Comments on: What is Design for Six Sigma? http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/ Essays on the Continuous Delivery of High Quality Information Systems Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:00:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Corey Ladas http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1715 Corey Ladas Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:23:57 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1715 Hello Rob, Thank you for your comment, and welcome! For the most part, I'm talking about software products and services, and I should emphasize that I'm talking about applying methods that are associated with DFSS in the service of evolutionary design. Meaning that phases like Optimize are overlapping and continuous, prototypes are continuously built in testing and staging environments, and design improvements are continuously released into production as long as it remains profitable to do so. From my point of view, evolutionary design is the goal, and DFSS provides a useful box of tools in service of that goal. How to manage evolutionary design is what we spend most of our time talking about here :) Hello Rob,

Thank you for your comment, and welcome!

For the most part, I’m talking about software products and services, and I should emphasize that I’m talking about applying methods that are associated with DFSS in the service of evolutionary design. Meaning that phases like Optimize are overlapping and continuous, prototypes are continuously built in testing and staging environments, and design improvements are continuously released into production as long as it remains profitable to do so.

From my point of view, evolutionary design is the goal, and DFSS provides a useful box of tools in service of that goal. How to manage evolutionary design is what we spend most of our time talking about here :)

]]> By: Rob http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1714 Rob Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:41:21 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1714 When implementing DFSS it is important to make the distinction between what you are actually designing. Is it a process, a service or a product? While new process design may involve only a few of the organization’s functions or departments, the design of a new product or a new service has stakeholders throughout the company’s value creation process. Additionally, if errors or omissions in product design data are not addressed early, more costly changes are required later in the product development process. The difference between product and service development is the level of detail and complexity mainly in the Optimize phase of the DFSS project. In product design projects, the Optimize phase is the phase when the design “becomes real.” First prototypes will be built; data must be collected on tangibles even if simulating the processes. Advanced DFSS programs include a number of tools for the Optimize phase mainly for product design. Typical Six Sigma tools such as design of experiments may be advanced by robust design principles or mixture design concepts. It is however, critical to choose the right tool at the right time. This becomes especially important if Six Sigma is run in conjunction with Lean as sometimes stakeholders can become confused. Some organizations consider going for Design for Six Sigma right away and not starting with process improvement (DMAIC). This seems attractive: DMAIC always means searching for problems that can be solved – and a lot of organizations (responsible persons?) do not want to admit to having problems. Nevertheless, there are a number of good reasons for starting with DMAIC even in a creative or engineering environment: Budget-effective financial savings can be reported within a limited time frame, a number of projects can be executed simultaneously and internal success stories can be created, proving that Six Sigma works here! When implementing DFSS it is important to make the distinction between what you are actually designing. Is it a process, a service or a product?

While new process design may involve only a few of the organization’s functions or departments, the design of a new product or a new service has stakeholders throughout the company’s value creation process. Additionally, if errors or omissions in product design data are not addressed early, more costly changes are required later in the product development process.

The difference between product and service development is the level of detail and complexity mainly in the Optimize phase of the DFSS project. In product design projects, the Optimize phase is the phase when the design “becomes real.” First prototypes will be built; data must be collected on tangibles even if simulating the processes.

Advanced DFSS programs include a number of tools for the Optimize phase mainly for product design. Typical Six Sigma tools such as design of experiments may be advanced by robust design principles or mixture design concepts. It is however, critical to choose the right tool at the right time. This becomes especially important if Six Sigma is run in conjunction with Lean as sometimes stakeholders can become confused.

Some organizations consider going for Design for Six Sigma right away and not starting with process improvement (DMAIC). This seems attractive: DMAIC always means searching for problems that can be solved – and a lot of organizations (responsible persons?) do not want to admit to having problems.

Nevertheless, there are a number of good reasons for starting with DMAIC even in a creative or engineering environment: Budget-effective financial savings can be reported within a limited time frame, a number of projects can be executed simultaneously and internal success stories can be created, proving that Six Sigma works here!

