Dmaic six sigma: The DMAIC model is used for Six Sigma applications in order to improve

the quality of results produced by a company’s processes. Defining, Measuring, Analyzing,

Improving and Controlling are the four letters of DMAIC.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control is a DMAIC abbreviation .The process
includes five phases: defining the problem, improving the activity, identifying the
opportunities for improvement, setting project goals, and meeting the needs of the customer
(internal and external).

DMAIC refers to a cycle of process improvement that is data-driven and aims at improving,
optimizing, and stabilizing business processes and designs. A Six Sigma project is driven by
the DMAIC improvement cycle.
The Five Phases of DMAIC
The DMAIC process follows five key phases, which are intended to lay the groundwork for
your process improvement, chart goals, track progress, and analyze results. The five phases
(and an explanation of each) are:

Define
During this phase, we select the most critical and impactful opportunities for improvement.
This phase is also about mapping the process, focus, scope, and the ultimate goal as well as
understanding how the problem affects all stakeholders. The way to jumpstart a DMAIC
cycle is by crafting the problem statement.

The other critical steps at this stage are:

Identify the opportunities with high potential for improvement

Outline the scope of the project
Create a value stream map (VSM) to document every step in the process
Develop a voice of the customer table (VOCT) to pinpoint the customer needs
Identify all stakeholders
Estimate project impact and completion
Identify and document business opportunity
Draw out other related processes
A successful Define phase helps you move forward with clear, well-defined objectives and
timeline for project completion.
Measure
The Measure phase is where baselines are drawn to assess the performance of a given
process. Without having sound benchmarks for comparison, it’s difficult to track
improvements. Hence, at this stage, we:

Develop the data collection methods to be used to measure success

Recognize input, processes, and output indicators
Collect and examine current state data
Outline the failure modes and effects analysis
Implement process capability analysis
The use of visual management tools such as control charts, bar charts, and run charts etc. can
help you achieve better results at this stage

Analyze
In this phase, your goal is to identify and test the underlying causes of problems to make sure
that improvement takes place from deep down where the problems stem from.

The critical steps at this stage include:

Performing a complete root cause analysis (RCA), which covers a broad range of techniques
and methodologies, including change analysis, events and causal factor analysis, and the
Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving and Decision Making model.
Doing failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify all possible problem areas,
inefficiencies, flaws, defects, and shortcomings.
Getting a visual representation of the variations within a given process using a multi-vari
chart.
Implementing process control
Developing a plan for improvement
After this phase, you will be able to capture and document all opportunities for improvement
successfully, and your plan of action will start taking shape.

Improve
With the analysis done and the data in front of you, now is the time to start making the
improvements.

This stage includes the following activities:

Brainstorm and put forth solution ideas

Develop a design of experiments (DOE) to determine the expected benefits of a solution
Revise process maps and plans according to the data collected in the previous stage
Outline a test solution and plan
Implement Kaizen events to improve the process
Inform all stakeholders about the solution
The use of improvement management software is helpful at this stage. This helps to move the
process seamlessly, achieve cross-functional collaboration and makes it easier for the
management and executives to follow the progress of a given DMAIC project.

Control
After changes are in place and are successfully addressing the problems to improve your
operations, it’s time to bring the process under control to ensure its long-term effectiveness.

This is where you:

Identify and document the new work standard

Develop a quality control plan which ensures the entire team is working with the same
techniques and metrics
Confirm reduction in failures due to the targeted cause
Use statistical process control (SPC) to monitor process execution and identify any issues
that arise
Determine additional improvements, if needed, to meet process objectives
Streamline process improvements using the “Five S’s” of Lean
Integrate, document, and communicate the lessons learned
After the Control phase, you can quantify the complete impact of process changes in terms of
cost reduction, efficiency, quality improvement, productivity increase, and customer
satisfaction