Six Sigma Tools – I : Project charter, Thought map, SIPOC

Description

INTRODUCTION

This course on Six Sigma Tools – I : Project charter, Thought map, SIPOC is part of the Six Sigma Specialization series that is designed to give an introductory and intermediate level of familiarization of Six Sigma concepts and tools.

Six Sigma is a systematic improvement process leading to process design / redesign. It uses several statistical tools and is widely applicable to any process – be it in manufacturing or functional areas. The benefits of Six Sigma are widely acknowledged in several industries and for several different processes – many industries have saved many millions of dollars

Six Sigma coupled with other processes like lean manufacturing form a lethal combination leading to radical improvements and huge savings of time, effort and money.

An understanding of the principles is essential for all – both in management and technical workforce.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This course covers the Six Sigma Tools – I : Project charter, Thought map, SIPOC. 

A project charter is the first step in the Six Sigma methodology. It takes place in the Define step of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control).

The charter can make or break a successful project. It can make it by specifying necessary resources and boundaries that will in turn ensure success; it can break it by reducing team focus, effectiveness and motivation.

Necessary Project Charter Areas are:

Project Title Black Belt/Green Belt Mentor/Master Black Belt Project Start Date Anticipated Project End Date Cost of Poor Quality Process Importance Process Problem

Process Start/Stop Points – Bound the project Project Goals Process Measurements Team Members Sponsor Project leader Subject matter experts Project Timeframe / major milestones

For a Six Sigma project to be successful, it must begin with a solid foundation. One tool that can ensure a firm foundation is the thought process map, sometimes referred to as a TMAP. A TMAP is a visual representation of a Black Belt’s, team leader’s or an entire team’s thoughts, ideas and questions relative to accomplishing the project goal. It should be one of the first tools employed when starting any Six Sigma or process improvement project. It is a living document that will change throughout the project and has no set format.

The single, most important benefit of using a TMAP early in a project is it ensures that nothing is left out or missed. It also provides an effective way to brainstorm, take notes, gather and view information and even summarize data. It provides a visual map that tracks the development of ideas and issues, as well as the extent of inquisition.

The Six Sigma tool SIPOC (Supplier – Input – Process – Output – Customer) is used to map processes at a high level.

Every item under the SIPOC categories of input and process is a potential source of variation in the output to be considered or investigated.

We will discuss these topics in this course.  

On completion of this series, the user will have a good knowledge of:

• Tools used in Define stage – Project charter, Thought map, SIPOC, Value Stream Map, Zero Loss studies to identify bottleneck machine / operation (in manufacturing), Cause and Effect matrix, Failure Mode Effect Analysis
• Measuring the process – Measurement System Analysis. This may be more relevant for processes related to manufacturing
• Improvement methods and related statistical tools of Hypothesis testing – Chi squared test, t test, Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
• Control strategies for sustenance of the improvements made by design or redesign of processes

After this series, the participant can appreciate any topic on Six Sigma which are at fundamental or intermediate levels. On completion of the series the participant will be ready to enroll in Advanced courses on Six Sigma that lead to a formal certification as a White Belt or Yellow Belt or Green Belt or Black Belt.

ALL of our courses in this series is developed based on decades of front-line industry experience of the instructor. 

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

Anyone who is involved with any process, be it manufacturing or transactional. It is uniformly applicable across any function. This course is equally important to any operator or management staff.

The series should form mandatory knowledge for any professional in manufacturing or Supply Chain or Project Management or HR or any function and especially a new employee.

This course is ALSO part of the is a Bundled Specialization course titled Six Sigma Specialization. You might also want to consider  to take the course on Lean Manufacturing Tools Specialization along with this course.

COURSE CONTENT 

• INTRODUCTION
• PROJECT CHARTER
  • Important Document
  • Charter Structure
  • Charter Elements
  • Charter Summary & Tips
• THOUGHT MAP
  • What & How
  • Advantages
  • TMAP – Example 1
  • TMAP – Example 2
  • TMAP – Example 3
  • TMAP – Example 4
• SIPOC
  • SIPOC – What & Why
  • Process and SIPOC form
  • SIPOC Steps
  • SIPOC – Example 1
  • SIPOC – Example 2
• REFERENCES & COURSE HANDOUTS
• FINAL QUIZ