How do you define and track the critical success factors of a DMAIC project?
How do you define and track the critical success factors of a DMAIC project? If you are familiar with Lean Six Sigma, you know that DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. It is a structured problem-solving methodology that aims to improve the quality and efficiency of a process or product. But how do you know if your DMAIC project is successful? How do you measure the impact and benefits of your improvement efforts? In this article, we will explore some of the key aspects of measuring DMAIC success and provide some tips and tools to help you do it effectively.
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Britney Scott MD, LSSBB- Organizational Culture ConsultantHealthcare HR Recruiting and Retention Consultant| Organizational Culture Curator| Harvard DEI Faculty Lecturer|…
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Reza EghtedariProcess Engineering & Transformation | CSSBB | PMP | Prosci | IPA |
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John CruzPeople-Process-System. I see one where others see three. HU-B | DAD | MHA | BSN | RN | LSSYB | CPHQ | CAL 1™
The first step to measure DMAIC success is to define what success means for your project. This involves setting clear and specific goals and objectives that align with the voice of the customer and the voice of the business. You should also identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track the progress and outcomes of your project. For example, if your project aims to reduce defects in a manufacturing process, you might use KPIs such as defect rate, yield, customer satisfaction, and cost savings.
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I always like to stress the importance of knowing the difference between the business' overall customer and YOUR role-specific primary customer when determining voice of the customer. For example, most of my work is in healthcare, so people often assume that their primary customer is the patient. All work in a hospital ultimately affects the patient, however, if billing and coding creates projects based on the patient rather than the accounting department (their true primary customer), they will ultimately struggle to achieve meaningful success even if the numbers improve. As a last note, once your true customer is determined, talk to them. You might be surprised how different what you assume to be their needs and their actual needs are!
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Marjaneh (Marsha) Pourmand(edited)
Part 1: If you apply root cause analysis to project failures and try to design for project success by avoiding those failures (reverse Cause & Effect), you can ensure you have adequately eliminated the reasons for failures. In my opinion, for a successful project, if you meet your set objectives and produce your deliverables in a reasonable time (or as per set goals); realize the project gains and benefits; contribute to satisfied customers and team who feel proud of their efforts, who have learned something new, and have built on their experience; and have some means to control and monitor the continuous improvement after project completion. Therefore like any project the critical success factors are (to follow next):
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Marjaneh (Marsha) Pourmand(edited)
Part 2: Method /Process: The process is well understood by the team and project leader knows what each phase consists of and the deliverables of each phase and ensure the team delivers on their responsibilities; can be monitored and controlled for continuous improvement during and after completion on all aspect of each phase as well as communication and integration into daily activities Whether the project is directly linked to strategic objectives or a very important customer goal or linked to some other business objectives will impact its support and hence the likelihood of success Other parts (continuation to this ) will be published at the end!
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In addition to identifying key performance indicators, it is critical to make sure that right folks are responsible for the KPIs. I have found situations where a KPI is owned by an individual who has little control on the actions taken to achieve that KPI. The end result mirrors spinning your wheels and getting zero traction. Ensuring that KPIs are owned by the right stakeholders is an important step in defining success criteria.
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The KPIs must be well polished to make sure that they are useful for the board directors. If someone requires deeper KPIs, I suggest preparing on the side in case if they are necessary. Keep it simple, not complicated
The second step to measure DMAIC success is to collect and analyze data that relates to your success criteria. You should use a variety of data sources and methods to gather reliable and relevant information about the current state and the future state of your process or product. You should also use appropriate statistical tools and techniques to analyze the data and identify the root causes of the problem, the potential solutions, and the expected results. For example, you might use tools such as Pareto charts, fishbone diagrams, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis.
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Remember to get agreement on how much time to spend on each step of the process. The Analyze step is especially prone to scope creep and creating frustration if the rest of the team is waiting to move forward.
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So it looks like whoever started this article completely skipped over the measure phase. Not good, as it is one of the most important. Also you do not need a process Or product to apply the DMAIC methodology
The third step to measure DMAIC success is to implement and monitor the improvements that you have identified and validated in the previous step. You should use a structured approach to plan, execute, and evaluate the changes that you have made to your process or product. You should also use control charts, dashboards, and audits to monitor the performance and stability of the improved process or product over time. For example, you might use tools such as PDCA cycles, FMEA, SPC, and RACI matrix.
The fourth step to measure DMAIC success is to calculate and communicate the results of your improvement efforts. You should use quantitative and qualitative methods to measure the impact and benefits of your DMAIC project on the customer, the business, and the stakeholders. You should also use effective communication skills and tools to present and report your findings and recommendations to the relevant audience. For example, you might use tools such as SIPOC, CTQ tree, cost-benefit analysis, and balanced scorecard.
The fifth and final step to measure DMAIC success is to learn and improve from your experience. You should use feedback and lessons learned to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your DMAIC project and to capture the best practices and opportunities for improvement. You should also use continuous improvement principles and tools to sustain and enhance the results of your DMAIC project and to apply them to other processes or products. For example, you might use tools such as Kaizen, Gemba, 5S, and benchmarking.
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Last but not least, create a robust change management plan to execute and sustain your improvements, ensuring that the stakeholders involved in the socialization efforts are among the people from whom you have collected VOCs in the Define stage.
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Control and sustain the gains. This is where complacency creeps in. The fervor for initiatives die down and we tend to move on to the next challenge. Before we know it, we're backsliding and reverting back to previous states. Ensure that adequate and appropriate monitoring and response plans are in place, with accountable and responsible parties engaged.
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Part 3: Measures: The project success is predefined and measured as well as the parameters and completeness of inputs and information into each phase. This could include the availability of information and resources, on-time availability of data or support, etc... As an example the successful project kick-off and how complete the input to this milestone is, can be a contributor to measure of success for the project. The other can be the leadership availability and sponsorship and involvement ( that can be assessed under people)
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Part 4: Man/People: Experienced project leader (lean sigma expert) can play a role in the success of the project, as well as committed project team members who want to improve the process. Leadership visibility, involvement, and time spent on the project, etc... can be the other factor. Certainly trained project team to DMAIC approach and project mgmt. can do better than an untrained team! Milieu/Environment: The environment the project is done and how it is supported and how the team dynamics is and how well the team work together, and how much fun they have with the process owners, and stakeholders, could play
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Part 5: Machine/tools/equipment/money: As an example, the use of funds and tools can be a success factor in terms of ease of project or to engage team members to support or change/improve the process in terms of team collaboration and team effort. The easier to adopt something new, the better its acceptance and/or its integration, and hence its success to sustain over time. This can apply to different phases of the project and in the control phase to monitor the process for any out of control situations/parameters, such as implementation of automatic dashboards.
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