DMAIC is the most common and significant tool that drives Lean Six Sigma. Six Sigma is never accomplished without DMAIC. It is the basic that holds all the important parts. It is short for- Define Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. They make a data-driven quality strategy together to make process improvement. So we are here to have an elaborated discussion on this.
First comes,
- Define:
It is the first phase of Lean Six Sigma’s working principle. It asks to find out and define what problem you want to fix? In what areas you want to focus on and improve production. This phase works in drafting a project charter, then plotting a high-level map of the process. Then it clarifies the needs of process customers and begins the journey by obtaining the process knowledge.
- Measure:
It comes after you have had the first part of defining the problem. Here, you find out how does the current process performs and what is the magnitude of the problem. It is an important part of the ongoing project as it provides the indicators of process health and finds out where the errors are occurring. The team then defines the measure and determines the baseline of the project.
- Analyze:
Analyze is about finding out what is causing the problem. The team needs to understand and analyze the problem very well before jumping on a solution. If the team does not have a proper analysis of the problem, the methodology won’t work by causing a waste of time, consuming resources, and increasing variations and more risks.
- Improve:
Once the team determines what is causing the problem, they can now plan to diminish the problem. This phase of Six Sigma includes counter measuring ideas, refining pilot process changes, and then collecting data to confirm the measurable improvement.
- Control:
This phase is all about holding on to the improvement you have made. So the team develops a monitoring plan to track the success rate of an updated process and then organize a response plan in case there is declivity in performance. And, the process gets continually updated.
This is the story of DMAIC. But Ezsigma suggests that for achieving the best results, you need to select a good project first.
DMAIC is the basic and the most necessary tool in Lean Six Sigma training. Learn it and get the best out of it.