what is dmaic problem solving

The Easy Guide to Solving Problems with Six Sigma DMAIC Method

The most commonly used methodology in Six Sigma is the DMAIC process. Many use it to solve problems and identify and fix errors in business and manufacturing processes.

In this post, we will look at how to use the DMAIC process to solve problems. You will also find useful and editable templates that you can use right away when implementing DMAIC problem-solving in your organization.

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DMAIC Process and Problem-Solving

Common mistakes to avoid when using six sigma dmaic methodology, how to use the dmaic methodology for problem solving in project management, what are the 5 steps of six sigma.

DMAIC is one of the core methodologies used within the Six Sigma framework. It is a data-driven method used to systematically improve the process. The approach aims to increase the quality of a product or service by focusing on optimizing the process that produces the output. This way DMAIC seeks to provide permanent solutions when it comes to process improvement.

It provides a structured problem-solving framework to identify, analyze, and improve existing processes. DMAIC guides practitioners through a series of steps to identify the root causes of process issues, implement solutions, and sustain the improvements over time.

Following we have listed down the 5 phases of the DMAIC process along with the steps you need to take when using it to solve problems. Different tools for each phase is provided with editable templates.

Step 1: Define the Problem

So there’s a problem that affects your customer or your company processes. In this first step of the DMAIC problem solving method , you need to focus on what the problem is and how it has affected you as a company.

There are a few steps you need to follow in this phase.

• Create a problem statement which should include a definition of the problem in quantifiable terms and the severity of the problem.

•  Make sure necessary resources such as a team leader and competent team members, and funds etc. are available at hand.

•  Develop a goal statement based on your problem statement. It should be a measurable and time-bound target to achieve.

•  Create a SIPOC diagram which will provide the team with a high-level overview of the process (along with its inputs, outputs, suppliers, and customers) that is being analyzed. You can also use a value stream map to do the same job.

•  Try to understand the process in more in-depth detail by creating a process map that outlines all process steps. Involve the process owners when identifying the process steps and developing the map. You can add swimlanes to represent different departments and actors responsible.

Step 2: Measure the Problem

In this step, you should measure the extent of the problem. To do so you need to examine the process in its current state to see how it performs. The detailed process map you created in the ‘Define’ phase can help you with this.

The baseline measurements you will need to look into in this phase, are process duration, the number of defects, costs and other relevant metrics.

These baseline measurements will be used as the standards against which the team will measure their success in the ‘Improve’ phase.

Step 3: Analyze the Problem

The analyze phase of the DMAIC process is about identifying the root cause that is causing the problem.

•  Referring to the process maps and value stream maps you have created, further, analyze the process to identify the problem areas.

•  Visualize the data you have collected (both in the ‘Measure’ phase and the analyze phase) to identify signs of problems in the processes.

•  Use Pareto charts, histograms, run charts etc. to represent numerical data. Study them with team leaders and process owners to identify patterns.

•  With the results of your process analysis and your data analysis, start brainstorming the root causes of the problem. Use a cause and effect diagram/ fishbone diagram to capture the knowledge of the process participants during the session.

 •  Using a 5 whys diagram, narrow down your findings to the last few causes of the problem in your process.

Step 4: Improve (Solve the Problem)

In this phase, the focus is on mitigating the root cause identified and brainstorming and implementing solutions. The team will also collect data to measure their improvement against the data collected during the ‘Measure’ phase.

•  You may generate several effective solutions to the root cause, but implementing them all would not be practical. Therefore, you will have to select the most practical solutions.

To do this you can use an impact effort matrix . It will help you determine which solution has the best impact and the least effort/ cost.

 • Based on different solutions, you should develop new maps that will reflect the status of the process once the solution has been applied. This map is known as the to-be map or the future-state map. It will provide guidance for the team as they implement changes.

•  Explore the different solutions using the PDCA cycle and select the best one to implement.  The cycle allows you to systematically study the possible solutions, evaluate the results and select the ones that have a higher chance of success.

Step 5: Control (Sustain the Improvements)

In the final phase of the DMAIC method , the focus falls on maintaining the improvements you have gained by implementing the solutions. Here you should continue to measure the success and create a plan to monitor the improvements (a Monitoring plan).

You should also create a Response plan which includes steps to take if there’s a drop in the process performance. With new process maps and other documentation, you should then proceed to document the improved processes.

Hand these documents along with the Monitoring plan and the response plan to the process owners for their reference.

Insufficiently defining the problem can lead to a lack of clarity regarding the problem statement, objectives, and scope. Take the time to clearly define the problem, understand the desired outcomes, and align stakeholders' expectations.

Failing to engage key stakeholders throughout the DMAIC process can result in limited buy-in and resistance to change. Ensure that stakeholders are involved from the beginning, seeking their input, addressing concerns, and keeping them informed about progress and outcomes.

Collecting insufficient or inaccurate data can lead to flawed analysis and incorrect conclusions. Take the time to gather relevant data using appropriate measurement systems, ensure data accuracy and reliability, and apply appropriate statistical analysis techniques to derive meaningful insights.

Getting caught up in analysis paralysis without taking action is a common pitfall. While analysis is crucial, it’s equally important to translate insights into concrete improvement actions. Strive for a balance between analysis and implementation to drive real change.

Failing to test potential solutions before implementation can lead to unintended consequences. Utilize methods such as pilot studies, simulation, or small-scale experiments to validate and refine proposed solutions before full-scale implementation.

Successful process improvement is not just about making initial changes ; it’s about sustaining those improvements over the long term. Develop robust control plans, standard operating procedures, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the gains achieved are maintained and deviations are identified and corrected.

Applying DMAIC in a one-size-fits-all manner without considering the organization’s unique culture, context, and capabilities can hinder success. Tailor the approach to fit the specific needs, capabilities, and culture of the organization to enhance acceptance and implementation.

In the project management context, the Define phase involves clearly defining the project objectives, scope, deliverables, and success criteria. It entails identifying project stakeholders, understanding their expectations, and establishing a project charter or a similar document that outlines the project’s purpose and key parameters.

The Measure phase focuses on collecting data and metrics to assess the project’s progress, performance, and adherence to schedule and budget. Key project metrics such as schedule variance, cost variance, and resource utilization are tracked and analyzed. This phase provides insights into the project’s current state and helps identify areas that require improvement.

The Analyze phase involves analyzing the project data and identifying root causes of any performance gaps or issues. It aims to understand why certain project aspects are not meeting expectations. Techniques such as root cause analysis, Pareto charts, or fishbone diagrams can be used to identify factors impacting project performance.

In the Improve phase, potential solutions and actions are developed and implemented to address the identified issues. This may involve making adjustments to the project plan, reallocating resources, refining processes, or implementing corrective measures. The goal is to optimize project performance and achieve desired outcomes.

The Control phase focuses on monitoring and controlling project activities to sustain the improvements made. It involves implementing project control mechanisms, establishing performance metrics, and conducting regular reviews to ensure that the project remains on track. Control measures help prevent deviations from the plan and enable timely corrective actions.

What are Your Thoughts on DMAIC Problem Solving Method?

Here we have covered the 5 phases of  Six Sigma DMAIC and the tools that you can use in each stage. You can use them to identify problem areas in your organizational processes, generate practical solutions and implement them effectively.

Have you used DMAIC process to improve processes and solve problems in your organization? Share your experience with the tool with us in the comment section below.

Also, check our post on Process Improvement Methodologies to learn about more Six Sigma and Lean tools to streamline your processes.

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FAQs about Six Sigma and DMAIC Approaches

DMAIC and DMADV are two methodologies used in Six Sigma. DMAIC is employed to enhance existing processes by addressing issues and improving efficiency, while DMADV is utilized for creating new processes or products that meet specific customer needs by following a structured design and verification process.

• Used for improving existing processes
• Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
• Identifies problem areas and implements solutions
• Focuses on reducing process variation and enhancing efficiency
• Used for developing new products, services, or processes
• Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify
• Emphasizes meeting customer requirements and creating innovative solutions
• Involves detailed design and verification through testing

Problem identification : When a process is not meeting desired outcomes or experiencing defects, DMAIC can be used to identify and address the root causes of the problem.

Process optimization : DMAIC provides a systematic approach to analyze and make improvements to processes by reducing waste, improving cycle time, or enhancing overall efficiency.

Continuous improvement : DMAIC is often used as part of ongoing quality management efforts. It helps organizations maintain a culture of continuous improvement by systematically identifying and addressing process issues, reducing variation, and striving for better performance.

Data-driven decision making : DMAIC relies on data collection, measurement, and analysis. It is suitable when there is sufficient data available to evaluate process performance and identify areas for improvement.

Quality control and defect reduction : DMAIC is particularly useful when the primary objective is to reduce defects, minimize errors, and enhance product or service quality. By analyzing the root causes of defects, improvements can be made to prevent their occurrence.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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DMAIC Model | The 5 Phase DMAIC Process to Problem-Solving

• 5 mins to read
• July 1, 2020
• By Reagan Pannell

Summary: An Introduction to DMAIC

Dmaic – the dmaic model.

The 6 Sigma DMAIC model remains the core roadmap for almost all Lean Six Sigma problem-solving approaches that drive quality improvement projects. It is used to ensure a robust problem-solving process is followed to give the best chance of the best solution being found.

A note about the structure and the approach used in this article.

Our approach to DMAIC follows Quentin Brook’s book “Lean Six Sigma & Minitab” which for anyone wishing to study Lean Six Sigma is a must for the  Green Belt Course  and the  Black Belt Course .

What is the dmaic model.

DMAIC is short for: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. These are the key phases that each project must go through to find the right solution. This flow is the concept behind DMAIC Analysis of an issue and its the DMAIC cycle all projects must go through.

As you can quickly see from the 5 DMAIC phases they follow a logical sequence as we will go through in more detail below. But they also make sure you do not try to jump to implementing a solution before you have properly, defined and measured what you are going to be an improvement.

We all love to jump to solutions, but the DMAIC problem-solving structure helps us have a more rigorous approach so that we do not short cut the process and perhaps miss the best solution or perhaps implement the wrong solution as well. It can help companies better structure their problem-solving approaches and be more robust in their approach. 

DMAIC – The 5 DMAIC Process Phases

The phases throughout the DMAIC model have and can be broken down in many different ways. One of the best approaches we have found is from Opex Resources which shows how to examine the existing processes, and with a project team, and the sigma improvement process, we can solve complex issues.

DMAIC Define Phase

The purpose of the Define phase is ultimately to describe the problems that need to be solved and for the key business decision-makers to be aligned on the goal of the project. Its about creating and agreeing the project charter .

All too often, teams have identified solutions without actually defining what it is they will actually be trying to do or perhaps not do. This can lead to internal confusion and often solutions which completely miss the business requirements and needs.

• Define the Business Case
• Understand the Consumer
• Define The Process
• Manage the Project
• Gain Project Approval

DMAIC Measure Phase

In the measure phase, the goal is to collect the relevant information to baseline the current performance of the product or the process. In this stage, we want to identify the level of “defects” or the errors that go wrong and use the baseline to measure our progress throughout the project.

The key goal of this phase is to have a very strong and clear measure/baseline of how things are performing today so that we can always monitor our progress towards our goals. We need to understand our cycle times , process times, quality metrics.

Many projects are delivered without clear benefits being shown because the team never fully baseline the current status before making changes.

The Measure phase can be broken down into 5 key areas:

• Develop Process Measures
• Collect Process Data
• Check the Data Quality
• Understand Process Behaviour
• Baseline Process Capability and Potential

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We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” Albert Einstein Tweet

DMAIC Analyse Phase

The goal of the DMAIC Analyse phase with the lean six sigma improvement process is to identify which process inputs or parameters have the most critical effect on the outputs. In other words, we want to identify the root cause(s) so that we know what critical elements we need to fix.

During this phase, the teams need to explore all potential root causes using both analytical approaches, statistical approaches or even graphical tools such as VSM’s and Process maps to uncover the most important elements which need to be changed/fixed.

The Analyse phase can be broken down into:

• Analyse the Process
• Develop Theories and Ideas
• Analyse the Data
• and finally, Verify Root Causes 

DMAIC Improve Phase

The goal of the improvement phase is to identify a wide range of potential solutions before identifying the critical solutions which will give us the maximum return for our investment and directly fix the root cause we identified.

During this phase, the team brainstorm, pilot, test and validate potential improvement ideas before finally implementing the right solutions. With each pilot, the team can validate how well it improves the key measures they identified back in Define and Measure. When the team finally roll out the solution, the results should be seen if the right solution has been found and implemented correctly.

The Improve phase can be broken down into:

• Generate Potential Solutions
• Select the Best Solution
• Assess the Risks
• Pilot and Implement

DMAIC Control Phase

The final part of the DMAIC Model is the Control phase where we need to ensure that the new changes become business as normal and we do not revert to the same way of working as before.

During this phase, we want to ensure that we close the project off by validating the project savings and ensuring the new process is correctly documented. We also need to make sure that new measures and process KPI’s are in place and, finally that we get the business champion to sign off on both the project and the savings. We may need to redesign the workplace following the 5S principles .

The Control phase can be broken down into:

• Implement Ongoing Measurements
• Standardise Solutions
• Quantify the Improvement
• Close The Project

The key closing documents of the Control Phase is a Control Plan that documents all the changes and process steps with key risks, standard work instructions and the Project Close-Out document signed by the business owners to accept the change and the validated benefits.

The DMAIC Model vs. A3 Management vs. 8D Problem Solving

The DMAIC model is not the only project management roadmap. Two others which are important is the A3 format which originally comes from Toyota and is very Lean focused and the 8D which draws more of the DMAIC structure but with the 1-page idea of the A3.

Everyone has their own preference but each method is interchangeable. The DMAIC Structure lends its self naturally to a multi-slide Powerpoint presentation. Whereas the A3 is a single-page document which is perfect for internal communication and adding into War Rooms and Control Towers.

What’s important is that every problem-solving approach follows the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check and Act) Scientific Problem Solving format. The reset is just a preference or using the right tool in the right circumstances.

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Reagan Pannell is a highly accomplished professional with 15 years of experience in building lean management programs for corporate companies. With his expertise in strategy execution, he has established himself as a trusted advisor for numerous organisations seeking to improve their operational efficiency.

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DMAIC: The Complete Guide to Lean Six Sigma in 5 Key Steps

One of the core techniques behind any process improvement, particularly in Six Sigma, is DMAIC.

This handy approach, pronounced duh-may-ik, is the key to employing Six Sigma and beginning your journey to being a process hero. We’re going to cover each step in the process and detail how to effectively enact every section.

This guide will lead you through from start to finish and get you ready to start employing lean Six Sigma within your business!

What is DMAIC?

