Week #1: Introduction to the DMAIC Process

Question 1

What does the acronym of DMAIC represent?

Answer 1

Define. Measure. Analyze. Improve. Control.

Question 2

What is the approach used in this course centered around?

Answer 2

DMAIC.

A basic methodology that includes a five-step approach of (1) Define, (2) Measure, (3) Analyze, (4) Improve, and (5) Control.

Question 3

What is the objective of “Define”?

Answer 3

To cover the project charter, customer needs and requirements, and process mapping.

Question 4

What is the objective of “Measure”?

Answer 4

To describe how to identify the right thing to measure, how to create a plan to collect that data,
and how to baseline the process.

Question 5

What is the objective of “Analyze”?

Answer 5

Explain how to come up with a long list of possible root causes to a problem, narrow that list
down to a short list, and then isolate it to one or two root causes.

Question 6

What is the objective of “Improve”?

Answer 6

To describe how you can improve that condition.

Question 7

What is the objective of “Control”?

Answer 7

To explore how you can maintain the improved process.

Question 8

Within the Six Sigma culture, besides competency in math and statistics, what is required for your project’s success?

Answer 8

Your culture must be Six Sigma ready.

Question 9

What is the Value Add Rule #1?

Answer 9

The first rule of value is that it has to change the form or the function.

For example, cooking a hamburger
changes its form from raw to cooked and the function from inedible to edible. Transporting the beef
from the farm to the restaurant did not add value as the form and function of the beef did not change.

Another example is assembling parts in a factory. Joining part A and part B adds value because it
changes the form and function. Measuring the newly assembled item with a pair of calipers does not
add value because nothing changes.

Question 10

What is the Value Add Rule #2?

Answer 10

A second important criteria is the customer must be willing to pay for it. If the customer is not willing to
pay for the service or product, then it is not value-added.

For example, if you put a $3.00 cheeseburger
in a very expensive, ornate, teak wooden box, you change the function by now making it portable and
you make the cheeseburger now worth $300; however, if the customer does not want to pay $300 for the cheeseburger in the expensive box, then the box does not add value.

Question 11

What is the Value Add Rule #3?

Answer 11

The last important criteria is that you need to get it right the first time.

For example, let’s presume that you can complete 10 lab tests an hour to get patients through the ER in a timely manner. If you make a mistake and have to complete five of the tests over again, then you only get five patients through the ER this hour; this means you will need to get 15 patients through in the next hour. Also, you have cost the ER more money by messing up the tests; you have to pay twice to get the results you should have gotten the first time.

Another example could come from a manufacturing plant. Say it costs $10 to make a part that you sell
for $20. If the part is defective, you will spend an additional $10 creating it again. This means you will have spent $20 to create a product that you will sell for that same amount. You will not make any money.

Question 12

What is waste?

Answer 12

If it is not adding value, then it is a waste.

Question 13

How many types of waste are there and what are they?

Answer 13

8

(1) Defects, (2) Overproduction, (3) Waiting, (4) Non-Utilized Talent, (5) Transportation, (6) Inventory, (7) Motion, (8) Extra Processing.

Question 14

What is the acronym for all types of waste combined?

Answer 14

“DOWNTIME”

Question 15

What are defects?

Answer 15

The first type of waste is called defects.

This occurs anytime you make a mistake and have to complete the work again.

Question 16

What is overproduction?

Answer 16

The second waste is called overproduction.

This occurs when you produce more than you need or you deliver something sooner than needed. It is waste because it is not changing the form or function and
you need somewhere to store the products.

Question 17

What is waiting?

Answer 17

Waiting is a huge waste.

It does not change the form or function when you are waiting for something (e.g., in a line, in a waiting room, waiting for something in the mail).

Question 18

What is non-utilized talent?

Answer 18

Non-utilized talent is a waste.

This type of waste includes people who are underemployed or overemployed.

Question 19

What is transportation?

Answer 19

Transportation is a waste.

When you are moving things, you are changing location, but not changing
the products’ form or function

Question 20

What is inventory?

Answer 20

Excessive inventory is a waste.

Storing your inventory costs money and space. Also, if something happens to that stored inventory, you will have defective products which are also considered waste.

Question 21

What is motion?

Answer 21

Motion is a form of waste.

If you spend more time looking for an object you need to do your job, then there is less time spent actually doing your job.

Question 22

What is extra processing?

Answer 22

Extra processing is a waste.

