s
value
• Understanding the need for measurement
• Understanding benchmarking of Six Sigma competition
• Understanding the breakthrough requirements of each
phase of DMAIC
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The Six Sigma Champion Proficiencies
Using these traits, the Champion’s efforts for each project
are broken into 4 proficiency areas. These include:
• Business and operations interface
• Project selection
• Pace mediation and roadblock removal
• Results implementation
We will discuss these four areas in depth as we progress in
the course.
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Business and Operations Interface
• The Champion is tasked with developing the solutions
for improving company value that meets business
strategies and creates customer value.
• Their goal is to reduce defects, improve return on
investment, and improve customer satisfaction. This is
accomplished through driving Six Sigma as the individual
responsible for belt performance.
• These are the individuals who execute the vision
throughout the company and identify and prioritize
projects.
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Business and Operations Interface
• Champions first serve as the business and operations
interface. This means that the individual who is the Six
Sigma Champion inherently has a solid foundation of the
business operations of the company.
• This means they have an established understanding of
each process used to build customer value. They deeply
understand the human resource composition, market
presence, financial matters, real estate holdings, and
strategic focus of the company and are able to apply
analytic intelligence to optimize the company’s function.
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Business and Operations Interface
• A primary role of the Champion is to ensure that
operational level projects are aligned with the strategic
level business objectives.
• Once the specific projects are chosen, the Champion
makes sure that the projects progress as planned and
produce the results that drive the organization.
• The Champions will be responsible for developing the
metrics that measure the performance of the projects.
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Business and Operations Interface
• Champions must also have good communication skills,
leadership skills, and decision making capabilities.
• These Champions are leaders who plan ahead for the
future.
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Business and Operations Interface
• Key to supporting and managing the project process is
the underlying Six Sigma knowledge a Champion must
have.
• Having a Six Sigma black belt or green belt is not
required for the Champion, but many of them do pursue
certification in order to perform at the optimal level.
• Achieving certification is highly encouraged because the
Champion’s role is much different and more complex
than other chartered project team members. The
Champion actually leads and encourages the team
members and belts and is the liaison and “explainer” to
other management. It is difficult to play this role if you do
not understand the rigors of the DMAIC Process.
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Business and Operations Interface
• Champions such as yourself have sought additional
expertise through courses such as this to expand their
knowledge and truly understand t=heir responsibilities.
• The Champion should understand at a minimum the
basics of the DMAIC Methodology and be able to
understand their impact in each project using Six Sigma.
• We will discuss the key points you will need as the
business and operations interface for your company as
the Champion. We will do some brief overview of each
phase and then explain what you should be translating
into business language.
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• The Six Sigma Methodology improves processes to a
level that produces only 3.4 defects per million opportunities.
• Sigma levels determine the rate of defects and are a
standardized measure of the error rate of a process, based
on the Defective Parts Per Million Opportunities (DPMO)
estimate. The Sigma Level estimate is a long-term estimate
of the process capability. Sigma is an industry standard
estimate of process Sigma Levels developed by Motorola
and adopted throughout business and industry.
Business and Operations Interface
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Business and Operations Interface
• At the 6th Sigma level, 3.4 defective parts per million
occur.
• At the 5th Sigma level, 233 defective parts per million
occur.
• At the 4th Sigma level, 6,210 defective parts per million
occur.
• At the 3rd Sigma level, 66,807 defective parts per million
occur.
• At the 2nd Sigma level, 308,538 defective parts per
million occur.
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Business and Operations Interface
The Basic DMAIC activities at each level include:
• Define core activities includes: the project charter, scope, deliverables, process map, cost benefit analysis, and stakeholders analysis.
• Measure core activities includes: measurement systems analysis, benchmarking, return on investment calculations, failure mode and effects analysis, and Gauge R&R.
• Analyze core activities includes: analyze data, determine root causes, determine correlations, mean, mode, median, variance, variation, and correlation as well as hypothesis testing and design of experiments.
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Business and Operations Interface
- Continued:
Basic DMAIC activities at each level include:
• Improve core activities includes: determine 3-5
solutions, pilot solutions, and roll out solutions.
• Control core activities includes: the control plan and
control chart.
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This chart
shows an
overview in
table format:
the DMAIC
phases with
their
associated
activities and
the general
tools you may
use in the
phase.
Business and Operations Interface
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Six Sigma Tools
DMAIC Phase Activities involved Tools you can use
DEFINE
Define the problem, agree on
the goals, and listen to the
voice of the customer.
Develop Project name and
Purpose
Complete Project Charter
Develop a High-Level Process
Map
Identify Process Owner,
Champion, Team
Define Customers and
Requirements CTQ
Align Goals with Business
Initiatives
Determine Projected ROI
Project Charter Template
Brainstorming
Graphs
Stakeholder Analysis
Historical Data
Voice of the Customer
MEASURE
What is your baseline?
Collect Data
Take Measurements
Develop Detailed Process Maps
Measure your Measurement
System
Data Collection Plan
Benchmarking
CTQs, Histogram, Pareto Chart,
Scatter Diagram, Control Charts,
Sigma Level, ROI, FMEA,
Validate, Gage R&R
ANALYZE
Analyze the data for variation
and root causes.
Analyze Data
Define Performance Objectives
Identify Value and Non Value
Processes
Determine the Root Cause
Value-Stream, Historical Data
5 Whys, Fishbone, Hypothesis
testing, DOE,
Histogram, Pareto Chart, Scatter
Diagram, Control Charts,
Statistical Analysis
IMPROVE
Choose the solution/s, pilot the
solution, mistake proof, roll out
the improvement and evaluate
the results.
List Potential Solutions
Rank Solutions
Select Solution and Try
Check Results
Roll Out
Evaluate Improvement
Analysis, Brainstorming
Decision Matrix
Capability Study
Pilot
Implementation Plan
CONTROL
Verify the Voice of the
Customer is being met, check
your ROI, implement your
Verify Improvement Processes
Document Procedures
Update Standard Operating
Procedures and Policies
Sigma, ROI, Balance Scorecard,
Control Chart
Control Plan Document
Control Plan Form
Business and Operations Interface
The purpose of the Define phase is to refine the project teams understanding of the problem being addressed and the scope.
The activities the team will perform include:
– Developing the Project Name and Purpose
– Completing a Project Charter
– Developing a high level process map
– Identifying the process owner, champion, and team
– Defining customer requirements
– Determining the project Return on Investment
• Your charge as Champion is to make sure the project aligns with business operations.
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Business and Operations Interface
The fundamental improvement tools used in the Define
phase are:
• Develop a project charter
• Brainstorm
• Graph development
• A stakeholder analysis
• Historical data chart
• The Voice of the Customer
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Business and Operations Interface
The voice(s) of the customer is the most important aspect
of Six Sigma; it tells us what the customer wants.
• The voice of stakeholder is lower costs.
• The voice of the customer from customers is world class
service.
• The voice of the customer is validated customer
satisfaction scores.
