MODERN ACADEMY

FOR ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Production
Technology
Fall Semester - Academic Year 2020/2021

Article Name : Define Phase of Six Sigma

Course Title: seminar-2
Course Code: MNF 362

Student Name Kerolos Onsy Khalil Basily

Student ID 18437
Student Level LEVEL 3
Section No. 4M3.B
Mobile No. 01226730150

Dr. Mahmoud Saleh Rabie

The first phase of DMAIC is the Define stage. It compiles the project goals in terms everyone
can understand and agree to, and lists deliverables, both for internal and external customers.
It is perhaps the most difficult stage, requiring a multidisciplinary approach.
It also necessitates a thorough understanding of the process, and that understanding will differ
between functional roles in an organization.  Though the project definition is the
accountability of the Six Sigma team, input should be solicited from:

 Internal roles: These can include quality assurance/control (QA/QC), product

development, manufacturing, engineering, environmental health and safety (EHS),
regulatory, logistics, sales/marketing/forecasting, training, the Six Sigma team
champion, and others.  Note that the Six Sigma team members may serve as
representatives themselves.
 External roles: Valuable insights may be gleaned from raw material and/or packaging
component suppliers, contracted services, brokers, and equipment representatives,
among others. 

Whether internal or external, additional roles may also be called into play. The Six Sigma
team would boil the advice, opinions, and concerns into the project definition.

1. What is Define Phase

Define the problem. What problem would you like to fix? The Define Phase is the first phase
of the Lean Six Sigma improvement process. In this phase the project team creates a Project
Charter, a high-level map of the process and begins to understand the needs of the customers
of the process. This is a critical phase in which the team outlines the project focus for
themselves and the leadership of the organization.

1. Define the Problem by Developing a “Problem Statement”

2. Define the Goal by Developing a “Goal Statement”
3. Define the Process by Developing Process Maps
4. Define the Customer and Their Requirements
5. Inform Others of Project Progress
Define Phase of Six Sigma DMAIC Process consists of following activities:

Step 1: Validating Business Opportunity and Project CTQ (Critical To Quality)

Identification.
 Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC).
 Translating VOC into Y’s.
  Selecting key Y(s) for the project.
 Initiate Project Charter for each “Y”.
Step 2: Project Storyboarding and Team Charting.
 Create a business case.
 Problem and Goal Statement.
 Scoping the Project.
 Project Milestone.
 Resource Plan – Roles and Responsibility.
Step 3: SIPOC and As-Is Process Mapping.

Fig [1] SIPOC and As-Is Process Mapping.

2. Objective of the Project Define Phase

The objective of the project define phase is to describe the Critical to Quality (CTQ)/business
issue, the customer, and the involved core business process. During the define phase, a
problem statement is formulated. Customer requirements are gathered, and a project charter is
created, where the project scope is determined by the team with the support of management.
Other activities during this phase include: definition of the 30,000-foot-level, metric (Six
Sigma deployments could refer to this as a CTQ); identification of both internal and external
customers; identification and definition of what is to be improved (e.g., defect or lead time);
estimation of Cost of Doing Nothing Differently (CODND); development of high-level
process map; initiation of a Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer (SIPOC).

SIPOC:

A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a process
improvement project before work begins. It helps define a complex project that may not be
well scoped and is typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC
(Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology. It is similar and related to
process mapping and ‘in/out of scope’ tools, but provides additional detail.
 Fig [2] SIPOC diagram.

3. Attributes of a Project
Definition:
As mentioned earlier, a thorough understanding of process and opportunities for
improvement are fundamental to authoring a workable and achievable definition. We seek
high-impact, low-performing processes for improvement, or we seek root causes for
processes gone awry. With those in mind, a definition must have these attributes.

3.1 Project charter

 This is the overarching project document.  It provides direction and helps guard
against scope creep. 