If you inspect an item three times when it was perfect the second time, then you are wasting your time, not adding value to the product.

Question 23

From a Six Sigma perspective, what are two areas that you want to eliminate?

Hint: Consider these two sources the enemy.

Answer 23

(1) Defects and (2) Slow

Question 24

Name three things discussed in this course lecture (Week 1) that defects include.

Answer 24

• Mistakes
• Flaws
• Customer complaints
• Warranty returns
• Liability exposure
• All non-quality items

Question 25

What is a defect in Six Sigma?

Answer 25

Any instance that does not fall within the intended parameters is considered a defect. In most cases, a defect should be thought of as a failure to meet the customer expectations for quality.

For instance, a manufactured part that is too short or too long would be a defect, as would a pizza delivery that takes too long. By reducing the variation in the process, even without shifting the average, defects can be reduced and quality improved.

Question 26

What is Six Sigma essentially creating?

Answer 26

Process improvement that’s battling two wars.

“We’re engaging in two wars: the war on defects and the war on slow. We’re going to teach you tools and techniques used to visualize the source of some of the defects before they happen as well as the waste that’s slowing you down.

These two camps – the quality improvement side and the speed improvement side – are the foundation
of what you need to help eliminate waste” (Lecture, 2018).

Question 27

What is the reward of using Six Sigma successfully within a process?

Hint: Pilot A or Pilot B Lecture

Answer 27

CPR. Consistent, Predictable, and Repeatable.

“Good enough is really no longer good enough.
We’re shooting for targets with as little variation as possible around those targets” (Lecture, 2018).

Question 28

How much do experts maintain that the cost of poor quality decreases businesses revenue annually?

Answer 28

Up to 25-30% annually.

Question 29

What are the four categories to the cost of poor quality?

Answer 29

(1) Internal Failures, (2) External Failures, (3) Appraisal Costs, (4) Prevention.

Question 30

Can you name three (out of ten) types of internal failures?

Answer 30

• Accidents
• Workarounds
• Quick fixes
• Scrap
• Rework
• Defects
• Mistakes
• Employee turnover
• Equipment downtime
• Sorting

Question 31

Can you name four (out of six) types of external failures?

Answer 31

• Customer complaints
• Penalties
• Liability suits
• Repair costs
• Time spent evaluating things that have gone wrong
• Time spent responding to an upset customer

Question 32

Can you name three (out of four) types of appraisal costs?

Answer 32

• Audits
• Testing
• Inspections
• Equipment calibration

Question 33

What are four (out of five) types of prevention costs?

Answer 33

• Error proofing
• Capability studies
• Procedure writing
• Applicant screening
• Education and training

Question 34

Can you trend the tracking costs over time for each type of cost (internal failures, external failures, appraisal, and prevention) over time if your company addresses these issues and track the figures?

Answer 34

If companies address these issues and track these figures, they should see prevention costs go up at first
and then level out. The internal and external failures and appraisal costs should come down over time.
It is important to remember to not get caught up in the precision of the numbers. That’s not important.
Think of your organization.

If the needle moved just 5 percent, that would be a huge success. See Lecture for “The Cost of Poor Quality” for the image.

Question 35

According to Joseph Juran, what are the two journey that need to be made within Six Sigma to reach a solution?

Answer 35

One is a diagnostic journey from symptom (A) to cause (B), and the other is a journey from (B) cause to (C) remedy.

(1) A to B and (2) B to C

Addition: He also said that the easier of the journeys is from cause to remedy because if we find the right cause, then the solutions end to gravitate towards the cause. However, if we don’t identify the root cause of our problem, we may never get a corrective action, which is really what we’re after – corrective actions that are sustainable.

Question 36

What is the purpose of basic statistics within Six Sigma?

Answer 36

(1) To provide a numerical summary of data so that we can analyze it, (2) provide the basis for making inferences about the future, (3) provide a foundation for assessing our process’s capability, (4) and provide a common language that we can use throughout our organization to describe our processes

Question 37

What are the two types of data?

Answer 37

(1) Attribute Data and (2) Variable Data

Question 38

What are some key ways to quickly identify attribute data?

Answer 38

• Qualitative in nature
• There are only two possible outcomes

• It is either a yes or a no, a go or a no-go, a pass or a fail

• Can be characterized or categorized in classifications, and we can then count how many show up in each one of the classes
• Also referred to as discrete data

Question 39

What are some key ways to quickly identify variable data?

