Proper planning is essential for implementing Six Sigma successfully. This article shows you how beginning a Six Sigma initiative right leads to ultimate success!
Begin the Project Selection with the Right Initiative
Select the project for Six Sigma
implementation after weighing priorities. This does not mean that you should
dive at the most pressing problem first without looking at constraints. Here is
a brief guideline for project selection as initiation of Six Sigma.
1.
Not all projects incur or help save same amounts of
money. This infers that apart from monetary considerations, you should look at
weighted aspects such as simplifying draconian procedures, improvement of
employee satisfaction and the potential to produce an outstanding and exemplary
result that instigates further improvement projects.
2.
Decision about Belts and their placement makes way
for some of the tough steps while initiating a Six Sigma project. Analyze the
long term cost benefits of recruiting Black Belts keeping in view the present
day affordability. Grooming belts in-house is another proven option.
3.
Subdividing the project deployment into 2 or 3
phases like the strategic phase, tactical phase and operational phase which
systematically uses and follows statistical tools for analyses which help take
the imperatives beyond the line employee level.
Scrutinize The Project Deployment Strategy In The Backdrop of Top and
Bottom Line Improvements
Before you get going with the
implementation, it becomes the imperative next step for the leadership to
contrast the projected outcome of the project against the goals of management.
The goals can be thought of as reflections of the Voice of Customers. Perhaps a
pointed checklist may be very handy in critically questioning each strategic
step of all involved phases.
Unless the draft strategy is
scrutinized, you never know whether deployment can yield results or the whole
exercise becomes a futile pipe dream. Brainstorming is another formidable tool
that evolves a collective opinion on which foundation lies the legitimacy for
the journey ahead. At no point in time can the project leaders and the Black
Belts can afford to forget the huge sums of money at stake.
Monitoring and Factoring In the Midway Course Correction
There are unforeseen deviations
that remain undetected and flowing parallel. Scheduled midway auditing by the
internal or external Six Sigma auditing team must throw light on any deviation.
The auditing team could be drawn from the implementation team of Black Belts
with the Master Black Belt or the Champion to head it.
What you must keep in mind is
that unchecked deviations could drive the deployment efforts in new undesirable
directions uprooting the vision of management.
More Initiatives
Each organization must find its
own way of coming out of a problem. Nothing depends entirely on the deployment
team. Here are a few suggestions in this direction.