 A project charter is the statement of scope, objectives and people who are
participating in a project. It begins the process of defining the roles and
responsibilities of those participants and outlines the objectives and goals of the
project. The charter also identifies the main stakeholders and defines the authority of
the project manager.
 Fig [3] Steps to Make A Project Charter.

3.2 The Main Points in a Project Charter:

The project management charter serves as a reference document. It should define
these three main points.

 What is the essence of the project? What are the goals and objectives of the
project? How are you planning to reach and achieve these goals and
objectives?

 Why does this project exist? Provide a shared understanding of the project.

The charter should communicate its value and/or reason for existence to
every person who has a part in it, from the team to the project manager,
stakeholders, sponsors, etc.

 Can we agree on this project? The charter acts as a contract between the

project sponsor, key stake holders and the project team. By noting the
responsibilities of each party involved in the project, everyone is clear what
their duties are.

3.3 Uses of A Project Charter

 There are a lot of documents necessary to run a project. Before you even get started
there are many you must create, from a project plan to a project budget and more. All
these documents delve into detail on the items you have broadly stroked out in your
project statement. So, why do you need another document, isn’t it redundant?

While it is true, you’re going to cover this ground on a granular level, this is your first pass,
and there’s a reason it’s more general and comes before everything else. The following are
three main uses of the document:
  You need it to authorize your project. 
 It serves as a primary sales document. When you present this to the stake holders,
they now have a summary to distribute or present when approached
 This is a document that stays with you throughout the life cycle of the project. You
will be referring to it throughout, whether at meetings or to assist with scope
management. The charter acts like a roadmap without all the minutia to distract you in
other project materials.

 A good project charter covers the:

 Precise problem statement(s) (e.g., defects, downtime, dissatisfied customers)
 Business impact (productivity, costs, growth opportunities)
 GMP impact (regulatory issues, recalls)
(GMP) is a system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and
controlled according to quality standards. It is designed to minimize the risks
involved in any pharmaceutical production that cannot be eliminated through
testing the final product.

 Goals (short-, intermediate-, and long-term, as appropriate)

 Scope
 Timeline
 Defined team, including sponsors and champion

3.4 Making a Project Charter:

Step 1: Vision
Once you have the vision clear, then you can break it down into more practical bits.
 Objective. List three to five objectives of the project, be SMART: specific,
measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound.

 Scope. Now outline the formal boundaries of the project by describing how the
business may change or alter by delivery of your project, also note what’s relevant to
the project and what is not. This is how you maintain better control of the project.
  Deliverables. Describe each of the deliverables the project is tasked to produce. Once
you’ve gotten all of them down, you’ve got a foothold on your charter and are ready
to move on. You can use a WBS template to help identify your deliverables.

Step 2: Organize
When you’re building a structure for your charter there are four subsets you’re going to need
to identify. This is done by listing the following:

 Customers/End Users. To complete this list, ask yourself: What is a customer and/or
end user in the context of this project? Who are the project customers? Is there a
specific individual or entity responsible for accepting the deliverables of the project?

 Stakeholders. As noted earlier, identifying the stakeholders of the project is crucial.

They are the person or entity within or outside of the project with a specific key
interest in that project. It might be a financial controller overseeing costs or the CEO,
but whoever it is they’ll have a slightly different focus depending on their role.

 Roles. You need to assign the key roles and responsibilities to those involved in
delivering the project, from the project sponsor, project board and project manager.
After each entry write a short summary defining their role and what their
responsibilities are in the project.

 Structure. Now you need to define the lines of reporting between these various roles
in the project. Use a project organization chart to do this. It diagrams the structure of
an organization and the relationships and roles of those involved in the project.

