DFSS: Overview

Question 1

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)

Answer 1

Helps organizations create NEW products, services and processes in a way that ensures customer satisfaction by using a structured framework (DMADV, IDDOV, or DMADOV)

Question 2

When Should you Use DFSS Over DMAIC?

Answer 2

• The business outcome is showing ‘stair shaped graphs’
• Building new products, services, processes
• Exponential change to an existing system
• Introduction of new technology to the business

Question 3

What is Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)

Answer 3

Use DFSS when the business is seeking to build a new product, service, or process. Design for Six Sigma is effective in that it takes all the guesswork out of designing new goods for customers. Designing new goods can be a daunting task since no feedback exists as commonly found in DMAIC. Oftentimes this leads to companies spending LOTS of money designing something in trial and error in order to build the best characteristics for this new good. But with DFSS, customer needs are built into the design of the product up front.

Question 4

How to Implement DFSS

Answer 4

Similar to DMAIC, the Six Sigma team must be cross-functional in order to fully grasp the scope of the project. It is easy to assume that the majority of DFSS compose of engineers and QA personnel since the focus of DFSS is on design. However, like playing with dominos, introducing one new product, process, or service can affect the sum of all parts.

The steps taken in DFSS vary depending on the methodology used. The most common method is DMADV (DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALYZE, DESIGN, VERIFY). Because the DMADV is most common and the other methods follow a similar pattern to DMADV, the majority of this article’s content will focus on DMADV.

Question 5

DMAIC vs. DMADV

Answer 5

Business studies by Hockman (2001), Suh (1990), and Paul (1996) found that 70-80% of quality problems are centered on design. With 70-80% of quality problems coming from the design of the product or service, it becomes very difficult to take an existing process to perform at a 6 Sigma Level.

Question 6

Why Use Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)?

DPMO Example

Answer 6

If a company wants to achieve 3.4 defects per million opportunities, then they need to use DFSS because no matter the gains made in DMAIC, a 6 Sigma performance capability requires near perfection. Keep in mind, that not all businesses have a need to perform at a 6 Sigma Level due to certain diminishing returns. For example, we can all agree that we want commercial airplanes (that cost millions of dollars to build) built to the highest quality possible. However, a company producing low pencils, a low cost good, can be successful at a 4 Sigma Level with a DPMO of 6,210.