Page 127 - Design for Six Sigma a Roadmap for Product Development

102 Chapter Three

make hard changes in the design entity if unpleasant issues do arise.
Our objective is still to design it right the first time. It should be under-
stood that using the right tools is not a guarantee to establish a Six
Sigma capability in the design entity, especially when weak concepts
were conceived and pushed into the development pipeline. The chal-
lenge in a DFSS project is the unavailability of useful information to
lead design activity upfront, where most influential decisions are to be
made. Therefore, a sound DFSS strategy should provide design princi-
ples that directionally lead to good concepts. In a totality, the DFSS
strategy should have the following to “design right the first time”:

■ Customer driven and focused
■ Measures of the effectiveness of the design process
■ Measures to compare performance versus requirements
■ Achieve key business objectives
■ Effective use of human resources and knowledge
■ Adherence to teamwork
■ Upfront development of robustness and testing for verification
■ Foster learning organization
■ Forces paradigm shift from find-fix-test to prevention
■ Handles changes without affecting customer
■ Insensitive to development processes noises
■ Concurrent methods, consistent training—everyone knows how
■ Uses integrated approach to design from concept to validation
■ Allows useful decision to be taken with absence of data (e.g., in the
conceptual phase)
■ Is capable of checking the feasibility of having the Six Sigma capa-
bility analytically in the design entity
■ Pinpoints where it is easier to implement changes when needed
■ Increases the potential for high reliability and robustness
■ Provides ample room to establish Six Sigma capability by conceptual
means upfront
■ Uses optimization to set tolerances when design concept is finalized

The conception of a coupling-free design does not automatically
guarantee that Six Sigma capability can be obtained. However, a
coupling-free design has a better chance to establish such capability.
In later chapters, this possibility can be assured when an optimal solu-
tion is obtained in the parameter and tolerance optimization stages.