DMAIC stands for:

DMAIC is a data driven improvement cycle designed to be applied to business processes to find flaws or inefficiencies – particularly resulting in output defects – and to combat them. The goal of employing DMAIC is to improve, optimize, or stabilize existing processes.

The development of the DMAIC methodology is credited to Motorola , but is largely a further expansion of systems developed by Toyota. You can read more about how Toyota has employed their process improvement techniques in our article  How Toyota Saved Children’s Lives with Process Implementation .

What we’re going to do is look at each stage of the process and consider what needs to be explored and what kinds of tools and methodologies you might use throughout.

Before you dive in, consider reading this DMAIC Case Study to give yourself an overview of the process from start to finish with handy graphs. This case study should help you be able to visualize each step we undertake throughout the article within a broader context.

When do we use DMAIC?

Though we’re not formally recognizing that step within this article, it would be remiss to not appreciate the importance of this addition.

DMAIC cannot be used in all situations. It pertains to specific opportunities for process improvement.

So what are these specific conditions?

There are three main things worth considering when assessing a situation for whether DMAIC would fit:

• There is an obvious problem of some form with an existing process or set of processes.
• The potential is there to reduce variables like lead times or defects while improving variables like cost savings or productivity.
• The situation is quantifiable; the process itself involves measurable data and the results can be appropriately understood through quantifiable means.

Once you’ve recognized whether or not your process is a good fit for DMAIC, you can get started!

Define: Map the project and understand your aims

The Define stage is essentially the planning part of the exercise.

It consists of 7 key sections:

Define Customers and Requirements

How you carry out this stage depends on who your customers are. There are two subsections of customers, either internal customers or external customers .

Internal customers are levels of management within your organization or other departments who are reliant on the output of the particular process you are attempting to improve.

External customers would be the end users of your product or services. These would normally be your business clients but could also be the company’s shareholders.

We tend to divide the expectations of these customers into two related categories: needs and requirements. Needs refer to the end goals of a product: someone buys an air-conditioning unit because they want to keep a room cold. Requirements refer to features or aspects of a product: an air-conditioning unit needs to have a thermostat of some description in order to deliver the cold room the customer needs.

When judging the output of a process, we analyze who the customers are, what their needs are, and what the requirements are to fulfill these needs.

Develop Problem Statement, Goals and Benefits

The next step is to bring that customer information into actionable steps.

We want to develop a clear Problem Statement in order to communicate the purpose of the process and to help us understand how our actions will relate directly to the end results. This should not look to define the solution, but instead focus on the following aspects :

• What is the pain point?
• Where is it hurting?
• When has it been hurting? Is it long term or short?
• What is the extent of the pain?

The Six Sigma Institute provide the following example problem statement:

“In the last 3 months (when), 12% of our customers are late, by over 45 days in paying their bills (what) . This represents 20% (magnitude) of our outstanding receivables & negatively affects our operating cash flow (consequence) .”

In doing so, we should clearly define what our ultimate goals will be from the process improvement work we undertake. This might be identifying something simple like a need to increase output per hour from 100 units to 200 units. Or it might be improving clearly measurable rates of customer satisfaction or other similar quantifiable variables. In a pure Six Sigma approach, your goal would be to improve your Sigma baseline and reduce whatever your defined defects are – but we’ll come to all that later.

The goal statement should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound.

The Six Sigma Institute example:

To reduce the percentage of late payments to 15% in next 3 months, and give tangible savings of 500K USD/ year.

Identify Champion, Process Owner and Team

In order for us to implement this process improvement, we need to determine the roles of different employees in bringing the project to completion. Different companies will put differing emphasis on roles, so take the following as an example as much as a definition.

If you’re familiar with lean methodologies like Scrum, this will quickly make sense to you.

The Process Owner is the person who is responsible for the process improvement project. This is the hands on position where the person involves themselves with each team involved in the process, analyzes and tracks data and output, and looks to manage the process from above from the first step to the last. The Process Owner’s primary function is to provide the planning and overview to allow everyone else to flourish.

The Process Champion is an individual within the organization who has the power to make key decisions and facilitate the work of the Process Owner. This would likely be an executive who can help allocate resources to serve the needs of the Process Owner. The Champion aims to remove barriers which the Process Owner is facing and help facilitate the process improvement project from another step above.

The team in this context are the employees who will be putting the desired changes into action and helping monitor the effects of these changes. The main person in this team is the Black Belt; the project manager for the team. The other employees who focus on the Six Sigma process might be referred to as Green Belts (at this point it starts to feel a little like a karate kid cosplay).

Define Resources

In order to undertake this process improvement project, we need to know what resources are available for the Process Owner to utilize.

This might include a budget for contracting external services, purchasing additional tools, or travel expenditures. It might also refer to how many staff will be needed in order to make this change effectively; do staff need to be brought in from other departments, or will new staff need to be hired?

The amount of resources required will be defined by the problem and goal statements. You don’t want to spend $1 million to save the company half a million. We need to understand what resources are needed to tackle the project and what resources are reasonably available.

Evaluate Key Organizational Support

Now you know what resources you need to begin the project, you need to know what support you can gather from other actors within your organization.

The Process Champion will be in charge of attempting to mobilize this support from other areas of the company. In order to do this, the Process Champion will likely try to create a Business Case.

The purpose of a Business Case is to demonstrate the importance of this process to the broader operations of the company. The Six Sigma Institute give us an example of 7 questions which a Business Case should answer:

• Why is the project worth doing? Justify the resources necessary to engage in the project.
• Why is it important to customers?
• Why is it important to the business?
• Why is it important to employees?
• Why is it important to do it now?
• What are the consequences of not doing the project now?
• How does it fit with the operational initiatives and targets?

The Institute also provides us with an example Business Case:

By reducing the average transaction length, the queue would be able to enhance the Speed of Resolution and assist the end-users in fastest possible manner. This will not only help in achieving client targets but also increase end-user satisfaction score by offering lesser turn-around time.

… although a full Business Case should include more detail and more clearly address each of the above questions.

Develop Project Plan and Milestones

We should now be in a position where we understand the different requirements, the available resources, and role allocation.

At this point, we can begin to develop a detailed project plan with attainable and realistic milestones.

The first step of our project planning is to develop our project scope. In doing so, it is useful to use both longitudinal and lateral scoping. Longitudinal scoping relates to the length of the process, whereas lateral scoping refers to the breadth.

For example, if I was to analyze the process I use to write articles, the longitudinal scope would stretch from having the idea for the article to the moment the article goes live. That’s the scope of the process I would be investigating; with a clear start and end date.

The lateral scope would be the scope of my investigation. Am I going to analyze only the process of writing this article? Am I going to analyze the process repeatedly over a period of 6 weeks? Am I going to analyze my process and the same longitudinal process of my colleagues over that period too?

Think of it as the scope of the process vs the scope of the investigation.

Once we have this in place, we can look to lay out milestones for when different key moments in the DMAIC process will be achieved. What date will we begin the first step of the Measure stage? What date will we commence the Improve stage? When will we complete the DMAIC process?

It is recommended to set aggressive milestones as efficiency savings benefit from being brought in sooner rather than later, naturally. However, setting milestones which are too aggressive can result in what’s called “band-aid” solutions; where quality is sacrificed in order to reach arbitrary targets.

Develop High Level Process Map

This will serve to demonstrate to each individual player where they fit within the process and how their role relates to the next.

You can use tools like LucidChart to help you create process maps and diagrams simply and effectively.

If you want to read more about process mapping and other in-depth process overview techniques you can read this article of ours:  BPMN Tutorial: Quick-Start Guide to Business Process Model and Notation

Measure: Gather the data to understand performance

In the next few subsections we’re going to look at some key Six Sigma terms to understand what we’re measuring, then we’ll develop a research methodology and put it into practice.

This step is all about gathering our data!

Define Defect, Opportunity, Unit and Metrics

At the beginning of the Measure stage, we need to first define what we should be measuring.

To do this, we’ll need to understand a couple of key terms :

• Unit in the Six Sigma context refers to a single item of the product. This is our smallest indivisible point of reference.
• Defect refers to a problem with the product which has arisen from an issue in the process.
• Opportunity refers to the potential points within a process where the possibility for a defect occurring is present.

Once we understand these terms, we can see how they start to fit together to help us make decisions:

• Defects per unit (DPU) : number of defects / total number of units
• Defects per opportunity (DPO) : number of defects / (number of units x number of defect opportunities per unit)
• Proportion defective (p) : number of defective units / total number of units

Work out all the possible opportunities for problems and then begin to filter that list to remove extremely rare events, or to group problems with related causes together. This should give you a workable estimation for your Opportunity.

Develop Data Collection Plan

In order for us to make the necessary calculations, we need to gather our data about the process.

To do so we will create a data collection plan which will outline our approach and help us clarify our methods.

This analysis will focus on the minutiae of what exactly we want to measure, how the data will be collected, and the methodology by which we want to handle the data, including:

• How many observations are needed
• What time interval should be part of the study
• Whether past, present, and future data will be collected

If this process improvement project is geared toward internal processes then your  customer – another department, for example – might also be gathering this data. This is useful to check because it gives you a control against which you can verify your data once it has been collected, provided any variables are taken into consideration.

The difficulty of this data collection could lie in translating the outcomes into numerical values. For a manufacturing process it is fairly straightforward to understand the process and its outcomes in numerical terms, but less grounded processes can prove trickier. This is why it is important to plan carefully at this stage.

It’s also important to note that while historical data can be used in this analysis, it will likely not have been collected via the same structures and methodologies as you’re creating in this step. This presents a problem as it de-standardizes the data; use historical data with caution.

Having a standardized data collection process gives better data and ultimately better results.

Research 101.

Validate the Measurement System

Well done, you have a research methodology!

But don’t get too excited – we’re not quite ready yet.

Like any piece of research, it is vital to test the methodology – or measurement system – before releasing it into the wild. As a researcher might conduct a pilot study, so too must we test our research methods and review them on a couple of key areas.

There are 4 specific things we want to test before we launch our data gathering project in full:

• Repeatability : If the same operator reaches pretty much the same outcome multiple times on the same item with the same equipment, we can see an adequate level of repeatability.
• Reproducibility : This becomes reproducible if multiple operators measuring the same items with the same equipment end up with the same outcomes.
• Accuracy : It’s a little trickier to be certain on accuracy, but we can broadly say that this can be seen in the difference between an observed average measurement and the associated known standard value.
• Stability : The level of stability is, in a sense, a further extension of repeatability and reproducibility. Stability can be seen by what extent the same operator gets the same outcomes from measuring the same item with the same equipment over a longer period of time. One of the things this stability check is looking for is whether there are external variables which can impact reproducibility over time.

The best way to test your measurement system is to undertake a Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility Study (GR&R), which you can read more about here in this mini library of GR&R materials from iSixSigma .

Once we’re sure that our methodology is clearly defined and we’ve validated our measurement system, we can begin to collect our data!

Collect the Data

Not too much needs to be written about the actual data collection as all the previous steps have been building up to this point.

The key thing to remember is simply to stick to your plan as you defined it and to adhere stringently to the research practices and methods which you validated.

The Black Belt should be the primary point of command in this data collection process, making sure that all procedures are adhered to. The Black Belt needs to take responsibility for all the Green Belts understanding the necessary steps, definitions, and goals.

Begin Developing Y=f(x) Relationship

This is where things will start to sound a little technical. But don’t worry, we’ll walk through it.

Think of Y as representing the output of a process. It doesn’t technically refer to Yield at this point, but we’ll come to that later on.

So, Y is the output of a process and X is the input. The f represents the function of the variable X.

Y is the output we care about and X can be multiple different variables which impact on Y. Here’s an example from iSixSigma :

For example, if you call your major department store to ask a question, the ability to have your question answered (Y) is a function (f) of the wait time, the number of people answering the phones, the time it takes to talk with the representative, the representative’s knowledge, etc. All of these X’s can be defined, measured and improved.

At this point, you don’t need to work out the Y=f(x) relationship in full, but you can start bearing it in mind. It is considered best practice to keep work oriented around the Y=f(x) formula.

Estimate the Sigma Baseline

Again, we can prepare ourselves for the future stages by running a quick calculation.

To work out your Sigma, you can calculate your Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO) and run it through a handy conversion chart.

You calculate your DPMO by simply multiplying your DPO by a million.

To make it all easier, just use this straightforward Sigma Calculator .

Analyze: Understand where the problems in your process lie

The analysis step is where we have to dig in deep into the existing processes and work out the root causes of the problems.

Finding these causes should allow us to tackle them in our Improve stage. It’s all about finding the pertinent Xs for the Y=f(x) formula we mentioned above.

Define Performance Objectives

Having measured the process in the previous steps, we should be in a position where we roughly know what it is we want to improve.

Before we begin analyzing in depth, we should lay out what our objectives are so that these goals can guide us. Think through the process and the data you have to calculate what the key performance objectives would be.

These objectives can prove slightly flexible as your analysis moves forward but it is always better to start with clear goals.

Develop a Detailed Business Process Map

We’ve already mentioned in this article how you can use strategies like BPMN to map business processes, but it isn’t the only approach. A very similar approach might be to use an As Is Process Map, which can incorporate BPMN elements but is not defined by it.

This business process map can help show us the granular make up of the company process we are analyzing and reveal factors like which process steps are value added and which are non-value added. Identifying non-value added steps at this stage opens up the potential for us to eliminate waste in our process improvements.

This process map should be analyzed for potential areas of variation. These variations, or potentials for variation, will likely lead us to the root causes behind our Opportunities (for defects).

Determine Root Cause(s)

There are many different techniques you can utilize in order to attempt to dig down into what the root causes of a variation are, and we’re going to look at three specific examples of methods you can use:

The 5 Whys Analysis

The Fishbone Diagram

• The Pareto Chart

This is a fairly simple technique to start you off. The idea is that you ask “why?” five times to dig deep into the root of a problem. The logic behind it is that in the first few questions you will find one of the causes of the problem, and by the 5th question you will see the process failure behind that problem. This example from Wikipedia does an excellent job of conveying it:

The vehicle will not start. (the problem) Why?  – The battery is dead. (First why) Why?  – The alternator is not functioning. (Second why) Why?  – The alternator belt has broken. (Third why) Why?  – The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced. (Fourth why) Why?  – The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule. (Fifth why, a root cause)

This approach takes 6 different variable categories and feeds the information together to help you visualize what factors within the business operations are contributing collectively to the same problem. One of the advantages of this method is that it forces us to view the problem holistically, rather than the potentially blinkered approach of the 5 Whys.

According to the Six Sigma Institute , the 6 key variables are:

Machine : This category groups root causes related to tools used to execute the process. Material : This category groups root causes related to information and forms needed to execute the process. Nature : This category groups root causes related to our work environment, market conditions, and regulatory issues. Measure : This category groups root causes related to the process measurement. Method : This category groups root causes related to procedures, hand-offs, input-output issues. People : This category groups root causes related people and organizations.