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Business and Operations Interface
In the Measure phase, the Champion highlights the project opportunities and provides the structure for the improvement. Data collection techniques are established based on business operations. As the Champion, you will ask your team these questions:
• What is our process?
• Which outputs affect our Critical to Quality (CTQ) measures the most?
• Which inputs affect our CTQ’s the most?
• Are you able to detect defects?
• How is your process currently functioning?
• How good could it be functioning?
• What is the best it can perform?
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Business and Operations Interface
The key improvement activities performed in the measure
phase will include:
• Collect data
• Take measurements
• Develop process maps
• Understand and measure measurement systems
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Business and Operations Interface
The tools used in the measure phase will include:
• Data collection plans
• Benchmarking
• Histograms
• Pareto charts
• Scatter diagrams
• Control charts
• Sigma Level
• Return on Investment
• Gage R&R
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Business and Operations Interface
• The goals of the measure phase are to determine the baseline performance for Key Performance Output Variables (KPOVs) and develop a preliminary list of Key Performance Input Variables (KPIVs) to be evaluated during the Analyze phase.
• You need to ensure the measurement(s) systems are robust and take into consideration sources of variability for each KPOV. Verify manually collected and historical data sets against each other to validate measures using short run data sets, and then extend the data collection time.
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Business and Operations Interface
• In the Analyze phase, the Champion coaches the team
to look further into data as it relates to business
operations.
• The Champion is key to monitoring each phase to make
sure the inputs and outputs align with the business
objectives.
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Business and Operations Interface
As the Champion, you will ask your team these questions
in the analyze phase:
• Which inputs affect the company’s outputs the most?
• What variables affect outputs?
• If observations are made in one process, are they the
same in another?
• What level of confidence do you have in your data?
• Which inputs have the biggest impact on outputs?
• Can you describe input and output relationships in
statistical form?
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Business and Operations Interface
The activities performed in the analyze phase will include:
• Analyze the data
• Define your performance objectives
• Determine root causes
• Identify activities in your process which are value added
and non-value added activities
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Business and Operations Interface
The tools used in the analyze phase are:
• Statistical analysis
• Control charts
• Fishbone diagram
• 5 WHYs
• Value stream mapping
• Histograms
• Pareto charts
• Historical data
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Business and Operations Interface
In the Improve phase, the Champion monitors the
brainstorming of ideas that improve the process and
supports the pilot of new ideas. As the Champion, you will
ask your team these questions:
• If I know the inputs that affect the outputs, how do I
standardize them?
• How many pilots, trials, or PDSAs will result in the
optimal process improvement?
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Business and Operations Interface
The activities performed in the improve phase will include:
• Develop a list of potential solutions
• Rank the solutions
• Select the best solution(s) and trial them
• Review the results
• Perform a full rollout and evaluate the results
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Business and Operations Interface
The tools used in the improve phase are:
• Brainstorming ideas
• Decision matrix
• Pilot
• Implementation plan
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Business and Operations Interface
In the Control phase, the Champion institutionalizes the
improvements into the culture of the organization and
monitors ongoing performance. As the Champion, you will
ask your team these questions:
• Once you have an implementation plan, how do you
keep the improvements relevant?
• How does the project team keep it going?
• How do I set this process up for long term success if my
employees change, my customer base changes, or
technology changes?
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Business and Operations Interface
• The control phase is used to define and validate
monitoring and control systems, develop standards and
procedures, and implement statistical process controls,
control charts and check sheets.
• Baseline performance data is collected for the current
state process. The data later is verified following the
improvements to validate the impact of processes.
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Business and Operations Interface
The activities performed in the control phase will include:
• Document procedures
• Update policies
• Update standard operating process documentation
• Develop your control plan
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Business and Operations Interface
The tools used in the control phase are:
• A balanced scorecard
• Control charts
• Control plan documents, checklist, or forms
• Communications plan
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Business and Operations Interface
• As the Champion, you are responsible for Organizational
process management and measuring impact on
stakeholders. The critical X is the term used to refer to
the key inputs which are measurable characteristics
critical to the customer. These are the critical to quality
(CTQ) measures. The most common forms are:
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Critical to Quality MeasuresCTC Critical to cost
CTS Critical to safety
CTP Critical to process
CTD Critical to delivery
Business and Operations Interface
• The Champion approves projects, prioritizes which
projects the company will pursue, and celebrates
successes. The alignment of projects with CTQs is vital
for customer satisfaction.
• The Champion is the organizational interface between
the project team and others of the leadership team. The
Champion requires an in depth knowledge of Six Sigma,
project team functions, and business knowledge at a
level that they can do the following:
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Business and Operations Interface
• Explain to stakeholders the significance of the project,
the risks, and expected outcomes.
• Explain to fellow leadership what the Six Sigma team is
doing and how it impacts the strategic operations of the
business.
• Explain to the Six Sigma team the expectations of the
project and whether the project aligns with business
objectives as it progresses.
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Business and Operations Interface
• Serving as the Champion will require you to provide your
Six Sigma project team with the empowerment to shift
the paradigm of the current process and develop the
new state.
• You do so through an awareness of priorities and
hierarchies within the company, understanding
limitations of the organization, and cultivating awareness
based on business intelligence and cultural growth of the
learning organization.
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Project Selection
• Six Sigma Project Selection is the next proficiency required for the Six Sigma Champion.
• Champions assign Six Sigma projects to the green belt or black belt assigned to the project. They are also responsible for aligning each project with the core business strategies of the company.
• The Champion is required to be a leader who is articulate with communications, Six Sigma knowledge, and a deep understanding of the goals of the company. They develop a strategy for deployment based on knowing what projects need to be accomplished, who needs to do the project, and how it corresponds to business goals.
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Project Selection
• Working as the Champion requires understanding how
processes and projects align with the strategic goals of
the organization. This alignment is a critical part of
project selection.
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Project Selection
• There are many criteria which your business or company may use to determine the best projects. As the Champion, you will determine your criteria and include it in your project selection matrices.
• We are providing guidance for you here, but every company is different and every company has some key qualities that help give it the competitive edge. You develop your criteria based on the competitive edge you want to gain with your company. Some of the Key Project Selection Criteria will follow for your use as a Champion. These are selection criteria and are not listed in order of weight or significance.
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Project Selection
• Common Project Selection
Criteria
• Customer Impact
• Available Data
• Meets Business Objectives
• Known Solution
• Is Six Sigma the answer?
• Return on Investment
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• Process Stability
• Project Timeline
• Process Management
• X and Y measures of defects
• Team Composition
• Implementation Probability
Project Selection
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Project
Criteria
Decisional Factor
Customer
Impact
Determine through the voice of the customer
analysis if the project will truly have an impact on
the customer’s perception of quality.
Available
Data
Ensure data is available for the process metrics.
If it is not available, be sure you can obtain it.
