Sriya Chatterjee

Process Entitlement is the best possible performance that a process can attain given its current design and structure, without any major adjustment. It shows the maximum that a process can actually deliver with its current capabilities.
 
Calculation Methods For Process Entitlement
 
1. Historical Best Performance 
We can refer the historical data and select the best performance the process has delivered by calculating the mean or median of the periodic parameter.
 
2. Engineering And Scientific Methods :
We can use theoretical engineering and scientific principles to arrive at a theoretical best performance . As this is an ideal circumstance we are considering , considering variations that may actually happen is crucial before we arrive at the theoretical best performance. 
 
3. Equipment Capacity 
Refer the best performance specified by the manufacturer of the equipment or machine being used while considering the real world limitations like operator skill , maintenance and other factors that have been observed before.
 
4. Benchmarking
We may refer to similar processes in other organizations or industries  to arrive at the Process Entitlement.
 
5. Statistical Analysis 
We may use suitable statistical methods to arrive at the Process Entitlement. 
 
How Does It Help In Process Improvement 
 
1. Deciding Achievable Target 
It helps us to set practical goals in six sigma green or black belt projects so that the chances of achieving the goal is very high.
 
2. Highlighting Areas Of Improvement
It highlights the gap between the current performance level of a process and the target performance level, resultantly highlighting the processes that need improvement the most urgently. 
 
3. Deciding the importance of improvement initiatives
Process Entitlement helps us to decide which are the lowest hanging fruits , which improvements will impact the bigger picture the most.
 
4. Measuring Progress
As soon as we start implementing measures for process improvement, Process Entitlement helps us to keep an eye on the delta between the current and target performance levels. Hence, we can keep track of the progress being made.
 
5. Keeping Wasteful Investments At Bay
It helps us invest resources proportionate to a process' current performance level. This way we can currently strategize how much , using which methods and when a resource must be invested in a process to effectively achieve improvement in the bigger picture.

A Marimekko chart, also known as a mosaic plot or Mekko chart, is a visual representation of categorical data with two or more dimensions. It uses stacked bars of varying widths and heights to depict both proportions within categories and total category contributions. Imagine a Venn diagram where each segment expands and shrinks based on its share.
 
Advantages:
 
Multidimensional insights: Shows relationships between two or more variables simultaneously, revealing nuances hidden in simpler visuals.
Flexibility: Handles diverse data types, from percentages to counts, and accommodates various color palettes for effective communication.
Comparative power: Identifies outliers and pinpoints dominant categories effectively, highlighting variations within and across dimensions.
Engaging presentation: Visually appealing due to its unique layout and color variations, captivating the audience's attention.
 
Disadvantages:
 
1. Can turn crowded easily and hence, become difficult to interpret. 
2. It's usually good for two-dimensional comparisons.
3. Small variations in percentages might get interpreted into visually important changes in bar sizes, potentially misguiding us.
4.  Creating this chart usually needs specialized software, making them less accessible.
 
Examples where it can be used in a Six Sigma projects :
1. For visualizing defect types and their distribution across product lines, production stages, or shift times.
2. For showing the contribution of various process steps to the overall variance.
3. Analyze client satisfaction or purchase behavior across demographics, product categories, or regions.
4. For comparing the result or impact and feasibility of different improvement projects based on cost, lead time, and potential benefit.

Provotyping , in Design Thinking, can be split into two terms , that is, Provocation and Prototyping.
 
The traditional Prototyping approach to Testing any new product includes just using it in a very limited variety of environments with very limited scope for user interaction and resultant feedback.
 
Provotyping, on the other hand,  includes testing a new idea ( under development) in different permutation and combinations of environments such that it has ample scope of interaction with users in all these environments. This approach of testing a new idea results into an extremely smooth flow of user feedback from the entities the product ( or idea )  interacted with. These feedbacks and the resultant continual improvements done on the idea or product lead to the creation of extremely innovative products that are capable of providing the solution to extremely complicated problems.
 
Let's try to understand this process using the example of the Node Ideo Chair. 

Traditional chairs and desks used in educational institutes and corporates are designed with zero flexibility. The seats or chairs we are specially focusing on are the single seaters that have a desk attached to one of the arm rests for either writing or keeping a laptop. 
 
Prototype approach : 

1. The designer or innovator modifies the traditional chair in order to provide solution to seating requirements of a very small population. Following are the requirements received from this population :
 a. The chair should have a desk like plank to write on.
 b. The chair should have a place for a back back or bag
 c. The chair should swivel
 d. The chair should support ergonomic seating posture.

2. The designers produce 2 products :
 a. One chair supports ergonomic seating and can swivel
 b. Another chair has a desk attached at an extremely uncomfortable angle and has a place for a bag.

