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available at that time (scope, expected outcome, etc.). This is not a
detailed review, but a start approval. These estimates are usually
revised as the project progresses and more accurate data become avail-
able. The project should have the potential to achieve the annual tar-
get, usually $250,000. The analyst confirms the business rationale for
the project where necessary.

4.7 DFSS Training
Specific training sessions for leadership, champions, and black belts
are part of the deployment strategy. Under this heading, the deploying
entity should provide considerations for training. These considerations
should be specific and usually are subject to the flavor of both the
deployment entity and the supplier doing the training, if any. The
training should not exclude any other individual whose scope of
responsibility intersects with the training function. Considerations
such as geographic location, timing, and scheduling should be dis-
cussed in advance and set on the annual calendar so that they can be
readily available for replacements, changes, and dropouts.

4.8 Elements Critical to Sustain
DFSS Deployment
In what follows, we present some of the thoughts and observations
that were gained through our deployment experience of Six Sigma, in
particular DFSS. The purpose is to determine factors toward keeping
and expanding the momentum of DFSS deployment to be sustainable.
This book presents the DFSS methodology that exhibits the merge
of many tools at both the conceptual and analytical levels and pene-
trates dimensions such as characterization, optimization, and valida-
tion by integrating tools, principles, and concepts. This vision of DFSS
should be a core competency in a company’s overall technology strategy
to accomplish its goals. An evolutionary strategy that moves the deploy-
ment of DFSS method toward the ideal configuration is discussed.
In the strategy, we have identified the critical elements, necessary deci-
sions, and deployment concerns.
The literature suggests that more innovative methods fail immedi-
ately after initial deployment than at any other stage. Useful innova-
tion attempts that are challenged by cultural change are not directly
terminated, but allowed to fade slowly and silently. A major reason for
the failure of technically viable innovations is the inability of manage-
ment to commit to an integrated, effective, and cost-justified evolu-
tionary program for sustainability that is consistent with the
company’s mission. The DFSS deployment parallels in many aspects
the technical innovation challenges from a cultural perspective. The