Meets
Business
Objectives
Determine if the company’s strategic goals are
supported by the project. Use a cost-benefit
analysis (CBA) or Return on Investment (ROI) to
demonstrate the value of the project. Ensure the
project can be adequately funded.
Project Selection
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Project
Criteria
Decisional Factor
Known
Solution
DMAIC may not be needed if the solution is already
available. Your employees are the best resources to
determine if answers to the process problem are
already in existence.
Is Six Sigma
the answer?
Determine if other process improvement, project
management applications, or business techniques can
be used to solve the problem. Be sure the rigors of Six
Sigma are required, or you will overcomplicate the
solution and disengage employees.
Return on
Investment
Determine the capital investment to solve the
problem and determine if the benefits are worth the
results or if a risk determination should be made.
Project Selection
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Project
Criteria
Decisional Factor
Process
Stability
Ensure the process meets customer specifications. If
it is a new process, data may not be sufficient to
determine defects. Process stability is used to
determine key issues such as the DPMO and Sigma
level.
Project
Timeline
Determine if the project can be completed in the
required timeframe. The recommended timeframe is
6 months for a DMAIC project.
Process
Management
Determine if the changed project will yield a refined
process which is more manageable, not more
complex and unnecessarily complicated.
Project Selection
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Project
Criteria
Decisional Factor
X and Y
measures of
defects
Ensure your defects are operational in nature such as
processing time, error rates, or takt time.
Team
Composition
Make sure you have the right team members who
have designated time to work on the project separate
from their daily functions. As the Champion, you
should designate assigned green and black belts.
Project Selection
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Project Criteria Decisional Factor
Implementation
Probability
This is a difficult criteria to determine and
involves the ability of the Champion to determine
the level of acceptance the changed process will
encounter after modification. High employee
resistance will result in low probability of
implementation. In order for solutions to be
effective, they must be implemented, and this
often involves organizational changes.
Project Selection
• Project selection within your company is critical to the success of your company and the success of projects.
• Selecting the right projects improves the bottom line and results in customer satisfaction. Selecting the right projects prevents wasted resources, uncompleted projects, unnecessary work, and proper alignment with your strategy.
• Selecting projects should be a standardized process with a structured approach using criteria-based measures. Your approach should weigh the risks and benefits, added value, and ability to be exported or used throughout the organization.
As the Champion, you should be able to identify good DMAIC projects, prioritize them, and align resources.
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Project Selection
• Champions are charged with identifying process
problems which may necessitate a Six Sigma project.
This is most commonly done by collection and analysis
of process data or by requesting input from the users
(employees) or stakeholders.
• Common tools for the Champion include:
– Problem Identification Worksheets
– Project Review Checklists
– Project Priority Worksheet
– Project Selection Matrix
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Project Selection
• Problem Identification Worksheets are deployed to employees so that they can identify significant process issues. (Reviewed by Champions)
• Project Review Checklists help you determine if the scope is adequate, metrics are available, and if the project improves customer satisfaction and the bottom line of the company.
• Project Priority Worksheet helps align risk, value added aspects, and deployment factors for individual projects.
• Project Selection Matrix houses multiple projects for scoring.
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Project Selection
• Samples of each sheet follow
• Problem Identification Worksheets are deployed to
employees so that they can identify significant process
issues. (Reviewed by Champions)
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Project Selection
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Problem Identification Worksheet
What process, product, or service is involved in the failure?
When is the failure point? Pre user deployment or post (identified by the user?
Who has observed the issue?
When was it observed?
How often has it been observed?
What percentage of our process does this occur?
Additional comments:
Champion Review Date and comments:
Champion Decision
Problem Identification Worksheet
The problem
identification
worksheet
asks the end
user for how
and when a
problem
occurs.
Project Selection
• Project Review Checklists help you determine if the
scope is adequate, metrics are available, and if the
project improves customer satisfaction and the bottom
line of the company.
• It can be used for in-process projects to maintain
progress.
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Project Selection
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Project Review Checklist
Review the plan and modify if
necessary.
Set the date, time, and
location
SIX SIGMA Project Review Template
Project Review Item
1. Clarify the objectives of the
project
2. Have the required
stakeholders been informed
of the project.
3. What are the current open
issues?
4. What new issues have
developed?
5. What are the upcoming
project milestones?
7. When is our next project
review?
6. Are we meeting the goals
of the project plan?
8
9
10
Comments
Align with the project charter
and aim statements or
problem statements.
Include all with a vested
interest in the problem and
improvement.
Develop actions for each issue
Collect data and develop a
plan
Are we at risk?
Results of the Review
The project
review
checklist
provides a
check of the
key
components
you want to
be reviewed
as the
Champion…
think what are
we missing?
Project Selection
• Project Priority Worksheet helps align risk, value
added aspects, and deployment factors for individual
projects.
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Project Selection
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Project Priority Worksheet
Project title Evaluators name
Date Evaluators position
1 = $100,000
2 = $75,000
3 = $50,000
4 = $25,000
5 = $<10,000
Value added annual cost impact
Project Priority Worksheet
Medium = 2 High =3
Transferability and transportability within the company
Minimal transfer
application = 3
Moderate ability to
transfer to several
processes = 2
Easily transferred to
many processes = 1
Core Components to individual project evaluation
Risk x Added Value x Transferability
Risk calculation based on environmental, safety, cost, and customer constraints
Low = 1
The project
priority
worksheet
helps you to
score an
individual
project to
determine its
worthiness. As
the Champion,
you will
develop your
scoring criteria.
Project Selection
• Project Selection Matrix houses multiple projects for
scoring. The Project Selection Matrix provides the
Champion with a weighted system of criteria so that the
clarity and utility of a project are more apparent along a
continuum of variable criteria.
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Project Selection
• By using the prioritization matrix, the Champion and project teams are able to weigh the ultimate decisions and quantitatively show to stakeholders how the decision to make improvements was developed or determined.
• The following chart shows a weighted Six Sigma project prioritization matrix. In addition to the prioritization matrix, project viability matrices are used to determine the viability of a project. Notice the weighting goes 1 to 5 with scoring of definitely no, no, possibly, definitely, etc.
• Following are 2 examples of these matrices. These are used to prioritize multiple projects within the organization.
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Six Sigma Project Prioritization Matrix
Project
Selection
Criteria Clin
ica
l E
xce
lle
nce
Re
gu
lato
ry/JC
Pa
tie
nt
Sa
tisfa
cti
on
Ea
se
of
Imp
lem
en
tati
on
Fin
an
cia
l Im
pa
ct
Tim
e t
o C
om
ple
te
Su
sta
ina
bilit
y
Acce
ss
Pro
du
cti
vit
y
1 - Low 5-High
Project Name Project Description
Project
Estimated
Value
Relative
Importance to
the Facility
Weighted
Priority Scale Assigned To:
Project or
RPIW
Date
Assigned:
Deliverable
Date:
Final
Deliverable:
A substantial amount of revenue is expended on postage
for appointment letters sent untimely to patients.