You might already be familiar with the Pareto Chart. The purpose of the Pareto approach for us is to understand which variations have the highest impact on our output; it helps us determine the Vital Few.

If the other techniques assist in finding variations and identifying potential root causes, the Pareto Chart allows us to prioritize which root causes to target first to have the greatest impact on improvement in relation to our stated objectives.

Determine the Y=f(x) Relationship

Once we’ve identified the Vital Few, we’re able to return to our Y=f(x) formula.

Remember, Y is simply a variable which is defined by the relationship between our Xs and their functions. So, if we want to improve Y then we should identify which X has the biggest impact on the Y value and improve that X.

Our ultimate aim is to better understand the relationship represented by this formula and to round out errors from it. For example, there may be an X which has a major impact on Y but is not due to a process problem but simply a natural or unchangeable element of the manufacturing process. In which case, we need to identify that this particular X, while important, is not one we can tackle as part of our process improvement.

Our job isn’t just to find the Xs which contribute to Y, but to find the right Xs.

Improve: Work out how defects could be reduced

The improve section of the DMAIC process is where we take advantage of all the preparatory work we’ve done so far.

Our goal here is to highlight our Xs and look to maximize the performance of those inputs. The key element of the Six Sigma approach is the importance of doing this through mathematical and scientific means.

Perform Design of Experiments

Our Design of Experiments (DOE) is probably the key step to getting this right and achieving the improvements we want to make.

This DOE approach highlights the relationships between different Xs and the output (Y). Factorial experiments are one of the crucial methods to show how different Xs can relate to each other.

Controllable input factors .

These are your Xs. These are variables within the process which we can experiment with and change. In baking a cake this might include the number of eggs or the amount of flour.

Uncontrollable input factors .

These are variables which may have arisen earlier in the investigation but we can’t act upon. In a baking scenario it might refer to the resting temperature of the kitchen. Or, to make an infrastructural analogy, the capacity of the oven – a factory might produce more goods if it was bigger, but increasing its size might be prohibitively expensive, for example.

Responses .

This is the extent to which the output services the customer needs and wants. In baking this could refer to a simple taste test. This factor, like the others, would need to be quantified. “Good or bad” is not enough; a score out of 10 from the customer averaged out as a final percentage figure from all testing would be a more effective approach.

Hypothesis testing .

In a hypothesis test there are two potential outcomes: null and alternative. A hypothesis test focuses the accuracy of a hypothesis with each test. The null hypothesis is valid if the status quo is true. The alternative hypothesis is true if the status quo is not valid. We get our results by analyzing significance which means results are based on probabilities – so get your p-values at the ready!

In baking, we might have a brand name cake mix which declares that it takes on average 30 minutes to bake. You might classify this as your hypothesis. The null hypothesis would be that the average amount of time it takes to bake this particular cake is in fact 30 minutes. But you can’t have a null hypothesis without an alternative hypothesis. You should select your alternative hypothesis in advance in order to construct the experiment properly. We have 3 choices of alternative hypotheses to choose from:

• The average time to bake the cake is not 30 minutes (not equal)
• The average time to bake the cake is more than 30 minutes (greater than)
• The average time to bake the cake is less than 30 minutes (less than)

The formula for checking whether the average baking time is 30 minutes or not would be:

Ho:μ=30  versus  Ha:μ≠30

Blocking and Replication .

Blocking and replication are fortunately much simpler concepts. Blocking is just about making sure the conditions for each experiment are the same; use the same stirrer and tray to bake the cakes with. And replication is simply the principle of running the experiment multiple times to gain more accurate results – a great excuse to bake extra cakes.

Interaction .

This refers to a situation where an experiment has three or more variables and the simultaneous influence of two of the variables on the third is not additive. Sadly, my knowledge of baking has let the analogy down on this one. My bad.

Two-Level Factorial Design

This experiment will be constructed to look at 3 variables where each can be tested at a low or high level. This kind of structure gives us the ability to investigate deeper into a process yet is still simple enough for us to see how the experiment works.

Consider our process to be baking a cake. Our three variables are the Vital Few we identified in our Analysis stage. They are:

• Brand of flour
• The temperature of baking
• The baking time

Taste-testing will be a score out of 10 with the average multiplied by 10 to give a percentage result. The crust-formation will be measured by weight with lighter crusts being the goal.

The simplest overview of ANOVA tables can be found here , and it gives us this handy summary:

It doesn’t look at the differences between pairs of group means; instead, it looks at how the entire collection of group means is spread out and compares that to how much you might expect those means to spread out if all the groups were sampled from the same population (that is, if there were no true differences between the groups).

Which means roughly that our ANOVA table on taste testing will look at how all the results impact on taste to see how each group should impact on taste and then tells us how each group performs relative to that expected impact; higher or lower impact.

All this is conveyed through the F Ratio which tells us about the levels of variance between the groups relative to the variance within the groups.

If the null hypothesis is true, then F should be close to 1. The further F is from 1 the more it suggests the alternative hypothesis to be true. In the case of our experiments, the higher F is the more important an input factor is on output.

Develop Potential Solutions

With a strong working knowledge of your business processes and systems, you’re now able to develop solutions which can tackle the key issues hindering output within the business.

The results of the DOE tests can also assist in that optimization process as the visual graph above shows. This data gathered from varying iterations of your key potential Xs, provides a series of potential avenues to explore.

When constructing the different options for solutions make sure to propose enough to test and evaluate.

These solutions should be rooted in the deep analysis you’ve undertaken.

Assess Failure Modes of Potential Solutions

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis is a method which can identify risk ahead of time. This quasi-predictive process analysis tool can help you evaluate the details of your proposed business process solutions.

You can read more about FMEA in a previous article of mine:  FMEA: The Analysis Method to Prevent the £100m British Airways Catastrophe .

Validate Potential Improvement by Pilot Studies

Lastly, to complete the Improve section of our DMAIC process, it’s important to test out the solutions which have made it to this point.

The few solutions you’re left with can be part-deployed live in controlled conditions as part of a pilot study to gage their relative effectiveness.

The Process Owner can map out the design for these pilots and the Black Belt can manage the pilots in practice.

The performance of the proposed solutions should leave you with an overall best performing process improvement solution based on output. To measure these proposed solutions effectively, try to calculate the Sigma Baseline as before.

Control: Plan out how you will implement your solutions

The Control section is all about putting processes and procedures in place to make sure the implementation of the new solution runs smoothly and can be tracked and optimized over time.

Ultimately, the rest of the DMAIC process prior to this stage was dedicated to the Xs whereas the Control stage is devoted to the Y; the output.

Standardize and Document Processes

This is the most obvious step and echoes what we always discuss in our articles on Process Street .

To implement a new process, you need to make sure each step is documented thoroughly and it is mapped out in a way which is actionable and provides space for measurement.

These processes should be consistent at all times and this can be achieved through simply standardizing approaches across teams.

Prepare Implementation Plan

This task may be planned by the Process Owner and implemented by the Black Belt, though different companies might look to do it in different ways.

The important factors here concern how the new process can be effectively integrated into the company workflow .

• What teams within the company need to adapt to suite the new process?
• Does this change need to be simultaneous or can it be rolled out iteratively?
• Do we require multiple Six Sigma advocates to embed into each team for implementation?
• What budget or resources does the Champion need to secure to ensure effective rollout?
• When does implementation begin?
• What is the target date for complete implementation of the new process?

All of these questions should be answered in the drafting of a report so that the company can act upon our DMAIC work.

Additionally, it is important to create a Response Plan which tackles the what ifs of managing the process. This would come under the realm of risk management as it looks at putting processes and procedures in place for if problems occur within the process or are seen in the output.

Implement Statistical Process Control

Once your process is standardized and documented, implementation must undergo monitoring. One industry standard approach to process monitoring is Statistical Process Control.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) was originally developed in 1924 by Walter Shewhart. It is used to monitor and control the output parameters of a process.

A short definition is given to us by InfinityQS :

Quality data in the form of Product or Process measurements are obtained in real-time during manufacturing. This data is then plotted on a graph with pre-determined control limits. Control limits are determined by the capability of the process, whereas specification limits are determined by the client’s needs.

This basically means that we gather quantifiable data about the process and look at the size of the output vs the quality of the output.

On the graph you make, you’ll set control limits. These define an acceptable range which your process should operate within. When data points start appearing outside of this range, this acts as a red flag to show us that variations are occurring.

If done properly, these red flags should catch variations before variations result in defects; allowing us to tackle process problems before they result in output or product problems.

Use DMAIC to help you reach your Six Sigma goals

Once you’ve successfully undertaken your DMAIC project, you might think your job is done.

A crucial part of any lean Six Sigma process is to keep the principle of continuous improvement in mind. Within lean philosophies we might refer to this as Kaizen. In Japanese this translates to “change for better”, but within the world of process improvement it has come to reflect a continuous iterative model for gradual change.

Once one Six Sigma project is done, it is likely time to move onto the next.

If you can reach your goal of Six Sigma then your processes will be functioning at the highest industry standards and your business will be in the best position it can be.

It’s up to you to make sure the rest of the business runs as effectively as your best processes!

Are you a Six Sigma enthusiast? Have you employed DMAIC in your business before? Let me know in the comments your experiences, tips, and tricks!

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Adam Henshall

I manage the content for Process Street and dabble in other projects inc language exchange app Idyoma on the side. Living in Sevilla in the south of Spain, my current hobby is learning Spanish! @adam_h_h on Twitter. Subscribe to my email newsletter here on Substack: Trust The Process . Or come join the conversation on Reddit at r/ProcessManagement .

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Six Sigma Study Guide

Study notes and guides for Six Sigma certification tests

DMAIC Overview

Posted by Ted Hessing

DMAIC is Six Sigma’s signature framework for process improvement. It provides a structured way of improving a process.

Key Attributes

A DMAIC improvement process:

• Is data-driven.
• Is followed in a strict sequence.
• Uses all five steps.

The Five DMAIC Stages

The five stages we use are:

• Define : Collate what we already know about the existing process.
• Measure : Collect further data about the existing process.
• Analyze : Identify the core problems that we’ll address.
• Improve : Plan, test, and implement solutions.
• Control : Set up supports to ensure that successful solutions are sustainable.

Note how this is reminiscent of the Deming wheel or Shewhart Wheel: Plan-Do-Study-Act ).

History of DMAIC

Michel Harry & Bill Smith created “MAIC” – the methodology that evolved to become DMAIC.

Harry includes the following strategy elements in the traditional approach to Six Sigma:

• (R) Recognize the true state of your business
• (S) Standardize the systems that prove to be best-in-class
• (I) Integrate best-in-class systems into the strategic planning framework.

What’s the difference between Six Sigma and DMAIC?

Six Sigma and DMAIC are closely related, as DMAIC is the problem-solving methodology used in Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to process improvement that aims to minimize defects and variability in products and services. It uses statistical analysis and other tools to identify and eliminate the root causes of defects, and ultimately improve business performance.

DMAIC, on the other hand, is the acronym that describes the five-step problem-solving process used in Six Sigma projects. It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. DMAIC provides a structured and disciplined approach to problem-solving that enables organizations to achieve Six Sigma levels of quality and efficiency.

Can you use DMAIC outside of Six Sigma?

Absolutely! DMAIC can be used for non-Six Sigma purposes as well.

DMAIC is a structured and disciplined problem-solving methodology that can be applied to a wide range of industries and situations beyond just Six Sigma. The five steps of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) provide a framework for identifying and eliminating problems, improving processes, and achieving better outcomes.

For example, DMAIC can be used in healthcare to improve patient care processes, reduce medical errors, and increase patient satisfaction. In the software industry, DMAIC can be used to identify and fix software bugs, improve user experience, and optimize software development processes. In construction, DMAIC can be used to improve safety practices, reduce waste, and increase productivity.

The key benefit of using DMAIC outside of Six Sigma is that it provides a standardized and data-driven approach to problem-solving that can be applied in any industry or situation. By using DMAIC, organizations can identify and address the root causes of problems, improve processes, and achieve better outcomes, regardless of whether they are formally practicing Six Sigma or not.

The DMAIC Phases

Define phase.

In the Define phase, you collate a lot of information you already have available. You’ll:

• Understand the project, including its purpose and scope.
• Map the current process.
• Determine whether the process is a good candidate for DMAIC.
• Detail customer expectations.
• Estimate timelines and costs.

Should you use DMAIC?

Some projects aren’t suitable for this process. For example:

• It’s already very clear what the problem is and how to solve it.
• There’s no or little available data on the process to be improved.
• Managers and leaders do not support improvements to this process.
• The process does not directly impact key performance indicators.
• Measuring process improvements would be difficult or impossible.

Further information about the Define phase

For more information about the Define phase, the steps to go through, and the tools to use, see Define Phase (DMAIC) .

Measure Phase

You’ve mapped the existing process, understood the project, and decided that this is a good DMAIC candidate. You’ve listed customer expectations and estimated the times and costs involved.

Your next phase involves a lot of measurements. You need to have baseline figures to assess progress accurately in later phases.

During this phase, you will:

• Identify the data that you need to collect.
• Decide what measurements to use.
• Figure out what methods to use to collect your measurements.
• Determine the level of variation that you’ll be dealing with.
• Collect the data as per previous points.

Further information about the Measure phase

For more information about the Measure phase, the steps to go through, and the tools to use, see Measure Phase (DMAIC) .

Analyze Phase

In the Analyze phase, you work with the data that you collected in the Measure phase. You’ll:

• Identify defect causes.
• Analyze these to pinpoint the root cause.

Further information about the Analyze phase

For more information about the Analyze phase, the steps to go through, and the tools to use, see Analyze Phase (DMAIC) .

Improve Phase

You’ve identified the root cause of your issue in the Analyze phase. Now you need to come up with a solution. You’ll:

• Pull in people who perform or oversee the process.
• Brainstorm potential solutions.
• Determine criteria for selecting a solution.
• Weigh potential solutions against the criteria.
• Pick a solution.
• Test the chosen solution.
• Measure the results and compare them to the Measure phase data.

Further information about the Improve phase

For more information about the Improve phase, the steps to go through, and the tools to use, see Improve Phase (DMAIC) .

Control Phase

Once you’re happy that the chosen solution will improve the process, it’s time to implement the Control phase. This is where you actually implement the said solution, but there are some other tasks too:

• Document the solution.
• Collect data about how the solution is working in production.
• Put supports in place to ensure the solution is permanent, not temporary.
• Set up a plan to deal with any issues that might arise.
• Plan handover to the operations personnel.

