Project Selection for DMAIC

One of the most frequent questions I get from Black Belts and Green Belts I train is about the characteristics of a good Six Sigma project, particularly a first project. Define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC) is a procedure that is useful for certain types of projects and terrible for others (click on the linked text below to see why).

I have asserted before that defining Six Sigma itself is important. I said then that I have come to view Six Sigma as a general technique that uses a number of tools, some of them statistical, to solve important problems. It’s not a continuous improvement technique—contrary to what some say—but it’s a way to approach major gaps between where you are now and where you want to get to. Understanding the difference between systems, strategies, and tools, we know that DMAIC isn’t an optimal method for managing a process on a daily basis, strategic planning and policy deployment, customer quality assurance, or supplier quality assurance. However, it is a science-based method of problem-solving, so a Black Belt could easily use what they know to address problems in any of these areas. >
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