THERE is an old saying that a job is not done until the paperwork is complete. After the DMAIC Improve process is complete and the required change is understood, that does not mean that it can be implemented.
Executing change requires that the new discipline for the work process can be established and maintained. Developing this discipline and transitioning the process into routine operations is the objective of the DMAIC Control process. Two aspects of control that must be addressed: business and process control.
Business Control vs. Process Control - An effective system for management of daily activities integrates business controls with process controls to deliver desired outcomes in a consistent, predictable manner.
These controls assure constancy of purpose in an organisation’s direction and consistency of critical work activities. How are business controls and process controls complementary in establishing a practical and efficient daily management system?
Business controls define an organisation’s shared system of management. They describe the rights and authorities for taking action in an organisation and define its system of governance. Effective business control requires organisations to:
• set the direction and strategy for the organisation;
• define responsibilities for oversight of the organisation;
• allocate decision rights and spending authority;
• manage work processes to accomplish the sub-tasks that deliver the strategy;
• review results and act to correct the organisation so it stays focused on its goals;
• adapt dynamically to changing circumstances; and
• evaluate performance and hold people accountable for delegated responsibilities.
Process controls are applied to manage the routine work of an organisation - they define how work is done - the set of tasks and activities that collectively deliver performance results. The fundamental skills of process management include:
• make process steps visible and specify what is required to deliver process results;
• measure process performance at each step that influences performance;
• optimise flow and value-production by eliminating bottlenecks, decreasing set-up and waiting times, and assuring repeatable quality; and
• evaluate progress to assure achievement of common direction and shared goals.
Measurement is critical to process control as it indicates potential defects in the system of work, identifies places where the process is inefficient (too much time or resource consumed), and focuses people on improving areas where significant opportunities exist for performance improvement (defect, cost or cycle time reduction). Process measures provide early warning of potential customer problems and contribute to process controls that assure reliability in the routine activities of a business.
By discovering the sources of process variation and determining how to control them, an organisation uses its business and process control systems to drive performance gains. Sustained success occurs when root causes of problems are eliminated from work and statistical controls are integrated into the management system. Sustained success requires sound management of the daily work processes. How is this state of control achieved once the improvements are identified?
Process for Establishing Control - The DMAIC Control process operates to integrate process improvements into the business control system.
As illustrated in the diagram of its flow, the DMAIC Control process begins with the improvement factors identified in the Improve process step and converts these improvements into an action plan for control that is measured, monitored and managed by the business and process controls of the organisation.
The following activities transition the improvement recommendations into reality:
• develop long-term measurement system that is effective for controlling processes, assuring business control and delivering performance results for the organisation;
• define standard work and operating procedures for workers focusing on value-adding tasks that must be performed to perform tasks, evaluate progress, and maintain the work system in the most efficient and effective manner;
• mistake-proof and safeguard the work process to assure that opportunities to make errors are eliminated or mitigated by preventing these problems from escaping the process activities and affecting customers; and
• document and train workers in the new process assuring that everyone understands the work required of them and have the skills necessary to do that work.
The key for creating a manufacturing control system is the control plan that describes what must be controlled to maintain quality; what measures indicate that the process is maintained under control; the sample size that must be taken to determine that control is being effectively maintained; the decision rules for evaluating these samples and the countermeasures to be employed whenever a sample indicates that an out-of-control condition exists.
The control plan is based on the original failure study of the process and the findings of the Improve process that dictate the mechanism for work process control. The control plan is the key document that links the process control mechanisms to the business control and accountability system of management reviews.
What does it take to be held accountable? - So, what does it take to hold workers to be accountable for the quality of their work? There are three conditions that must be satisfied in the following order:
• workers must know their job and be trained in the tasks to the skill level that is required for its performance;
• workers must understand the expectation for performance (based on achievable process capability) and the workers must have the ability to measure their progress toward these performance targets; and
• workers must have the ability to self-regulate their process to maintain the desired operating envelope for performance.
If this is not done, then management has not met the requisite conditions for delegation of authority and empowerment of the workers for self-determination of local process control and management remains responsible for the quality of the work performed.
When the DMAIC process has been completely applied to the manufacturing operation then the result should be creation of a predictable factory where the outcomes are reliable and consistently delivered because variation in the work processes and material content has been managed effectively to meet the customer requirements. This vision represents the reality of the factory of the future that is attainable by applying a lean-sigma approach to process management.
*Gregory H. Watson is chairman, Business Systems Asia-Pacific, email GHW@bsap.net or visit www.bsap.net.