]]> By: Corey Ladas http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1697 Corey Ladas Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:46:38 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1697 Thanks Eric :) Different parts of DFSS will straddle conventional software stages, some parts go to analysis, some to design, some to test. I dropped a hint about DFSS kanban in this post: http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2007/10/31/spreadsheet-example-for-a-small-kanban-team/ I promise I'll revisit the workflow/kanban topic ;) Thanks Eric :)

Different parts of DFSS will straddle conventional software stages, some parts go to analysis, some to design, some to test. I dropped a hint about DFSS kanban in this post:

http://leansoftwareengineering.....nban-team/

I promise I’ll revisit the workflow/kanban topic ;)

]]> By: Eric Landes http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1691 Eric Landes Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:34:48 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1691 Corey, extremely interesting post. While I work in a manufacturing company, I haven't been exposed to Six Sigma in Practice yet. I'd love to hear how you are implementing these principles within your software projects. Specifically how these principles happen within the project (Silos in Kanban, just part of a Silo named design?). Thanks, keep up the interesting work. Corey, extremely interesting post. While I work in a manufacturing company, I haven’t been exposed to Six Sigma in Practice yet. I’d love to hear how you are implementing these principles within your software projects. Specifically how these principles happen within the project (Silos in Kanban, just part of a Silo named design?). Thanks, keep up the interesting work.

]]> By: Corey Ladas http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1688 Corey Ladas Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:47:24 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1688 Thank you, Richard. I appreciate the encouragement! I share your concern about statistical excess. My most important statistic is "probability of method being correctly applied," which would seem to be inversely proportional to the density of numerical methods involved. So I'm always looking out for simple heuristics that give you most of the benefit of the math, without actually having to do the math. TOC, kanban, Axiomatic Design, all have that property of simple rules of thumb with analytical interpretations that you won't need if you apply them well. I don't want to spend a lot of time on the math either. I'm just a programmer who gets very irritated with stuff that doesn't work. Thank you, Richard. I appreciate the encouragement! I share your concern about statistical excess. My most important statistic is “probability of method being correctly applied,” which would seem to be inversely proportional to the density of numerical methods involved. So I’m always looking out for simple heuristics that give you most of the benefit of the math, without actually having to do the math. TOC, kanban, Axiomatic Design, all have that property of simple rules of thumb with analytical interpretations that you won’t need if you apply them well. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on the math either. I’m just a programmer who gets very irritated with stuff that doesn’t work.

]]> By: Richard Durnall http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/comment-page-1/#comment-1686 Richard Durnall Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:49:42 +0000 http://leansoftwareengineering.com/2008/01/07/what-is-design-for-six-sigma/#comment-1686 Really interesting post. I've always found the intersection between 6-Sigma, DFSS, Toyota Production System (TPS) and Toyota Product Development System (TPDS) an interesting one; a Western response to the Japanese threat. I'm lucky that I got to study them in a manufacturing context before I had the opportunity to apply them to software delivery. I find that because they have their roots in PDCA cycles they can all live happily together. The big challenge with DFSS and 6-Sigma I found is that you need a brain the size of a planet to fully understand the stats and this focus on statistical modelling can lead to 'management by numbers'. Lean offers a broader context and having it's basis in Training Within Industry (TWI) principles gives it more of a focus on people, teamwork and culture. You're doing some interesting and valuable work; impressive. Really interesting post. I’ve always found the intersection between 6-Sigma, DFSS, Toyota Production System (TPS) and Toyota Product Development System (TPDS) an interesting one; a Western response to the Japanese threat. I’m lucky that I got to study them in a manufacturing context before I had the opportunity to apply them to software delivery. I find that because they have their roots in PDCA cycles they can all live happily together. The big challenge with DFSS and 6-Sigma I found is that you need a brain the size of a planet to fully understand the stats and this focus on statistical modelling can lead to ‘management by numbers’. Lean offers a broader context and having it’s basis in Training Within Industry (TWI) principles gives it more of a focus on people, teamwork and culture. You’re doing some interesting and valuable work; impressive.

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