The differences in Design between Lean and Six Sigma are not in the tools that they use but in the paths, they have chosen to take. The initial paths of each into the design fields were driven by the fact that most cost and problems to include quality and variability were designed into a product/service before it went into production or use. The need for early customer feedback became apparent and Voice of Customer (VOC) and Critical to Quality (CTQ) or Critical to Satisfaction (CTS) issues were recognized. However, to a large extent these processes were still internalized and only recently as a result of the Lean Software community has the customer become more and more part of the design process. This will be covered in more detail later this week.
The typical Design Processes of Six Sigma:
- DMAIC: Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control (This is basically a 5-step version of PDCA)
- DFSS: Design for Six Sigma – A process that drove the statistical thinking aspect of Six Sigma into design.
- DMADV: Define – Measure – Analyze – Design – Verify (The most popular form of Six Sigma in Design)
- IDOV: Identify – Design – Optimize – Validate – (Another variation of DFSS)
Implementing this type of design resembles a funneling process characterized by a design process flow that is controlled by stage gates or tollgates. The tollgate is used to d measurable objectives that will allow a design to pass through the gate or to the next stage, or be held until the objectives are completed. Tollgate Reviews help determine whether all the goals within each stage have been achieved successfully and whether the design can progress to the next stage.
There are many other variations and one that I particular like for services is
- DCDV: Define – Characteristics – Design – Verify
- Define: Design the problem statement from the outside in starting with customers and markets and ending with the process. You continue cycling through the statement until it is defined.
- Characteristics: Segment customers designing a core set of needs and targets.
- Design: Start with a high-level definition of solutions and funneling to a solution through iteratively applying creativity and rigor.
- Verify: Prototype and eliminate the non-value, reducing risk and cost till the project is ready to roll-out. Knowing that field testing ultimately provides the results of stability and capabilities.
As you may notice just in the description of this process, it seems a little more iterative and as a result a little more “Leanish”. The world of software development and Agile and Scrum with the umbrella of Lean has exploded to take the design once thought of as a step by step method to one of iterations and collaborations.
One of the Lean leaders of the movement outside of software was Steelcase and several years ago I had the co-authors of Innovative Lean Development: How to Create, Implement and Maintain a Learning Culture Using Fast Learning Cycles on the podcast, Innovative Development. The transcription of the podcast can be found at Innovative Development eBook. Their single-point lessons start depicting the path between the stage gate process (calling them flow interrupters) and the more fluid concepts of Learning Cycles.
Marketing with PDCA (More Info): Targeting what your Customer Values at each part of the cycle will increase your ability to deliver quicker, more accurately and with better value than your competitor. It is a moving target and the principles of Lean and PDCA facilitates the journey to Customer Value.
Theory of Constraints
Michael Dalton Book: Simplifying Innovation: Doubling speed to market and new product profits – with your existing resources
Podcasts: Theory of Constraints in Innovation Customer Value Lens Alliances and Tools in Innovation
eBook: Utilizing the Theory of Constraints in Product Innovation Ebook