Thursday, October 30, 2008

Comparing Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) to DMAIC

By Craig Calvin

Six Sigma is a great methodology that provides companies with many tools to bring about improvements in business process, and aims at achieving reduction in defects. Six Sigma is often concerned with the methodologies used to bring in changes and improvements. The beauty of Six Sigma is the large number of methodologies which are different as well as complementary to each other, but are suited to various types of businesses.

DMAIC and DFSS: DFSS stands for Design for Six Sigma and is mainly concerned with redeveloping, redesigning or designing a new product. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control and is quite useful when products relating to processes are in existence already. The ultimate need is for implementing imporvements in the existing processes. A difference between DFSS and DMAIC is that the DMAIc methodology is usually identical for all businesses. At the same time, there is not a specific methodology that is associated with the DFSS approach.

DMADV as opposed to DMAIC and DFSS: In all actuality, implementing DFSS is usually done by utilizing the DMADV methodology. DMADV stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify, it is also a simplified variant of DFSS.

In a comparison of the DMAIC we can see that the first two steps, identified as Define and Measure, are identical. It is in the third step that things start differing. In the implementation of the DMAIC methodology, in the Analyze step data is collected from the present process and it is then analyzed to determine where changes can be implemented or where to improve something.

Under the DMADV methodology, the Analyze phase is different as it is a step to understand the shortfalls in the system that open up an opportunity to bring in a new design for the product. This analysis is the reason why new products will be developed. The central aim of the DMAIC is the reduction in the defects and elimination of waste, which is responsible for the resources being utilized to a large extent.

DMAIC is known throughout the world as standard methodology. The DFSS is not known as such, and there is not a universal acceptance for a given methodology. - 15465

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