Further information about the Control phase

For more information about the Control phase, the steps to go through, and the tools to use, see Control Phase (DMAIC) .

DMAIC Tollgate Reviews

You’ll typically review progress regularly with your sponsors. This kind of review, especially when ending one phase and moving on to the next, is called a Tollgate review.

Learn more about DMAIC tollgate reviews here.

Comments (8)

Is there suppose to be a “what makes a good DMAIC project” video attached?

There will be soon. We’re currently reconstructing this page to have a different organization and more details.

Can DMAIC tools or methodology can be used in FOCUS PDCA project? what tools are relevant? What tools are not relevant?

I hadn’t heard of FOCUS so thank you for mentioning it so I could look it up.

DMAIC is an offshoot of the PDCA process (As is Agile and many other frameworks) so I’m inclined to say yes, it is.

Here’s how I would see it stacking up:

Plan -> D: Define, M: Measure, A: Analyze Do – > I: Implement. Check -> C: Control. Act -> C: Control (specifically Control Plans which could be a simple process, return to Implement and do a new thing, or even return to Define / Measure / Analyze)

Thanks for the great question!

Hi, could DMAIC be used as a root cause analysis method, specifically for the resolution of failures/problems/deviations not necessarily generated in a project but by normal operations within a process?

Hi Jennifer,

DMAIC is an acronym for the framework (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). Root cause analysis is one step inside the Analysis phase.

I just wanted to let you know that while studying for my Green Belt in Six Sigma I have found this an invaluable resource that has demystified the whole concept of lean and DMAIC! I work in the intellectual disability sector where it is not the norm to apply lean / DMAIC to quality improvement, but where it absolutely can be applied to great effect. Thanks and kind regards, Emer

Thank you so much for the kind words, Emer! We work hard to make these concepts clear and it’s gratifying to know it’s helpful!

I don’t want to presuppose, but you might be interested in a few articles that Jamie Garret contributed about how he applied Lean Six Sigma teaching – another field where Six Sigma is not traditionally applied.

• How Lean Six Sigma Saved my Teaching Career
• How Control Charts Made Me a Better Teacher
• How Advanced Control Charts Can Save Our Schools

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• What is DMAIC in 6 Sigma?

• Learn Lean Sigma
• Improvement Methodology

Are you looking for a methodology to effectively improve your business processes and make data-driven decisions? DMAIC is the only solution. DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) is a powerful Lean Six Sigma improvement methodology that is frequently used by certified Green Belts and above.

The acronym represents the process’s five phases, providing a clear sequence of steps to take and ensuring that projects are well-defined and improvements are founded on thorough root cause analysis and data collection. DMAIC is ideal for solving complex problems and making long-term improvements because it includes a variety of tools and techniques at each stage of the process. Don’t make managing continuous improvement projects a chore; instead, let DMAIC guide you through the process and help you succeed.

Table of Contents

What is dmaic.

DMAIC is the acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) is a powerful Lean Six Sigma improvement methodology often used by certified learn six sigma green belts and above. DMAIC is used for data-driven continuous improvement used to improve existing processes. Each letter of the acronym makes up the phases of the process providing guardrails for effective and efficient project management.

Why use DMAIC?

Often continuous improvement projects are not easy to manage particularly when you are looking to make business-critical decisions. This is what makes using the DMAIC project methodology useful as it provides a clear sequence of steps to follow which ensures projects are well defined and improvements identified are based on thorough root causes analysis and data collection.

What are the steps of DMAIC and how are they applied

As we have already mentioned there are five key steps for a DMAIC improvement project. Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Each stage has a clear individual focus and should be conducted in the specified order.

In the define phase of DMAIC, it is important to define the actual problem the DMAIC project is looking to resolve, the opportunity for improvement, the goals of the project and customer requirements (internal and external).

To achieve this a range of tools are used to support the development of the define stage which includes:

• Project charter to define the focus and direction for the improvement team
• SIPOC to define the suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers that are in the scope of the project
• Voice of the customer to understand the feedback from the customers and their critical to quality (CTQ) metrics
• Value Stream Map to provide an overview of the whole process that starts and finishes with the customers to support and analyse what is required to meet the customer needs.

In the measure phases of a DMAIC project, the focus is on measuring and understanding the current process performance to provide a baseline of how the process is currently performing.

There are a range of tools used in the measure phase to support the understanding of the current process performance which includes:

• Process map to analyse what actually happens in the process recording the steps that happen in the process.
• Process capability analysis to understand the process’s ability to meet the customer’s specifications.
• Data collection of the frequency of the issues

In the analyse phase the focus comes to determining the root causes of the problem you are seeking to address by analysing the data you collected in the previous stage to better understand the problem and the causes of the problem. This allows more accurately identified solutions in the improve phase.

There are a range of tools and techniques that can be used in the analyse phase to support getting to the true root cause of the problem which includes:

• Root cause analysis tools such as Cause and effect diagram and 5 Whys analysis.
• Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is used to identify the ways in which a product, process or service could fail and the effects the failures could have.
• Pareto chart to understand the frequency of the problems or causes and to support prioritisation of the focus of the problem areas.
• Multi-vai charts to detect different types of variation within a process.

Once you have done the steps of defining, measuring and analysing the current process and its performance, only then is it time to start improving the process. In the improve stage process performance is achieved by addressing and eliminating the root causes identified and verified in the analyse phase.

This stage of often an experimental phase with changes being introduced to the process and analysed using trials. The common tool used the improve stage usually include:

• Design of experiments (DOE) for complex problems where a range of variables are required to be tested to understand how different inputs are impacting the outcome.
• Solution piloting to trial implemented improvements and identify with data if the changes achieve the improvement set in the goal statement and the customer’s specifications.

At this point, if the improvements do not achieve the project goals a return to the analysis phase will likely be required.

Once you have made the required improvements to your project it is time to control the improvements. In the control phase of DMAIC tools and techniques are used to sustain the improvements that have been made ensuring the process performance does not return to its pre-improved state. This stage is vitally important within a project and should not be overlooked if the organisation wants to continually improve its process and not repeat the same improvements each time the previous improvement failed to be sustained or controlled.

There are a range of tools and techniques that can be used at this stage depending on the time of improvements you are looking to sustain. These tools include:

• Quality control plan, which documents what KPIs need to be monitored to sustain the improvement and what actions need to be taken if the KPIs are not being met.
• Standard operating procedures (SOPs) to document and standardise the improved way of conducting the process
• Error proofing ( Poka Yoke ) to make process errors impossible by design or ensure that is instantly detectable if they occur.
• 5S and visual controls to standardise the working environment.
• Statistical process control (SPC) charts for monitoring process behaviour to be able to identify if the process goes out of control

When to use the DMAIC methodology?

The DMAIC methodology is ideal for fairly complex problems where it is difficult to understand the true root cause and requires a team to conduct thorough data analysis of the problem to identify the root cause and identify solutions to the problem. These projects focus on using a range of Lean and Six Sigma tools that are taught at the Green belt level but can often have a trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt supporting the project. DMAIC projects due to the complexity also usually have a higher amount of resources dedicated to them to ensure the project’s success.

In summary, DMAIC is a powerful Lean Six Sigma improvement methodology used for data-driven continuous process improvement. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control are the five phases of the process that provide guardrails for effective and efficient project management. DMAIC is frequently used by certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belts and above, and it is ideal for fairly complex problems where the true root cause is difficult to understand.

Project charter, SIPOC, Voice of the customer, Value Stream Map, Process map, Process capability analysis, Root cause analysis, Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), Pareto chart, Multi-vai charts, Design of experiments (DOE), Solution piloting, Quality control plan, Standard operating procedures (SOPs), Error proofing, 5S and visual controls, and Statistical process control (SPC) charts are among the tools and techniques employed by the methodology. DMAIC’s goal is to identify and eliminate the root causes of problems while also maintaining process improvements.

• Berardinelli, C.F., 2012. TO DMAIC or not to DMAIC? .  Quality Progress ,  45 (11), p.72.
• De Mast, J. and Lokkerbol, J., 2012. An analysis of the Six Sigma DMAIC method from the perspective of problem solving .  International Journal of Production Economics ,  139 (2), pp.604-614.

Daniel Croft

Daniel Croft is a seasoned continuous improvement manager with a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. With over 10 years of real-world application experience across diverse sectors, Daniel has a passion for optimizing processes and fostering a culture of efficiency. He's not just a practitioner but also an avid learner, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge. Outside of his professional life, Daniel has a keen Investing, statistics and knowledge-sharing, which led him to create the website learnleansigma.com, a platform dedicated to Lean Six Sigma and process improvement insights.

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Six Sigma Certification & Training

How to use the DMAIC Methodology: 5 Steps + Example

DMAIC is a popular Six Sigma process in the world of statistics and business. There’s a good chance you’ve heard the term before, but what exactly is it? Each letter represents a particular part of the methodology. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

Whether the industry is manufacturing, marketing, retail, military, or HR, Six Sigma practitioners can use the DMAIC process for improvement projects. Following the five steps allows businesses to systematically find and fix issues, ultimately boosting productivity and quality. This article will explain the DMAIC process steps and provide a DMAIC process example.

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Why the DMAIC Process is Important

5 steps in the dmaic process, dmaic process example.

The DMAIC process is important because it allows you to improve your business by creating a systematic approach for identifying problems, creating solutions, and measuring the success of your product or process improvement project.

First, the DMAIC process helps you get an overview of the situation and identify potential problems with your product or service. It’s also important to understand what success looks like in order to know how to measure it.

Second, the DMAIC process helps you look at your resources and see what you have available to tackle the problem. This will help you decide what’s feasible and what isn’t—and that’s especially important if you have a budget or timeline to stick to for improvements.

Third, the DMAIC process gives you a plan for tackling those issues so that when you’re looking at your data and making decisions about moving forward, they’re based on facts rather than feelings or assumptions.

In the DMAIC Define Phase , you will define the problem or opportunity. You’ll define what you want to improve in your process. This involves defining the goal and developing an understanding of what success will look like. You will also identify the current situation and how it compares to your desired outcome. This includes identifying any constraints or limitations and determining if there is adequate support for achieving success.

In the DMAIC Measure Phase , you will measure key aspects of the current process by collecting data to obtain quantitative evidence about its current state. You’ll compare it with the ideal state. You’ll measure defects or other metrics that indicate problems with your process. This evidence helps you identify where improvement opportunities exist to drive future actions.

In the DMAIC Analyze Phase , you will analyze the data to identify root causes. You’ll analyze trends in your data using statistical techniques such as control charts or ANOVA analysis to determine if there are any factors impacting quality that you can eliminate from your process. You may also use decision models such as Pugh charts or cause-and-effect diagrams to evaluate alternatives and select appropriate solutions for implementation.

In the DMAIC Improve Phase , you will improve the process by implementing solutions based on what you learned during the analysis. These solutions require clear specifications so they can be implemented consistently. In addition, you should document these changes in case they need to be replicated later.

In the DMAIC Control Phase , you will control the new process to prevent problems from recurring. You’ll monitor results after making improvements to ensure they are working as planned.

So how does this all come together in a real-life scenario? Let’s walk through a hypothetical scenario of how a nonprofit organization uses DMAIC methodology .

Let’s say the nonprofit company wants to increase its fundraising success with outbound calls made to clients who signed up for newsletters on their website but chose not to make an online donation.

1. Define Stage:

The company would first need to define what success looks like with outbound calls and how it will be measured.

In this case, the company aimed to increase conversion rates from 45% to 50%. The company used the length of contact and conversion metrics to define successful and unsuccessful calls. They defined a successful call as lasting longer than two minutes. Additionally, they defined conversion as when a donation was made during a call.

2. Measure Stage:

Key aspects of the call experience would then be identified and monitored.

Now that the Six Sigma project team has defined the goal and metrics, they must collect data about the successful and unsuccessful calls. In this case, the company created a process map to understand the current process. They recorded data regarding several factors, such as the script used during the call, the time of day the outbound team made the call, and how much time had passed since the user had signed up for the newsletter before the outbound team made the call.

The project team brainstormed potential explanations for the unsuccessful calls. The conversion rate was the primary metric, so a fishbone diagram was utilized to depict the link between the many factors at play.

3. Analyze Stage

Data would be collected and analyzed to identify any areas where the calls were more likely to lead to a successful call or a conversion.

After gathering information, the next step is to analyze it statistically. The project team devised a preliminary hypothesis testing the call data. This testing revealed that the time of day the outbound team made the call and the time lag between the newsletter sign-up and the outbound call both had a substantial impact on the success of the call and the conversion rate.

Design of experiment (DOE) tools assessed the significant factors from hypothesis testing. The designed experiment optimized critical factors and responses. The DOE results showed how critical factors interacted and affected the main measure, including the time of day and the appropriate sign-up-to-call lag time.

This analysis showed that afternoon calls made within 24 hours of the online sign-up were most effective.

4. Improve Stage

Implement solutions to improve the call experience in those areas.

There was initially at least a 24-hour lag between sign-up and follow-up calls because the outbound team had been using a third-party firm to compile lists of users who had signed up for the newsletter but had not donated. With the help of the newly implemented internal reporting system, the outbound team could generate this list within hours, significantly reducing call times. The outbound team also began prioritizing afternoon calls.

The team documented these changes and updated the process map to reflect the improvements.

5. Control Stage

New processes would be monitored to ensure that successful calls and conversions continue.

The Six Sigma project team completed three months of monitoring after the company implemented the improvement measures. According to an analysis, the project’s conversion rate increased to 52% from 45%, achieving the project goal.

The Six Sigma DMAIC process is an effective tool that can be used in any industry. It gives businesses the ability to analyze and improve their processes, leading to better results. By reviewing the example and following the five steps of the DMAIC Process – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control – businesses can create meaningful changes in their operations.

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The History of Six Sigma

Originally developed by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1986, the Six Sigma Training program was created using some of the most innovative quality improvement methods from the preceding six decades. The term “Six Sigma” is derived from a field of statistics known as process capability. The term 6 Sigma refers to the ability of manufacturing processes to produce a very high proportion of output within specification. Processes that operate with “six sigma quality” over the short term are assumed to produce long-term defect levels below 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Six Sigma’s goal is to improve overall processes to that level of quality or better.

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DMAIC Methodology: 5 Phases and the Tools used in Each Phases

DMAIC is a widely utilized methodology that is the foundation of lean six sigma. Now, lean six sigma is a team-oriented management technique that aims to eliminate waste like physical resources, time, efforts, and defects in order to increase performance.

The appropriate application of DMAIC has benefited businesses in several ways, including lowering costs, improving quality, increasing revenue, and enhancing the overall company’s performance and efficiency. It also helps improve the faults and defects in your organization’s existing projects or processes. The Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification is the entry-level certification credential that showcases a professional’s ability to successfully apply the fundamentals of six sigma methodology in an organization. So, if this sounds intriguing, read the article till the very end to understand everything about the DMAIC methodology. So we will start by understanding what the DMAIC methodology is.