Develop a plan to eliminate mailings similar to private
sector where you receive an appointment card and
follow up call. 3 1 5 4 4 4 4 1 5 31
Access Template
Build an exportable template with best practices for
measuring supply and demand. 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 5 5 35
Actions Required
Build a sustainable process for limiting actions required
to a set parameter or develop a mechanism to automate
their resolution. 5 4 4 3 5 3 4 5 5 38
Dashboard
Develop a sustainable solution to performance measures
failing the measure. 5 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 32
FAC Work
Develop an analysis and recommendations to ensuring
the facility receives credit for work performed. 5 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 4 36
Productivity
Dashboard Develop a provider data warehouse. 5 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 5 34
BDOC Reduce bed days of care for a specialty. 5 4 4 1 4 2 3 3 4 30
Vested Patients
Develop an exportable plan to increase the number of
vested patients. 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 28
Diversion Build a master plan for reducing facility diversion. 5 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 5 34
Community Patients
Develop an actionable plan to reduce community fee
base costs. 4 4 3 2 5 3 3 4 2 30
Octane
Shows the Critical to Quality factors
which are weighted and lead to a
score.
Project Selection
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Six Sigma Project Prioritization Matrix
Project Selection Criteria Excellence B
enchm
ark
Custo
mer
Satisfa
ction
Ease o
f Im
ple
menta
tion
Fin
ancia
l Im
pact
Tim
e to C
om
ple
te
Susta
inability
Pro
ductivity
Name Improvement Description
Estimated
Value
Relative Importance to the
Facility
Weighted
Priority
Scale Assigned To:
Date
Assigned:
Deliverable
Date:
Final
Deliverable:
Revenue per employee
Develop a plan to improve sales per employee
including training formal education and practice
exercises. $20,000,000 Costs of goods sold 5 1 3 5 2 4 1 21
Process wastes
Implement additional 5S teams to deploy throughout
clothes and homes similar to warehouse
improvements. Develop a tracking system for 5S and
ROI in functional areas. $15,000,000 Costs of goods sold 5 2 4 4 3 4 4 26
Maintenance costs
Develop a multidisciplinary team to evaluate financial
costs, engineering perspective, and store satisfaction
with maintenance and areas for improvement. $5,000,000 Costs of goods sold 2 1 2 5 2 3 1 16
Advertising costs
Develop an internal marketing and advertising team to
develop a plan for refined advertising and increasing
the impact per dollar. $12,000,000 Costs of goods sold 3 1 3 5 3 4 1 20
Unfriendly employees
Implement a training program with mentors, examples,
and incentives for providing the "best" customer
service. $7,000,000 Customer Satisfaction 5 5 4 5 2 4 3 28
Unhelpful employees
Implement "a day in your shoes" program so all levels
view work from the customers level and develop
improvements. $5,000,000 Customer Satisfaction 5 5 4 5 2 4 3 28
Return policy
Develop new policy with management and floor
employees with customer input…deploy immediately
…. This is an easy fix. $2,000,000 Customer Satisfaction 5 5 5 3 1 4 1 24
Includes values
Project Selection
These examples show a linear weighted scale based on
specific KPI quality indicators. You may choose your own
cutoff points for projects. The cutoff point will be based on
your resources, viability, risk, and business strategy.
Primarily you want to determine a scoring cutoff that will tell
you one of three things:
• Whether the project is viable as a DMAIC project.
• Whether a project is a possible DMAIC project and will
require further validation.
• Whether the project is not a viable DMAIC project and it
may be better to use another approach.
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• Incorrect project selection is one of the core project
deployment and execution problems, but this is one area
where there are actions which can be put into place to
easily prevent incorrect project selection.
• This begins by properly vetting the potential project
through three groups: the executive level, the operational
level, and the Six Sigma project level. This provides top
down support of the project where there is a flow from
the strategic level, to the operational level, down to the
process improvement level.
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Project Selection
• Watch to ensure Six Sigma project leaders’ scopes are
not too broad and there are not weak or unclear problem
or goal statements.
• A Six Sigma prioritization matrix may be your best tool in
terms of excellence, benchmarks, customer satisfaction,
use of implementation, financial impact, time to
complete, sustainability, and productivity.
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Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
• The next required competency for the Champion are
pace mediation and roadblock removal.
• Pace mediation is when the Champion controls,
monitors, and manages the pace or progression of
project timelines.
• Roadblock removal when a Champion uses their skills,
resources, or position to maneuver a project and team
members to success.
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• The Champion has the difficult task of keeping projects
on track. This can often become cumbersome but is a
challenge where you are holding your project team
accountable for their work. The greatest part of the
challenge is managing unexpected project change
requests, scope creep, or changing deadlines.
• To make the job more simple, we have listed some of the
actions you can take as a Champion to keep projects on
track.
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• Early involvement - The Champion should be involved
with the key planning meetings for each project. They
need to be able to explain the Six Sigma requirements to
fellow leaders and stakeholders within the context of the
company business operations. When the project team
encounters issues, they turn to leadership for discussion
on the effects they will have on the project. The Champion
needs to be able to frame the solution and discussions.
• Clear scope - Clearly define the scope of the project and
have the shareholders sign off on the scope. Scope creep
is a major cause of risk to project completion. Very minor
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• Design SMART GOALS - SMART goals are a best practice framework for setting goals. A SMART goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
• Quantify measures - Using the SMART goals, all projects should have a calculated Return on Investment and the project should be held accountable to achieve those objectives.
• Set role expectations - Every member of management, shareholders, and project team members should be aware of their roles and expectations if not specifically outlined in the project charter.
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• Communication - This should go unsaid but is commonly a problem within the business world. Be sure a project communication plan is followed as we outlined. Adjust your communications based on the project status with good or bad news. Keep the communications clear, concise, and as frequent as stated in the communication plan.
• Have realistic expectations - Set realistic completion dates and know the abilities of your project team. It is your determination as for when to add additional resources. You coach the team to keep them on time and on budget.
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• Frequent reviews – As the Champion, set up routine time on your calendar to review key metrics of project success. Do the same separately for your leadership colleagues to discuss with you the project status and then again separately with project team members. Discuss the timeline, target objectives, and KPI measures.
• Proactive response for potential pitfalls - Develop a monitoring checklist with your Six Sigma team for key areas to monitor to prevent surprises as the project progresses. You won’t know everything that can pop up unexpectedly, but you can be more reactive if you have already identified what could go wrong in advance.
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• Have an escalation plan - Indicate to your team in
advance for key issues that you want escalated “trigger
points.” Let them know what should be escalated, how it
can be escalated, and what they should solve at their
own level.
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Common Six Sigma Project roadblocks include:
• Project Scope too large
• Employee resistance
• Change management deployment
• Lack of resources
• Team selection
• Training
First, we will discuss deployment mistakes, which can
develop into or compound roadblocks.
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Deployment Mistakes
• There are many benefits to a properly executed Six Sigma project: the improvements, reduction in problems, and benefits to the customer can be significant.
