Analyze Phase Flashcards
(8 cards)
What is the main goal of the Analyze phase?
Answer: To identify the root causes of defects or process variation.
Explanation: The Analyze phase uses data and statistical tools to determine why problems occur, enabling effective solutions.
Examine Data:
Analyze the data collected in the Measure phase to discover patterns, trends, or anomalies.
Identify Root Causes:
Use statistical tools and root cause analysis techniques (such as fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts, or regression analysis) to determine the underlying reasons for defects, variations, or issues in the process.
Validate Causes:
Confirm that the identified root causes are truly responsible for the problems, rather than just symptoms or unrelated factors.
Prioritize Issues:
Assess which root causes have the greatest impact and should be addressed first in the Improve phase.
What is root cause analysis?
Answer: A systematic approach to identifying the underlying reasons for a problem.
Explanation: Root cause analysis ensures solutions address the true source, not just symptoms.
What is a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram?
A cause-and-effect diagram used to identify potential causes of a problem.
Explanation: Fishbone diagrams organize causes into categories for easier analysis.
What is the 5 Whys technique?
A method of asking “Why?” repeatedly to drill down to the root cause.
Explanation: The 5 Whys helps reveal underlying process or system issues.
What is a hypothesis test in Six Sigma?
A statistical test to determine if there is evidence to support a claim about a process.
Explanation: Hypothesis testing helps validate or refute suspected causes.
What is a scatter plot?
A scatter plot, also known as a scatter diagram or scattergram, is a basic graphical tool used in Lean Six Sigma and statistics to visually display the relationship between two quantitative variables. Each data point on the plot represents a pair of values—one for each variable—with one variable plotted along the horizontal (X) axis and the other along the vertical (Y) axis.
How Scatter Plots Are Used
Visualizing Relationships: Scatter plots help identify whether a relationship exists between two variables—such as whether an increase in one variable corresponds to an increase or decrease in the other.
Detecting Correlation: By examining the pattern of points, you can assess if the variables are positively correlated (both increase together), negatively correlated (one increases as the other decreases), or show no correlation (no discernible pattern).
Identifying Trends and Outliers: Scatter plots make it easy to spot trends, clusters, and outliers—data points that deviate significantly from the overall pattern.
Supporting Root Cause Analysis: In Six Sigma, scatter plots are crucial during the Analyze phase of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) to validate hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships between process variables and outcomes.
What is a Pareto chart used for in Analyze?
A Pareto chart is a key tool used in the Analyze phase of Six Sigma’s DMAIC methodology to identify and prioritize the most significant issues affecting a process. Its main purpose is to separate the “vital few” causes that contribute to the majority of problems from the “trivial many” that have less impact, following the Pareto Principle (often called the 80/20 rule)
How It Works:
Categories (such as defect types) are shown on the X-axis, ordered from most to least frequent.
The Y-axis displays the frequency or impact of each category.
A cumulative line graph shows the running total, helping teams see the proportion of total problems each category represents
