Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Checklist
Checklist
Checking in
Q: Is there a checklist that can be used to
determine how to get a quality manage-
ment system (QMS) off the ground?
8 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
rs
The job is not done by merely getting a QMS off
the ground. You need to see the obstacles ahead of
you to be able to steer past them.
individuals can be your biggest supporters Think about this from an organization’s • The project plan, which includes the
during the planning stages. point of view. An organization develops estimated project duration.
Remember, it is equally important to strategies so it can achieve its goals and • An identified list of preferred team
sustain the momentum for a QMS. The objectives. Strategies often decompose members.
job is not done by merely getting it off the into tactical plans and further into opera- Of course, the project sponsor or Cham-
ground. You need to see the obstacles tional plans—also known as action plans. pion should sign the charter. If any of the
ahead of you to be able to steer past them. It is at this lowest planning level that aforementioned six areas are omitted or
Govind Ramu projects can be defined. If this decompo- otherwise incomplete, don’t consider the
Senior manager, quality systems sition is completed in a systematic and project worthy of selection as a Six Sigma
SunPower Corp. logical manner, line of sight is maintained project. Also, if there is no sponsor, there is
San Jose, CA from projects to strategies. So, first and no project.
foremost, a Six Sigma project must be Some people may argue that criteria
For More Information linked to strategies. are strong or unfair. I use this approach to
Orthaber, John, “Get Your Ducks in a Row,” Quality Progress,
October 2010, pp. 40-46. In addition to the strategic link, projects qualify a project for entry into the selection
must have well-defined charters. The process.
Six Sigma selection charter document should include, at a Many organizations accept minimally or
Q: What are the triggers to watch for when minimum: vaguely defined projects and wonder why
selecting a Six Sigma project? In other • The business case that identifies the they fail. Doing a lot of the legwork prior to
words, how do you identify a good candi- dollars to be saved and establishes how project selection helps ensure projects get
date for a Six Sigma project? the project aligns to the organization’s off to better starts and have higher success
Bhaskar Jha strategies. rates. Also, this approach minimizes project
Noida, India • The problem statement that identi- stalls and terminations.
fies what is working or not working, or The Certified Six Sigma Master Black
A: You have asked a critical question that where the pain point lies. Belt Handbook that is scheduled to be
is often given less consideration than the • A specific, measurable, attainable, real- released later this year addresses all of the
subject deserves. If you have the oppor- istic and timely (SMART) goal statement aforementioned requirements within the
tunity, take the time to review the Master that identifies the project’s targets and context of a complete pipeline creation and
Black Belt certification body of knowledge how the success of the project will be management system. The system considers
that was issued last year. A key recurring measured. project identification, qualification, selec-
theme is that Six Sigma projects be linked • The project scope that specifies the tion, prioritization, assignment and closure.
to an organization’s strategies. boundaries of the projects. With those criteria at your disposal, you
should have no problem selecting projects.
T.M. Kubiak
Asked and Answered President
For some situations, two heads are better than one—especially if one of the heads
Performance Improvement Solutions
belongs to a QP subject matter expert. If you’re struggling with a problem, submit
it at www.qualityprogress.com or send it to editor@asq.org, and we can help. Weddington, NC
October 2011 • QP 9