• On the converse, a poorly executed project can waste valuable time and resources as well as money. A poorly executed Six Sigma project may also result in negative thoughts towards promoting Six Sigma further within the company.
• The most easy way to ensure that Six Sigma deployment is successful for a company or individual leading the implementation is to ensure that Six Sigma projects meet the intended savings desired by the company, fully achieve their objectives, and achieve their desired results.
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The number one failure… Lack of Management Support.
Support and commitment for a Six Sigma deployment from
the leadership of a company is the key driver for success.
The Leadership must emphasize the importance of Six
Sigma in the culture of the company. If the company has
support from leadership, the chances of successfully
embedding the Six Sigma methodology are improved
significantly. Sustained growth should be included in
strategic planning.
Other Deployment Mistakes include:
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• Unwillingness to accept cultural change occurs through lack of leadership and inclusion in strategic planning. Employees are not challenged to pursue excellence in process improvement.
• Incorrect Strategy Deployment occurs when employees are confused because there is a lack of alignment in operations and strategic goals.
• Incorrect Project Selection occurs because there is no active project selection matrix, lack of data, or lack of a business focus. This often results in stopping projects which are already in motion or lack of interest for employees. This can be avoided by focusing the team on the business and customer goals of the project.
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• Poor Project Team Member Selection sometimes occurs
when a team struggles because they do not have the
correct team members to solve the problem or do not have
people on the team who are empowered to make actions.
• Lack of Process Owner Support may occur if the
process owner is not involved in the project from the
beginning and often results in not completing the Improve
or Control phases of the DMAIC model.
• Incorrect Project Scope can also be a problem if not
properly managed or may even result in scope creep.
Teams should focus on minimizing the variation in single
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Insufficient Training and lack of communication are
often cited as reasons for project failure. Employees
should receive enough training that they feel confident in
performing their tasks related to the project. They should
also not be overwhelmed by the level of a required
training, allowing them to practice what they learned in
sufficient detail. Make sure the training focuses on real
life application and not too heavily on theory.
Using Incorrect Measurement Systems may occur if
your Six Sigma team fails to check the validity of their
measurements. A measurement systems analysis should
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Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
Identify Roadblocks Early in order to develop strategies
and accelerate robust corrective actions before they
become an issue.
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What Should Have Been Done Differently?
• There are some Six Sigma projects and deployments that have struggled and some things that should have been done differently.
• It would be unfair to categorize any Six Sigma project as a failure simply because, when you take the project and look at it at its fundamental level, the process and actions of encouraging the company’s employees to define the customers needs, determine the inputs and outputs, measure them, analyze them, develop improvements to deploy, and develop methods to sustain them is astounding.
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• Six Sigma projects have significant impact in developing
and building the culture of improvement within the
company. This simple action sets your company apart
from those who do not use Six Sigma.
• Six Sigma greatly enhances your abilities as a learning
organization.
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When Six Sigma professionals review common roadblocks,
they look at things that should have been done differently.
Here is a broad overview providing insight into what they
should have done and things you can avoid.
• It’s best to always develop your projects based on
realistic expectations.
• Always understand the voice of the customer and their
expectations.
• Tie customer expectations to your company strategic
planning.
• Always have visible leadership involvement in Six Sigma
projects.
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Champions will encounter roadblocks when implementing
new strategies to improve the business. The most common
roadblocks are:
• Employee resistance
• Training
• Organizational change management
• Six Sigma team selection
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Employee resistance is one of the common Six Sigma
roadblocks companies experience. Employees resist
change for a number of reasons. These could be that:
• They like the old way and have no desire to change.
• They find the change threatening to their job.
• They feel that they no longer have control of the process.
To remove this roadblock, include every employee in the
change. Ask for feedback and let all employees be
included. They will have less resistance to the change if
they feel they have a say and when they see the positive
change of the improvement.
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Team selection is another Six Sigma roadblock. Team selection roadblocks occur when the wrong team members are put on a project. Remember team composition should be a diverse section of multidisciplinary team members with the right skill sets and experience.
• A team with very similar skills and personalities will make less progress. Always strive to vary skill sets and choose employees who will be the most successful with a certain project.
• Project management principles dictate that you will have the most success with a diverse team with creativity, drive, and a willingness to succeed.
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Team dynamics are important. As the Champion, be
cognizant of toxic teams and project mismatch with team
members, but also be aware that not all actions are
roadblocks. Sometimes it is the natural flow of team
formation.
Recall that teams go through five phases of development
that include the phases which follow. If your team is newly
formed, they may be getting used to one another not
having difficulties.
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Team dynamics
• Forming is the development of a team with a variety of knowledge, skillsets, and abilities.
• Storming is the second phase and involves open honest communication with some disagreement and significant brainstorming.
• Norming occurs when the members agree on how they will operate and succeed with the project.
• Performing occurs when the team is fully functioning and developing actionable solutions to the problem.
• Adjourning is the closure of the project and disbanding of the project team.
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• When any team comes together for the first time, it is
recommended that they take some time to get to know
each other and develop as a cohesive unit.
• Six Sigma teams are no different, but the expectation
placed upon it by the business may be to get up and
running very quickly. It is key that the right people are
pulled into the team to ensure its success.
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• The team has collective responsibility for the success or
failure of the project.
• There should be no blame or finger pointing, but
acceptance to learn from errors and move forward.
• The team must also be receptive to the customers
comments and value the contributions of all with
objective viewpoints. It is important to be understanding
and rationalize these at each point to progress the
project.
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• Most green and all black belts will demonstrate
facilitation skills, and as such, they should be clearly able
to overcome conflicts and disagreements within the
team.
• Occasionally, it may be of benefit to utilize an
independent facilitator if project conflicts continue. The
Champion should be aware of the conflicts and
determine what actions should be taken to change team
members or modify their performance.
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Training is another Six Sigma roadblock.
• Training roadblocks occur when a company does not
spend money on training for employees when a project
involves process changes. Employees should never be
expected to “figure it out.” Leaving employees ill-
prepared will further compound process difficulties for
the company.
• The Champion is responsible to make sure the right
resources are available for success and training is key to
the success of any project. Investment in training allows
employees to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
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Change management is a Six Sigma roadblock that the
Champion must address prior to the implementation of the
change or improvement.
• Change management is an organizational function that
requires evaluation of which employees will be affected
by the change, to what extent, what the desired results
will be, and what cultural changes and communication
will be required to be successful.
• Change management requires an organized structure
approach to implementation which includes training and
communication.
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Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
• Removing roadblocks is a key function of the Six Sigma
Champion. The goal of removal of the roadblocks is to
prevent failure of the project. Projects require significant
resources, project team commitment, $$ money, and
several months for completion. For most of us, failure is
not an option. That is where the Champion comes in.
• If you have a good Six Sigma project team, a strategic
goal, and the right resources in place, you should be
able to meet the Voice of the Customer, and the
Champion is the leader who helps you get there.
