Page 109 - Six Sigma Demystified

90 Six SigMa DemystifieD

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oped in the define stage serves as a starting point. While the top- evel map
shows the general flow of the process, it lacks the detailed decision points that
truly characterize the process complexities.
A process consists of repeatable tasks carried out in a specific order. Process
personnel responsible for implementing the process on a daily basis should be
enlisted to develop the detailed process map. Their perspective on the process
is likely to be quite different from that of their supervisors or the support per-
sonnel who originally developed the process flow (if that exists). It’s not
uncommon to find that operational workers have customized the process to
address real- world situations they see in practice. This information may not get
communicated to all the relevant stakeholders in the process, including their
immediate supervision or even fellow line workers.
By enlisting the input of these process personnel, their experiences with the
process, specifically in the steps they see as necessary and sufficient, are uncov-
ered. At this time, judgment is reserved on whether these are desirable or
undesirable customizations. It’s likely that they are the source of significant
variation to customers, and their effect can be evaluated in the analyze stage.
The main concern at this phase is to develop a realistic picture of the as- s
i
process.
The as- is process map then can be used to visualize the decision paths that
are encountered in the process. Often much more complexity is built into the
process than expected or needed, and much of this complexity is non- value-
added. This complexity will be reviewed in the analyze stage.
It is critically important that changes not be introduced at this point so that
baseline estimates taken later in the measure stage reflect the historical process
that is being studied. If the baseline estimates are not predictive of the process

performance levels that qualified the process for improvement, then either the
project should be reevaluated to verify that the performance levels are in fact
as understood in the define stage or the analyze stage will be burdened with
disrupting the process further to attempt to replicate the historical process
performance levels.

Project examPle: Process Definition

The as- is process map for the example order processing efficiency project is
shown in Figure 5.1.