Answer 39

• Quantitative in nature
• This is what we measure
• Also referred to as continuous data because it is measured over a continuum

Question 40

Attribute vs. Variable Data: How do you tell the difference between the two?

Answer 40

• Whatever it is you are investigating, if dividing it in half makes sense, then you are probably using
continuous data

• Things like time and pressure, speed, feed rates, etc.

• If dividing it in half does not make sense, then it is probably attribute data

• For example, you cannot have eight-and-a-half people showing up at an event. That makes no
  sense because you cannot have half a person.

Amanda’s Note: If you can’t divide, then that vibe attracts a tribe (attributive data).

Question 41

What is the purpose of descriptive statistics?

Answer 41

To describe what data looks like.

Question 42

What is the purpose of measuring a location?

Answer 42

To measure the mean, median or mode of the dataset. A.K.A “central tendancies”.

Question 43

Describe the measures of variation.

Answer 43

A.K.A “dispersion”.

When you use the range, interquartile range, standard deviation, or variance to understand the dispersion of the data.

Question 44

On a graph, how can you read the measures of variation?

Answer 44

For measures of variation, such as the range, all you need to do is look at the largest observation and
subtract the smallest to get an understanding of the distance between the highest and lowest values. A
small range indicates a small amount of variability; a large range indicates a large amount of variability.
Be sure to use the range or interquartile measures when your data distribution is skewed, but use the
standard deviation and variance when you have a bell-shaped curve distribution.

Question 45

What is the standard deviation and when do we use it?

Answer 45

A unit of measure for distances from the mean

• Equivalent to the average deviation of values from the mean for the distribution

• Use this when the data is symmetrical

Question 46

What is hypothesis testing and when do we use it?

Answer 46

• Used when we are making inferences about what our data is telling us
• Helps integrate the voice of the process with the voice of the business

Question 47

What is statistical difference and when do we apply it?

Answer 47

• A difference or a change to the process that probably, with some defined degree of confidence, did
not happen by chance

• We are looking for statistical difference when we use hypothesis testing

Question 48

What are some questions that consider practical difference and its purpose?

Answer 48

Does this make good sense for the business? Does this difference result in an improvement that is going to have some economic or practical value to the company? Is making this change right for the company at this time?

Purpose: To always make sure you understand that your decision should not just be based on the statistics alone. You need to always convert the statistical back into the practical.

Question 49

What are three (out of 7) actions taken during the “define” phase?

Answer 49

• The project is initiated
• The specific problem is defined
• The project’s goals and scope are identified, as well as the customer
• A clear project charter is developed based on real-life problems that affect the customer
• The business case is defined
• Benefits are determined by asking some basic questions

• Project management is determined, including the project plan, the stakeholders, management
support, and the teams

Question 50

What are three (out of 7) actions taken during the “measure” phase?

Answer 50

• Measurement systems are developed and evaluated
• Current process performance is measured
• Key performance indicators are determined
• Data is collected
• The quality of the data is checked for accuracy
• Distributions of data can be determined to see how the process is behaving
• The amount of defects and variation present are determined

Question 51

What are three (out of 6) actions taken during the “analyze” phase?

Answer 51

• The potential causes of problems are identified
• Current processes are analyzed
• Relationships between inputs, processes, and outputs are identified
• Data analysis is carried out
• Waste and its root causes are determined
• Root causes are verified to understand the cause and effect

Question 52

What are three (out of 7) actions taken during the “analyze” phase?

Answer 52

• All potential solutions are evaluated through data-driven exercises so that assumptions are mitigated
• Error-proofing exercises are put into place to eliminate accidents
• Risks are assessed
• Failure modes and effects analysis is performed
• Pilot plans are conducted to ensure proper rollout before implementation occurs
• Implementation occurs
• Validation of statistical methods takes place

Question 53

What are three actions taken during the “control” phase?

Answer 53

• Finalized control systems are determined and long-term capabilities are verified for sustainable and
long-term success

• It is important to understand how the process will continue to be measured once it is implemented.
  This can be performed through statistical process control and control plans that determine
  exactly who and what should be measured
• Standardized processes are put in place so that the old way of doing things does not happen again
• The improvements are quantified to make sure the goals of the project were actually achieved

Question 54

Why are DMAIC Tollgates important?