2. He tests the sample in the same or similar population sample (extremely limited).

3. After achieving success at these tests the product is mass manufactured and sold across the global market.

Provotyping Approach :

1. The designing team collects the seating requirements of a huge population sample including school and private coaching class students, college students and employees from multiple industries. 

Following are the requirements received :

 a.  The chair should have a desk like plank to write on. The desk like structure must be adjustable at various ergonomic angles. Its height must also be adjustable.
b. The chair should have a secure place for a back back or bag such that it does not disturb anyone seated in the chairs around. It should also have a place for a bottle or a cup.
c. The chair must swivel and must have wheels to change its position dynamically.
d. The chair should support ergonomic seating posture.

2. The designers produce incomplete versions using card boards and thermocol sheets and test it at many organizations , schools and universities. 

3. With every set of feedback from this large and extremely diverse population sample the designer team continually improves the design of this product. 

3. The final product is the Node Ideo Chair which has the following features :
 a. It had 4 wheels for dynamically changing its position with the changing requirement of the users. 
 b. It has a cage like secure space for bags and back packs between the 4 wheels and the actual seat . This  arrangement makes sure that the bag neither disturbs anyone nor is disturbed by a passer by.
 c. The seat swivels. 
 d. One adjustable ( both height and angle ) desk is attached to an arm rest. 
 e. Underneath this desk is a place for a bottle or a cup. 
 f. The Node Chair is made up of such material that is affordable.
 
Hence, using Provotyping approach the complicated seating requirements of such a large number of people could be provided in one single product .  

The journey of design thinking starts with empathy. It means that a design thinker must first be capable of effortlessly understanding the perspective of the end user completely in order to realize what are his/her needs that are truly not being met with. 
The concept of design thinking is such that as a design thinker , trying to come up with the solution to a problem, does not necessarily need to have any or much experience in the field of profession the problem belongs to. The thinker has to simply follow 5 steps , that is, AEIOU.

A stands for Activities and helps the design thinker explore the range of behaviour that is being exhibited by the stakeholder. 
E stands for Environment, that is, the intricate details of the ecosystem with which the user is interacting with respect to the problem under observation.
I stands for Interaction and helps the design thinker to focus on how the stakeholder is actually reacting to all the events occurring in the given environment.
O stands for Objects and helps the design thinker narrow down on the items that the stakeholder is actually associating itself with.
U stands for Users and helps the design thinker to conclude who the actual stakeholders in this ecosystem are.
 
AEIOU supports design thinkers magnificently by enabling them to consistently concentrate on the needs of the user that are not being provided by anyone else. 
It is especially quintessential when a design thinker is trying to provide solution to an exceptionally complicated problem through the collection and analysis of data in a systematic manner. It supports the design thinker to absorb each element in the problem environment entirely. And finally , it acts as a strong catalyst to creative , out of the box and innovative solutions to problem.
 
An example : Raymond Damadian invented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 1977. Immediately after it was implemented in hospitals on a large scale he made a trip to one of the biggest hospitals to collect Customer Feedback about the machine. A silent spectator to the full body scan of a 13 year old girl, he observed, from the MRI machine specialist room , how nervous and terrified the child was as soon as she arrived at the MRI room. Her parents persistently tried their best to calm her down and prepare her for the scan. She finally volunteered for the scan but half way through the scan had to be stopped as the child could not take it anymore. The MRI specialist had to give her anesthesia in order to complete the procedure. On further research Raymond Damadian learnt that most kids are given anesthesia either in the beginning of or half way through the scan in order to complete the procedure. This was a huge problem for Raymond as a brilliant and potentially life saving machine was giving patients nightmares. So he performed AEIOU as explained below:
Activity is the full body scan that patients direly need for the diagnosis of the significant health conditions they have.
Environment is the MRI machine into which patients must enter and stay in a static position for an hour for the scan to be successful.
Interaction is the fear and paranoia that claustrophobic and / or young patients experience during the scan due to the internal ambience of the machine.
Objects are the loud thundering sounds that the machine produces and the frequent violent jerks that are felt by the patient during the scanning procedure. 
Users are patients who direly need to go through a full body scan but want avoid it at any cost.
 
The result of this exercise was a MRI machine that had a larger internal diameter and looked like a pirate ship , into which young patients must enter and go on an adventure for an hour. From the moment a patient would arrive at the MRI room an audio would begin playing, welcoming the patient and addressing it as a dangerous pirate that is going to begin its journey in the violent sea. As the patient would lie down and gradually enter into the machine, the audio would play sounds of lightening and thunder, covering the loud sounds and jerks of the machine. At the end of the scan patients would come out of the machine extremely happy and excited about the experience they just had and looking forward to the next scan. 
This brilliantly creative and out of the box solution to the users problem was a result of Design Thinking, resulting into extremely happy patients who would no more feel terrified or need anesthesia to complete a full body scan.