Step 3: Implementation
You have a vision and have organized the various parts of your project. Now you have to
develop a plan to implement them. There are four parts to this:

1. Plan. If you’re going to implement, then you need an implementation plan. This is a
way to develop an atmosphere of confidence for your customers and stakeholders by
listing the phases, activities and timeframes of the project’s life cycle. Gantt charts are
the traditional planning tool for projects. They turn your tasks and deadlines into
visual timelines. ProjectManager.com has an online Gantt chart  and other planning
 tools that let you assign tasks, track progress in real time, drag and drop due dates,
create phases, make dependencies and more. Watch the video below to see all the
ways that project management software can help you execute your project.

2. Milestones. Milestones mark major phases in the project and collect smaller tasks
into bigger chunks of work. The project should only have a few of them, that’s why
they’re milestones, but they are an important way to acknowledge the completion of a
key deliverable.

3. Dependencies. List all key dependencies and what their importance is to the project.
These are tasks or activities that are linked to one another, as they will impact the
project during its life cycle.

4. Resource Plan. What resources are involved in the project? Break down this list into
labor, equipment and materials. This is how you’ll know what you need before you
need it, and you’ll be able to estimate your budget more accurately. As the project
progresses, and changes are introduced, you’ll need to adapt your resource plan.

Step 4: Risks, Issues & Budget

We’re almost done, but no charter is complete without collecting the potential risks and
issues that can derail a project. This includes assumptions and constraints related to the
project. A risk is a potential issue that may or may not happen in a project. Risk is not always
negative, as there is such a thing as positive risk, and you should prepare for that as well.

An issue is something that has already occurred in the project. Basically, a risk is future tense
and an issue is present tense, but you have to be prepared for any and all eventualities when
creating a project management charter.

Finally, with all the above information, you can sketch out a rough figure on how much it
will cost to deliver the project within the timeframe you’re allowed. Then you present your
charter, and once it’s approved and signed, the real work begins.
4. Tools to be used in the Define Phase:
And now, here's a list of useful tools you might use in the Define Phase includes:
4.1 Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a method for generating a large number of creative ideas in a short period of
time. Brainstorming is full of energy, moves rapidly, and is synergistic, creating a large list of
ideas which may eventually be boiled down, or funneled down, to a smaller list of priority
items later in the project.

When to use Brainstorming:

 When a broad range of options are desired.
 When creative ideas are desired.
 When participation of an entire team is desired.

brainstorming goes well with:

1. Finding root causes to issues.

o Try pairing with a Fishbone or Cause and Effect Diagram: I’ve had success
asking people for all possible causes on each of the following 6M
categories (machines, materials, methods, Mother Nature, measurement,
and people.)

o Then dive deeper using the 5 Whys.

2. Creating a SIPOC – coming up with all possible Inputs & Outputs

3. Creating a Project Charter – Stakeholders & Influences
4. Creating flows for a process map
5. Creating ways to measure data

Use:

 Brainstorming should be used when there is a broad range of options that are desired, when
creative items are desired, or when participation of an entire team is desired. When
brainstorming, there is no room for criticism as it stifles participation. You don’t want to
spend a lot of time in evaluating ideas presented. This can be done later. You don’t want to
slow things down through lengthy discussions. The idea is to keep things moving! It’s okay
to get clarification, but discussions blog things down. Also, there are no ‘dumb’ ideas. In fact,
the crazier the better. Even if someone suggests an idea jokingly, add it to the list. All ideas
are recorded. Also combining (also known as ‘piggy-backing’) and expanding on other ideas
is encouraged.

7 Simple Rules of Brainstorming:

Fig [4] 7 Simple Rules of Brainstorming.

4.2 Suppliers/Inputs/Process/Outputs/Customers diagram (SIPOC):

• A SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) diagram is a visual tool for
documenting a business process from beginning to end prior to implementation. SIPOC
(pronounced sigh-pock) diagrams are also referred to as high level process maps because they
do not contain much detail.

