What Is Six Sigma? An Introduction for Technical Writers
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What Is Six Sigma? An Introduction for Technical Writers
Philadelphia Metro Chapter Society for Technical Communication20 September 2007
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Overview
History What is it? A brief introduction with imaginary case
study The belt pecking order Where to go for more information References
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History
1908 – W.S. Gosset develops statistical tests to analyze quality at Guinness Brewery
1950s Deming – helped build Japan’s economy after World War II (Total Quality Control)
1980s – Dr. Mikel Harry and Bill Smith invent Six Sigma at Motorola
Currently – thousands of companies have adopted the methodology
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What Is It?
Common sense – you probably already know a lot
Business philosophy: system for improving processes in an organization
Metrics Statistical concept
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Three Flavors
Six Sigma – reduce defects Design for Six Sigma – design new
products Lean – reduce waste
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Six Sigma – The Literal Definition
26 (Lower Limit)
30 mph
35 mph25 mph
34 (Upper Limit)
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What Level of Quality Is Acceptable for Your Product?
4 sigma – 99 percent 6 sigma – 99.9997 percent 7 sigma – 99.99999999974 percent
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The Methodology: New Tools, New Words
Quality SIPOC Failure Mode Effects Analysis Process Map Control Chart ANOVA p-Values Quality Functional Deployment Rolled Throughput Yield Metrics Stakeholders Team Critical to Quality Voice of the Customer DMAIC
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Imaginary Case Study
Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC)
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Case Study: Imaginary
Help Desk getting more calls since the release of NovelPro version 3
The company is faced with hiring more Help Desk employees
The software works as designed: no bugs reported
The Help Desk reports many complaints about the quality of the documentation
The technical writing staff was reduced by 50 percent in 2006
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DMAIC: Define
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Talk to Your Customers
Identify Stakeholders and Team Talk to Your Customer – surveys,
interviews, focus groups – voice of the customer (VOC)
Identify Critical to Quality (CTQ) Items Create a CTQ Flowdown
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CTQ Flowdown
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Next . . .
Problem Statement Goal Analyze Current High-Level Process
SIPOC Map (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers)
Process Flow Define scope of project Figure out what you’re going to fix (Y)
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Problem and Goal Statements
In the TechComm Department for fourth quarter 2007, there has been a 50% increase in the number of errors from 10 to 15. This exceeds the organizational control limit of no more than 12 errors.
Goal Statement: Reduce errors from 12 to 10 or less by June 31, 2008.
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Time Series Plot of Reported Errors
NovelPro 3, 2007
NovelPro 2, 2006
Time
Reported errors
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CustomersProcessInputsSuppliers Outputs
S I P O C
Software developers
Users of software
Marketing Department
Technical Writers
Templates
Style Guide
Procedures
Software Design
Document
Beta Version of Software
Review with Marketing
DesignDocument
Review Software Design
Write/Layout Manual
Review
Completed User Manual
Developers
Help Desk
Proofreaders
Marketing
Other TWs
New Templates
Updated Style Guide
Updated Procedures
Direct
Indirect
Proofread
Publish
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Scope
This project will cover the process of developing documentation from the time the design documents are released to the time when the documentation is in production.
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What We’re Going to Fix – “Y”
Y = f(x) Reduce number of errors in NovelPro
documentation
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Other “Define” Tasks
Identify project risks Develop timeline Communication plan
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DMAIC: Measure
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DMAIC: Measure
Develop a detailed process flow Collect data on how the process is
working Validate your measurement system Quantify process performance
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Process Flow
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Collect Data
Plan your data collection May use statistical sampling Data must be “clean”
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Measure Steps in the Process
In this case, we might measure errors: In design document Proofreading errors Errors caused by lack of review Errors introduced in publication process
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Validate Measurement System
Identify existing system Analyze Is it accurate and precise? Improve measurement system
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Verify that Process Is Stable
You can predict how a process is performing
Doesn’t mean the process doesn’t fluctuate
So, you can predict that 10 to 20 errors are made per topic in documentation in the current state
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Simplify
Sometimes you can find opportunities to fix things just by process mapping, not requiring six sigma rigor
Low-hanging fruit
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DMAIC: Analyze
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Why?
Focus on the x’s that influence the Y you are working with – output is a function of input or Y = f(x)
Work with stakeholders to figure out cause and effect
Use data collected in Measure and statistics (root cause analysis)
Quantify the opportunity
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Work with Stakeholders
Stakeholders should be: Balanced representatives Equally matched (higher-level employee
doesn’t trump lower) Some ways to identify x’s with team:
Brainstorming Cause and effect diagram
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Pareto Chart
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You May Do Other Analyses
Histogram Design of Experiments Scatter Diagram Control Charts Process Capability
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DMAIC: Improve
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Improve
Create solutions Brainstorm Gather from others who do similar work
(benchmarking) Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
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Evaluate and Select Solutions
Evaluate Select Solution Pilot Evaluate Revise your flow chart: ideal process
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Revised Flowchart
This is where we removed a step
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Implement Solution
Present solution to management to get buy-in
Identify Risks Implementation Plan
Document process Train Execute Communicate
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DMAIC: Control
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Control
Ensure that your improvement continues to work over time
Develop a process control plan List the important x’s identified
previously Keep under control Monitor Y
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Sample Control Plan
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More Control
Mistake proof Update the Failure Mode Effects
Analysis Standardize (Standard Operating
Procedures)
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Design for Six Sigma
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Design for Six Sigma
Consists of DMADV (Define Measure Analyze Design Verify)
Define customer requirements and goals for the process, product or service.
Measure and match performance to customer requirements.
Analyze and assess the design for the process, product or service.
Design and implement the array of new processes required for the new process, product or service.
Verify results and maintain performance.
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What DFSS Is Used For
Requirements for New Systems Could be used to
design a new user manual create a process for single sourcing create a translation process
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The Levels of Six Sigma Training:
The Belts
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Master Black Belt
Black Belts
Green Belts
Team Members
Cha
mpi
ons
The “Belts”
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Ideas for Projects
Design for a single-sourcing system Revising a user manual Prepare for a new documentation project: add
to your “project management” bag of tricks Designing or updating translation process Any production process Collecting functional requirements for a new
computer system
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Where to Get Your Greenbelt
Six Sigma Academy George Group SBTI Villanova On-Line Drexel In-Person American Society of Quality . . . And many more
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References
Six Sigma web site Brassard, Michael and Ritter (2001)
Sailing Through Six Sigma, Marietta, Georgia: Brassard & Ritter, LLC.
DeCarlo, Neil with the Breakthrough Management Group (2007)The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Lean Six Sigma: New York, NY: Alpha Books