What is DMAIC Methodology?

DMAIC is a data-driven problem-solving method for identifying and addressing inefficiencies in a process, improving its outputs, and making these improvements more predictable. The DMAIC methodology was founded by statistician Walter A. Shewhart and was created at Bell Laboratories in the 1930s and gets its roots from the PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycle.

It is a five-phase approach for enhancing various organizational processes, including software development, manufacturing, and many others. This method is linked with six sigma and may also be used to lean and other process-improvement strategies. The acronym DMAIC stands for: Define- Measure-Analyze Improve Control . Now, the name itself gives out the five stages of this data-driven methodology. Now, let us talk about them one by one in detail.

The Five Phases of DMAIC Methodology

In this first step of DMAIC methodology, the team must clearly define the issues and the action plan necessary to attain the desired results in this initial step toward process improvement. The goal of this phase of DMAIC is to define the problem statement and develop a strategy for improvement. This phase is all about defining the issue and the improvement activity’s objectives. The most essential objectives are obtained from the clients because customer satisfaction is the primary objective of lean six sigma. So, project managers identify the issue to be addressed . To do so, one must first understand the problems as a whole and know the preferences of the customers.

Then they will need to define a problem statement for this and check if the issue reported is relevant by looking at the data available. As a result, they will be able to:

• Prioritize the issue into priorities
• Recognize the areas where it will influence
• Know the available resources

Once they figure out the problem statement and then outline the work process, they can start working on the project. The following stages ensure that the process is moving in the right direction.

The most commonly used DMAIC Tools in the “define” phase is Project Charter .

The project charter is the initial step in every six sigma project and one of the most crucial components. The document includes a summary of the project and serves as a contract between management and the six sigma team for the project’s projected outcome. Teams use the charter to define the process issue being addressed, the reason for doing so, and what “success” looks like for those working on it. Project Charter also helps to clarify what has not been discussed.

The goal of this phase is to gather data from the process and determine the current quality level. In this stage of DMAIC methodology, the team measures the existing system by defining valid and reliable metrics which will in turn help in tracking progress toward the goal. They must measure and monitor the project’s development and performance as soon as one begins working on it. 

They must keep a close eye on the project and write down the “current stage” for the first assessment and use it as a baseline for the subsequent evaluations. It is a benchmark against which the project’s progress will be measured.

They may use this phase to figure out a means to collect as much measurable data as possible since it will be needed to analyze the core cause of the problems and their consequences. Constant updates from the team will be beneficial in this regard. One thing to keep in mind when gathering data is the source. Data must be accurate and come from a reputable source.

To make them more effective, they may make regular updates to the data in the workflow tools, such as a project charter.

The most commonly used DMAIC Tools in the “measure” phase are:

It is a type of bar chart that visualizes both attribute and variable data of a product or process and helps users show the different distribution of data and amount of variation within a process. So, it should be designed properly to easily utilize and understand those working in the operation process. Histograms can show the distribution of a process that is going smoothly over time. So, any fluctuation in that process can be immediately observed when histograms are produced on a regular basis. This is a significant benefit for businesses since it allows them to identify and address process variance immediately.

Pareto Chart

A Pareto Chart is a combination of a bar and line table that visually summarizes a set of data. The information might be related to things like cost, time, and mistakes. A Pareto chart helps to measure the cumulative impact of the defects. Now, the cumulative impact is the result of a defect occurring over a long time.

The pareto chart helps and offer a clearer understanding of the problems that must be addressed first, which helps to deliberate and arrange for the right and necessary procedures or actions to be performed in the event of a fault.

The major goal of this step in DMAIC methodology is to locate the source of the issue. Then, one may utilize the information gathered in the previous phases to figure out what’s causing it. The team manager keeps a close eye on the entire process along with the data. It is critical to assess the progress. So for this, make a list of the difficulties and concerns that arise from the data and observations. The team may contribute by expressing their perspectives and adding value to the process. Because lean six sigma focuses on removing waste from processes, the analysis includes analyzing the procedure in terms of:

1. Time: How efficiently project participants use their time. Are there any delays as a result of too extended breaks? Is there any factor that is causing the project to fall behind schedule?

2. Value: Is the project on track to meet the customer’s expectations? How does it provide value in terms of efficiency and product quality?

3. Value Stream Mapping: VSM is a technique for visualizing the flow. They may use the data to map the process and pinpoint the locations where waste processes are happening. It will allow the team to make better judgments about whether or not to add or remove a process step.

The most commonly used DMAIC Tools in the “analyze” phase are:

Fishbone- Diagram

During problem-solving, each team member has a different perspective on the root cause of the problem or question. The fishbone diagram collects all items and thoughts then uses brainstorming techniques to analyze and identify the most powerful underlying cause for that problem. It presents the possible causes using a graphic format. The core problem is placed at the head of the fish, then the different processes and sub-processes that may be responsible for the problem are noted in the bones of the fish.

This is a very interesting tool in the analysis phase . So to find the main cause of an issue, they should constantly ask the question “Why” (five is a decent rule of thumb). The actual cause of one problem will often lead to a new question. Despite the name “5 Whys,” one may discover that they need to ask the question fewer or more times than five times before they uncover the issue that is causing the problem.

In this phase of DMAIC methodology, after gathering the data and determining the root of the problem, the team member must devise a plan to address it. Using the data and the analysis report, the team at this stage seeks to improve the entire process. Now, the enhancements are introduced appropriately to get the intended benefits. As a result, they will need to put together a solid plan of action and assemble a team capable of coming up with creative answers. Proposing and choosing a solution to improve the system is the focus of this phase. This is the phase at which the team must become innovative in order to identify new methods to do things better, cheaper, or faster. The team addresses the root causes directly with an improvement based on the identified root causes.

One thing to keep in mind is that solutions must be feasible. They should be simple to execute and will not significantly increase the project’s expense. Other project restrictions, such as available workforce and technical assistance, must also be considered.

After figuring out the solutions, it’s time to put them into action and it is required to track and measure the progress. Now, to make things simpler, develop a list of the modifications that result in a better overall procedure.

The most commonly used DMAIC Tools in the “improve” phase are:

Countermeasures Matrix

A Countermeasures Matrix outlines the problems, identifies their causes, its fixes (countermeasures), and implementation priorities for an issue. Here, prioritization is determined by the team, ranking the recommended action items based on their importance or feasibility. This matrix acts as a source of information for creating an action plan.

Action Plan

Most improvements will need a strategy to ensure that they are implemented appropriately and that their effectiveness can be measured. So an action plan is very important. It is a strategy that helps improve the end products. An effective action plan will include questions like:

• What are the countermeasures?  
• How to do them?
• Who will do them?
• When will they begin and end?
• How will they be measured?

The fifth stage of the DMAIC methodology is control, and it assures that the changes produced will last. It must be ensured that the problems do not occur again and the entire process adheres to the lean six sigma principles . Any deviations should be recorded and brought to the attention of the team. The team implements the solution and gives the ownership of the new, enhanced process to the responsible owner. They create a control strategy to monitor the ongoing performance and employ statistical methods to monitor the new process’s stability.

The team members can develop a monitoring algorithm that allows them to choose the various levels at which the process will function. They may also strategize the action plan to ensure that the gains are evident at these stages. They may also urge team members to keep the data up to date and add the progress at each level. This record is useful during the control phase. To find any issues with your DMAIC implementation, use this record.

The most commonly used DMAIC Tools in the “control” phase is:

Control Chart

In this phase, control charts are the most widely used tool. It helps in identifying the causes for variation in the new process, as well as the identification of corrective measures that must be taken before there are too many errors. This helps eliminate the requirement for product rework or additional product costs to repair an offering. So this was about the five phases of DMAIC methodology and the frequently used tools in these phases. 

Initially, DMAIC was known as a method for reducing variation, but now the application of DMAIC can be considered a well-known mechanism for problem-solving and process improvement. Now, let us talk about some of the benefits of the DMAIC methodology.

Also read: The Top 7 Management Tools for Quality Control

Benefits of DMAIC Methodology

DMAIC methodology brings structure, helps in problem-solving, and is applied to complex processes and any type of organization. The data-driven approach helps identify the exact root causes and ensure that the applied enhancements outperform the previous strategy. It’s especially useful when dealing with complicated issues that involve many job functions or departments. Here are a few benefits of DMAIC methodology:

Structured Approach

DMAIC is a systematic technique that gives a road map for finding solutions. This enables us to solve problems from beginning to end while producing bottom-line results. DMAIC also offers an analytical approach, allowing the use of the data gathered. This helps the business ensure accurate baselines.

Faster Cycle Times  

DMAIC software removes the friction from improvement, resulting in shorter improvement cycles and a quicker route to positive change. Because DMAIC improves communication, visibility, and responsibility, there is less downtime between phases in the improvement cycle. The faster each changes are implemented from beginning to end, the sooner the benefits are realized and move on to the next initiative.

Better Collaboration

DMAIC improves the collaboration of the entire team. One of the most difficult aspects of structured improvement is keeping everyone on the same page and informed about the cycle’s progress. This is especially challenging when the team consists of individuals from several functional areas who use distinct processes, terminology, and management styles.

More Impact From Improvement

With a knowledge repository in place, each DMAIC cycle may start with a review of what has previously worked successfully or failed. Teams get an advantage in terms of improvement by making more informed, data-driven decisions that result in more effective improvements. DMAIC software is useful because each improvement has the maximum, long-term impact.

Increased Productivity 

Because the strategy is so systematic and requires comprehensive documentation, it helps to improve their problem-solving approach and efficiency constantly. DMAIC allows a business to quantify improvements and find answers to complex problems. 

Improve the Overall Process

Then, it’s time to apply the DMAIC technique to improve the process. It aids in the identification of the problem’s fundamental cause and allows for the brainstorming of relevant solutions to the problems. The main goal of the DMAIC methodology is to improve the overall process. So these were just some of the benefits of the DMAIC methodology. 

Now, sometimes DMAIC and DMADV can be confusing, because they share many similarities. So, let us talk about some differences between them.

Also read: Implementing DMAIC in Your Daily Life

DMAIC vs DMADV

Lean Six Sigma recommends an improvement process which is DMAIC. It is used to improve current processes. It is not concerned with the development of new goods, services, or processes. So, this is where DMADV comes into the picture. DMADV is a modified version for developing a new product, service or process. Now, let us see some differences between them to understand it better.

So these were just some of the differences between DMAIC and DMADV.

The DMAIC Methodology – Conclusion

DMAIC consists of five successive steps that produce the greatest outcomes when completed iteratively.

These stages are complementary to one another and, in some situations, iteratively operate together. When you acquire data in the measure phase, for example, you may need to evaluate and rectify it until your team can narrow down the problem’s main cause.

DMAIC is the foundation of the lean six sigma methodology. It is something you may use to improve existing initiatives in your business.

Implementing DMAIC requires a deep knowledge of lean and six sigma principles. This can be achieved by getting trained in globally-recognized six sigma and Quality Management Certification Courses from an accredited training organization.

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What is DMAIC in Six Sigma? How to Use the DMAIC Model?

• Written by John Terra
• Updated on January 20, 2023

Today’s forward-thinking businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve and skilled professionals to help them achieve this. Given our current commercial atmosphere of increased competition and economic uncertainty, that’s a prudent strategy. Only companies that evolve and quickly solve problems will flourish and last.

The DMAIC model is a valuable resource that helps businesses improve performance while dealing quickly with issues. This article explains DMAIC processes, DMAIC models, DMAIC phases, and the impact of DMAIC. We’ll also share a Lean Six Sigma program that helps professionals learn how to utilize this method.

So, what’s DMAIC, anyway?

What is DMAIC?

DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. It is a problem-solving and quality improvement methodology businesses use to improve performance. It’s a customer-focused, structured approach that also serves as a foundation for Lean Six Sigma.

Business improvement happens during the DMAIC process by taking things project by project. In this context, projects are defined as problems scheduled for solutions. The whole point of the DMAIC process is to introduce structure to problem-solving.

Some people like to shorten the term and pronounce DMIAC as “de-may-ick,” while others say “duh-may-ick.” Either way, the pronunciation issue is another example of “po-tay-to” versus “po-tah-to.”

Now, look at the classic DMAIC template based on its established steps.

Note: An effective Six Sigma Project Charter should clearly define project goals, scope, timeline, and team roles, providing a roadmap for success and effective stakeholder communication.

Also Read: What Is Process Capability and Why It’s More Interesting Than It Sounds

The DMAIC Model and its Phases

Here’s where we break down the DMAIC methodology into its distinct phases. This setup is the basis for every DMAIC template used to solve problems and improve efficiency.

The team asks, “What problem are we trying to fix?” In this first stage of the DMAIC model, Six Sigma professionals state the issue, specify the customers, outline the process, and set goals. We can subdivide this phase into:

• Identify the problem, also known as an opportunity for improvement
• Delineate the project’s scope
• Develop the client’s requirements
• Estimate the project’s impact
• Identify the project’s stakeholders
• Create the team

The team asks, “How big of an issue is this, and how does the process currently perform?” In the Measure stage, the team quantifies parameters, decides how best to measure them, gathers pertinent data, and performs the measuring by experimentation. We break down this phase as follows:

• Develop data collection methods
• Identify the input, processes, and output indicators
• Collect and analyze the current data
• Perform and finish failure modes and effects analysis

This step concerns one simple question, “What is causing the issue?” The team identifies the gaps between the desired and actual performance, determines what is causing the gaps, ascertains how process inputs affect the outputs, and ranks or prioritizes improvement opportunities. We break down the Analyze phase as follows:

• Develop the problem statement
• Write a root cause analysis
• Implement process control
• Create necessary measurable improvement experiments
• Figure out an improvement plan, sometimes called a “goal statement.”

Now we ask, “How will the project team address the root causes of the issue?” The Analyze phase identifies the issue, and the Improve phase prompts us to take action. This phase is where the team devises potential solutions, recognizes the solutions most accessible to put into action, tests likely hypothetical solutions, and then implements actual improvements:

• Discuss and generate ideas for solutions
• Determine the expected benefits of the solutions
• Develop a revised process map and related plan
• Define a pilot solution and plan
• Relay the answers to stakeholders

And finally, there is one question left, “How do we sustain the improvements?” The team must devise a detailed solution monitoring plan, watch implemented improvements for success, regularly update the plan’s records, and sustain a workable employee training process. Control is broken down into:

• Verify that failure incidents have been reduced
• Determine if additional improvements will be needed to meet the goal
• Identify and document the new work standards and procedures
• Integrate the latest strategies and share the learning experience with the appropriate parties

Although teams use the DMAIC model for Six Sigma, it shouldn’t be confused with a similar Six Sigma process known as Sigma DMADV. DMADV is an acronym standing for “define, measure, analyze, design, verify.” The Six Sigma team applies these steps to new processes to ensure they achieve the desired Six Sigma quality standards.

