Six-Sigma GB Project - DMAIC

I have completed my Six-sigma project which leads to a certification in Green-Belt. Below is a short description of the problem statement, solution offered, tools used and brief description of each tool.

Problem Statement

Customer is an OEM who manufactures and market the ozone generator system, which is used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. There is no centralized tool available in ODC which tracks rework and defects data across all the projects. More than 10% of schedule slippage will be cost to Oaces and defective deliverables are also affecting the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI). Every resource spends about 15%of his annual billable MH doing rework which is resulting in a loss of revenue.

Our Solution

The situation demanded a procedure which could measure and reduce rework in offshore design projects. Complexity Rating (CR) is required which is dependent on historical data, design activity itself, stake-holders, decision making process, resource skill set and technical aspects of the project. The biggest risk for this rating would be subjectivity which can be progressively minimized using historical data. Generating CR would be interactive process between PM and framework. The advantages of CR are as follows:

#Tool to help PM identify manifestation of complexity within a project process
#Plan resources in order to minimize the impact
#Identify the factors and issues influencing and contributing to complexity in design teams
#Will help minimize the gap between customer expectations and actual project achievements

Identification of defects closer to their point of origin will help in reduction of rework MHs.

Through this project we have identified the need for phased reviews of every project. Based on the CR of every project, a reviewer is identified in SOW. These phased reviews will help us in measuring the following.
#Errors-Potential Defects that are found during the phase that created them
#Defects-Errors that escape to the subsequent phase or delivered to customer

Based on these parameters, we can measure Total Containment Effectiveness (TCE), Phase Containment Effectiveness (PCE) and Defect Containment Effectiveness (DCE).

We have also identified the need for utilizing the services of a Subject Matter Expert (SME) during requirements capture phase. The primary objective is to assess the adequacy of the documents/inputs received from client which are used for compiling the Statement of Work (SOW).

We also proposed the requirement to compile Minutes of Meeting (MOM) and query tracker which has to be made mandatory in Project Planning Document (PPD).

Proper buffer selection, efficient time-line and scheduling techniques also assist in reducing rework. Resources should also be trained to properly categorize rework into one of the following.

#Rework-Defects
#Rework-Change in Inputs
#Rework-Vendor/CM

Tools Used

#Define & Proposal Stage - Project Charter && TMAP
#Measure Stage - SIPOC
#Analysis Stage - PMAP As is Process && PMAP for Ideal Process
#Improve Stage - FMEA
#Control Stage - Control Plan

Brief description of tools used

Project Charter

Defines plan of actions, current situation, overall plan, proposal and business impact,formal project approval, defined task, team, budget, business outcome and schedule

Thought Process Map

Thought process map is a live document that is used to list down what we know and what we don’t know. It is a document that closes out when the project is finished. What we don’t know is discussed with the customer so that the requirements are captured in depth with clear specifications. This tool helps in developing the thought process going in a design at various levels in different phases of the project.

SIPOC

The acronym SIPOC stands for Suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers. A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a process improvement project before work begins. It helps define a complex project that may not be well scoped, and is typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.

PMAP

It is a hierarchical method for displaying processes that illustrates how a product or transaction is processed. It is a visual representation of the work-flow either within a process - or an image of the whole operation. Process Mapping comprises a stream of activities that transforms a well defined input or set of inputs into a pre-defined set of outputs.

FMEA

FMEA is a tool, which helps us to identify the failure modes in advance and allows us to anticipate the effects of failure in the design, before hand. This helps us in fine-tuning the design from the identified failures. Function map eases in identifying the failure modes as the design is more or less clear at the block level.

Control Plan

Control Plan makes sure that the experiences and practices are documented for other engineers to refer in their designs in future

Convocation is over

Convocation is over!!!!

Lot of ambiguity and loads of disappointment from the way it was organized. Looks like it was done in a hurry. But, it was managed in the best way it can be considering the number of students, time and many other intangible issues.

And we got the diploma…that’s the most important thing which has been well taken care of during the entire episode. The guest was worth telling to all my colleagues and friends unlike many colleges who invite an unknown personality trying to make a VIP out of the guest. In our case, guest was Dr.John Hood, Vice-Chancellor-Oxford University.

I met all my friends whom I intended to meet and hoped to see them again. We had a dinner party at Barbeque Nation, Kalyani Nagar. To some extent, the scorching sun has dampened the spirits of roaming around the city. But this gave us ample time to sit and talk about our professional experiences and a lot many other things.

I and my friends truly missed Appa Rao who recently shifted to middle-east. His presence would have brought in the unpredictability factor which was a characteristic of his decision making. Also, we have missed Danda Arun Kumar who again is famous for his ambiguities which is again predominant in his decision making.

College had seen a transformation in its infrastructure with new hostel and academic blocks newly constructed. It has got a bigger hostel, new academic block along with a vast library to accommodate the growing popularity. This popularity is in spite of not investing even a single penny in advertising. I have seen everybody who is associated with this college saying that it is the “IIM of Construction and Project Management Sectors”.

I seriously recommend for all the engineers who want to pursue a techno-managerial course which would establish them in the industry in a big way. I am not cynical by recommending it to only engineers as only they are eligible. A course in project management with some wise career decisions coupled along with some smartness will put you always in lime-light in career. Situated in Pune combined with a history of more than 25 years makes this college more reliable. Its association with many industries will help in taking care of placements which is the most important parameter of any post gradaute course

Well, all this while I was talking about NICMAR (National Institute of Construction Management And Research.....