During May onesixsigma.com will be highlighting Design for Six Sigma, publishing articles, white papers and case studies as well as hosting a specialist User Group Meeting devoted to the topic.
Design for Six Sigma (DfSS) was realised as an evolution of Six Sigma so that quality and variation reduction are incorporated into the design of a product. It applies the principles of Six Sigma via a distinct framework by assessing variation from concept through manufacture and onto delivery of the product, thus avoiding and eradicating common process problems.
The most commonly used framework for DfSS is DMADV – Define, Measure, Analyse, Design, Verify. Through this process, the project is clearly explained, the requirements of the customer are measured and converted into CTQs, both the product and the manufacturing process are designed, modeled, checked, mistake-proofed, and optimized, before the whole project is verified and rated to check that it has met with requirements.
As with Six Sigma, DfSS collates a number of different tools that all contribute to creating a robustly designed product and process. It can also be applied in many different industries; successful DfSS projects have been run in transactional as well as the more obvious manufacturing sectors.
Every quality improvement professional should therefore have a comprehension of the principles of DfSS, and over the coming weeks onesixsigma.com will be providing that knowledge framework, culminating in a Special Interest Group Meeting on May 14th. This meeting will provide workshops and presentations on the most important aspects of DfSS, as well as bringing together like-minded professionals in a collaborative, confidential forum in order to exchange ideas and best practice. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please click here.
Consequently, we are searching for quality content for publication and ultimately inclusion in a special report intended to be a comprehensive guide to the theories, process, tools and benefits of DfSS. Below is a framework detailing the kind of topics we intend to address in the special report:
- General overview of DfSS – what it is, what the benefits are, how it is used, what it can be used for.
- Preparing for DfSS – project selection, role of management, structuring the project and the people, critical elements for success.
- Defining the Product Requirements for DfSS – obtaining, understanding and prioritizing customer needs, Kano Models, benchmarking.
- Quality Function Deployment – what it is, what it is used for, how it works, applying the results.
- Designing the Product and the Process – how the methodology applies design principles, how it aids and compliments creativity, overview of how and when to apply the different tools including DoE, Taguchi, Axiomatic Design, TRIZ, etc.
- Tool Guides – a detailed, comprehensive technical guide to individual tools such as DoE, TRIZ, etc in the form of either a White Paper or a Case Study.
- Robust Process Design in DfSS – Why it is just as important to design the process as the product, how this is done, tested and applied.
- How to know that you have designed for Six Sigma – testing, verifying, controlling and applying.
- Case Studies – detailed reports of DfSS projects including successes, failures, lessons learned, etc.
If you have written an article, white paper or case study that falls within the framework above, or if you are interested in writing one, then please contact me, Matthew Moore, using the form below or via the Contact us page.
