Design for Six Sigma
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[edit] Comparison with Six Sigma
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is a separate and emerging discipline related to Six Sigma quality processes. The tools and order used in Six Sigma require a process to be in place and functioning. DFSS has a different objective, that of determining the needs of customers and the business, and driving those needs into the product solution created. DFSS is relevant to the complex system/product synthesis phase, especially in the context of unprecedented system development. Contrasted with this is the traditional DMAIC[1] Six Sigma process, as it is usually practiced, which is focused on evolutionary and continuous improvement manufacturing or service process development. DMAIC Six Sigma usually occurs after initial system or product design and development has largely completed. In this way, DMAIC Six Sigma as practiced is usually consumed with solving existing manufacturing or service process problems (i.e., fire fighting).
[edit] DFSS as an approach to design
DFSS seeks to avoid manufacturing/service process problems by using systems engineering techniques to avoid process problems at the outset (i.e., fire prevention). These techniques include tools and processes to predict, model and simulate the product delivery system (the processes/tools, personnel and organization, training, facilities, and logistics to produce the product/service) as well as the analysis of the developing system life cycle itself to ensure customer satisfaction with the proposed system design solution. In this way, DFSS is closely related to systems engineering, operations research (solving the Knapsack problem), systems architecting and concurrent engineering. DFSS is largely a design activity requiring specialized tools including: quality function deployment, axiomatic design, TRIZ, Design for X, design of experiments (DOE), Taguchi methods, tolerance design, Robustification and the response surface methodology. While these tools are sometimes used in the classic DMAIC Six Sigma process, they are uniquely used by DFSS to analyze new and unprecedented systems/products. A graphical flowchart of common DFSS tools can be seen at DFSS Roadmap.
[edit] Arguments over the separtion of DFSS from Six Sigma
Proponents of DMAIC techniques might claim that DFSS falls under the general rubric of Six Sigma. It is often seen that the tools used for DFSS techniques vary widely from those used for DMAIC Six Sigma. In particular, DMAIC practitioners often use new or existing mechanical drawings and manufacturing process instructions as the originating information to perform their analysis, while DFSS practitioners often use system simulations and parametric system design/analysis tools to predict both cost and performance of candidate system architectures. While it can be claimed that two processes are similar, in practice the working medium differs enough so that DFSS requires different tool sets in order to perform its system design tasks. DMAIC Six Sigma may still be used during depth-first plunges into the system architecture analysis and for "back end" Six Sigma processes; DFSS provides system design processes used in front-end complex system designs.
[edit] Similarities with other methods
Arguments about what makes DFSS different from Six Sigma demonstrate the similarities between DFSS and other established engineering practices such as Probabilistic design and design for quality. It also shows the engineering background of DFSS. However, like other methods devloped in engineering, there is no theoretical reason why DFSS can't be used in areas outside of engineering.
[edit] References
- Subir Chowdhury, The Power of Design for Six Sigma, Dearborn Trade, 2002, ISBN 0-7931-6060-X
- Subir Chowdhury, Design for Six Sigma, Dearborn Trade, 2002, ISBN 0-7931-5224-0
- Yang & El Haik, Design for Six Sigma, McGraw-Hill, 2003, ISBN 0-07-141208-5
- Stamatis, Six Sigma and Beyond: Design for Six Sigma, Volume VI, CRC Press, 2002, ISBN 1-57444-315-1
Define, Identify, Measure
[edit] Notes
- ^ Define- Measure - Analyze - Improve - Control
