Page 105 - Six Sigma Demystified

86 Six SigMa DemystifieD

recommended Tools

The following tools (discussed in detail in Part 3) are applicable to the define
stage of DMAIC:

Project Selection and Definition

• Matrix diagrams and prioritization matrices are used to select projects that
are aligned with company goals and objectives.
• Work breakdown structure is used to define a manageable project scope.
• Pareto diagrams help to identify significant opportunities.
• Process maps provide a visual means to define the process and identify
stakeholders.
• SIPOC analysis identifies the process activities, key inputs and outputs,
and stakeholders.

Project Scheduling

• Gantt charts manage the project milestone dates and are used to calculate
a deterministic critical path.

• PERT analysis allows critical- path determination, assuming variation in
time estimates.

Consensus Building

• Affinity diagrams provide a means to generate a collection of ideas about

a proposal and then converge on useful categories of issues.
• Nominal group technique reduces a large collection of ideas into a workable
number of key ideas.
• Prioritization matrices prioritize options according to weighted criteria.