ABJ; prof. Dr.
smith When considering continuous improvement programs is the DMAIC approach more applicable to projects focusing on incremental change or radical change? Present arguments that support your view. DMAIC is a Six Sigma methodology which is used to improve work processes by eliminating defects. It is defined as a set of practices that improve efficiency of a process. DMAIC generally is used for projects aimed at improving an existing business process.Therefore it can be safely said that when considering continuous improvement programs the DMAIC approach is more applicable to the projects ocusing on incremental change than to projects focusing on radical change. A DMAIC methodology is used when a product or process is in existence at a company but it is not meeting customer specification or is not performing adequately.
This methodology is also referred to as 'improve for Six Sigma'. It succeeds by measuring defective processes and then improving them. As long as there is no challenge of new products and services, the DMAIC approach is acceptable.This methodology of Six Sigma is a list of process steps which when executed in sequence helps in chieving an end goal of reduction in the number of process defects. This process ensures the continuous incremental improvement of the product or process.
However whenever there is a need to develop a new product or a process not in existence in a company, the other approach of Six Sigma, i. e. the DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify) methodology is used. DMADV comes into play if DMAIC has been used fully to optimize the existing process and still the process doesn't meet the level of customer specification.
Whenever the improvement nticipated is considerably more, there is a pressing need for DMADV, which is also referred to as 'design for Six Sigma'. In order to determine which methodology to actually use, we shall consider the concept of cycle time, which is a very good measure of process improvement. If, for example, the current cycle time is 3 hours and the customer requirement is 2 hours then the improvement can be determined by simple analysis using the DMAIC. Here we need an incremental change by improving the process so that it takes relatively less time to complete.In contrast let's consider a process which has a cycle time of 3 weeks as compared to the customer requirement of 3 hrs. This is where the capability of the existing process is highly limited and incremental change and improvement is not enough.
In this case there is a need for radical change and a probably a development of new process all together to achieve what is expected. Thus we can restate that DMAIC, which is more focused on improving existing processes than creating new ones, is more suitable for improvements focused on incremental change.