Note: The Central Limit Theorem is a fundamental concept in statistics. It states that the means of many independent and identically distributed random variables will be approximately normally distributed.

Also Read: Demystifying the Theory of Constraints

DMAIC Tools per Phase

There are tools that teams should use to carry out each DMAIC process phase. Here’s a quick breakdown.

• Stakeholder analysis
• Collect the customer’s voice using the VOC matrix
• Translate the voice of the customer to critical to quality (CTQ). In other words, get customer feedback and see how it translates into expectations, preferences, and dislikes.
• SIPOC diagrams/high-level process maps.
• Data Collection Plan
• Detailed Process Mapping
• Juran’s Pareto Analysis
• Value Stream Maps
• Why Analysis
• Brainstorming
• Calculating Sigma Level
• Cause and Effect Diagrams
• Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
• Graphs and Charts
• Scatter Diagrams
• Impact Control Matrix
• Stratification
• Barriers and Aids Chart
• Benchmarking
• Mistake Proofing
• Pilot Study
• Pugh Matrix
• Solution Matrix.
• Control Charts
• Process Control Plan

The Impact of the DMAIC Model

The DMAIC model is a game-changer, a valuable framework for any organization that wants to reduce waste, improve efficiency, deal with problems, and improve customer relations. Here is how the DMAIC methodology delivers a positive impact.

1) It ensures that quality thinking becomes the default way of conducting business, focusing on customers and building and sustaining customer loyalty.

2) It applies recognizable and effective quality tools to improve the organization’s goods and services and help the company achieve breakthrough performances.

3) It defines quality process performance metrics, tying them to the organization’s goals.

4) It creates a culture centered on quality that is also fun and offers a practical, measurable, and pragmatic means of achieving greater process quality levels.

5) It identifies the projects needed to drive improvements that yield sustainable results and superior quality.

The DMAIC methodology is a roadmap that keeps the team and the project moving forward efficiently. Some Six Sigma professionals refer to DMAIC as the “boss of the project” because the team’s leader, although in charge, still follows the outlined steps to complete the project and ensures that everyone on the team does so. If the team omits a step, it could prevent a business from wasting resources, devising ineffective solutions, and causing unnecessary negative culture issues.

Why Use the DMAIC Process and When Should You Use It?

Although the DMAIC process is helpful, it only fits some situations. That’s why most organizations take the extra step of determining why they think DMAIC is the correct methodology. This additional step is called “recognize.”

When evaluating the whys of the DMAIC process, consider these three factors:

• The existing process has apparent inefficiencies and defects
• There is a reasonable probability of reducing variables like lead times or other flaws while improving variables such as productivity or cost savings
• The condition is assessable; outcomes can be appropriately understood through quantifiable means.

If the above three factors apply to your situation, use DMAIC.

The Benefits of DMAIC

DMAIC offers benefits such as:

• Faster cycle times
• Improved collaboration
• Support for a culture of improvement.
• Greater impact from improvement measures.

The Differences Between DMAIC and DMADV

Both DMAIC and DMADV are part of the Lean Six Sigma philosophy. The chief difference between DMAIC and DMADV is that DMAIC improves existing processes, and DMADV emphasizes developing new processes, services, or products. So, DMAIC measures a process’s performance, while DMADV measures customer needs and specifications. Furthermore, DMADV develops business models to satisfy customer requirements, and DMAIC focuses on improving business processes by reducing and eliminating defects.

Long story short: use DMADV when launching new products or features, and use DMAIC when enhancing or improving existing products, processes, and services.

The Differences Between DMAIC and PDCA

The main difference between DMAIC and PDCA is that the former represents a data-driven improvement approach to improving, enhancing, and stabilizing business processes through five stages: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Meanwhile, PDCA is a repetitive four-stage model: Plan, Do, Check, and Act, which is implemented to achieve continuous improvement in business process management.

The PDCA approach is mainly used in Lean, while DMAIC is widely utilized in Six Sigma. Also, DMAIC uses advanced statistical resources, while PDCA relies on more straightforward, simple tools.

Now, let’s check out some DMAIC examples.

Examples of DMAIC Usage

DMAIC can be used in many different industries and situations. For example:

• Evidence-Based Care Affecting Hospital Outcomes. Infections are a massive concern in hospitals, so a process like DMAIC can be used to define the problem, measure the current rate of infections, determine the underlying causes, implement a series of measures to combat infections, train and reinforce the culture among the staff, and report the successful results.
• Improving a Manufacturing Shop Floor’s Yield. Here, we’re looking at a repetitive manufacturing process. The goal is to enhance the yield. First, identify the products in question and the goals. Next, define the metrics used in the process and gather the needed data. Then, analyze the data for trends, deviations, and outliers. Once the issues have been identified, define and install countermeasures to answer the problems. Then, implement the measures to sustain improved performance. And finally, apply the process to future machines and products.

Also Read: Value Stream Mapping in Six Sigma

How Do You Use the DMAIC Model in Six Sigma?

So, how do we use the DMAIC template? An organization should follow four easy steps to implement DMAIC and start seeing positive results.

1) Training. Begin your organization’s DMAIC journey by training your team in the DMAIC methodology and how you expect it to be employed. Place a strong emphasis on the model’s data collection characteristics. After all, knowledge is power.

2) Line up your support and DMAIC tools. Since the DMAIC model is strongly associated with Lean Six Sigma, it’s not surprising that many Lean Six Sigma tools are compatible with the DMAIC life cycle. These tools include the Five Whys, fishbone diagrams, control charts, and Catchball. Decide which tools your team can use and how they will be shared and documented. Use improvement management to store all your DMAIC-related documents and progress notes.

3) Provide examples. Prevent confusion and reinforce DMAIC understanding by providing your team with examples of new or existing processes within your company that can benefit the most from DMAIC implementation. People typically grasp things faster and better if given practical application examples. Once everyone on the team understands how DMAIC can be used, create an atmosphere where it’s easy for the team members to suggest process improvement opportunities.

4) Initiate a pilot project. Now that you have gotten this far and laid the groundwork, it’s time to take DMAIC out for a quick spin. Pilot projects are initial, small-scale tests that show how the full-scale project will work in practice. So, pick a simple project that draws in people from multiple teams. This exercise helps test cross-team cooperation and collaboration, an essential element in future projects. Then, carefully monitor every cycle step and ensure each step is complete before moving on to the next.

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Q: What does DMAIC mean in Six Sigma?

A: DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

Q: What is the DMAIC process used for?

A: The DMAIC process is a data-driven process improvement cycle that aims to optimize, improve, and stabilize business designs and processes.

Q: How does Six Sigma use DMAIC?

A: DMAIC is a problem-solving approach that drives Lean Six Sigma. DMAIC’s five-phase method, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, improves existing process problems with unknown causes.

Q: What are the DMAIC tools?

A: DMAIC tools are, by phase:

• Define Phase: Project Charters, SIPOC Diagrams
• Measure Phase: Data Collection Plans, Process Mapping
• Analyze Phase: Cause-and-Effect Diagrams, Pareto Charts, Hypothesis Testing
• Improve Phase: Brainstorming, Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Control Phase: Control Charts, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Q: What is the benefit of DMAIC?

A: DMAIC offers benefits such as:

• Support for a culture of improvement
• Greater impact from improvement measures

You might also like to read:

Demystifying Kaizen Lean Six Sigma

A Deep Dive Into the Five Phases of Lean Six Sigma

Ultimate Guide to Six Sigma Control Charts

DMADV: Everything You Need to Know

Describing a SIPOC Diagram: Everything You Should Know About It

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DMAIC - The 5 Phases of Lean Six Sigma

What is DMAIC?

DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. It is a structured problem-solving methodology commonly used in Six Sigma and process improvement initiatives. DMAIC provides a systematic approach for identifying and addressing problems, improving processes, and achieving measurable results.

Why use the DMAIC process?

DMAIC provides a structured and systematic approach to problem-solving and process improvement. It offers a clear roadmap with defined steps, ensuring that the improvement efforts are focused and organized.

DMAIC emphasizes the collection and analysis of data to understand the current state of the process and identify the root causes of problems. By relying on data, organizations can make informed decisions rather than relying on subjective opinions or assumptions.

The Analyze phase of DMAIC focuses on identifying the root causes of process issues. By understanding the underlying factors contributing to problems, organizations can implement effective and targeted solutions rather than simply addressing symptoms.

DMAIC encourages the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and measurement systems to assess process performance. This focus on measurement allows organizations to track improvements over time, quantify the impact of changes, and ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved.

DMAIC promotes a culture of continuous improvement within an organization. By following the DMAIC process, organizations can identify opportunities for improvement, implement changes, and then monitor and control the process to sustain the improvements achieved. It establishes a cycle of continuous learning and refinement.

DMAIC provides a standardized framework that can be applied consistently across different projects and teams. This ensures that best practices are followed, knowledge is shared, and lessons learned from one project can be applied to future initiatives.

DMAIC emphasizes the importance of understanding customer requirements and expectations. By defining and measuring customer needs, organizations can align their improvement efforts to deliver products or services that meet or exceed customer expectations.

What’s the difference between Six Sigma and DMAIC?

In essence, Six Sigma is a broader concept that encompasses various principles, tools, and techniques for quality improvement. The DMAIC methodology is a specific process used within Six Sigma projects to guide teams through the problem-solving process. DMAIC is one of the most commonly used methodologies in Six Sigma, but there are other methodologies as well.

History of DMAIC

The concept of Six Sigma was first introduced by Motorola in the early 1980s as a quality improvement framework. The term "Six Sigma" refers to a statistical measure of process variation, with the goal of reducing defects and improving quality.

In the 1990s, under the leadership of Bill Smith, a Motorola engineer, the DMAIC methodology was developed as a problem-solving framework within the Six Sigma approach. DMAIC was designed to provide a structured approach for organizations to identify and solve process-related problems.

Six Sigma gained significant popularity and adoption in various industries during the 2000s, particularly with the success stories of companies like General Electric and Honeywell. DMAIC became a widely used methodology within the Six Sigma framework, helping organizations achieve significant improvements in quality, cost savings, and customer satisfaction.

Throughout the 2000s and beyond, DMAIC continued to be refined and adapted by practitioners and organizations, incorporating various statistical and quality improvement tools. It became a cornerstone of Six Sigma implementation, providing a systematic and data-driven approach to problem-solving and process improvement.

Today, DMAIC remains a popular and widely used methodology for process improvement, not only within the Six Sigma context but also in other quality management and continuous improvement initiatives including lean manufacturing and project management. It has been applied across a range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and services, with the aim of achieving operational excellence and delivering value to customers.

The Five DMAIC Phases

Define phase.

In this initial stage, the project goals, scope, and objectives are defined. The focus is on understanding the problem or opportunity for improvement and aligning it with the organization's overall objectives. Key activities in this stage include defining the project charter, identifying stakeholders, understanding customer requirements, and setting specific improvement goals.

Measure Phase

The second stage involves gathering data to establish a baseline and understand the current state of the process. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are identified, and data collection plans are developed. Data is collected, validated, and analyzed to quantify the current performance of the process and identify areas of improvement.

Analyze Phase

In the analyze stage, the collected data is analyzed to identify the root causes of the problem and understand the sources of process variation. Various tools and techniques, such as statistical analysis, cause-and-effect diagrams, and process mapping, are used to explore the relationships between variables and determine the most influential factors affecting the process. The aim is to gain insights and knowledge that will guide the improvement efforts.

The fourth stage focuses on generating and implementing solutions to address the identified root causes and improve the process performance. In this stage, potential improvement ideas are generated, evaluated, and selected based on their expected impact. The selected solutions are tested and implemented on a smaller scale to assess their effectiveness. The focus is on achieving measurable improvements in key process metrics and meeting the defined improvement goals.

Control Phase

The final stage of DMAIC is the control stage. Once the process improvements have been implemented, control mechanisms are put in place to sustain the improvements and prevent the recurrence of the problem. Control plans are developed to define the monitoring and control activities, establish performance targets, and implement appropriate process controls. Ongoing monitoring and measurement ensure that the process remains stable and continues to deliver the desired results.

How Do You Use DMAIC In A Project? An Example

XYZ International, a multinational conglomerate with diverse global businesses, needed to improve its supply chain efficiency as a response to increasing customer complaints. The company decided to use the DMAIC model to address this challenge.

Define: The project team defined the goal as reducing lead time and improving inventory management within its global supply chain. They identified key performance indicators (KPIs) such as fulfillment time for orders, inventory turnover, and on-time delivery.

Measure: The team collected data on KPI performance across business units. They analyzed the data to establish current order lead times, possible bottlenecks and issues with inventory stockouts. They also gathered VOC (Voice of the Customer) and created several process maps of key processses.

Analyze: Using statistical analysis tools, did some root cause analysis to pinpoint the factors contributing to long lead times, excessive inventory, and delivery delays.

Improve: Based on the analysis, the team developed optional improvement strategies. For instance, they could implement demand forecasting systems, optimize transportation routes, establish strategic supplier partnerships, or introduce lean inventory management practices such as Kanban or replenishment pull systems. They prioritize the solutions based on their potential impact on lead time reduction and inventory optimization.

Control: The team implemented the selected improvements and established control measures to sustain the gains. They continued to monitor KPIs. They set up continuous improvement mechanisms, such as supplier performance reviews, periodic process audits, and ongoing training to ensure the changes are maintained and further refined.

The structured approach of DMAIC helped identify and address inefficiencies, enhanced data-driven decision-making, and fostered a culture of continuous improvement within XYZ’s supply chain processes.

DMAIC Tollgate Reviews

DMAIC tollgate reviews, also known as project tollgates or phase reviews, are checkpoints or milestones that occur at the end of each DMAIC stage. These tollgate reviews serve as formal decision points to assess the progress and success of the project and determine whether it should proceed to the next stage. They ensure that the project is on track, aligns with organizational objectives, and justifies the allocation of resources for further stages. The specific structure and content of tollgate reviews can vary between organizations.

What are some tools used during DMAIC?

