8 steps of Change Management

[Vishwadeep Khatri]

Q 425. LSS projects are also change projects and if not managed properly, they too can fail. How does a LSS project leader integrate Kotter's 8 steps of change management in the DMAIC framework?

 

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[Roshini Vijayan]

LSS Project success depends largely on how change management is driven at each stage and how the improvements are sustained to drive continuous improvement and as as a leader for driving the successful closer of LSS projects in an organization effective change management is key to success of the projects.

Kotter's guidelines effective change management through 8 steps including: Creating a sense of urgency, Forming powerful guiding coalitions, Developing a vision and a strategy , Communicating the vision, Removing obstacles and empowering employees for action, Creating short-term wins, consolidating gains and Strengthening change by anchoring change in the culture and to stick to it can be integrated at all of DMAIC stages. 

The integration of Change Management model at every stage ensures alignment to business goals and to ensure sustained behavior change through the application of a structured change management approach across phases .Kotter’s 8 step model can be explained with the help of the illustration given below 

 

 

	DMAIC	KOTTER	How LSS CM can be success be achieved through integration of the approaches
DEFINE PHASE	Define – Scoping	1.      Highlight the Urgency	Understand the need for Change which makes the need for change pressing to the user to focus and lessen the inertia to resist
	Define- Team Building	2.      Forming Powerful Guiding Coalitions	Identifying the effective change leaders in your organizations and the key stakeholders, requesting their involvement and commitment
	Define – Vision	3.      Developing Vision and Strategy	Ensure that the change leaders can describe the vision effectively for the people to easily understand and follow (clarity in Vision to team)
MEASURE & ANALYSE	Measure – Set Goals	4.      Communicate and Hight Light Urgency basis current state and Set Performance Goals basis current baseline	Focus on constant communication to create urgency on where we stand against the set goal
	Analyze	Communicate for Buy in ( 2 way for insights)	Communicate focus areas and priorities constantly
IMPLEMENTATION	Implementation	4.      Communicate/ Share Vision to people involved	Communicate change in vision very often powerfully &convincingly. Connect the vision with all the crucial aspects like performance reviews, training, etc. Handle people concerns /issues
		5.      Removing obstacles	Encourage to act Act as Scrum master facilitating to remove impediments
		6.      Empowering employees for action	Enable people to drive change and act
		7.      Creating short-term wins	Pick up Quick wins and Celebrate
CONTROL		8.      Anchoring Change	Create successful stories related to change initiatives on every given opportunity. Ensure SUSTAINING of the change by making it integral part of the organization culture

[Vijay_Krishnan]

Five key reasons why Lean Six Sigma projects fail are as below

1. Absence of a sense of urgency
2. No Buy-in from management or key stakeholders
3. Benefits of project not clearly quantified
4. Lack of resources and skills
5. Long time frame for results

Professor John P Kotter's 8 Steps of Change Management beautifully integrates into the LSS DMAIC framework providing the right kind of ammunition to propel LSS projects towards success and sustenance.

 

First lets have a look at what these 8 steps are and then delve into just 3 of them which I believe can be transformational for LSS projects

1.           Create a sense of urgency
2.            Build a guiding coalition
3.            Form a strategic vision and initiatives
4.            Enlist a volunteer army
5.            Enable action by removing barriers
6.            Generate short-term wins
7.            Sustain acceleration
8.            Institute change

LSS projects are generally initiated when an organization believes it requires a structured approach to process or business improvement. What is really required in this scenario is for the management to create a sense of urgency for the here and now of why the initiative or project is important for the company.

 

A burning platform helps build the required buy-in when the key stakeholders recognize the criticality of the initiative to their survival and growth as an organization. This also helps to convince the management to devote significant resources in time and effort for the success of the project.

 

The buy-in generated by this sense of urgency helps to rally the key stakeholders to form a guiding coalition which would keep the steam throughout the project's execution. 

 

What is also crucial during the execution of the LSS project is that the team achieves and celebrates several short term wins or reaps the low hanging fruits in order to keep the team motivated and inspired to go the full distance.

 

The below diagram shows where in the DMAIC process each of the steps of Kotter's Change Management can fit in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Venugopal R]

Benchmark Six Sigma Expert View by Venugopal R

 

John Paul Kotter, thought leader in business leadership and change management is known for his '8 steps of change management', as listed below:

 

1. Increase urgency

2. Build a guiding team

3. Get the vision right

4. Communicate for buy-in

5. Empower action

6. Create short term wins

7. Don't let up

8. Make change stick

 

Any continuous improvement program in an organization is a 'Change Management Process'. However let's map each one of Kotter's eight steps with the methods and terms popularized by Lean Six Sigma methodologies and terminologies.

