Page 167 - Six Sigma Demystified

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support at this point is critical, as is management buy- in. The team must work
closely with its sponsor to seek direction, authority, and approval before change
can be implemented.

Defining the New Process

The most obvious outcome of the improve stage is the definition of new prac-
tices to replace the current operating procedures. This change can be realized
as a new process flow or as a change in operating conditions for the existing
process. In some cases, the change in operating conditions mandates a new
process flow, or vice versa, so both types of change are necessary.
Redefining Process Flow

The results of the value- stream analysis provided insight on the non- value- added
activities that can be reduced or eliminated in the improve stage. The following
techniques should be reviewed from the analyze stage for use in cycle time
reduction:

• Reduce process complexity, such as through standardization.
• Remove unnecessary process steps and unnecessary movement of
resources.
• Optimize the process.
• Level- load the process.
• Reduce setup times.

Also see the “Recommended Tools” found at the end of this chapter. As mentioned
in Chapter 5, when improvements are made to cycle time or, for that matter, any
change occurs in the process dynamics, it is critical for the team to evaluate the
effects of such changes on quality. A baseline of the key critical- to- quality (CTQ)
metrics from the measure stage will serve as the comparison for the data obtained
in the improve and control stages, discussed later in this chapter.
Benchmarking can provide useful input for redesigning the process flow.
Benchmarking is a means to evaluate the best in class for particular industries,
processes, or even process types. Benchmarking does not require detailed analysis
of a competitor’s process on the mistaken assumption that your processes should
be designed the same way as that of a competitor. In such a case, your organiza-
tion can never exceed the values provided by your competition and never achieve