Six Sigma Project Define Phase Feb 2017 1st Submission

Define Phase Feb 07/02/17: Project Outline, Phase Learning's and Tools Utilised.

Project Outline: In 2018 a new product will be launched within my manufacturing site. This new product launch requires the development and introduction of a new Sliding Head Lathe Manufacturing Cell to the factory. The projected Yr 1 Output for this product is 44,000 Units. A Trial manufacturing run has been completed utilising the proposed Sliding Head Lathe Production process. The Yield achieved during this trial run of Qty 300 parts was 88%. For an effective process to be transferred from to Operations a targeted yield rate of 95% is required from the Sliding Head Lathe Manufacturing process. The undertaking of this project will focus on analysing the production process and implementing process improvements in order to increase the process yield. Define Phase Learning's: The key Phase challenge that I encountered was the clear and concise definition of the project without jumping to the solution phase. The key challenge for me was to compile the data as presented and to let the Define tools drive the direction of the Investigation for the project. Previous to utilising these tools I would have jumped into the solution without defining the key benefits, the scope of the improvements and subsequently the plan for measuring and implementing the solution. Define Phase Tools Utilised: Project Charter: I found that completion of the project charter within the project was instrumental to focus the benefits of the project and to quantify the savings associated with the proposed project. The project charted also helped to fully define the scope of the project and the key areas for focus. Without this definition the potential for the project to creep from the overall goal would be a major source of concern. The physical completion of the Project charter was difficult as the Business Case, Project Goal and Opportunity Statement are intrinsically linked that a clear definition of what was required within each pane was required. SIPOC: A full process SIPOC has been developed for this project. Completion of the SIPOC is a key task as it helps to clearly define the Inputs/Outputs of each process Step. Previously my experience of this process step would have been to merely produce the process flow only without the inclusion of the S,I,O,C, The addition of these steps to the flow help to clearly define key process contributors and the downstream Customers. Pareto Analysis: The scrap parts produced during the Production run have been analysed and initially quantified on a simple defect Pareto graph. This graph has highlighted the area that the key defect area to assess with regards to Yield Increase is around the Microdrill process. This pareto was further distilled to further defined the defects arising in the process to aid the Is-Is Not matrix generation. The cause of these defects will be fully determined during the subsequent phases. Pareto of Defects: High Level Pareto of Defects: Defined Failures IS-IS NOT: I found the IS-IS NOT tool extremely beneficial at the end but at the start I found the format somewhat confusing. The key issue was regarding the difference between the Is and the Is Not columns. The approach that I took on the IS-NOT was to describe what had not occurred but could occur in the future. This is somewhat difficult to complete as it potentially overlaps with the Cause and affect Diagrams that would be deployed during the Analyse phase of the project. Define Phase IS - IS NOT