 

1. Increase Urgency

 

One of the key concerns expressed by some Lean Six Sigma practitioners is that although they initiate a project, they fail to obtain sustained support and patronage from their leadership team. The LSS tool that helps to project the urgency is the 'Business Case' is the 'Project Charter'. One of the questions that we need to ask while formulating the business case is "Why is this project required now? What will happen if this project is NOT done NOW?". Defining a good business case and getting the project charter signed off with the sponsor is much emphasized for the very purpose of 'Increasing urgency'. It shouldn't be a ritualistic 'sign-off' but a genuine commitment to reflect the priority, importance and urgency.

 

2. Building a Guiding Team

 

The spirit of Lean Six Sigma included 'team work'. LSS offers a very structured hierarchy for building a team. Promoting Cross Functional Teams and building 'Process orientation' across the organization are essential expectations of a good LSS movement. The various portfolios defined in the LSS team, viz. Sponsor, Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, SME help to evolve a network of guided teams with multiple levels of authority, knowledge, responsibilities and guidance.

 

3. Getting the Vision Right

 

The LSS approach for Project identification begins from the Strategic Goals of the organization. A structured policy deployment using proven tools such as 'Balanced Score Card' is done to derive the projects and the CTQs. The projects thus derived will have to be inter connected and ultimately lead towards to the overall strategic goal of the organization. This implies setting the vision right at the strategic level and for each and every project. There are well defined methods for drilling down objectives to specific project goals. Every project is supported by well structured objective, goal and scope statements. All these enable getting the vision right for the organization and for each and every project as well.

 

4. Communicate for Buy-In

 

Every stage of a LSS project has defined documentation and communication requirements. Though the stakeholder 'buy-in' is an important aspect at each stage of the project, the two key stages during a project execution are the buy-in required while launching a project and while implementing the solution. Methods to perform 'stakeholder analysis', overcoming stakeholder resistances are key considerations during the Pre-Define phase of a project as well as during the solution implementation. There are detailed orientation for leaders using programs such as 'Change Acceleration Process' and 'Champions Programs' that help in preparing mindsets of decision makers to be adaptable and open for considering varied change propositions. The 'Pilot testing' which is an integral part of the 'Improve phase' provides another opportunity for practical communication of the proposed solution (change) and to facilitate 'buy-in'.

 

5. Empower Action

 

Well defined, structured and objective methodologies for Project selection, Fact based management, Causal analysis, Solution identification, Implementation and Handing Over foster participative leadership. For each portfolio of the LSS team, the responsibilities and authorities are defined and they may be further customized by respective organizations. Empowerments in terms of authority to lead projects, to perform trials and experimentations are built-in features of an LSS program. The various certifications reflect stages of authorities and empowerment to be entrusted with the individuals. A full fledged LSS program will have levels of empowerment viz. Enterprise wide projects, Functional projects and Kaizens at process levels.

 

6. Create short term wins

 

As part of the Define phase, LSS projects look for 'Quick wins'. Even when alternate solutions are identified in the 'Improve phase' using an "Effort vs Pay-off" matrix. Actions that can be done with low efforts though not resulting in high 'pay off' are classified as "Low Hanging Fruits". We can see the application of 'Short term wins' in yet another approach. It is quite common to have a Black-belt project, that could have sub-objectives deployed as smaller projects, viz. Green Belts and Yellow Belts. The success of such smaller projects are recognized as 'Short term wins' while the overall Blackbelt project may take longer time to be fully executed.

 

7. Don't let up

 

During the 'Analyze' phase, the set of 'potential causes' are identified and tools like the Fishbone diagrams, Affinity diagrams are used to capture and stratify such causes. Then we narrow down to critical causes by applying appropriate evaluations, which may include statistical tests. However, if we still do not identify the critical or root causes, we are not giving up, but we would move back to the list of potential causes and pick up other causes. If necessary we would add further to the list of potential causes. Another approach would be that if we do not find a strong relationship between a factor (X)  and the objective (Y), we would look for a multiple regression type of relationship. The set of tools for identifying and focusing on ultimate root causes provide adequate opportunities to explore in breadth.

