Posts Tagged ‘DMAIC Control’

The 5 S’s – a Summary

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Here is another simple but ever effective tool for improving the way you do business. Many call this a “Lean” tool, which it is, but I like to think of it as a great effective Six Sigma technique that many time needs to be a “Go Do” in areas where things are really cluttered.

What is 5S’s you ask? It is a 5 step process use to arrange work areas to optimize performance and safety. The 5S’s are: Sort, Simplify, Sweep, Standardize and Sustain. These simple fives steps, if done right, can have a great impact on all of the following:

  • Can give you increase effectiveness of floor space.
  • Can improve inventory management
  • Can reduce search time
  • Can reduce the number of accidents/ and safety incidents.
  • Can improve your working conditions.


So lets talk through what the 5 S’s are and how you use this technique. First is that you apply them in the below order. Plus , just like in any Six Sigma project, you will need a good cross-functional team to make it happen. So lets step through each step that the team (not just you) must do to use the  5S’s. This is a high level look at each step and in later articles I’ll go into depth on each of the 5S’s individually. (Keep a watch at my blog to insure you get them all).

  1. sort Sort through and sort out. –  In this first step the team needs to eliminate all unnecessary items from the work area. What has to happen is to look at EVERYTHING and see if it is needed (necessary) and those things that are; are kept in the work area and everything else is moved out side that area. Note the word “Eliminate” does not always mean throw away. Many things are used once in a while and NOT everyday. They are kept but in storage out side the work area so they can be found when needed but they are not taking up valuable space in the work area.
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  2. .Simplify things – To simplify things here we mean to determine fixed locations and quality of all necessary tools, support equipment, and inventory. Another way of saying this is a place for everything (necessary) and everything in it’s place.

  3. Sweep up – Make sorting, cleaning and checking a part of your daily routine. This includes preventative cleaning and sweepmaintenance. By the way this is talking about the people working the process. Janitors and cleaning crews have no idea how the areas equipment or tools are working and thus if the “true operator” cleans and does simple maintenance they will see leaks and wear that other will never see. Think about a secretary  that while dusting the desk will pick up and remember that the stapler seems to jam now and then, they could look closer to see what is needed or if a new one needs to be ordered. Cleaning serves will never pick up on that.
  4. Standardize the processes – Establish standard processes and clear rules to maintain work place order. Review your rules continually so you can revise them to eliminate waste as customer focus/needs change.Standardize
  5. Sustain the Gains – Establish a vision for management to have everyone continually apply 5S’s to what they do. This means training everyone in how to apply the 5S’s. Keep a 5S’s awareness and discipline throughout the company. Every department should be keeping metrics to trend their improvements. Many companies think they apply the 5S’s to their companies but often forget or just ignore this fifth step thinking it is not that important. But if you follow any of the Six Sigma approach to process improvement you know that sustaining the gains is just as important as any other step and is critical to the success of what you do.


Well there you have it. The 5S’s in a nut shell. I will be over the next weeks going into depth on each of the 5 S’s. Keep watching, and I will try to get them to every blog I post this to. But in case I miss the one you are looking at you will always find them all at my blog  http://www.sixsigmatrainingconsulting.com/knowledgebase/ . As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me.


Bersbach Consulting

Peter Bersbach

Six Sigma Master Black Belt

http://sixsigmatrainingconsulting.com

peter@bersbach.com

1.520.829.0090

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Posted in Six Sigma Tools | 5 Comments »

The Check Sheet – Simple but powerful

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

checklistI recently heard a gentleman talking about using check sheets, sometimes called checklists, in the surgery room of hospitals. His point, and I agree, is that check sheets can reduce errors and cut down surgery time for all most any surgery given. He stated that many surgeons think that the check sheet could not be used because every patient is different and thus every surgery is different. I agree that every patient is different and that during the “same” surgery on different people one has to constantly adjust to the circumstances. But in reality surgery is the same as most any other procedure. Most companies know that there is variation in everything and thus have to be ready, through robust procedures to adjust the process to have positive end results. Look at NASA, they uses check sheets for every flight and every flight is different and very dangerous, but they find they can not do without them. I think that if surgeons thought about it there are a lot of things that you do the same; at least the major steps. Plus as complicated as surgery is and with all the variations that occur you need a good check sheet to keep the complicated process steps in focus and not forget anything critical that one wanted to get done.

There are several types of check sheets and believe it or not we all use them almost every day; Shopping lists, grocery lists, task lists are all types of check sheets. But the one the gentleman talked about I call “Run Rules.” Why I call them Run Rules is that in critical or complex process you need a “cheat sheet” that is used all the time during the process run. In six sigma these, check sheets, are a control, to insure that changes that are put in place maintain the gains they were designed for.

Why are they needed if you have standard operating procedure? Because those are detailed and lengthy but extremely important for reference and those learning for the first time. For those that have been doing the process for some time, they are not now really look back to those procedures. They have them in their heads. In critical or complex processes , including surgery, there are something’s you want to make sure they are “in their heads.” They are things you really do not what forgotten. These go on the “Run Rules” or check sheet that everyone looks at daily as they are doing the process to insure everything gets done. So if everyone IS going to look at them you have to create them so they are the “go to” item when doing this process. Here are some guidelines for creating effective Run Rules/ Check Sheets. 

