ISE Magazine

JUN 2017

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June 2017 | ISE Magazine 37 stage, fixtures have been built and machines bought or re- configured. Changes in design at this stage result in costs to modify fixtures, machine codes and equipment, along with many other expenses. The price tag is significantly more once the design is finalized and in full production. If customers receive a product that does not meet their needs, the organization must go back to the design phase to imple- ment the necessary changes. Design for Six Sigma enables the voice of the customer to be heard throughout the prod- uct development process, thereby reducing potential costs. Figure 2 illustrates the cost impact of making changes to the product design during the product development process. For design for Six Sigma to be successful, the culture of the organization must transform from a reactive to a proactive mentality, and upper management must provide its full support. De- sign for Six Sigma involves everyone within the organization, including operators, engineers, quality, suppliers, vendors, upper management and champions. This can transform, in particular, organiza- tions that use a silo approach based on function to a culture where everyone takes an active role in improving products and processes, beginning from the bottom up. Project management Design for Six Sigma has a heavy emphasis on project management. Effective management of resources is necessary to ensure the efficient de- sign of the new products and services. Design for Six Sigma projects are often complex and require considerable resources. Therefore, proj- ect management tools are necessary throughout design for Six Sigma project implementation to help meet deadlines and make sure the process achieves its deliverables. Project management should be used in design for Six Sigma to balance the constraints of time, cost and quality expectations, resulting in a suc- cessful product. This balance is illustrated in Figure 3. When these three factors cannot be balanced, a trade- off is required. The relationship between the three factors is represented as a rigid (iron) tri- angle for a project since all aspects of a successful project must be accomplished within the orga- nization's goals. If a shorter lead-time or cost reduction is expected during the project, then a compromise along one of the other axes must occur, which alters the shape of the triangle. Design for Six Sigma features critical think- ing skills that include the following: • Identify key elements of the design necessary to achieve the functionality desired by the customer. • Decompose the problem (system) into pieces by consider- ing the system architecture. • Flow down the customer targets from the system level to subsystems and components. • Identify a set of design alternatives. • Select the design alternative that best meets customer ex- pectations. • Manage the risks of the design at all levels of the system. FIGURE 2 Battling sigmas This illustration of Six Sigma vs. design for Six Sigma shows how costs grow astronomically if product changes are made late in the design process. FIGURE 3 Iron triangle Project management tools plus design for Six Sigma can balance the constraints of time, cost and quality expectations, yielding an "iron triangle" of a successful product, process or service.

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