Answer 54

Tollgates are key to the success of a project. Just as the five major phases of DMAIC flow logically from
beginning to end – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control – so do each of the tollgates. Each
one feeds the next, and they build upon each other. Therefore, it is imperative that you never skip a
tollgate.

Each of the five phases of DMAIC has three tollgates that need to be completed before moving on to
the next one. Approval to move on to the next tollgate comes from the team’s sponsor, who is also a
member of the management team. That approval happens during the tollgate review meeting.

Question 55

Do you have to hold 15 Tollgate Meeting Reviews for a Six Sigma to be successful within your organization?

Answer 55

No. Different organizations hold tollgate review meetings differently. For example, some organizations hold one large tollgate meeting at the end of each DMAIC phase. However, the Villanova Lean Six Sigma
program recommends having 15 smaller, individual meetings – one for each individual tollgate. Here’s
why:

1. It lets the sponsor review the work at each step, which saves time and prevents rework.
2. It keeps the information focused. The sponsor can focus on a small amount of information on a
   particular topic at one time.
3. It is easier to find time. Sponsors are very busy people, so it is easier to find time to meet with
   them for 15 minutes instead of an hour.
4. It keeps the sponsor actively engaged because you are meeting with him/her every week instead
   of once a month.

Question 56

Who should attend tollgate review meetings?

Answer 56

• The Green Belt
• The sponsor
• A Black Belt mentor
• Team member(s), when appropriate
• For example, if someone on the team is a customer expert, have him/her attend the customer
  needs and requirements tollgate review

Question 57

What actions should be taken prior to a tollgate review before a tollgate meeting by The Green Belt?

Answer 57

• Always send critical documents to the sponsor a couple of days before the meeting so he/she has
an opportunity to review them

• Prepare backup documents

• For example, if you have collected data, be sure that you have documented all the details about
  the data collection process

• Find out the sponsor’s preferred format for the presentation

• Some sponsors might want to see PowerPoint slides presented, while others might just want a bulleted summary document. Either way, remember, the sponsor is your customer, so find out what your customer’s needs and requirements are

Question 58

What should be done during the tollgate review meeting?

Answer 58

• Greet the sponsor
• Remind him/her about which project is being discussed
• Review the prior phases or tollgates
• Mention any recent updates to things like the charter, scope, etc.
• As you are working on things, you may uncover issues that change the nature of the project going forward. Always inform the sponsor of changes to the project charter so that he/she has the most up-to-date document

• Briefly review the current information

• What the goal and tollgate were
• What you planned on doing and what you actually did
• Some of the tools that you used
• Your findings

• Answer any questions the sponsor might have

• If you do not have an answer, let the sponsor know that. Be honest about it. You can always go
  back and get information from the team
• Request approval to move on to the next tollgate or even revisit a prior tollgate
• Request additional resources, if appropriate
• If the sponsor approves what is going on and you are moving forward, let the sponsor know what the next tollgate will be and what your goal is. Ask for his/her input, guidance, or suggestions as you go forward into the next tollgate
• Thank the sponsor for his/her time and assistance

Question 59

What actions should be a follow-up on after the tollgate review meeting?

Answer 59

• Report back to the team on the outcome

* Follow up with any requests from the sponsor right away

Question 60

What are some of the champion/sponser’s responsibilities?

Answer 60

• Provide guidance, insight, and suggestions that will help the team

• Since the sponsor is part of the management team, he/she will have access to information that is not readily available to team members. So that is the sponsor’s role: to let the team know about important things that they might not have been aware of

• Keep an eye on the goal and direction of the team
- If the team starts to stray off the path and get into things that are outside the project’s scope, it is the sponsor’s job to reel the team back in and get them refocused

• Provide support in the way of staff, funding, etc.
• Approve the tollgate
• Either let the team move on or make them go back and clarify and verify things for the tollgate

• Stop the project

• There may be times when the sponsor says, “Based on what we found out here, I do not think
  this is a viable project anymore.”

Question 61

What are the tollgates within the “Define” phase?

Answer 61

1. Project charter
   - Provides a business case, problem statement, and scope of the project
   - Critical foundational step of the whole process
   - Identify how the project is important to the company
   • Why should management support a Six Sigma project?
2. Customer needs and requirements
   - Define exactly what the customer wants
   - Based on the voice of the customer
   - Use specific and detailed terms
3. Map the process
   - Specify the steps to deliver the product or service

Question 62

What are the tollages within the “Measure” phase?

