Applying Six Sigma business strategy to project management processes

When an organisation would like to introduce the Six Sigma for the new management strategy, the following steps can be followed which include:

• Identification of the problem
• Setting goals to resolve the problem and define the results in terms of financials and timeframes. The top 5 or 10 goals are identified
• Collecting the data for considerable period to analyse. Collecting the relevant data is very important since incomplete data will draw out wrong results
• Performing SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs and Customers) analysis.

• Performing the statistical analysis based on the relevant tools to recognise the core issues which will be responsible for the problem.
• Focusing on the core issues by analysing the top most factors.
• Setting a goal to mitigate the factors.
• Analysing the results.
• Identifying and measuring the gains.

Usually it is not easy to run the above steps once and then achieve the final results. But, with the help of interim results in different iterations the final results can be achieved.

Six Sigma is applied in organisations to eradicate business problems which involve problem solving. But, somehow organisations have found themselves compromising on the quality with problem solving. This is the main reason why companies have decided to implement Six Sigma and support the Six Sigma training. The top down approach of Six Sigma needs dedication and application at all the levels of the organisation and a continuous basis. The statistical methodology of Six Sigma throws light on the existing flaws and their causes after thorough analysis. The emphasis is placed on the experimentation following the analysis  and  redefining the processes and their goals.

Whereas traditional methods of DMAIC concentrate to bring in continuous improvement, the process of DMADV (Define-Measure-Analyse-Design- Verify) is used when the existing processes seems inadequate to solve problems. DMADV is synonymous with DFSS (Design for Six Sigma). Here the aim is have the end point in mind and accordingly build an optimal system. The process of DMAIC begins after the system is built.

Operationally, the employee satisfaction due to improvement in the work flow, reduction in the process times and steps, better usage of work space are some of the best results from the implementation of Six Sigma. One of the major operational reasons for choosing Six Sigma is the success in waste reduction and redundancy. The waste reduction is measured in terms of improving time, product movement and decreasing the material construction. The financial and operational advantages of supporting Six Sigma for organisations are very high and this is the obvious reason for its patronage.