FOLLOWING TOPIC PASTED FROM YAHOO GROUPS

ORIGINATOR: Suresh Jayaram

DATE: Fri Sep 5, 2008

Introduction to DFSS & DMADV

You are probably familiar with DMAIC - the Six Sigma methodology used to make improvements to existing processes. Even though DMAIC includes powerful set of tools and techniques, it is not suitable for all applications. For example, if a new product or service needs to be developed or if the improvements obtained by using the DMAIC approach are not sufficient, then Six Sigma provides an additional more powerful methodology called DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) that can be used.

DFSS ensures that the new products or services meets stakeholder needs, provides a high level of performance, and are robust to process variations. While DMAIC is a reactive approach fixing past problems, DFSS is a proactive way to avoid problems in the first place. DFSS approach enables launching new products & services on time, on budget, and on target gaining incremental revenues sooner, achieving greater market share, and ensuring that the company generates differentiated products & services that target customer & stakeholder needs.

There are several approaches to DFSS, but the most popular methodology is called DMADV. DMADV stands for "Define - Measure - Analyze - Design - Validate". The Define phase consists of defining the project charter which includes the business case and the opportunity for the new product or service. In the Measure phase, the needs of the key stakeholders are identified and measurable CTQs are developed. The Analyze phase consists of subsystem design and generating and selecting the best possible concepts. In the Design phase, a detailed design for the product or service is developed and optimized. The robustness of the design is ensured to minimize the impact of variation on performance of the product or service. Finally, in the Validate phase, the generated designs are verified and validated using simulation and other approaches.

Some of the tools covered in DMADV training are: Multi-Generational Project Plans (MGPP), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Kano Analysis, Kansei Engineering, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Pugh Analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis, Fractional Design of Experiments, Taguchi Optimization, and Discrete Event Simulation methods.

In summary, DFSS is a powerful set of tools and techniques that can help you develop products and services that truly satisfy your key stakeholder needs. By adding this toolkit to your repertoire, you can demonstrate to your current or future employer that you understand how to not only reduce the bottom line costs using DMAIC but also develop robust products and services to increase top line growth using DFSS.

Now the key question - Who should go for DMADV Black Belt?

DMADV Black Belt is most suitable for those Green Belts or Black Belts ---

• Who are leading or wish to lead Six Sigma initiative in an organisation
  
• Who are involved in major process restructuring or process re-engineering
  
• Who see their role in initial conceptualisation of products/ processes
  
• Who do not see much scope in DMAIC projects as their processes have matured to a large extent and the only choice now is redesign
  
• Who want to reach perfection in process performance to create zero defect processes as differentiator
  
• Who need to often restructure processes due to emerging technology or due to highly competitive, ever changing nature of business
  
• Software development professionals, R & D professionals who work with new product development
  

As per me DFSS and it's methodalogy are the intelligent and sure ways to deploy the FMEA for the process or product.

In the most NPI (new product introduction) we used to do FMEA and that time only we get known most of the problems related to our product where we need to re-design and validate it. It is based on the data analysis from the NPI process itself. This NPI time only we will come to know most of the CTQ's.

I feel that DFSS gives us the capable process and ways to develop our process so that our product/sevice reach to the customer without fail/safely.

I eager to about Kano Analysis, Kansei Engineering.

Please reply..

Pankaj B.

Hyderabad

Dear Pankaj,

Kano Analysis is a tool that can be used to understand how the different features you provide on your product/service are viewed by your customer. According to Kano, there are three types of needs

a) Basic Needs

Performance Needs

c) Excitement Needs

Basic Needs are things that customers usually don't talk about but they expect it in the product. If it is there, they don't pay much attention to it, but if it is not there, then they get dissatisfied. Example is the presence of a driver's seat in the car.

Performance Needs are things that provide more satisfaction to the customers the more you provide them this feature. Example is the fuel efficiency in a automobile. Higher the better.

Excitement Needs are those that that customers don't even know about or expect that you are going to provide to them. If you give them this feature, then they are really excited and are willing to pay a premium for this feature. Example is a car that can drive itself (not available yet, so let's think about a car that can park itself).

So, in a DFSS project, if we are designing a product or service, we need to definitely provide the basic needs, provide as much performance needs as we can afford, and try to include excitement needs to outsmart the competition and charge a premium for our products/services.

Other comments on this thread?

Thanks Sir.