• SIPOC diagrams are useful for focusing a discussion, helping team members agree
upon a common language and understanding a process for continuous improvement. In Six
Sigma, SIPOC is often used during the “define” phase of the DMAIC (define, measure,
analyze, improve, control) methodology. Some organizations use SIPOC diagrams in the
opposite direction, or COPIS, to map the value of the customer to a business process.
How to create a SIPOC diagram:

SIPOC diagrams are tables that document the inputs and outputs of a process. They can be
created by following seven steps:

1. Choose a process: The first step is to choose a business process that would benefit
from charting in a SIPOC diagram. A team can then be assembled around the key
players of that process.

2. Find a large wall to construct your SIPOC, or use a flip chart. Use Post-it Notes and
begin by listing S-I-P-O-C.

3. Define the process: The diagram starts with the “P” section, which is usually an
overview of the business process in 4-5 high level steps that each consist of an action
and a subject. This could include the starting and ending points for the process or a
simple flowchart.

4. Start by listing 4-8 high-level process steps. List the first step of the process and the
last step of the process. Fill in the other major process steps. For each step in the
process, always include a verb and a noun (for instance, “Complete Audit”). Do this
for each step in the process.

5. Identify the outputs: This section includes 3-4 outputs with little supporting
information, typically neutral in tone and using nouns only. Inputs and outputs can be
anything ranging from materials, products, services or information.

6. Identify the customers: These are the individuals that will receive the outputs or will
benefit from the process. Customers are not always external consumers and could be
coworkers, board members or other internal stakeholders.

7. Identify the inputs: This section includes the resources that are necessary for the
process to function properly. Similar to outputs, only the important, overarching
inputs should be listed.

8. Identify the suppliers: This section lists the suppliers associated with each of the
inputs of the process. A supplier is anyone that has a direct impact on the outputs.

9. Share the diagram: Once the diagram is complete, it should be shared with any
relevant stakeholders and validated before moving along with the process.
 Fig [5] Sample SIPOC Diagram.

4.5 Voice of the Customer:

This is my personal favorite. It is a technique for gathering systematic information on the
customer's "needs and wants". It employs surveys and interviews for purposes of validation.
It helps to ensure that you include customer needs and requirements in any activity. It
provides a project team with a “to be” idea based upon the needs of clients. Clients should be
selected from a complete range of customers. Note that this tool requires a data cleaning
method for analyzing customer feedback.

4.5.1 Building a successful Voice of Customer:

 By focusing on the following six factors, you can successfully establish organization-wide customer
centricity.

 Strong Leadership
Establishing a customer-centric culture starts at the very top. Without executive-level buy-in
there is a low probability of creating maximum impact for any customer-centric initiative.
You’ll also want to garner the support of lower-level leaders to truly move the needle on
improving the customer experience.

 Vision and Clarity

Your vision for VoC needs to be specific so that everyone within the organization can easily
understand the common goal. Start by focusing on the language and messaging you’ll use to
convey your vision. We recommend a short and simple vision statement to help you increase
understanding and buy-in from leadership.

 Engagement and Collaboration:

An engaged workforce is vital for the long-term success of a customer-centric company. And
as employees become more engaged, cross-functional collaboration and synergy will create
more impactful and successful customer initiatives. To truly engage your workforce, you
have to understand them. The most tried and true method for doing so is by implementing a
formal employee experience program.

 Listening and Learning:

A systematic method for monitoring and collecting customer feedback is key to improving the
overall experience. Because customer feedback can be gathered via multiple channels it’s
important to build any listening program on a robust platform that can to pivot with
customers as their feedback preferences change.

 Alignment and Action:

Alignment means that all members of a company are marching towards the same vision, and
each workgroup defines what action they must to take to help realize that vision. Generally
speaking, action refers to the measurable steps taken to improve the customer experience. A
properly designed root cause or driver analysis will help you identify what areas to take
action on.

