Application of Lean Six Sigma DMAIC Approach for Process Improvement: A Report

Organization Background and Work Process

Consider the organization you are currently working for or familiar with. This organization can be any entity in either the public or the private sector, or in any industries. Identify a work or service process in this organization that is facing quality, cost, time or other performance issues. You may discuss with your supervisor/manager or an experienced colleague to select this work or service process. Submit a report on how you would analyse the problem in this process and propose ideas and steps to improve the process using the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC approach. We shall thereafter call your selected organization as the “subject organization” and the selected work or service process as the “subject work process”.This ECA focuses on the process centric approach and qualitative analysis of the DMAIC model. Students are not expected to collect extensive data and perform data analysis for this ECA.

Report Requirements
You have to produce a report of not more than 10 pages using Microsoft Word, with Times New Roman font in size 12, single line spacing. You must address the following questions in order. Your analysis and report shall be developed in the context of the subject organization and its recent situation.

Question 1 – Organization Background and Work Process
(a) Introduce the background of the subject organization – including the name, the industry sector, the nature of business, the products or services, and the types of customers served. Note that if it is sensitive to provide the name of the organization, you can use a pseudonym instead. Discuss briefly the core function of the department/division you are working in or familiar with.(3 marks)

(b) Identify one (1) work or service process in the subject organization as the subject work process. Examine the performance or quality issues in the process. List and appraise the top three (3) issues by briefly describing the problem in one sentence each.(5 marks)

Question 2 – Problem Statement, Define & Measure
(a) Pick one (1) issue from Question 1 as the most critical issue. Examine this issue to define the problem statement and describe its impact on the organization and customers. (You may refer to problem statement template in Gitlow et al., 2015, p247)
(b) Apply the SIPOC diagram to describe the subject work process.
(c) State the VOC and define the CTQ.
(d) Describe the CTQ baseline performance and define the project objective which aims to improve the CTQ.

Question 3 – Analyse
(a) For the subject work process, conduct a Gemba walk to examine the process to develop the current state or recommend an “As-Is” process map flowchart. Observe the wastes in the process. Examine and label the potential X’s or likely causes of the CTQ problem identified in the “As-Is” process map flowchart.
(b) Organise a brainstorming session with your colleagues and develop the cause and effect or recommend a fishbone diagram to analyse the causes for the CTQ problem.

Question 4 – Improve and Control
Assume you have collected the data from the subject work process and through charting,validated that the potential X’s identified in Questions 3 were the root causes. (a) Recommend three (3) improvement ideas to address the root causes.
(b) Examine the control phase and develop a control plan. You can make assumptions for the metric specification/requirement and any other quantitative figures in the control plan.

Question 5 – Lean Six Sigma Deployment
Discuss with your manager or speak to someone involved in quality or process improvement functions, relate how the subject organization currently drives continuous improvement or solves performance and quality problems with the following:
(a) Describe the current organization structure, roles and approach adopted to drive continuous improvements or solve performance and quality problems in the subject organization.
(b) Provide brief description of the on-going or completed process improvement projects.Compare the benefit of these projects.
(c) Evaluate how the subject organization can start deploying or improving its Lean Six Sigma adoption to become more effective in driving continuous improvements or solving performance and quality problems.

Your Lean Six Sigma project has successfully completed the DMAIC Control Phase Tollgate 5 review meeting. The project sponsor was very pleased with the results and was impressed with the DMAIC approach taken. He has now asked you to prepare a presentation to update the Chief Executive on the project approach, findings and recommendations. Address your presentation in a manner suited for the Chief Executive.

Prepare a video recording of the presentation of at least 3 minutes but not exceeding 6 minutes There are two methods for ECA video assignment submission; either Record Media or Upload Media. For Upload Media, please note that your file size should be no more than 500MB and the format is in .mp4.Prepare a set of PowerPoint presentation upon which the video presentation is based. Please note that the PowerPoint must not be more than 15 slides and be converted to PDF before submission to SUSS (Canvas).