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Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
• Pace mediation is best controlled using the basic project management tools for timeline constraint. The Champion has a significant responsibility to make sure the project adheres to the original timeline or, if there are timeline changes, that they are acceptable to the company. Remember, more time = more money. There are other tangible results as well, such as lost efficiency and lost morale.
• When projects get off course, Champions require the project team to crash and crunch the timeline to better meet the timeline of the critical path. Most Six Sigma project teams use the critical path method. Always monitor your timelines.
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• The Critical Path Method is a pace mediation technique
using schedule network analysis to determine the
amount of scheduling flexibility on the network path of a
project schedule to determine the minimum project
duration.
• The Critical Path is the sequence of schedule activities
that determines the duration of the project.
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• Crashing is a project schedule compression technique
performed by taking action to decrease the total project
duration by analyzing alternatives to get the maximum
schedule duration compression for the least additional
cost. This may involve the addition of resources
determined by the Champion.
• Crunching is a less formal term that involves establishing
priorities based on the Champions determination of the
companies needs or priorities and prioritizing them
based on resources. Crunch times are an indicator of
failure of project management.
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• Project planning is important for establishing your
project’s timeline with realistic and attainable deadlines.
• The plan and timeline will make sure that you spend
appropriate amounts of time on each step of the process
and help keep you on track. Typically Gantt, CPM, or
PERT charts are used to visually display tasks,
deliverables, milestones, and resource constraints in a
continuum which is called the critical path and is the
minimum amount of time needed for the completion of
the project.
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Sample Gantt charts are shown on the next three slides.
Project Schedule
Task Owner Week Milestones
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Define
Measure
Analyze
Improve
Control
Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
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This Gantt chart
shows individual
DMAIC phases
and their
expected
durations.
Pace Mediation/Roadblock Removal
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Results implementation
• Results Implementation is the process of managing
projects to achieve the business result.
• Results implementation is the tangible tie of the
expected outcomes of a project conveyed in terms of
measurable metrics and timelines and the corresponding
level of achievement based on the metric and the
required timeframe for implementation or completion.
• When a project is completed, it should have a calculated
potential savings. This is the metric the Champion
should be held accountable for. Metrics drive
performance.
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Results Implementation
• Each Champion has their own way of monitoring
projects.
• There are two perspectives you can look at for the
implementation.
– One is how you perform your small tests of change
using PDSA cycles
– The other is how well you monitor progress in terms
of your control measures. In order to implement your
results, you should have a clearly designed control
plan.
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Results Implementation
• PDCA cycles are used to implement your results. They
are used to make small tests which grow into significant
changes.
• We will discuss the PDCA cycle and then the control
tools the Champion uses in the Control Phase.
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Results Implementation
Using PDCA allows the Champion to monitor and control the
small tests of change. By monitoring the PDCA cycle, you can
control the small implementation.
The steps in the Deming PDCA or PDSA Cycle are:
1. Plan a change or test it (P).
2. Do it, (D) by carrying out the change or test on a small scale.
3. Check it (C) by observing the effects of the change or test.
4. Study it (S) by reviewing what you have done or changed.
5. Act on what you have learned (A).
6. Repeat and continuously evaluate the process.
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Stage of
PDSAPDSA Cycle #1 PDSA Cycle #2 PDSA Cycle #3 PDSA Cycle #4
Plan:Plan the test (what will
you change; who will do
what, when, and how to
set up and execute test)
Do:Try out the test on a small
scale, list what was done
Study:Analyze the data/
study the results:
Adapt, Adopt, or Abandon?
Act:Refine the change, based
on what was learned from
the test
The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle is easily tracked using a
PDCA tracking chart such as this one below. Taking the process
you want to improve, you would take the process through each
step of the PDCA cycle until the desired results were achieved.
Results Implementation
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Results Implementation
• PDCA builds on small tests of change
• Start with your improvement idea
• Determine how to measure your improvements
• Plan the change
• Test it on a small scale
• Measure your outcomes
• Was it what you wanted? If not, what else can you do? If
so, can you test it on a larger scale…remember PDCA
begins on a small scale.
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PDCA – Plan – Do – Check - Act
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Plan - set your
objectives and
develop a plan
Do – execute
your plan,
document
actions, and
gather data
Act – make
changes and
execute the
next PDCA
Check –
analyze and
reflect
Results Implementation
PDCA – Plan – Do – Check - Act
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Plan Do Act Check
Continuous
Improvement
using the PDCA
cycle begins to
see more
improvement in
shorter
amounts of
time.
Impro
vem
ent
Time
Results Implementation
Results Implementation
• Communication of the control plan provides routine
feedback through the PDSA and implementations you
have developed.
• Communication of the progress should be done on a
daily basis and should be displayed in prominent areas
that encourage employees to be engaged and part of the
process. Improvement is catchy and is interesting even
to those not involved in the project.
• This display of information should occur through the use
of visual boards which we will discuss in a moment.
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Results Implementation
• Control phase activities help manage the results
implementation and involve:
– Verifying that the voice of the customer is being met
– Checking ROI
– Implementing the control plan
– Verifying improvement processes, document
procedures
– Update standard operating procedures and policies
– Build a transition plan
– Close out the project
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Results Implementation
• The control plan is a key component for sustainment and
for Champion monitoring. The control plan is a document
that lists what is monitored in a product, service, or
process as far as characteristics of quality.
• The control plan plays an important part in sustaining
product quality long after a manufacturing process is
developed and launched.
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Results Implementation
• There is no set type format or style of project control plan
for a specified particular improvement.
• Use a combination of spreadsheets and text documents
to keep track of the measures being improved.
• In general, you determine all of the headers and labels
for your control plan which are critical to quality, proven
to be important to the customer, and include a
hierarchical reference number.
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Results Implementation
The control plan shows the key measures you are
implementing and their progress towards improvement.
The Control Plan shows your company’s:
• Metrics and KPIs
• Target Values
• Data Sources
• Who collects the data
• The sample size and frequency
• The collection method
• The review frequency
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Results Implementation
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Here is a sample control plan. The control plan easily
shows the Champion what measures are critical to
quality and should be monitored for progress.
