Introduction Flashcards
What is one common thing that causes Six Sigma process improvements to fail?
Lack of management buy-in
What is Six Sigma philosophy?
Structured and disciplined problem solving process that provides perfect products and services consistently. Improves bottom line by finding and eliminating mistakes.
What is Six Sigma as a tool set?
Set of qualitative and quantitative tools used by Six Sigma experts to drive process improvements
What methodology is the most widely used and recognized when using Six Sigma as a process improvement philosophy?
DMAIC
As a metric, what does Six Sigma mean?
A process that has less than 3.4 defect per million opportunities
What is the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?
Lean drives out waste and Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variation and enhances process control
Quality is the responsibility of who at an organization?
Everyone
Define the word process:
series of steps that produce a product or service
What does DMAIC stand for?
define, measure, analyze, improve, control
What are the eight forms of waste?
DOWNTIME. Defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized resources, transportation, inventory, motion, excessive processing
Describe defect as a form of waste:
fail to meet customer expectations (internal or external)
Describe overproduction as a form of waste:
making more than needed to meet demand
Describe waiting as a form of waste:
time spent in queues between steps in a process
Describe non-utilized resources as a form of waste:
people are a resource. use them to improve the process
Describe transportation as a form of waste:
Movement of materials or information from one place to another. non-value added. Also increases error potential
Describe inventory as a form of waste:
Excess inventory above quantity demanded. Can get lost, stolen, damaged, or obsolete.
Describe motion as a form of waste:
A person moving from one place to another. Inefficient workspace. Bending, lifting, reaching, walking - all wasteful movements.
Describe excessive processing as a form of waste:
Extra processing that does not add value. Over-automating or under-automating. Inspection that does not take place at the source. Unnecessary processing that the customer will not pay for.
Describe a thought process map:
graphical methods to capture and present complex critical thought processes to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Take form of: Question – Action – Answer
What elements make a good problem statement?
concise, contain a metric to monitor performance, and not contain a solution
Define business case:
Businesses have a fixed amount of time and resources. A business case is used to define which problem is worth improving in terms of monetary gain
What can thought process maps be used for?
Determining what critical questions should be answered. Determining what actions should be taken to answer the critical questions. Determine what conclusions can be made from actions taken. Determine what course of action should be taken?
Why reduce input variability?
Decreases defects in output
