Delphi Corp.’s winning the Best Design for Six Sigma Project should tell you something about the roadmap that you use. Six Sigma methodology is executed by different roadmaps that are suited to your organization’s needs. There is a specific roadmap for every process improvement that you want to undertake.
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), for example, is a roadmap you use when you are designing products and services as well as enabling processes that are of Six Sigma-quality, and that they meet customer expectations.
I’m guessing that because DFSS addresses customer expectations, it was made the DFSS 2006:renewed focus of the recently concluded 7th Annual Six Sigma Summit.
DFSS is the application of Six Sigma principles to the design of products and their manufacturing and support processes. Its focus is really on the development of new, robust products.
General Electric defines the principles of DFSS as the following:
1. Disciplined CTQ flowdown
2. Controlled design parameters
3. Product performance modeled and simulated
4. Designed for robust performance and producibility
5. Functionally integrated product development
6. Quality “designed in”
Kenneth Crow, president of DRM Associates, wrote about the specific list of elements of the DFSS framework: understand real customer needs through voice of the customer (VOC) analysis; use quality function deployment (QFD) to translate customer needs into critical technical characteristics of the product and ultimately into critical to quality (CTQ) characteristics of the product and process. Continue reading…
Aside from GE and Delphi Corp., Jaguar Cars is also using DFSS for improved processes.
Often the acronym DMADV is used synonymously with Design for Six Sigma. If you’re interested, there are agencies that are offering DFSS Trainings. Or you can read books on Design For Six Sigma.
Source: Design for Six Sigma