Results Implementation
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Prepared by: Page: of 7
52675 Approved by: Document No:
Location: Approved by: Revision Date:
Area: Approved by: Supercedes:
KPOV KPIV
Training Funding
Employee
activityTime
Employee
activityTime
Employee
activityFunding
Training Time
Training Time
Employee
activityTime
Unhelpful employees Implement training program Training, exercises, practice 200/0 Secret shopper 50 employees
100 Surveys
Who Measures Where Recorded Decision Rule/ Corrective Action SOP Reference
Corporate
Unfriendly employees Implement training program Training, exercises, practice 200/0
Laryn Clay
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
Implement immediately Clothes and Home policyReturn policy Develop new policy New policy and activation N/A N/A N/A Weekly
200 employees Weekly Jim Kuhn
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
Training plan should be developed in 6 weeks Clothes and Home policy
Weekly John Turrent
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
Training plan should be developed in 6 weeks Clothes and Home policy200 employees
12 advertisements - 3
commercialsWeekly Paul Walker
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
N/A Industry benchmarking
Weekly Mike Morgan
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
N/A Mechanical contractor standards20 repairs
Adverting costsDevelop advertising and
marketing expertiseReduced costs Dec-00 Advertisements
Maintenance costsDevelop team to review
maintenance nuancesReduced costs 20/0 Repairs
Emilio Martinez
Committee process
team meeting
minutes
N/A ISO Standards
Weekly Layrn Clay Business ledger N/A Clothes and Home financial
Completion
Revenue per employeeDevelop the plan to improve
sales per employee.Training, exercises, practice 25/0 Sales 25 employees
Sample Size FrequencySub Process Sub Process StepCTQ
Specification CharacteristicSpecification/ Requirement
Measurement Method
USL LSL
5 5S projects WeeklyProcess wastesImplement 5S throughout
Clothes and homeImplement May-00
Six Sigma Process Control PlanProcess Team Six sigma team Donald Barnett 2
Customer Int/Ext John Simmons
This is a completed control plan showing the metrics a
Six Sigma process team chose.
This is a sample implementation plan. The Champion
should monitor the expected implementation and actual
actions.
Results Implementation
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Results Implementation
• Implementing the results includes the requirements of controlling, spreading, and sustaining the implementation.
• In order to maintain implementation over time, you must sustain and spread the results throughout your company.
• Sustainability is defined as performance improvements that persist over time. Spread is defined as using the results and tools learned in a project outside of the original project area.
• In order to spread and sustain the results, you must use a control plan and continuous monitoring. This prevents situations where old processes reappear or the new processes disappear reversing the effects and efforts of the team.
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Results Implementation
Sustainability is affected by employee attitudes and can be a predictor of project success. There are ways to determine your level of results implementation. Here are some ways to determine your level of implementation for a project through a rating indicator.
• Excellent – is a project that is fully implemented and has sustained its goal for greater than 12 months.
• Good – is a project that has significant implementation and sustained results for 6 months.
• Fair – is a project that some implementation occurs but did not sustain goal for more than three months.
• Poor – is a project that has no implementation and did not meet goals for at least 3 months following the implementation.
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Results Implementation
Other factors can help with the results implementation
process. These actions include:
• Maintaining accountability for performance metrics
• Routinely posting improvement result data for all levels
of employees.
• Driving change from the lowest levels within the
company.
• Communicating the results at all levels.
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Results Implementation
• Champions continually review previous project lessons learned. The lessons learned from all phases of a project identify how improvements can be replicated and applied to other processes in the organization.
• Training plan deployment is also important to achieve the best results implementation. The Champion facilitates the development of training plans to ensure continued support of the improved process.
• Training includes progressive deployment for training of additional organization yellow belts, green belts, and black belts. It includes awareness for Six Sigma improvement projects within the organization to increase the culture for Six Sigma engagement.
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Results Implementation
• To maintain the results, new procedures should be
developed and documented including standard operating
procedures (SOPs), work instructions, etc., to ensure
that the improvements are sustained over time.
• Six Sigma belts are responsible to ensure that
organizational documents are updated with the
progression of the project and used to sustain progress
for quality initiatives. These are maintained in the
“Control” phase.
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Results Implementation
Ongoing evaluation is required during the results
implementation. The Champion identifies and applies tools
for ongoing evaluation of the improved process, including
monitoring for new constraints, additional opportunities for
improvement, etc.
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The communications plan will help the team facilitate updates to
the control plan at the required frequency. The communications
plan helps the Champion ensure communications are consistent
and routine through the organization. A sample plan is shown here.
Results Implementation
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Stakeholder
Level of
communication--
Storyboard, paragraph
update, tollgate
summary
How information is
communicated--
1:1, meeting, email,
newsletter
Where information
is communicated--
e.g. if during a
standing meeting,
which is the most
appropriate forum?
Frequency of
communication--
every other week,
at tollgate, at end
of project
Who is responsible
for doing the
communication?
Dates for
communication
to occur
CEO Tollgate summary Email Agenda Every other week Herman Clark
Champion Paragraph update Email Agenda Every other week Basil Santos
Store level department
managers represented on
the team Paragraph update Meeting Team meeting Weekly Jim Kuhn
Managers who have staff
represented on the project
team Paragraph update Meeting Team meeting Weekly Sydney Peyton
Executives Paragraph update Email Email Every other week Reilly Ashton
Steering Committee Storyboard Email Email Every other week Susan Evans
Process Owners Storyboard Email Email Every other week Don Barnett
Overall Organization Paragraph update Email Email Every other week Susan Evans
Individual responsible for
validating project ROI Paragraph update Email Email End of project Sydney Peyton
Results Implementation
Some quick tips for implementing your results:
• Too many on a team makes it difficult to schedule
meetings, so keep it under five.
• Verify data early in the process. Bad data found later
extends the project and breaks project focus; always
verify the data.
• Show the results to get support for future change.
• A black or green belt should have ownership of the
process.
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Results Implementation
• For the Champion, results implementation and the
control phase of the DMAIC Model are the most
important.
• If you do not maintain, contain, and sustain your results,
all of your project team efforts are lost.
• Always follow the roadmap outlined in the project
charter.
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Results Implementation
A balanced scorecard is another acceptable tracking form for
the Champion based on customer metrics. It provides feedback
on both internal business processes and external outcomes to
continuously improve strategic performance and results.
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Customer Metrics
Customer Objective Type Measures Targets Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Annual Analysis
Market share Market share by dollars Increase market share from 15% to 25% by the
end of the year in market B.
15.00% 18.00% 21.00% 26.00% 26.00% Target exceeded
Market share Market share by units Increase the number of units sold to market A
from 20,000 to 25,000 by the end of the year.
Market share Percentage of key customers within target market Contract with 75% of all customers within target
vertical C.
Customer profitability Percentage of unprofitable customers Reduce percentage of unprofitable customers
from 10% to 0% by the end of the year.
Customer profitability Customer profitability percentage Increase overall customer profitability from 25%
to 30% by the end of the year.
Customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction percentage Increase customer satisfaction (as measured by
external survey) so that 75% of all customers are
"somewhat" or "very" satisfied.
Customer satisfaction Number of unresolved issues Reduce the number of unresolved issues by 50%
by the end of the year.
Customer satisfaction Number of customer returns Reduce the number of returns by 75% by the end
of the year.
Customer satisfaction Out-of-stock percentage Reduce percentage of out-of-stock items by 60%
by the end of year.
Cost reduction/productivity Revenue per employee Increase revenue per employee from $110,000 to
$115,000 by the end of the year.
Cost reduction/productivity Cost reduction rate Increase cost reduction rate by 2% by the end of
the year.
Cost reduction/productivity Indirect expenses as a cost of sales Reduce general and administrative expenses as
a percentage of sales from 15% to 12%, to meet
competitors' expense ratios.