Answer 62

1. Performance indicator identification
   - Specify exactly what needs to be measured
   - Focus on leading measures upstream in the process
   - Measure the steps of the process that will ensure we get it right the first time
2. Data collection plan
   - Clarify exactly how data will be collected
   - Need clear definitions and procedures
3. Baseline performance measurement
   - Evaluate how the company is doing currently
   - Determine the importance of the project

Question 63

What are the tollages within the “Analyze” phase?

Answer 63

1. Potential root cause
   - Identify anything that might be contributing to the problem
   - Don’t rule anything out
2. Narrow root causes
   - Identify the root causes that are likely the largest contributors to the problem
   - Can’t fix everything
3. Critical root cause
   - Verify which root causes will make a difference when reduced or eliminated
   • These are the critical few that we will focus on in the next phase

Question 64

What are the tollgates within the “Improve” phase?

Answer 64

1. Generate possible solutions
   - Review all possible solutions to each of the critical root causes
   - Need options in order to choose the best solution
   Six Sigma Green Belt | 21
2. Select solutions
   - Select the best solutions
   - Based on criteria important to the customer, the company, and the project
   - This decision should be driven by data
3. Implement solution
   - Solutions are put in place
   - Implementation plan drives the execution

Question 65

What are the tollgates within the “Control” phase?

Answer 65

1. Monitor and control plan
   - Continue to measure performance
   - Ensure the new process and procedures are being executed correctly
   - Avoid slipping back into doing things the old way
2. Response plan
   - Create plans to address potential problems that may arise
   - Remember that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong
3. Continual improvement plan
   - Continual improvement is one of the core concepts of quality
   - Develop plans to continue improving the process over time
   - Do not stop – if you do, competitors will pass you

Question 66

Out of the tollgate review attendees, who has the authority to approve tollgates to continue or stop the project overall?

Answer 66

The champion/sponsor.

Question 67

What are three criteria (out of six) for selecting your first-wave projects?

Answer 67

The following are criteria for picking successful first-wave projects:
1. High impacting and tied to the organization’s key business objectives
• Keep upper management happy by tying the project to something that is important to them

2. Low performing process
   • It is better to bring a process from 60 percent to 80 percent, than a process from 90 percent to 95 percent
3. High probability for success
   • Do not pick projects that seem impossible to solve
4. Low impact on resources
   • Do not pick projects that will take a lot of money and people
5. Potential cost savings
   • Do not focus too much on cost savings because you might lose sight of what the customer wants
6. Customer satisfaction

Question 68

What should you use to analyze the criteria to make a project selection?

Answer 68

Project Selection Matrix.

Question 69

What are some traits of White Belts?

Answer 69

• Typically receive one day (or less) of formal Six Sigma training
• General awareness of Six Sigma methodologies and vocabulary
• Team members, sponsors, or champions

Question 70

What are some traits of Yellow belts?

Answer 70

• Typically receive two to three days of training
• Help facilitate basic tools (e.g., brainstorming, process mapping)
• Cannot manage a project a project on their own
• Team members, champions, sponsors, or co-facilitators

Question 71

Who should seek Yellow Belt or White Belt training?

Answer 71

• Entry-level employees who need the foundations to properly support an improvement team
• Executives who need to support improvement initiatives in a sponsor or champion role

Question 72

What are some traits of Green Belts?

Answer 72

• Pivotal role in Six Sigma projects
• Keep the team on task
• Facilitate Six Sigma tools required to accomplish all steps in the DMAIC process
• Typically mentored by a Black Belt coach for first three projects
• Dedicated part time to Six Sigma projects

Question 73

What are some qualities of a good Green Belt?

Answer 73

• Unbiased
• Preferably, they have no stake in the problem
• They have a basic understanding of the process being improved
• Excellent soft skills
• Know how to communicate
• They can convey information and get information from people

• Good project management skills

• They can create a plan and keep a team on task

Question 74

What are some common mistakes Green Belts make?

Answer 74

• Having a preconceived assumption of the solution

• Be open-minded
• Go through the steps and use the tools to determine the best solution

• Having a poor definition of the problem statement
- Problem statements should follow the SMART acronym (specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant, and time-bound)

• Lacking sponsor or champion buy-in
- If a sponsor or champion doesn’t buy in to the problem or the solution, the team won’t make
progress

• Excluding key functions from a team

• Teams should be cross-functional
• Include front-line employees who work the process every day

Question 75

What are some traits of Black Belts?

