In which phase of DMAIC potential causes are identified and data collection is initiated?

Recently one of my friend asked me “How to integrate Six Sigma DMAIC methodology with the Project Management Lifecycle (PML)?”. Here's the answer for him and all other who might be interested in this topic.

Six Sigma DMAIC methodology can be easily integrated with the Project Management Lifecycle (PML). Both are related to the Plan. Do. Check. Act (PDCA) cycle. The PML is comprised of five phases Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing. Six Sigma DMAIC represents Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

1)     Initiating:

Initiating is the first phase of the PML. This is where the idea for the project is carefully evaluated to determine whether or not it is aligned with the organization’s goals. This work starts by examining the business need and documenting the project objectives. Projects that fulfill a strong enough need within the organization are approved and launched through the development of a project charter.

 Define phase: The purpose of the first phase of DMAIC cycle directly coincides with the Initiation Phase of PML. The focus of Define phase is to understand customers’ needs, identify the problems/opportunities for improvement in the current process and create high-level view of process. Project Charter is also created in this phase to get the buy-in from all the stakeholders and officially start the project.

2)     Planning:

This phase of PML is key to successful project management and focuses on developing a roadmap that everyone will follow. This phase typically begins with setting goals. During this phase, the scope of the project is defined and a project management plan is developed. It involves identifying the cost, quality, available resources, and a realistic timetable. The project plans also includes establishing baselines or performance measures. These are generated using the scope, schedule and cost of a project. A baseline is essential to determine if a project is on track.

The next three phases of DMAIC supports the Planning Phase of PML by identifying process boundaries to set up project scope, problem statement, mission statement and project performance baseline. The tools & technique provided in Six Sigma helps to identify the root causes of the problem, reveal the latent & unstated requirement and best solution to conduct sound planning for the project.

Measure phase: During this phase focus is to map the current process, gather the data, analyze the measurement system, and establish the baseline measurement so that once improvements are made the impact can be verified empirically.

Analyze phase: The purpose of this phase is to identify potential cause(s) of the problem, develop practical questions, use data and/or process analysis tools answer these questions in order to narrow down the list of potential causes and prioritize them.

Improve phase(SS): The purpose of the first half of this phase is to develop and find the best solutions for the root cause(s) identified in the Analyze phase by using different techniques that involves brainstorming, Nominal Group technique, FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), and piloting the improvement plan before rolling it out in full.

3)     Executing:

In the executing phase, the project deliverables are produced to meet project requirements. This is usually the longest stage of the project, and it typically consumes most of the project’s resources. The major process involved in the execution phase is to direct and manage work, and some of the outputs of this process are work performance data, change requests, and deliverables.

Improve phase: The remaining work of this phase is directly related to the Executing Phase. Improve phase focuses on finding the best solutions to the problem and implementing them. Mostly, it starts by creating a “Future state map” or “To-be maps”. These maps help team to focus their efforts on the right direction to reduce the rework and waste during the implementation.

4)     Monitoring and Controlling:

As the name suggest, this phase of the PML is about monitoring and controlling the project work to ensure that everything has been done in compliance with the project’s plans and requirements. Process outputs are constantly monitored, and if a deviation occurs or a customer requests changes, then the change request is initiated and/or corrective actions are taken. This phase of the project is completed when the deliverables are accepted by the customer.

Control phase: This DMAIC phase complements the Monitoring & Controlling phase by providing a tool set such as control plan, standard procedures and different SPC charts to hold the gains of the improved process, institutionalize process changes, and develop new routines for doing the work.

5)     Closing:

Closing is the last stage of project management life-cycle. Once acceptance of the deliverables is received from the customer, then the project resources are released for other projects, the lessons learned are documented, and other administrative elements of the project are closed.

 Control phase: The final step of this phase is to realize the project savings, transfer the ownership back to the process owner and to communicates the project results to all the stakeholders. 

Which DMAIC phase are the root causes identified and validated?

During which phase of DMAIC is the problem to be addressed identified?

Which step of the 6 Sigma DMAIC process entails collecting data?

In which of the 5 phases of DMAIC do we identify possible causes and discover the root cause?