They are:

  • Only a small but critical portion of the Standard Procedure applicable to the activity.
  • One page MAXIMUM.
  • Used as a reference for everyday use.
  • Key steps identified as value added for the customer.
  • On a Standard form so anyone stepping in recognizes them.
  • Easy to understand
  • Good for new employees and things you do not do that often.


In summary these Check Sheets/Checklists/Run Rules are your day to day reminders of the details in what you are doing.

Well I hope this has been informative. If you have questions drop me a line.

 Peter Bersbach
Bersbach Consulting
peter@bersbach.com
1.520.829.0090

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Posted in Introduction to Six Sigma, Six Sigma Tools | 3 Comments »

The Fifth Step of DMAIC – Control

Monday, November 30th, 2009

DMAIC's Control


ControlControl is the fifth step of the Six Sigma five step process DMAIC. The objective of Control is to Develop and implement the best controls to maintain the gains and to celebrate, share & reward your successes.

This is the step that is most forgotten because we think we do not need controls. But if we do not perform this step then the gains we achieved in improve will be lost very quickly. Lost because when ever you change a process it takes time to make it part of everyone way of doing things. Think about this with yourself. You have just decided to change the way you do something. How easy is it to forget your new plan without something to help you remember that you changed? An example of this is if you say that from now on I will not snack after dinner. How long will it take before you forget that change and you do snack unless you place some controls (maybe locks on the snack cabinet) to remind you not to. So with any new process you will want to have controls in it to insure that those working the process don’t forget the new method.

The second thing in the objectives is to celebrate your success. I am afraid that in most companies, just like the news, good news or success stories are NOT mention much and it is extremely important that success is shared with all. This is how six sigma becomes a culture rather than a one shot application. Celebration, recognition and reward can be very simple and are always greatly accepted by all. So share your story. If you have a good one send it to me and I will post it on my website.

Here are a series of questions that you will want to answer before calling your project complete and moving on to the next one:

  • Does your results link back to your objectives, deliverables, and exit criteria?
  • Will the controls implemented sustain the gains?
  • How will you recognize and celebrate the success of your team?
  • Have attitudes changed about using Six Sigma?
  • Have you addressed and closed all parking lot issues?
  • What do you need to grow?

It is very important that you get all of these answered. Some that stand out are “Will the controls implemented sustain the gains” and “Have you addressed and closed all parking lot issues”.  Make sure that the controls you implement help to sustain the gains. Remember that controls are non value added to the customer but important to delivering what the customer wants, so minimize them but make sure they work. Something that may be unknown to you but very familiar to me is what I call a “Parking Lot”. On every project, I have a parking lot. I use it to put concerns, thoughts, and ideas that come up during the project that, at the time, pulled the team off its focused objective at the moment. Usually these are later addressed in the project but sometimes they have nothing to do with the project and don’t get address during the project. You must hand this off to someone to make sure they are address and not just dropped. They could be another project that will be worked. Forgetting them is like discarding a twenty dollar bill and it has a negative impact on spreading the Six Sigma culture in a company thus impacting further projects.

To answer the questions above it may take several tools and techniques to insure you have control.

  • Non Statistical Controls
    • Standardized Procedures – These are detailed written series of actions which have to be executed in the same manner in order to always obtain the same result. Verbal never is good enough. It needs to be written down so that everyone does it the same way.
    • Run Rules – These are like standardized procedures but are only one page long and are used as a reference or guide by those that have been doing a job along time. Detailed procedures are usually not looked at after one has learned and done the job for some time, but there are things in the procedure that need to be available to even the expert worker. These are kept on what I call Run Rules. Must do for all.
    • Visual Controls – You may have heard the saying “a Picture is worth a 1000 words” it is true. Visual Controls are basically pictures that help control a process. Think of a handicap sign in a parking lot; it is a visual control to help hold parking spots for those that need to park closer to the store. And every driver knows what they mean. The old take a number is another visual control where it insures the customer that has been waiting the longest gets help first.
    • Contingency Plan – These are plans that you need to develop for when something goes wrong with the new process. It lets everyone one know that if they run into a problem (and believe me someone will) this is what you do to continue with the new process.
    • Preventative Maintenance – Is the same thing as oil changes with your car or your annual physical; it keeps everything working at an optimum level. It is proactive rather than reactive so you can schedule it during off hours. It is heavily into preventative,
      predictive, and scheduling. As a scheduled activity it needs to be coordinated with all involved working as a team.

  • Statistical Controls
    • Control Charts - Control charts are not always the best method of controlling a given process element. In fact, control charts are seldom the method of choice. When process elements are important we would prefer that they not vary at all! Only when this cannot be accomplished economically should we resort to the use of control charts to monitor the element’s variation.

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The above are six tools I have not talked about before, other useful Control tools that I have talked about are:

Brainstorming, LCS, Affinity Diagramming, Multi-voting and 5 Whys from my article The First step of DMAIC – Define.

Well there you have it, a little more understanding of the Control step of the Six Sigma 5 step DMAIC process. I hope that this gives you a better understanding of what questions to answer and what tools to uses to get those answers in Control.

Peter Bersbach
Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Bersbach Consulting
From Process to Profits
1.520.829.0090

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Posted in Introduction to Six Sigma, Six Sigma Tools | 6 Comments »