Cost reduction/productivity Unit cost per transaction Reduce unit cost per procurement transaction
from $0.75/unit to $.50/unit by the end of the
year.
Operations Product quality Defects will be reduced from 3 in every 1,000 to 1
in every 1,000 by June.
When showing your teams results to stakeholders and
fellow leadership, there are a number of tools which can
show the results implementation including Pareto charts,
scatter diagrams, and control charts such as this one.
Results Implementation
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Control Chart for Mean and Standard DeviationRevenue Per Employee
Quality Characteristic Average Sales, X-bar
Sample Size, n 250
k 10
45
25
[Date]
Control Limit
Upper Control Limit
Lower Control LImit
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
34
36
38
40
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Aver
age S
ales
, X-b
ar
Sample 1
CL, 4.360
UCL, 6.315
LCL, 2.405
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Stan
dard
Dev
iatio
n
Sample 2
Results Implementation
As a Champion, to get the most from your implementation,
use a combination of the DMAIC control features coupled
with visual reminders for your employees. If they see the
change, they want to be a part of its implementation.
Control Plan + Visual Reminders = Success
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Results Implementation
Visual factories, A3 diagrams and Six Sigma project boards
are used in the implementation of Six Sigma projects and
visually let workers know the status of activities through
signs and andons. These are located in the work area and
are typically reviewed at the start of each day. The typical
visual factory information includes:
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Process measures Reject rates, achievement to target, run charts, KPI's, and progress measures
Process measures
Organizational information
Growth Strategies
Safety information Visual identification of safe areas and hazards
Safety information
Work instructions Standard work instructions in visual form using photographs, samples, flow charts
Work instructions
Results Implementation
Sample Six Sigma Board shows ongoing project results
and A3 documentation of the PDSA cycle.
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Results Implementation
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Visual factoryProcess
metrics
Metric
Status
There are countless
tools to use in
process
improvement, and
new and better tools
are developed over
time. This chart
shows some of the
many that
Champions will use
based on the
desired result of the
project.
Results Implementation
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A3 report Control chart Gage repeatability Process decision
program chart (PDPC)
Affinity diagram Decision matrix Gantt chart Quality function
deployment (QFD)
Arrow diagram Design of
experiments (DOE)
Histogram Relations diagram
Balanced scorecard Eight disciplines (8D) House of quality Scatter diagram
Benchmarking Evaluation and
decision-making
tools
Kano model Seven basic quality
tools
Box and whisker plot Failure mode effects
analysis (FMEA)
Matrix diagram SIPOC diagram
Brainstorming Fishbone Mistake-proofing SMART matrix
Cause-and-effect
/Ishikawa/fishbone
diagram
Five S (5S) Multivoting Spaghetti diagram
Cause analysis tools Five whys and five
how’s
Pareto chart Tree diagram
Check sheet Flowchart Gage repeatability Value stream mapping
Force field analysis Plan-do-check-act
(PDCA) cycle
Voice of the customer
(VOC)
Common Champion Pitfalls To Avoid
The Champion has a significant amount of oversight on
projects. Here are some common pitfalls of Champions to
avoid:
• Making broad assumptions not based on data
• Failure to eliminate bureaucracy
• Failure to use tangible measures
• Being too involved as a team member, not the Champion
• Failing to make time for the team
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The four proficiency areas of the Champion
Business Operations Interface + Project selection + Results implementation + Pace
mediation and roadblock removal = Successful Projects
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Project selection
Results implementation
Pace mediation and roadblock
removal
Business Operations Interface
Champion
Proficiencies
Successful
Projects =
Successful
Companies
Six Sigma Champion Summary
So what makes a good Six Sigma Champion?
• Someone who can manage the process by managing
these four competency areas - business operations
interface, project selection, pace mediation and
roadblock removal and results implementation,
combined with knowing the business and leading the
transformation.
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The Six Sigma Champion
• Selects the projects
• Mentors and coaches project teams
• Provides project resources
• Removes obstacles
• Maintains project focus
• Ensures business alignment
• Ensures timelines are followed
• Drives results
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The Six Sigma Champion develops the infrastructure that
supports Six Sigma projects within the business or
company. These actions include:
• Providing training in Six Sigma
• Promoting communications
• Development of metrics
• Providing project management support
• Facilitating roll out
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
• The Champion is tasked with developing the solutions
for improving company value that meets business
strategies and creates customer value.
• Their goal is to reduce defects, improve return on
investment, and improve customer satisfaction.
• This is accomplished through driving Six Sigma as the
individual responsible for belt performance. These are
the individuals who execute the vision throughout the
company, and identify and prioritize projects.
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
• Six Sigma Project Selection is the next proficiency required for the Six Sigma Champion. Champions assign Six Sigma projects to the green belt or black belts assigned to the project.
• They are also responsible for aligning each project with the core business strategies of the company. The Champion is required to be a leader who is articulate with communications, Six Sigma knowledge, and a deep understanding of the goals of the company.
• They develop a strategy for deployment based on knowing what project needs to be accomplished, who needs to do the project, and how it corresponds to business goals.
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The next required competencies for the Champion are
pace mediation and roadblock removal.
• Pace mediation is when the Champion controls,
monitors, and manages the pace or progression of
project timelines.
• Roadblock removal when a Champion uses their skills,
resources, or position to maneuver a project and team
members to success.
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
• Results Implementation is the process of managing
projects to achieve the business result.
• Results implementation is the tangible tie of the
expected outcomes of a project conveyed in terms of
measurable metrics and timelines and the corresponding
level of achievement based on the metric and the
required timeframe for implementation or completion.
• When a project is completed, it should have a calculated
potential savings. This is the metric the Champion
should be held accountable for. Metrics drive
performance.
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The Six Sigma Champion plays several important roles in
leading Six Sigma teams to the successful completion of
projects. Their responsibilities are to:
• Mentor and coach Six Sigma teams
• Remove organizational obstacles the team encounters
• Ensure projects are aligned with the businesses strategic
plan
• Maintain team focus
• Ensure timely completion of projects
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
The Six Sigma Champion will support the project team by
providing several infrastructure needs such as:
• Supporting resources
• Inter-organization communications
• Six Sigma expertise and process driven techniques
• Project management skills
• Business metric development
• Training needs for project teams and company
employees for Six Sigma
• Spread and sustainment of improvements
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Six Sigma Champion Summary
• Champions play a significant role within the organization
for removing roadblocks, accurately selecting projects,
integrating business knowledge, adjusting deployment
speed, and integrating the implementation.
• By developing the required competencies for
Champions, organizations have an even greater chance
for Six Sigma Project success.
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Training Material Complete
• Please click the “X” in the top right corner to close the
presentation viewer and proceed to the next section.
• Additional certifications we recommend for those
interested in leading Six Sigma Teams:
– Six Sigma Black Belt Professional (SSBBP)
– Change Management Specialist (CMS)
– Strategic Organizational Leadership Certified (SOLC)
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