DISCOVERY BEFORE DMAIC

Introduction

If you can identify problems or opportunities for improvement and execute them successfully, your corporate growth is guaranteed (like Modi ki Guarantee ??). By finding more opportunities to improve, you can grow faster in your corporate journey. Without a doubt, Lean Six Sigma is the most effective problem-solving methodology available even today, especially when the root cause of the problem is unknown.

Lean Six Sigma and the Start

Lean Six Sigma’s DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve & Control) approach has been in existence for almost 40 years now, and it has evolved and will continue to evolve. The principles of Lean Six Sigma can be best explained through a Doctor and Patient analogy. Just like a doctor orders lab tests to determine the underlying cause of a patient's illness, Six Sigma is recommended when the root cause of a problem is unknown. Once the root cause is identified, the Lean Six Sigma project team starts working on finding solutions to either reduce or eliminate the cause of the problem, just as doctors prescribe medication to reduce or eliminate the underlying root cause of illness.

When Mikel Harry and Bill Smith first introduced Six Sigma, it was just MAIC. They had no challenges defining problems. However, as more professionals began using Six Sigma, they realized the need for a problem-definition process. That’s how the Define Phase was born. The Define phase helps us to clarify the problem but also ensured everyone on the team understood the What, Where, When, and Why of the problem, along with the pain points of all the relevant stakeholders.

Learning from my experience

It has been over 20 years since I started using Lean Six Sigma to solve problems; I have driven or mentored over 350 LSS projects with significant savings and had an opportunity to work with many good Lean Six Sigma leaders. From my experience, Lean Six Sigma professionals who have achieved significant growth are skilled in identifying opportunities for improvement along with their technical skills.

Let me share my personal experience; for over 15 years, I have been teaching Lean Six Sigma to professionals across industries. After the training, the usual expectation is that participants identify and execute a project to implement Six Sigma in their workplace or use the concepts on a need basis. However, when I followed up with them, I often heard that they did not have any projects at their workplace. Even if they had done projects, they were not worthy of Six Sigma standards. This is the case with 90%+ of Six Sigma professionals, including Black Belts and Master Black Belts. Many BBs and MBBs believe they do not have any Six Sigma projects at their workplace.

Introduction of Discovery Phase for Public Batch Training

The above situation was a clear indication that professionals need to be trained on how to identify Six Sigma projects so that their Lean Six Sigma journey is complete. This realization led us to create a new phase called Discovery in Six Sigma, where we teach professionals how to identify problems at their workplace. The Discovery phase training has helped us see 20-30% of professionals picking good quality projects and executing them at their workplace. We also saw an improvement in the quality of Six Sigma projects. As Lean Six Sigma experts, we wanted to optimize further, so we went one step further and allowed the participants to practice Discovering projects with a case study. We prepared case studies for different sectors and used them to identify opportunities for improvement. Then, we taught them how to prioritize the projects and practice DMAIC methodology through the case study. With this approach, we have seen 100% of participants able to identify Six Sigma-worthy projects and practice the DMAIC methodology. The best part is that approximately 60% of participants were able to identify projects at their workplace and execute them using the DMAIC methodology.

Introduction of Discovery Phase for Corporate Batch Trainings

?I implemented the same training approach for corporations, and it produced much better results. The outcomes were highly encouraging. Every Lean Six Sigma professional I trained was able to identify at least five opportunities for improvement on the first day of the training. They then prioritized one out of the five identified opportunities. Green Belts and Black Belts executed the prioritized project and drove significant results. Yellow Belts completed approximately 40% of the project during the two-day training. They also have a clear format to follow up to complete the remaining 60%. The most rewarding part of this experience was observing the participants' excitement when they identified an opportunity to improve, which was mostly done by their leaders otherwise.

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