TABLE OF CONTENTS Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) comprise the major phases of a process improvement project. Each phase consists of a set of tools and deliverables. In the previous section of this book, DMAIC was illustrated in the context of Kaizen and Lean teams. In the history of process improvement, DMAIC is just one of a variety of proposed methodologies. In grade school, most students learn the scientific method based on observe, formulate a hypothesis, collect data and form a conclusion. Shewhart, a principal figure in the history of quality control, suggested the well-known Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) cycle for improvement. Although DMAIC looks different than these methods, it really encompasses both approaches. It focuses on using data to make decisions and then verifying those decisions before committing business resources.
The advantage of the DMAIC approach is not the top-level phases themselves but what is contained in each phase. The contents provide a common, structured approach to solving a problem. For each phase, there are some primary activities and an associated overall question to answer.
The Black Belt team determines the boundaries of the process area to improve and the requirements for the output of that process. The team answers the question "What is important to the business?"
The team determines how the current process is performing compared to the requirements. The team answers the question "How are we doing...