DMAIC utilizes a variety of tools and techniques to support problem-solving, data analysis, and process improvement efforts. Here are some commonly used tools within each phase of the DMAIC methodology:

● Project Charter

● Voice of the Customer (VOC) Analysis

● SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer)

● Process Mapping

● Data Collection Plan

● Measurement System Analysis (MSA)

● Control Charts

● Takt time

● Cause-and-Effect (Fishbone) Diagram

● Pareto Chart

● Statistical Analysis (Hypothesis testing, linear regression)

● Process capability (Cpk)

● Histogram

Improve Phase

● Brainstorming

● Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

● Design of Experiments (DOE)

● Control Plan

● Statistical Process Control (SPC) Charts

● Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

● Risk analysis

These are just a few examples of the tools used in DMAIC. The selection of tools depends on the specific project and the nature of the problem being addressed. DMAIC offers a wide range of tools and techniques to support problem-solving, data analysis, and process improvement throughout the different phases of the methodology.

Can you use DMAIC outside of Six Sigma?

Yes. DMAIC is a methodology while Six Sigma is a more encompassing management philosophy. DMAIC can be used, under appropriate situations, any time your organization has a problem that needs to be fixed or a process that needs continuous improvement.

3 DMAIC best practices

1. clearly define the problem.

At the beginning of the DMAIC project, be sure to clearly define the problem or opportunity for improvement. Be sure that your problem statement is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). As you learn more about your problem, you may need to redefine it later on.

2. Utilize cross-functional teams

DMAIC projects are enhanced by getting input from a wide array of subject matter experts, process customers and other stakeholders across a variety of departments and functions.

3. Use data to drive your decisions

DMAIC relies on data and facts to drive decision-making. Collecting accurate and relevant data is essential for understanding process performance, identifying root causes, and evaluating improvement efforts. Best practices include defining appropriate metrics and measurement systems, using statistical tools for data analysis, and establishing data collection protocols. By making data-driven decisions, organizations can effectively prioritize improvement opportunities, measure the impact of changes, and sustain improvements over time.

Should I use DMAIC for every problem-solving effort?

While DMAIC is a widely applicable problem-solving and process improvement methodology, there are certain situations where it may not be the most suitable approach. Here are a few instances when DMAIC may not be the best fit:

Non-Repetitive or Unique Situations

DMAIC is designed for addressing recurring or repetitive problems and improving processes over time. If you're dealing with a one-time or unique situation that does not have a clear process or data-driven approach, DMAIC may not be the most appropriate methodology.

Immediate Crisis or Urgent Situations

DMAIC projects require time for data collection, analysis, and implementation of improvements. If you're facing an urgent crisis or immediate situation that requires rapid decision-making and immediate action, DMAIC may not provide the level of responsiveness needed.

Exploration of New Opportunities

DMAIC is primarily focused on problem-solving and process improvement. If you're in the exploratory phase of identifying new opportunities, designing new products or services, or entering new markets, DMAIC may not be the ideal methodology.

Lack of Data Availability

DMAIC heavily relies on data collection, analysis, and measurement for making informed decisions. If the necessary data is unavailable, unreliable, or too costly to obtain, DMAIC may face significant limitations.

Resistance to Change or Limited Resources

DMAIC projects often require strong leadership support, stakeholder engagement, and allocation of resources. If there is significant resistance to change, lack of necessary resources, or inadequate support from key stakeholders, implementing DMAIC may face challenges.

Is DMAIC the only problem-solving methodology to consider using?

There are several alternative problem-solving methodologies and frameworks that can be used to address business problems, depending on the nature of the problem and the specific context. Here are a few commonly used approaches:

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)

Also known as the Deming Cycle or the Shewhart Cycle, is a simple and iterative problem-solving method. It involves planning, implementing, evaluating, and adjusting actions to continuously improve processes. PDCA is particularly effective for small-scale improvement efforts and rapid problem-solving cycles.

A3 Problem Solving

The A3 problem-solving method, derived from Toyota's management practices, is a structured approach that involves using a single A3-sized sheet of paper to capture problem-solving efforts. It emphasizes problem clarification, root cause analysis, solution development, and action planning in a concise and visual format.

Kaizen (Kaizen Event or Kaizen Blitz), which means "continuous improvement" in Japanese, is a philosophy and method that focuses on making small, incremental improvements in processes on a continuous basis. It involves involving all employees in problem-solving, encouraging suggestion systems, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

In Six Sigma, "quick wins" refer to small-scale improvements that can be implemented relatively quickly and yield noticeable results in a short period. These quick wins are important for building momentum, demonstrating the value of the Six Sigma approach, and generating enthusiasm for further improvement efforts. This is best used when the solution has little, if any, need for capital investment, can be implemented quickly, and can be easily reversed if needed.

Frequently asked questions about DMAIC

What does dmaic stand for.

DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

What is the purpose of DMAIC?

The purpose of DMAIC is to provide a structured methodology for problem-solving and process improvement. It aims to identify and address process issues, reduce variation, improve performance, and achieve measurable and sustainable results.

How is DMAIC different from Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a broader quality management approach, while DMAIC is a specific problem-solving and improvement methodology within the Six Sigma framework. DMAIC is one of the most commonly used methodologies in Six Sigma and follows a structured five-step approach.

What are the key benefits of using DMAIC?

Using DMAIC can lead to several benefits, including improved process efficiency, reduced defects, enhanced product or service quality, increased customer satisfaction, cost savings, and a culture of continuous improvement.

How Can I Learn More About Lean Six Sigma?

A quick Google query resulted in 43,700,000 links in .49 seconds. From there you can find a wide array of sites dedicated to Lean Six Sigma. If you wish to narrow your search, two excellent sites for information about Lean Six Sigma are

isixsigma.com/dictionary/dmaic

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Table of Contents

What is dmaic, why the dmaic process, the five phases of dmaic, benefits of dmaic: why it’s needed, dmaic vs. dmadv, dmaic process: the 5 phases of lean sigma you must know.

Reviewed and fact-checked by Sayantoni Das

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.

It has always been the end goal of companies to improve their sales and profits — numbers that in a way, represent product and service quality. With new technologies continually making their way into the business landscape, the race to the bottom line is more competitive than ever. Organizations are scrambling to improve their operations and become more efficient, in general. This is one of the reasons why more businesses are adopting DMAIC, one of the core techniques that act as the foundation for Six Sigma projects or any process improvement project, for that matter.

With proper implementation of DMAIC, businesses have shown to benefit in several areas, including cutting down the cost of poor quality , boosting revenue , and improving business performance and productivity on the whole. 

Get an overview of Six Sigma and the DMAIC methodology with the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification course. Enroll Now!

Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control is a DMAIC acronym. 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. 

When we look into the definition of DMAIC , it is a five-phase strategy for improving a wide variety of organizational processes, whether it’s software development, manufacturing, or some other process. While it’s associated with Six Sigma , this strategy can also be applied to lean and other process-improvement strategies. DMAIC is a data-driven problem-solving technique designed to identify and address inefficiencies in a process, which improves its outcomes and makes these improvements more predictable. 

The acronym stands for the five phases — Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, and it is pronounced “duh-may-ik.”

The DMAIC methodology has its roots in the PDSA (“plan, do, study, act”) cycle developed by statistician Walter A. Shewhart at Bell Laboratories in the 1930s. But the technique as we know it today has been shaped by some of the largest organizations in the world such as Toyota, Motorola, GE, and Ford Motor Company. You can read more about the history behind DMAIC and Six Sigma developments here .

Before we dive into the main process, there’s one additional step that some companies employ in order to figure out whether DMAIC is the right approach to solve their problems. This step is called “Recognize”. 

The reason why this step is important, despite not being formally a part of DMAIC, is that DMAIC cannot be applied to all situations. There are specific conditions where this technique can be the right fit for process improvement. Recognizing the right conditions and choosing the right problem to solve are key to understanding whether DMAIC is the right tool for you. 

How do you evaluate those conditions? Here are three main factors to consider:

• There are apparent inefficiencies and defects in the existing process.
• There is potential to reduce variables such as lead times or other flaws while improving variables like productivity or cost savings.
• The condition is assessable, and the outcomes can be understood appropriately through quantifiable means.

After you have evaluated the above factors, you can conclusively determine if your process can benefit from implementing DMAIC.

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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:

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

This phase continues until new opportunities for improvements arise, and then, the DMAIC cycle runs from start all over again. Starting a DMAIC process involves time, effort, and discipline, but once your team gets the hang of it, they will become comfortable with the approach.

When your organization is trying to improve a particular process, such as decreasing the number of defects or increasing overall quality, it’s important to have a clear path for reaching your goals. The main benefit of the DMAIC process  is its simple but highly structured approach. Without this kind of structure, organizations will have a difficult time tracking what works (and why) or eliminating process changes that don’t work. And without implementing effective controls, even the best process changes won’t be properly adhered to.

Since this approach is so structured and requires detailed documentation, it allows businesses to hone their approach to problem-solving and increase productivity continually. Data collected through the process can be used for other projects within the same organization, providing more accurate baselines along the way.

Test your understanding of siz sigma and the DMAIC methodology with the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Exam Practice Test . Try answering now!

DMAIC is similar to the DMADV methodology, which is  another core tenant of Six Sigma . The key difference is that while DMAIC is intended for incremental improvements to existing processes, DMADV is used when the existing process needs to be completely redesigned. 

The letters DMADV stand for:

As you can see, the first three letters of the acronyms are the same. So it’s the design and verifies phases of DMADV that differ from DMAIC. In the third phase, teams design and implement the new processes required for the redesign, and then the fourth phase involves verification of whether the desired results were achieved. Therefore, DMADV is more appropriate for addressing problematic processes or products.

Check out the video below that will help you understand all about DMAIC.

Master the DMAIC Process with the Lean Six Sigma Certification Training

The DMAIC process, a key fundamental of the six sigma methodology, is designed to create efficiencies and improve productivity. By achieving the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification , professionals will not only master DMAIC but also how to apply these principles to real-world situations. Simplilearn’s  Online Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification course  will help you pass the certification exam and get you career-ready in the latest six sigma methods all from the comfort of your own home. When you reach the level of a Six Sigma Black Belt , you move beyond the DMAIC foundations and become a master of process optimization. A Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt is the culmination of your experience with Simplilearn, which continues after you obtain your Green Belt. With the help of this curriculum, you will learn DMAIC more thoroughly and be more equipped to handle challenging situations.

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DMAIC Process explained

DMAIC process: this article explains DMAIC Process in a practical way. This article contains a general defintion of the DMAIC Process, associated steps and practical examples. After reading you will understand the basics of this Six Sigma and problem solving tool. Enjoy reading!

What is a DMAIC Process? The basics explained

The DMAIC Process is a data driven problem solving tool that can be used to improve, optimize and stabilize business processes. This cyclical problem solving model seeks to improve the processes performance within an organization. The acronym of this Lean Six Sigma tool stands for: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control.

The base of this problem solving tool is founded by Shingeo Shingo during the development of Poka Yoke .

Five basic steps of the DMAIC Process cycle

The DMAIC Process consists of five steps that match the cycle process perfectly. It is recommended to make DMAIC an integral part of every project or organization. It can be applied to any existing processes.

Figure 1 – the DMAIC Process Cycle

The problem is defined in this first step.Furthermore, it is important to recognize and define the following elements:

• who are the customers?
• what are the critical stages in the process?
• what is the objective and what are the related business processes?

The purpose of the measure phase of the DMAIC Process is to establish the most important aspects of the current process and to collect relevant data. The following aspects are important in this:

• analyse the output and the input
• define the measurement plan
• test the measurement system

Subsequently, the data that was collected in the previous step is analysed. The purpose of this step is to identify the root cause relationships. The deeper causes of defects and errors are investigated. Basic tools are used to:

• identify the gap between current and required performance
• identify the input and the output
• list and prioritize potential opportunities to improve

The current process is improved by using techniques and creative solutions.  Brainstorming sessions can be a useful tool. Other, obvious solutions are:

• innovative ideas
• focus on the simplest and easiest solutions
• create a detailed implementation plan
• implementation of improvements
• identify errors and causes using an Ishikawa diagram

This step does not only focus on control but on monitoring as well. Control ensures that any deviations can be corrected in the future. Monitoring leads to sustainable improvements and guarantees long-term success. Permanent monitoring is therefore required.

Linking the DMAIC Process Cycle with business processes

To supplement the standard DMAIC Process, it is recommended to implement this step-by-step plan in other business processes as well. By sharing experiences and new knowledge with other departments, changes can be effected more easily within the entire organization.

It is important that employees have a good understanding of the usefulness of the procedure of the DMAIC process, that they discuss it with each other and that they are willing to share their experiences.

The DMAIC Process Cycle versus Six Sigma

Initially, the DMAIC process was linked to Six Sigma . Six Sigma was developed by Motorola and General Electrics to improve the quality of process outputs.

This is done by identifying and removing the causes of errors. The process is not exclusive to Six Sigma and can therefore be used to improve processes in other organizations.

Comparison of the DMAIC Process with the PDCA cycle (Deming)

DMAIC is actually an application of Deming’s PDCA cycle . The DMAIC Process takes a project based approach, whereas the PDCA cycle has a wider application.

This means it is can also be applied to one project. The DMAIC process analyses the root cause of the problem whereas the PDCA cycle focuses on the entire operation and it unearths other causes as well.

Benefits of using the DMAIC Process Cycle

The DMAIC Process is based on framework thinking within for example a product group, customer group or service. The strengths of this problem solving approach lie in the addressing and optimizing of the root causes in a process.

For a creative change in which an organization changes course completely, however, the model is less applicable. When going through the steps of the process, there may not be any overlaps. The best results are achieved with a plan-led team approach.

Example of the DMAIC Process

Let us look at a car garage with 50 locations who specialise in car tyres as an example. So far, in each branch, they have plenty of stock in various types of summer and winter tyres.

This enables them to quickly help the customer, delivering customer satisfaction and good word-of-mouth advertising. It now appears that the costs of the car company where very high last year. Management then decides to speak with all 50 branches in order to find out why.

The costs have risen sharply due to employee costs, renting space for 50 branches and inventory.

The costs are compared to that of last year and it turns out the costs are 20% higher, without creating more revenue.

Together with all 50 branches, the biggest cost item is examined. Several different factors are then identified. On average, it appears that inventory costs were 15% higher than in the previous year, among other things due to insufficient variety whereby ‘older’ models are left longer in the warehouse.

Together with the 50 branches, management looks at methods for improvement. For example, they propose to work from a central warehouse, supplying the branches 3x per week. Another option is to only have conventional tyres in stock while keeping specific tyre types in the central warehouse. The first solution is chosen unanimously.

After a test period an evaluation takes place with all branches and management. It turns out that employees have to cancel a sale more often or only help customers after a few days.

It’s Your Turn

What do you think? Is the DMAIC Methodology applicable in today’s modern economy and companies? What is your experience? What tips can you share to help others being successful in applying the DMAIC process?

Share your experience and knowledge in the comments box below.

