As the next and final step in the DMAIC process, the Control phase is perhaps the most critical!
You have identified and Defined the scope of a challenge. Collected data and statistically Measured the baseline of the current process and/or output. Analyzed the current procedures and productivity steps, and collaborated with the stake holders responsible for the process. A new goal is set. The company management team seeks a 50% increase of output. With input from the involved staff workforce, you strategize and collectively develop an Improvement plan, a proposed approach to advance and increase productivity.
Seeking improvement is not a straight linear progression. It often has a two steps forward–one step backward pulse. You’ve begun the new approach, measured the results, and see an increase of 25%. Not quite there, but half way to the goal. Are you satisfied? Why not tweak and improve the process further? Re-assemble the team, share the progress made thus far, discuss and explore what else could be done. Seek consensus from the team on the additional improvement steps, implement them, and then measure again. Sometimes reaching a new goal requires incremental improvement steps.
But you’re not done yet! Once the team has achieved the goal, interim or otherwise, the improvement needs to be sustained. How many times have you achieved a new goal, stepped away to tend to other pressing needs, and watched things fall apart? A properly developed and implemented Control phase can prevent slippage.
The focus of the Control stage is to make sure that the actions you developed are well-implemented and maintained. The four techniques used to construct a control plan are Standardization, Documentation, Monitoring Plan, and Response Plan.
- Standardization: Your “should-be” process steps must be standardized to ensure that all of your team members responsible for implementation have the same understanding.
- Documentation: To ensure that the learning gained via improvement is institutionalized and shared across the team, you must document proper work procedures.
- Monitoring Plan: With a comprehensive plan for monitoring your progress, you will be able to detect changes, errors, and omissions as they occur in the process and ensure that improvement gains continue to hold.
- Response Plan: After detecting problems or changes, you need to implement your response plan that identifies steps to get you back on track to maintain your improvements.
At its core, Continuous Improvement is simply the pursuit of the DMAIC process over and over again to drive greater efficiencies and increases in productivity (wash and repeat).
Next Month:
How the DMAIC process can reduce the cycle time of Truss Design
A Certified Lean Practitioner, Keith Parker has helped companies define and implement practices that improve their businesses and their bottom lines. You may reach Keith at 612-239-1089 or email.