In Kenneth Crow’s article titled, Design for Six Sigma, he defines it as “an element of Six Sigma focused on developing products that meet customer needs with very low defect levels.”
It is therefore important to establish a Six Sigma Design or Redesign. Pande, Neuman, and Cavanagh’s book The Six Sigma Way has a good discussion on developing a Six Sigma Design/Redesign.
Below are the benefits of a Six Sigma Design.
First, you will be able to put value on your customer, resulting in significant improvements in productivity, speed, and efficiency.
Second, your redesign efforts will enable you to focus on specific segments of a business or on critical opportunities. This brings about smaller, more manageable projects.
Third, you will obtain a broader application of design/redesign projects, achieving better range of ideas and skills. Also, involving a broader range of people in your initiatives will help your business not only fix problems but also design efficient processes.
Fourth, you will be able to apply technology to your processes wisely. The Internet, database technology, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and the increasing processing power of computers enable companies better manage their inventories, respond faster, customize products and services, among others.
Getting started with process design/redesign is not however that easy. You may need to observe in your organization the following conditions:
1. There is a major need, threat, or opportunity. You will know this when you observe changes in customer requirements, and in rules and regulations; you are facing a greater demand for flexibility; new technologies, among others.
2. Your organization is willing and ready to take on the risk involved. The signs are that you accept longer lead-time, available resources and talent, leadership support, and established risk support.
If these conditions are present, your organization may now be ready to design/redesign your charter. The basic purpose of the Project Charter in a process redesign are the same as in an improvement project, which is to set direction and define project parameters. For the Design Charter, however, the purpose should be slightly different.
The Six Sigma Way: How GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies Are Honing their Performance