Answer 75

• Facilitate or lead large complex improvement projects
• Coach and mentor Green Belts during their projects
• Ensure tollgates are completed correctly before moving forward

• Manage the improvement plans for entire product lines
- Short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions all aiming towards one goal

• Typically dedicated full time to Six Sigma projects

Question 76

What are some skills of Black Belts?

Answer 76

• Managing multiple projects and multitasking
• Completing advanced statistical analyses
• E.g., design of experiments, ANOVA, and statistical process control implementation

• Being an expert facilitator
- Communicating ideas and ensuring that individuals understand those ideas

Question 77

Who are champions or sponsors?

Answer 77

• Called different things in different places, but typically mean the same thing
• Mid-level or senior leaders
• Have the authority to deploy resources and remove barriers for the project team
• Responsible for chartering and selecting the process owner
• Makes regular contact with Black Belt, Green Belt, and process owner during improvement projects
• Typically, when the team is ready to move from one tollgate to another
• The champion reviews the results from the team, then approves or makes course corrections
  for moving forward

Question 78

Who are Master Black Belts?

Answer 78

• Full-time position managing the Six Sigma program for an entire business
• Work with the organization to create a five-year strategic plan

• Use Six Sigma tools to help Black Belts and Green Belts deploy the five-year plan with specific
improvements in sites and departments

• Coach and mentor the Black Belts through the certification process

Question 79

Who are Process Owners?

Answer 79

• Have influence over the improvement team
• Hold the team accountable for completing action items
• Subject matter experts on the process

• Can be formal or informal leaders
- Formal – someone like a supervisor or a manager over a process area who is an expert
- Informal – someone who has been with the organization for a long time; people respect their
opinions and look to them for ongoing improvements

• Can also be sponsors in some situations

Question 80

What does and doesn’t work well when a Green Belt is working with a process owner?

Answer 80

• Green Belts should avoid coming across as the process owner’s boss
- The Green Belt cannot tell the process owner what to do
- A good relationship is when the process owner knows the Green Belt is there to help solve a
problem

• Goals and timelines should be communicated initially through the champion or sponsor

• Green Belts need to engage the process owners early in the Define phase
- The more we get the process owner to buy in to the goal, the scope, and the team members,
the more engaged they will be in following the process and coming up with a great solution
Green Belts play a pivotal roles in selecting the team and ensuring they know their responsibilities.

Ensuring the team members know their role and their responsibilities will ensure the success of the
project.

Question 81

What is the definition of Six Sigma?

Answer 81

Six Sigma simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined,
data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects. To achieve the goal of Six Sigma, a
company must reduce their number of defects to 3.4 defects for every million opportunities.

Question 82

When did Six Sigma originate?

Answer 82

Six Sigma as a methodology began in 1985, but in order to understand how it came about, we must
first look at who and what formed the foundation on which it was built. Like anything else, formulated
concepts begin with an idea, or a spark of inspiration. Six Sigma’s spark originated with Carl Friedrich
Gauss.

Gauss, a German mathematician from nineteenth-century Europe, introduced the conceptual normal
curve metric as an error analysis tool for measurement, probability, and hypothesis testing. This
important mathematical tool, became the initial principle of what would later become one of the
cornerstones of Six Sigma.

Question 83

What is Pareta in Six Sigma?

Answer 83

Another staple of Six Sigma, the Pareto Chart, is a derivative of the Pareto Principle, which was
developed in the late eighteen hundreds by an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto.

The Pareto Principle identifies the separation of the significant few, the 20 percent, from the trivial many,
80 percent. It was originally used as an economic analysis measure to discern wealth distribution, but
was quickly adopted for other fields such as sales, technology, and project management.

Pareto charts are an excellent way to visually present large amounts of data through graphs, making it
more easily analyzed. This chart would later be used and expanded upon by other quality improvement
professionals to show the imbalance of a process.

Question 84

What is Gurus in Six Sigma?

Answer 84

Philip Crosby’s contributions towards a greater quality philosophy were many. The two that have
influenced quality improvement the most are:

• The unconditional involvement of senior management, which addresses the culture that must be
adopted for the new philosophy to take effect

• The four absolutes of quality management identify the definitions with which quality should be
measured. They are

• Quality comes from conformance
• Quality comes from prevention
• Quality standard is zero defects
• Measurement of quality should be the cost of nonconformance

Question 85

Who is Dr. William Edwards Deming (1900-1993)?

