Elena A. Averboukh
Under Custmers either Internal Customers, i.e. Business and/or follow-up Business Processes,
as well as emloyees etc., or external Customers within the distribution and sales chain, up to
the End-Users are considered.
Usually one business problem, where solution aprior is not known, is taken as a subject for a
Six Sigma project. Such Projects are managed along with Six Sigma Roadmap, e.g.
so-called DMAIC for improving the business processes, which consists of 5 phases,
i.e. Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control, and/or
DMADV for improving (re-designing) products, i.e. Define, Measure, Analyse,
Design, Verify etc.
Specially trained Six Sigma professionals with different qualifications, like Green Belt or
Black Belt or Master Black Belt are managing and/or participating in such projects. Typical
Projects should be completed within rather limited time frame (usually, 3 months limit for
Green Belt Projects and 5-6 months for Black Belt projects) and should result in sustainable
improvement as well as lead to significant and proven financial benefits (typically, minimum
20.000 -50.000 euros/year for Green Belt projects and 100.000 -200.000 euros/year for the
Black Belt projects).
It is an integrated approach where TRIZ methodology and tools are systematically integrated
into the Six Sigma Roadmaps.
TRIZ is an acronym for a Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, which was originally
developed in the 50-s of the last centruy by the russian inventor Henrich Altshuller. By
anylysing of patents H.Altshuller has found common basic principles and mental models of
the inventors within their successful problem solving process, from the problem definition to
a solution.
Today many software tools are available in the market, which are realizing the ideas and tools
of H.Altshuller as well as providing links to a patent data bases, which examplify relevant
principles and ideas.
Most advanced software tools which reflect the state-of-the-art TRIZ research and
methodology to Failure Analysis, Failure Prediction and Innovative Problem solving are
developed by the I-TRIZ analysts in Ideation Internatinal Inc. (I in I-TRIZ stands for
Ideation).
The approach to the root cause analysis in TRIZ Six Sigma starts with applying
techniques for intencifying the conflict in requirements (e.g. between Customer and
Business Requirements) and formulating the problem as a Contradiction.
Along with Analysis we translate the Contradictory requirements, e.g. from initial
Business Contradiction to the Technical Contradiction and further to the Physical
Contradictions in a special way, coming closer to the physical mechanism of the
Problem.
At each level we apply TRIZ principles and toolset to generate the ideas, how to either
eliminate harmful effect, or to improve useful effect or to resolve the contradiction. ITRIZ tools support these processes on the analytical level and provide exhaustive set
of relevant examples on implementing principles and ideas from different application
fields, which support our thinking by analygy and extends our own knowledge-base.
Using the same tool set we simulate secondary problems and find out potential
solutions, which may prevent them
Last step is a Concept generation and evalution, where different ideas are combined
into the error-prone concepts which may not only efficiently (and low-cost) eliminate
the Root Causes but also to provide a sustainable improvement long-term.
The whole process without TRIZ-tools is just not feasible to perform within few man-days,
which are usually available for such type of activities within Six Sigma Project frames. But
using TRIZ-tools it becomes although exciting but a trivial and scalable activity and leads to
significant and innovative improvements of the process long term capability.
Six Sigma first time, additional time comparing to the traditional Six Sigma courses is 1-2
days for Green Belts and 2-4 days for Black Belts.
Usually it takes much longer, i.e. about 10-14 days to upgrade already trained Six Sigma
Professionals in this new integrated approach.
We perform such upgrade gradually in several 2-4 days sessions along with rather demanding
project, where there is a long standing technological problem, or where many improvements
attempts did not result in any significant improvement of the long-term capability etc.
There is absolutely no contradiction between TRIZ Six Sigma and other Six Sigma
approaches, like Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Operational Excellence etc.
It is just NEW GENERATION of Six Sigma which enables six sigma professionals to
efficiently eliminate Common Causes of Process Variation within limited project time, manpower and budget resources.
Please, contact us for further details.
We look forward to help you to upgrade your Six Sigma Professionals in TRIZ Six Sigma for
sustainable improvement of the Business Process capability and for increasing the Value of
your Emloyees.
WWW.SIXSIGMA-24.DE
Copyright 2006 Dr.Elena Averboukh