 Patience and Commitment:

As much as it pains companies to hear this, building a world-class customer culture is not an
overnight exercise – nor is it one that can be completely outsourced. Like it or not, the most
successful customer-centric organizations in the world are built in an iterative fashion over a
number of years. Customer culture is slowly altered, collection practices are refined, analyses
are increased in complexity, and action becomes widespread and aspirational. All along this
journey, leadership must demonstrate patience and commitment to the process and vision.
5. Basic quality tools: 
1) Flowchart 
2) Run chart
3) Histogram
4) Pareto chart
5) Control chart
6) Scatter diagram
7) Cause-and-effect diagram
8) Check Sheet

5.1 Flow Charts

Flow Charts Defined:
A flow chart is a pictorial representation showing all the steps of a process.

Fig [6] Flow Charts.

Creating a Flow Chart:
 First, familiarize the participants with the flow chart symbols.
 Draw the process flow chart and fill it out in detail about each element.
 Analyze the flow chart. Determine which steps add value and which don’t in the process
of simplifying the work.

Examples of When to Use a Flow Chart:

 Two separate stages of a process flow chart should be considered:
 The making of the product
 The finished product
 5.2 Run Charts
Run Charts Defined:
Run charts are used to analyze processes according to time or order.

Fig [7] Run Charts

Creating a Run Chart:

 Gathering Data
 Some type of process or operation must be available to take
measurements for analysis.

 Organizing Data
 Data must be divided into two sets of values X and Y. X values
represent time and values of Y represent the measurements taken from
the manufacturing process or operation.

 Charting Data
 Plot the Y values versus the X values.
 Interpreting Data
 Interpret the data and draw any conclusions that will be beneficial to
the process or operation.

:An Example of Using a Run Chart

An organization’s desire is to have their product arrive to their customers on time, but they
have noticed that it doesn’t take the same amount of time each day of the week. They decided
to monitor the amount of time it takes to deliver their product over the next few weeks.
 5.3 Histograms
Histogram Defined:

A histogram is a bar graph that shows frequency data.

Histograms provide the easiest way to evaluate the distribution of data.

Fig [8] Histogram

Creating a Histogram:
 Collect data and sort it into categories.

 Then label the data as the independent set or the dependent set.

 The Characteristic you grouped the data by would be the independent variable.

 The frequency of that set would be the dependent variable.

 Each mark on either axis should be in equal increments.

 For each category, find the related frequency and make the horizontal marks to show
that frequency.

Examples of How Histograms Can Be Used:

 Histograms can be used to determine distribution of sales.
 Say for instance a company wanted to measure the revenues of other companies and
wanted to compare numbers.
 5.4 Pareto Charts
Pareto Chart Defined:
 Pareto charts are used to identify and prioritize problems to be solved.
 They are actually histograms aided by the 80/20 rule adapted by Joseph Juran.

Remember the 80/20 rule states that approximately 80% of the problems are created by
approximately 20% of the causes.

Fig [9] Pareto Chart

Constructing a Pareto Chart:
 First, information must be selected based on types or classifications of defects that
occur as a result of a process.
 The data must be collected and classified into categories.

 Then a histogram or frequency chart is constructed showing the number of occurrences.

An Example of How a Pareto Chart Can Be Used:

 Pareto Charts are used when products are suffering from different defects, but the
defects are occurring at a different frequency, or only a few account for most of the
defects present, or different defects incur different costs. What we see from that is a
product line may experience a range of defects. The manufacturer could concentrate
on reducing the defects which make up a bigger percentage of all the defects or focus
on eliminating the defect that causes monetary loss.
 5.5 Control Charts
:Control Charts Defined
Control charts are used to determine whether a process will produce a product or service with
consistent measurable properties.

Fig [9] Control Charts

:Steps Used in Developing Process Control Charts

 Identify critical operations in the process where inspection might be needed.

 Identify critical product characteristics.

 Determine whether the critical product characteristic is a variable or an attribute.

 Select the appropriate process control chart.

 Establish the control limits and use the chart to monitor and improve.

 Update the limits.

:An Example of When to Use a Control Chart

 Counting the number of defective products or services
 Do you count the number of defects in a given product or service?
 Is the number of units checked or tested constant?