Answer 85

Known for championing the work of Walter Shewhart. Using Shewhart’s tools such as Statistical
Process Control, Operational Definitions, and an evolved version of The Shewhart Cycle called the
Plan-Do-Study-Act, or PDSA, he would greatly change the landscape of quality improvement

• As a consultant, he worked with governments, influential business leaders, and large corporations.
Deming’s sampling techniques are still used by the Department of Census and the Bureau of Labor

• Was instrumental in the Japanese post-war economic miracle, from 1950-1960. His teachings
and consultations with Japan’s leaders during that time helped Japan become the world’s second
most powerful economy, in just under ten years

• Deming is best known for his Fourteen Points for Management, Seven Deadly Diseases of Management,
and Total Quality Management, or TQM, ideologies. His methods were also responsible for Ford
Motor Company’s resurgence in the 1980s

Question 86

Who is Dr. Armand V. Feigenbaum?

Answer 86

Dr. Armand V. Feigenbaum believed that for quality improvement to be successful, everyone involved
in that process should be completely committed to its success.

• He dubbed this strategy Total Quality Control, or TQC

• This philosophy comprises the ideals that products should be made and sold more expediently,
that higher quality means lower costs, that management must be involved, and that quality is
everyone’s responsibility

Question 87

Who is Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa?

Answer 87

Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa was very influential in the realm of quality control.

• Developed the Ishikawa diagram, which is referred to today as a fishbone diagram

• Proposed that to achieve complete immersion in a quality control movement, a commitment of two
to five years would be required from the company and its employees. He referred to this as CWQC,
or companywide quality control

• Originated the concept of “Quality Circles,” which utilized the PDCA cycle of plan, do, check, and
adjust. Its core principle of team meetings for the sole purpose of focused discussion on quality is
still used to this day. Through the use of quality control audits, Ishikawa determined that opportunities for improvement, OFIs, could be discovered. He also used advanced tools and statistical techniques as a means of
implementing companywide quality control programs.

He believed a company’s problems could be
solved through the use of seven basic tools:

• Flow Charts
• Ishikawa Diagrams
• Checklists
• Pareto Charts
• Histograms
• Scatter-grams
• Controls Charts

Question 88

Who is Dr. Walter A. Shwehart?

Answer 88

Dr. Walter A. Shewhart, known as the Father of Statistical Process Control

• Introduced both the control chart and the distinction of assignable cause vs. common cause or
random variation. These tools helped identify contributors to process- or product-related problems

• Originated the plan, do, check, act cycle. This tool, along with many others, were championed and
utilized by W. Edwards Deming. Deming, however, substituted the word check with study

Question 89

Who is Joseph M. Juran?

Answer 89

Dr. Joseph M. Juran was a major proponent of the quality movement. His book, “Quality Control
Handbook,” published in 1951, was a comprehensive work that detailed the quality movement and
the tools associated with it.

• He proposed that management should be present in quality councils or circles

• He believed that stating specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals (SMART), from
the start promoted solidarity and ownership of the project

• His quality trilogy consisted of quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement. The
basic theory for the trilogy was that the less time you spend in one, the more time you had with
the others

Question 90

Who is Genichi Taguchi?

Answer 90

Dr. Genichi Taguchi is best known for his approach to design of experiments. Taguchi felt that the way
to measure quality is through the financial loss it creates for the customer, the company, and society.
Dr. Taguchi believed that quality should be engineered into the product during the conceptual design
phase.
His most notable contributions were:

• The Taguchi loss function
• His theory on off-line quality control
• His innovations on statistical design of experiments

Question 91

Who is Frederick Winslow Taylor?

Answer 91

Frederick Winslow Taylor is considered to be the first scholar of modern business.

• Used his adherence to detailed documentation to identify patterns in the behavior of workers. By
utilizing common measurement tools, he and his team studied the habits of industrial laborers to
pinpoint evidence of peak performance

• Taylor is credited as the first to introduce the three core principles of project management and
leadership: Benchmarking, Process redesign and Work out. He was also a strong proponent of standardized processes and measured performance

Question 92

What companies are instrumental to Six Sigma’s Development?

Answer 92

Motorola, Allied Signal, General Electric (GE), UNISYS, Texas Instruments, and ABB