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C1 6 Sigma Project Procedure Improvement and Problems Solving

Course Introduction

A. Process Improvement's Valid Reasons
Facing a highly changeable and intensely competitive environment, enterprises must constantly find survival opportunities and strengthen core competitive abilities. Enterprises will carefully assess these opportunities, set concrete strategic objectives, develop feasible plans, then hand over to respective functional departments to execute. Therefore, each functional department's core abilities decide enterprise's strategies realization and ultimate success. Functional departments must continuously improve and innovate their core abilities, in order to effectively realize enterprise competitive strategic objectives and benefits. These core abilities basically include: 'process', 'tools and techniques', 'organization' and 'human resources'; 4 main dimensions.

B. Supporting Functional Department's Process Improvement Project Characteristics
Generally speaking, enterprise organizations can be classified into 'production functional departments', including RD, engineering, manufacturing departments etc; and 'supporting functional departments', including finance, accounting, purchasing, human resources, quality etc. In process improvement implementation, the differences between these two are listed below:

No	Process Improvement Activities	Supporting Functional Departments	Production Functional Departments
1	Operations nature	Service oriented	Technical oriented
2	Problems definition	Cross-departmental management and organization problems	Technical problems
3	Problems analysis and prioritizing	Emphasize subjective qualitative methods	Emphasize objective quantitative methods
4	Solutions generation, assessment and prioritizing	Emphasize subjective qualitative methods and group decision-making	Emphasize objective engineering model testing, analysis and verification
5	Project organization	Emphasize cross-departmental horizontal organization	Emphasize technical functions oriented vertical organization
6	Stakeholders and expectations	Involve different levels and departments of stakeholders, whose expectations and objectives often mutually conflict and contradict	Main stakeholders usually limited to technical functional departments, expectations and objectives are often clear and unanimous
7	Communication complexity	High	Low
8	Past experience, historical data and best cases	Usually not enough or difficult to collate	Comparatively sufficient
9	Objective and benefits acceptance standards	Usually unclear	Clear
10	Deliverables and work definition	Unclear	Clear
11	Sign-off standards	Unclear	Clear
12	Project plan accuracy	Low	High
13	Project execution	Learning curve is long and deliverables quality is difficult to control	Learning curve is short and deliverables quality is easy to control
14	Project control method	Stage work review reports and meetings	Stringent procedural and data control
15	Main control targets	Emphasize time and quality performance	Emphasize cost and quality performance
16	Deliverables benefits trial periods	Usually cannot see concrete results within half-year to a year after project ends	Usually can see concrete results within 3-6 months after project ends
17	Main resources needs	Human resources	Human resources, funds and equipment
18	External environment influence factors	Existing cultural, organizational, structural and decision-making authority	Technical experience and ability, equipment

C. Supporting Functional Departments Process Improvement Project Best Process Tool - 6 Sigma DMAIC Use
According to the above analysis, supporting functional departments process improvement steps and methods must have the following:

1. Able to effectively define, verify and prioritize actual problems and needs.
2. Able to effectively generate, verify and prioritize feasible solutions.
3. Able to effectively set project objectives and benefits acceptance standards.
4. Able to effectively plan project scope, execution plan, and control methods.
5. Able to effectively execute and control project status performance, and deliver expected results, objectives and benefits.

6 Sigma is often used for improving manufacturing and product RD procedures, and is very suitable for solving technical or operational type problems. Each process step and deliverables require stringent test baselines, as a basis for defining, analyzing and controlling. On the other hand, organizational or management type problems often lack objective test baselines and data. Despite this, 6 Sigma's principles and steps still have good logical structures and usefulness.

D. Supporting Functional Departments 6 Sigma Process Improvement's Process, Tools and Methods
According to the above analysis, below is a brief description of supporting functional departments process improvement's practical process, tools and methods:

No	6 Sigma Process	Sub-process	Tools and Methods	Documents Deliverables
1	Define: How to define problems?	D1. Structure possible key problems	Brainstorming Cause and effect (Fishbone)	Stage breakdown structure
		D2. Define problems phenomenon and effects	View historical data Questionnaire Experts opinions	Problems definitions list
2	Measure: How to measure problems?	M1. Define problems importance measurement's standards and metrics (including occurrence probability, impacts and ease of detection)	Problems priorities index definition method	Problems priorities index definitions list
		M2. Determine problems priorities	Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)	Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Analysis
3	Analyze: How to analyze problems and solutions?	A1. Structure problem causes and solutions	Brainstorming Mindmap	Problems, causes and solutions stage breakdown structure
		A2. Define problems, causes and solutions links and priorities	Link Weight Matrix Nominal Group Technique (NGT)	Link Weight Matrix Analysis
4	Improve: How to propose, plan and execute solutions?	I1. Develop and review 6 Sigma process improvement project's proposal and plan	Project Proposal and Selection Method Project Plan and Review Method	Project Proposal and Review Form Project Plan and Review Form
		I2. Execute and control project plan	Project control process, methods, tools and techniques	Project work and management deliverables
5	Control: How to continuously maintain improvement performance?	C1. Standardize improved procedures	SOP building methods and tools	Process map Operating procedure manual Standard forms, reports
		C2. Continuous monitoring and improvement	Regular status review and corrective actions	Execution status tracking form Status review report Corrective action plan

Course Contents

Day	No	Unit	Contents	Hours
Day 1	1	Course Introduction	Course introduction, teams forming, and assignments briefing	2
	2	Define: How to define problems?	D1. Structure possible key problems D2. Define problems phenomenon and effects E1. Tools and forms use and practice
	3	Measure: How to measure problems?	M1. Define problems importance measurement's standards and metrics (including occurrence probability, impacts and ease of detection) M2. Determine problems priorities E2. Tools and forms use and practice	1
	4	Analyze: How to analyze problems and solutions?	A1. Structure problem causes and solutions A2. Define problems, causes and solutions links and priorities E3. Tools and forms use and practice	1
	5	Improve: How to propose, plan and execute solutions?	I1. Develop and review 6 Sigma process improvement project's proposal and plan I2. Execute and control project plan E4. Tools and forms use and practice	1
	6	Control: How to continuously maintain improvement performance?	C1. Standardize improved procedures C2. Continuous monitoring and improvement E5. Tools and forms use and practice	1
	7	Conclusion and Discussion	Q&A	1

(In order to improve course quality, we reserve the right to modify course contents in part or in whole)

Course Benefits

1. Understand supporting functional departments process improvement project's definition, process and characteristics.
2. Understand 6 Sigma's process, methods, tools and techniques in innovative ideas generation and problems resolving.
3. Learn how to effectively structure and define process improvement project's problems and impacts.
4. Learn how to effectively define problems measurement basis and metrics, and determine priorities sorting.
5. Learn how to effectively structure problems causes and solutions, and determine priorities sorting.
6. Learn how to develop and review 6 Sigma process improvement project's proposal and plan.
7. Learn how to effectively execute and control process improvement project plan.
8. Learn how to continuously maintain improvement performance.

Course Targets and Execution

　

Target	Business, finance, purchasing, human resources, quality etc supporting functional departments managers
Emphasis	6 Sigma process improvement innovation project execution theoretical framework, process, methods, tools, application, practical exercises etc.
Method	Case studies, templates, exercises, teams discussion and presentations
Time	09:00-12:00.13:00-17:00, 7 hours, 1 day

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