HO3 - L14: Improvement Methodologies

Question 1

What is Six Sigma?

Answer 1

Management philosophy focused on eliminating mistakes, waste and rework.

Question 2

What is Six sigma defect?

Answer 2

Anything outside of customer spec.

Question 3

What does a six sigma project consist of?

Answer 3

Managed by leader often done by a team, is structured around 5 main stages: define, measure, analyse, improve, control aka DMAIC cycle.

Question 4

Give examples of each stage of DMAIC.

Answer 4

Define: charter, process mapping
Measure: line graph, histograms
Analyse: FMEA
Control: Poka yoke

Question 5

What is the importance of Six Sigma?

Answer 5

• Good numerical data is the foundation for 6σ.
• Don’t just measure the things that are easy to measure.
• Don’t assume you know what the customer likes/dislikes about your
product - ask them.
• Without deadlines it just doesn’t get done.

Question 6

What is the A3 method?

Answer 6

A structured problem solving and continuous improvement method, very much based on Lean principles, particularly; Plan, Do, Check, Act.

Problems summarised on A3 paper.

This method is smaller in scale to Six Sigma project.

Question 7

What is the A3 thinking process?

Answer 7

Step 1: Background- what talking about?

Step 2: Current conditions - where do things stand today?

Step 3: Targets - what specific outcomes are required

Step 4: Analysis - what is the root cause of problem?

Step 5: Countermeasures - what is proposal to reach future state, target conditions?

Step 6: Plan - what activities will be required for implementation and who will be responsible for what and when?

Step 7: Follow up - what issues can be anticipated?

Question 8

What is business process re-engineering (BPR)?

Answer 8

strategic analysis of business processes and the planning and implementation of improved business processes that was popular in the early 1990’s.

Question 9

How is IT involved with BPR?

Answer 9

Major enabler for new forms of working and collaborating within organisations and between organisations.

Supports BPR in business organisation, workflow and process analysis tools, business modelling and simulation, online analytic processing, data mining.

Question 10

Business Process Reengineering requires a detailed study of three areas, what are they?

Answer 10

The business

Its processes

Supporting information systems.

Question 11

What does reengineered mean?

Answer 11

Necessities starting anew, going back to beginning to invent a better way of accomplishing tasks.