Hi, this is Mike Negami, Lean Sigma Black Belt. Today’s theme is the Measure Phase,
the 2nd phase of DMAIC. DMAIC is the framework of Lean Sigma projects.
In the Define Phase, we define our project. In the Measure Phase, the main objective is
to numerically understand a condition and situation of the target process. The keyword
is “numerically”. How can we achieve this? What we have to do first is to find CTQ. CTQ
stands for Critical To Quality. That’s still not very clear, so let me explain more.
Even though you collect VOC’s, Voice of Customer, they can’t be used for process
improvement as they are. VOC means the words of the people who receive the service or products.
The words of the people who supply the service or products, (that’s us), are CTQ.
For example, let’s assume that ‘On-time delivery’ was VOC, then its CTQ equivalent
would be ‘minimize the number of late deliveries’. If ‘Menu Variety’ was VOC, ‘how many
average numbers of menu items per day’ would be CTQ.
Now I’ll talk about ‘Quality’ in PMP, the Project Management global standard. There
is a tendency in Japan that “high quality and high functionality” is better. PMP’s
quality is different from that. PMP’s quality is how much your customer’s requirements
are being fulfilled. There are two important points here: One is
to identify the right customer group for the target process. The other is to understand
the customer group’s needs and requirements. Upon completion of those, your CTQ’s will
be clarified naturally. Among the CTQ’s, identify the ones with the most impact, which
are Vital Few. When you discuss about CTQ in Lean Sigma,
you would hear one formula, y = f(x). I may hear from you that this formula makes it more
difficult. ‘y’ is CTQ and what you’ll do next is to find internal factors: the ‘x’
that directly influence the ‘y’. Using the earlier example, if CTQ was ‘minimize
the number of late deliveries’, one of the internal factors, ‘x’, that is directly
influenced would be ‘Shipping out on time’. Clarifying your company’s y = f(x) is extremely
important. This ‘x’ will become your company’s or department’s KPI (Key Performance Indicator).
Furthermore, each employee’s activity that directly relates to the ‘x’ will become
their KPI in the future. There is another thing you should do in the
Measure Phase: That’s to establish a measurement method for the ‘x’ and ‘y’ if possible.
Measure a current level with method and this becomes a benchmark to evaluate on-going progress.
This enables you to rotate an effective PDCA Cycle in your project.
Lastly, I would like to tell you one important precaution: please be sure to discuss with
your team if your y = f(x) is really the right one and practical. I’ve heard about and
seen many cases like the following: the PDCA Cycle is very powerful, so if it’s rotated
with the wrong measurement, it surely fails. This episode may have been complex, so here
is a summary of the Measure Phase: 1, Identify the most important CTQ from Voice of Customers.
2, The CTQ becomes ‘y’. Find the internal factor, ‘x’ in the y = f(x). 3, Make a
measurement method to evaluate ‘y’ and ‘x’ if possible. Thank you very much for
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