5.6 Scatter Diagrams

:Scatter Diagrams Defined
Scatter Diagrams are used to study and identify the possible relationship between the changes
observed in two different sets of variables.
 Fig [10] Scatter Diagrams

:Constructing a Scatter Diagram

 First, collect two pieces of data and create a summary table of the data.

 Draw a diagram labeling the horizontal and vertical axes.

 It is common that the “cause” variable be labeled on the X axis and the “effect” variable
be labeled on the Y axis.

 Plot the data pairs on the diagram.

 Interpret the scatter diagram for direction and strength.

:An Example of When a Scatter Diagram Can Be Used

 A scatter diagram can be used to identify the relationship between the production speed
of an operation and the number of defective parts made
 Displaying the direction of the relationship will determine whether increasing the
assembly line speed will increase or decrease the number of defective parts made. Also,
the strength of the relationship between the assembly line speed and the number of
defective parts produced is determined.

5.7 Cause and Effect Diagrams

Cause and Effect Diagram Defined
 The cause-and-effect diagram is also called the Ishikawa diagram or the fishbone
diagram.

 It is a tool for discovering all the possible causes for a particular effect.
 The major purpose of this diagram is to act as a first step in problem solving by creating
a list of possible causes.

Fig [10] Cause and Effect Diagram

Constructing a Cause-and-Effect Diagram
 First, clearly identify and define the problem or effect for which the causes must be
identified. Place the problem or effect at the right or the head of the diagram.

 Identify all the broad areas of the problem.

 Write in all the detailed possible causes in each of the broad areas.

 Each cause identified should be looked upon for furthermore specific causes.

 View the diagram and evaluate the main causes.

 Set goals and take action on the main causes.

An Example of When a Cause-and-Effect Diagram Can Be Used

 This diagram can be used to detect the problem of incorrect deliveries.
 Diagram on next slide

5.8 Check Sheet

The function of a check sheet varies according to the type of sheet. This is what Kaoru
Ishikawa says:

 To Quantify product defects

 To quantify faults by location
 To quantify defects due to cause (machine or worker)
Types of Check Sheet
There are no established types of check sheets in a formal way, however if we can define
certain common uses, which are summarized in three:
  Data record Sheet
 Check list Sheet
 Location Sheet
Some examples are:
 Check Sheet with Measuring Scale: With It we evaluated the probability distribution
form to build a frequency distribution. In this type of sheet we classify the
measurement according to a series of categories or parameters, in addition it allows us
to trace limits of specification.
 Frequency Check Sheet: With This sheet we define the categories and collect the data,
noting the number of times that are presented.

Fig [11] a check sheet

 Check Sheet with Classification: Also called verification sheet by type of defect. In
This sheet, we define a series of categories to be located in the first column and in the
first row, in such a way that the gathered data are classified according to the
intersection of column and row.

 Location Check Sheet: It presents one or more diagrams of the measuring object, in
which we indicate the location of the defect.
  Checklist: The aspects to be checked are enumerated and listed in such a way that
when an event is detected associated with one aspect, it can be marked as appropriate.

References
1. “Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s
Top Corporations” by Mikel J. Harry, Ph.D. and Richard Schroeder, Doubleday 2000.
2. “Six Sigma for Everyone” by George Eckes, John Wiley and Sons 2003.
3. "The Inventors of Six Sigma". Archived from the original on 2005-11-06.
Retrieved 2006-01-29.
4. “Quality Control Handbook” by J. M. Juran, F. M. Gryna, and R. S. Bingham.
McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1979.
5. ^ Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.
6. Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.
7. https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/sipoc-copis/sipoc-diagram/
8. https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/7-simple-rules-of-brainstorming
9. https://sixsigmastudyguide.com/brainstorming/
10. https://slidemodel.com/make-sipoc-diagram/sample-sipoc-diagram/