Using DMAIC to improve your business processes

DMAIC is a part of the Six Sigma method that is used to help improved companies by pulling out defects that are slowing the company down and costing too much money and waste. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Use the following steps to improve your business and decrease waste.

The first step it to Define what your first step is going to be. Find out what goals you want to reach and how you are going to reach them. Use what resources you have. Find out what needs to be change and what ideas your management and employees have. There may be employees that can help you improve with their ideas and research they have already done; or it may be with having a Black Belt Six Sigma help you. A Black Belt has the knowledge of how to assess the situation and make the necessary changes. When you know what you want to do, strive for excellence for what you are about to achieve.

Measure how you are going to decide if the changes you have put in place have worked.Evaluate the changes you have made and study what your employees have documented.You must have accurate reading and documentation to know if you are achieving your goal. When you first implement your new changes and procedures, make sure everyone know what and how to document it. As you Measure your changes, take the time to talk to the employees that are documenting the process. They are the ones that will have the information you are looking for.

Once you have measured your changes, you now need to analyze them. Speak to management and other employees to see if the company has made the changes you and they have implemented. If you are seeing the progress you wanted to see, push ahead with pride and confidence. If you are not seeing the progress you wanted, re-organize and re-evaluate the situation. What other changes can you make? What can you do differently that they first time you made a change? Ask your employees, they may have an idea you didn't think of.

Even though you have made changes and you have seen an increase in work and a decrease in un-needed materials, there is still room to improve. Make sure you are always aware of what is going on throughout the company. Keep open communication between management and other employees. Everyone is doing something different and may have an idea that is going to improve your company. Keeping communication open throughout a company will also help trust between management and employees. When you have good moral, your company will increase productivity.

Keeping Control is the last and most important step in the DMAIC method. This step will help improve your business the most. You have many changes and gone thru the process to better your company, you know must keep it under control. When you see something that is hurting your company, you need to act quickly to turn that around and keep the negative out. Having negativity within in a company will hurt moral and confidence management and employees have. If you feel you cannot handle it on your own, have a Green Belt or Black Belt from Six Sigma step in and help you. They have had the proper training on how to handle these situations and improve your company. It is important to utilize the resources you have already paid for or else you are generating more waste. Remember you want to cut out what you are not using to save on waste and the environment.