More information

• de Mast, J., & Lokkerbol, J. (2012). An analysis of the Six Sigma DMAIC method from the perspective of problem solving . International Journal of Production Economics, 139(2), 604-614.
• Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. A. (2003). The six sigma handbook . McGraw-Hill .
• General Electric. (2006). Six Sigma . Available at: https://www.ge.com/sixsigma/. Accessed March 7, 2006.

How to cite this article: Mulder, P. (2013). DMAIC Process . Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/problem-solving/dmaic-process/

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Patty Mulder

Patty Mulder is an Dutch expert on Management Skills, Personal Effectiveness and Business Communication. She is also a Content writer, Business Coach and Company Trainer and lives in the Netherlands (Europe). Note: all her articles are written in Dutch and we translated her articles to English!

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What is the DMAIC Methodology?

You likely won’t get far into your belt or Lean Six Sigma training without hearing the term ‘DMAIC.’

DMAIC, an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, is a data-driven method for solving problems, typically in the form of process improvement ‘projects’. First applied to processes on the factory floor in the manufacturing industry in the 1980s, it has since been used successfully in healthcare, finance, technology, and service industries.

While there are several other roadmaps for problem-solving in the Lean Six Sigma universe, like PDCA (or Plan, Do, Check, Act ), DMAIC is commonly used for Green Belt and Black Belt process improvement projects.

The DMAIC methodology is a process performance tool that uses statistics and data to help improve current workplace procedures.

DMAIC is an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, and is rarely a linear process.

Each DMAIC phase plays a critical role in the project management process; sometimes more than once.

So When Do You Use DMAIC?

As long as measurable data exists, DMAIC is a good candidate for approaching a process problem. A few examples of problems that would make great candidates for DMAIC improvement projects include:

• Improving customer satisfaction
• Reducing defects
• Reducing variability within processes and in process output
• Eliminating overproduction and excess inventory

DMAIC is a comprehensive problem-solving approach driven by asking the right questions in the right order and employing tools to answer those questions with the goal of eliminating waste and defects in processes.

Each phase has its own questions to ask and tools to use. It is also not a one-and-done solution to process problems. The phases of DMAIC can be employed cyclically . Complete a DMAIC project to improve the baseline performance of a process, then progress through the roadmap again to further improve that new baseline.

How Do You Choose Which Problem to Solve?

Within your organization, it’s doubtful that you would only have one problem that needs solving. Some guidelines to keep in mind when deciding on a new process improvement project include:

• Prioritize the existing processes, challenges, or setbacks your business faces and tackle the most important one first.
• Make sure that the project aligns with the organization’s imperatives.
• Identify who the customer is and what the voice of the customer is. This exercise is how all Lean Six Sigma projects begin.

Let’s dive into the individual steps of DMAIC and explore how each phase is critical to your operational excellence and the success of your improvement projects.

The Define Phase

The first step of the process is to define the problem. Take a step back to establish the magnitude of the problem, whom it impacts, at what frequency it occurs, and the conditions in which it arises.

Consider using the following questions to develop a clear direction for your project:

• Who is the customer?
• What is important to the customer?
• Why are we working on this project?
• What is the scope of this project? Is it broad enough to be important but narrow enough to be doable?
• What is the current process, and why do we need to improve it?

Standard tools used in the Define Phase include process maps, project charter, customer surveys, affinity diagrams, and Gantt Charts.

The Measure Phase

If define is the project planning phase, the Measure Phase is for figuring out how to accurately assess process performance and determine how much of a gap needs to be closed.

Measurements are going to drive your entire Lean Six Sigma improvement project. Therefore, knowing what to measure and how accurately you can measure it is essential. In the Measure Phase, you’ll want to ask questions like:

• How is the current process performing?
• What should be the target for success (in the customer’s terms)?
• Have potentially significant process inputs been identified for further screening?
• What is the data collection plan for all of the above?
• Is the measurement system capable of providing valid and reliable values with an acceptable degree of error?
• Are there opportunities for “quick hits” to realize immediate improvements?

The Measure Phase is also an excellent opportunity to pause and implement any possible short-term containment actions to prevent customers from experiencing defects while project work is underway to resolve root causes.

Standard tools used in the Measure Phase include Measurement System Analysis, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Data Collection Plan, Throughput Yield, and Process Capability.

The Analyze Phase

The Analyze Phase is when you will identify and test underlying root causes of process variability. The whole point of a DMAIC project is to sort through the ocean of process inputs to identify the few truly significant inputs that can be adjusted to achieve a more desired output.

Understanding root cause starts with drawing upon experience and process knowledge to develop hypotheses about the relationship between causes and effects. You’ll develop theories of causality and confirm or discard them based on data and testing.

Use the following questions to guide you in this phase:

• What are the significant inputs, or “X’s”, affecting the output, or “Y”?
• Are those significant input processes stable and capable?
• What are the underlying sources of process variability?
• What levels of those inputs, or “X’s”, will optimize performance?
• Have alternate methods or approaches been validated as effective?

Standard tools used in the Analyze Phase include cause and effect diagrams , hypothesis testing, design of experiments, and multiple regression analysis.

The Improve Phase

The Improve Phase of DMAIC is when you’ll turn analysis into action and implement corrective decisions. And as enticing as it can be to finally solve problems, this can be a challenging phase, as both processes and people often resist the change that improvement requires.

In the Improve Phase, you will:

• Identify, evaluate, and implement process improvements.
• Implement short-term countermeasures.
• Identify and address unintended consequences of improvement actions.

Use these questions to guide you through the Improve Phase:

• What improvement actions are necessary to achieve targeted performance levels?
• Have you established a process to track implementation?
• Are there any obstacles to improvement? What about unintended consequences?
• How might the current system push back?
• Have you evaluated improvement action alternatives?

Standard Tools in the Improve Phase include continuous flow, quick changeover, pull scheduling, and FMEA.

The Control Phase

The Control Phase is the final step in a process improvement project and is arguably the most challenging step to implement . But it is also the most critical.

Once you have implemented corrective actions, the Control Phase verifies results and ensures changes are sustained. This phase often requires people in your organization to change their behaviors and procedures. Anticipating resistance to change and engaging in purposeful change management can alleviate many of these difficulties.

During this phase, you'll want to:

• Verify corrective actions and validate any new measurement systems.
• Track the new process capability.
• Document and share best practices and lessons learned.

The Control Phase is also a chance to reflect. What did you learn? What worked well? What could use further improvement? Are current practices being monitored and improved over time? Are people able to see that data?

Standard tools in the Control Phase include the control plan, statistical process control, process capability, 5S, and visual management.

The Bottom Line

DMAIC is a powerful roadmap for applying Lean Six Sigma to a wide variety of process problems. Rooted in data and guided by organized critical thinking and common sense, this process has resulted in countless successful projects across all industries.

For more information on methods and processes like the DMAIC method, check out our toolbox .

Erin Valusek

Content Writer

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The Six Sigma Strategy's DMAIC Problem-Solving Method

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Six Sigma is a business management strategy that was initially developed by Motorola in the 1980s and is used by many Fortune 500 companies today. It is primarily used to identify and rectify errors in a manufacturing or business process.

The Six Sigma system uses a number of quality methods and tools that are used by Six Sigma trained professionals within the organization. The DMAIC problem-solving method can be used to help with any issue that arises, usually by professionals in the organization who have reached the "green belt" level.

The DMAIC Method

The DMAIC problem-solving method is a roadmap that can be used for any projects or quality improvements that need to be made. The term DMAIC stands for the five main steps in the process: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

• Define: It is important in Six Sigma to define the problem or project goals. The more specific the problem is defined, the greater the chance of obtaining measurements and then successfully completing the project or solving the problem. The definition should describe the issue accurately with numeric representation. For example, “damaged finished goods from the production line have increased 17 percent in the last three months." The definition of the problem or project should not be vague, such as, “quality has fallen.” As part of the definition stage, the scope of the project or issue should be defined, as well as the business processes involved.
• Measure: When the project or problem has been defined, decisions should then be made about additional measurements required to quantify the problem. For example, if the definition of the problem is “damaged finished goods from the production line have increased 17 percent in the last three months,” then additional measurements might need to be looked at. This includes what finished goods are being damaged, when they are being damaged, and the level of damage.
• Analyze: Once the measuring stage has defined the additional measurements, the data is then collected and analyzed. At this point, it is possible to determine whether the problem is valid or whether it is a random event that does not have a specific cause that can be corrected. The data that has been collected can be used as a base level to compare against measurements after the project has been completed to ascertain the success of the project.
• Improve: After measurements have been taken and analyzed, possible solutions can then be developed. Test data can be created and pilot studies launched to find which of the solutions offers the best improvements to the issue. The team should also look at the results to ensure that there are no unanticipated consequences to the selected solution. When the most appropriate solution is selected, then the team can develop an implementation plan and a timeline for the completion of the project.
• Control: After the implementation of the solution or project, a number of controls must be put in place so that measurements can be taken to confirm that the solution is still valid and to prevent a recurrence. The control measurements can be scheduled for specific dates, e.g., monthly, daily, and yearly. The solution should also be well documented and any other related process documentation updated.

The DMAIC problem-solving method can produce significant improvements for an organization that is using the Six Sigma methodology and tools. The method offers a five-step plan that gives organizations a roadmap to follow so that issues can be resolved using a structured methodology.

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The Basics of Structured Problem-Solving Methodologies: DMAIC & 8D

Topics: Minitab Engage

When it comes to solving a problem, organizations want to get to the root cause of the problem, as quickly as possible. They also want to ensure that they find the most effective solution to that problem, make sure the solution is implemented fully, and is sustained into the future so that the problem no longer occurs. The best way to do this is by implementing structured problem-solving. In this blog post, we’ll briefly cover structured problem-solving and the best improvement methodologies to achieve operational excellence. Before we dive into ways Minitab can help, let’s first cover the basics of problem-solving.

WHAT IS STRUCTURED PROBLEM-SOLVING?

Structured problem-solving is a disciplined approach that breaks down the problem-solving process into discrete steps with clear objectives. This method enables you to tackle complex problems, while ensuring you’re resolving the right ones. It also ensures that you fully understand those problems, you've considered the reasonable solutions, and are effectively implementing and sustaining them.

WHAT IS A STRUCTURED PROBLEM-SOLVING METHODOLOGY?

A structured problem-solving methodology is a technique that consists of a series of phases that a project must pass through before it gets completed. The goal of a methodology is to highlight the intention behind solving a particular problem and offers a strategic way to resolve it. WHAT ARE THE BEST PROBLEM-SOLVING METHODOLOGIES?

That depends on the problem you’re trying to solve for your improvement initiative. The structure and discipline of completing all the steps in each methodology is more important than the specific methodology chosen. To help you easily visualize these methodologies, we’ve created the Periodic Table of Problem-Solving Methodologies. Now let’s cover two important methodologies for successful process improvement and problem prevention: DMAIC and 8D .

8D is known as the Eight Disciplines of problem-solving. It consists of eight steps to solve difficult, recurring, or critical problems. The methodology consists of problem-solving tools to help you identify, correct, and eliminate the source of problems within your organization. If the problem you’re trying to solve is complex and needs to be resolved quickly, 8D might be the right methodology to implement for your organization. Each methodology could be supported with a project template, where its roadmap corresponds to the set of phases in that methodology. It is a best practice to complete each step of a given methodology, before moving on to the next one.

MINITAB ENGAGE, YOUR SOLUTION TO EFFECTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

Minitab Engage TM was built to help organizations drive innovation and improvement initiatives. What makes our solution unique is that it combines structured problem-solving methodologies with tools and dashboards to help you plan, execute, and measure your innovation initiatives! There are many problem-solving methodologies and tools to help you get started. We have the ultimate end-to-end improvement solution to help you reach innovation success.

Ready to explore structured problem-solving?

Download our free eBook to discover the top methodologies and tools to help you accelerate your innovation programs.

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Six Sigma Basics: DMAIC Like Normal Problem Solving

Published: February 26, 2010 by Chew Jian Chieh

What is the usual way most people go about solving problems? Most people and organizations consciously or unconsciously use this method, as illustrated in Table 1 below.

This is not a bad method, provided what one thinks is causing the problem is really causing the problem. In this case, if a person is fat simply because they do not exercise enough and eat too much, then by exercising and eating less, they should weigh less. And if they do lose weight after taking such action, then the theory is validated. People solve a fair number of problems in this manner – using conventional wisdom and gut theories that also happen to be correct. In those cases, there is little need for Six Sigma – it is just a waste of time. Just do the above.

How Six Sigma Problem Solving Is Different

How is the Six Sigma problem-solving methodology different? Actually it is really not so different from how people normally go about solving day-to-day problems, except in Six Sigma, nobody knows what is really causing the problem at the beginning of the project. And because all attempts to solve the problem in the past have failed, largely because conventional wisdom and gut theories were wrong about the cause of that problem, people conclude that the problem cannot be solved.

These types of problems are really the best candidates for Six Sigma. The Six Sigma DMAIC methodology differs from conventional problem solving in one significant way. There is a requirement for proof of cause and effect before improvement action is taken. Proof is required because resources for improvement actions are limited in most organizations. Those limits preclude being able to implement improvement actions based on 100 hunches hoping that one hits the mark. Thus, discovering root causes is at the core of the methodology.

Here are the steps in the DMAIC process:

• Define phase: Understand what process is to be improved and set a goal.
• Measure phase: Measure the current state.
• Analyze phase: a) Develop cause-and-effect theories of what may be causing the problem; b) Search for the real causes of the problem and scientifically prove the cause-and-effect linkage
• Improve phase: Take action.
• Control phase: a) Measure to verify improvement has taken place; b) Take actions to sustain the gains.

Using a More Mathematical Language

The above steps can be phrase in another way – using more mathematical language (Table 2). (This kind of mathematical language should not put anyone off. If it is a concern initially, a person just needs to remember than whenever a Y shows up in any sentence, just replace it with word “effect,” or the phrase “outcome performance measure.” And whenever an X shows up , just replace it with the word “cause.”)

The key assumption in Six Sigma is this: If the true causes of any problem can discovered, then by controlling or removing the causes, the problem can be reduced or removed. Now is that not just common sense?

A Series of Common Sense Questions

In summary, Six Sigma DMAIC methodology is really just a series of common sense questions that one asks in order to solve any problem and eventually sustain the gains that come from solving the problem.

• Define: What is the Y that is not doing well?
• Measure: What is Y’s current performance?
• Analyze: What are the potential Xs? What are the real Xs?
• Improve: How can the real Xs be controlled or eliminated?
• Control: How can the Xs continue to be controlled to sustain the gains in Y?

Six Sigma’s DMAIC methodology is nothing but a search for the real causes of problems. With this understanding, what remains for those learning Six Sigma are the various tools and techniques used to answer these questions.

About the Author

Chew Jian Chieh