 

8. Make changes stick

 

It is a very conscious decision to include the 'Control Phase' as part of the 'DMAIC' approach in LSS. One of the pre-requisites of implementing an improvement action is to ensure that the necessary control measures are in place to ensure that we sustain the gains. As part of the LSS way of thinking, we often refer to the equation Y = F(X). The entire pursuit of the project is to identify and quantify the Y and the X. While we set an improvement target for the "Y", identifying the appropriate X and establishing the relationship between Y and X is a key part of the project success. In order to make the changes stick or in other words the improvement to sustain, we need to monitor the Y and control the X factors. The concept of Poka-yoke is encouraged to try for mistake proven solutions. However the 'Control Plan' as part of the Control phase is a tool to ensure that the requisite controls are ensured for the objective to retain its improved status.

 

The above narrations are an effort to illustrate how the Lean Six Sigma program has inbuilt features that support all the 'Change Management' steps defined by John Kotter, just as expected for any successful CI program.

[Prashant Philip Vargis]

Six Sigma projects is done to solve a problem, which will lead to bringing changes in the system to improve the current situation. Changes often leads to disturbance among the employees as it is disrupting the existing way of work. So it is very important to have a very strong change management system in place. Kotter's change management model suggests steps to follow to have a strong change management system in pace. Following are the steps and what Six Sigma project leaders can do based on each step recommendation.

1. Create urgency - Show the strong reasons for the change by showing the negative impacts if the changes are not done like falling profit margin, falling market share, etc.

2. Build a guiding coalition - Select team who is for the change and ensure that all are aligned to the change objectives. This will ensure a strong bonding among the team members.

3. Form a strategic vision - Collect all objectives to achieve and make a vision statement, which is acceptable to all team members and easy to understand and relate. This ensures that all work towards reaching that vision.

4. Communicate the vision - It is very important to communicate properly the vision to all affected parties clearly so that all are having the same understanding. This step cannot be taken lightly by making easy ways of communication. We have to check all kinds of communication and select and implement the right way of communication.

5. Enable action by removing barriers - Identify all aspects of the organization which are acting as barriers and remove them. Examples are as follows - Right job description, right performance management, right reward system, talking and sorting with people who are resisting the changes.

6. Create short term wins - It is important to keep all affected parties of the change motivated. For this the project leads can create some short term goals and achieving them. By this, we can showcase short term wins.

7. Sustain acceleration - Six Sigma project leads need to ensure that the team keeping building upon the change already brought in so that people don't remain stagnant at a point.

8. Institute change - Embed the changes brought in into the company's vision, mission, values, beliefs and assumptions.

 

 

[James Bob Lawless]

Kotter's 8 Step Change Model can be related and integrated to LSS DMAIC projects by:

 

 

1. CREATE URGENCY (Brainstorming)

• Look for potential threats and create scenarios depicting what may happen in the future
• Identify and study opportunities that could potentially be expoloited
• Secure support from customers, external stakeholders and industry expert

 

2. FORM A POWERFUL COALITION (DEFINE PHASE)

• Identify key leaders and stakeholders to support your project. Similarly to Stakeholder Analysis in LSS Define Phase
• Create a SWOT analysis of your project team members to make sure you have a good mix of members to help in your project

3. CREATE A VISION FOR CHANGE (MEASURE PHASE)

• Identify the important values that are critical to the project. As to LSS, this is similar to identifying the critical Xs.
• Have a short-summary that depicts what you see. As to LSS, this is similar to Current & Future VSM

4. COMMUNICATE THE VISION (ANALYZE PHASE)

• Use the visions and make decisions and solve the problems. Likewise to LSS, these are your RCA sessions and tools
• Address the concerns and anxieties of the people. As to LSS, this step are similar to your Solution Brainstorming sessions and again the tools involve

5. REMOVE THE OBSTACLES (IMPROVE PHASE)

• Identify or hire change leaders whose main role is to deliver the changes. As to LSS, this is similar to building solutions and/or process re-engineering to come up with concrete solutions to address the root causes.

6. CREATE SHORT TERM WINS (IMPROVE PHASE)

• Find quick wins to be implemented. Similarly your Kaizen Burst or Quick Solutions to address the low hanging fruits or challenges.
• Examine and analyze potential solutions to address the challenges. Using Control-Impact and Effort-Impact Matrixes to prioritize solutions with the least amount of effort invesments and highest ROIs.

7. BUILD ON THE CHANGE (CONTROL PHASE)

• After each improvements, analyze what went well and look for further improvements. Similarly in LSS projects, you may relate this step as to the Future State Value Stream Map, whereas - you keep on improving the recently improved state of the process.

8. ANCHOR THE CHANGES IN CORPORATE CULTURE (CONTROL PHASE)

• Reward the project team members and recognize the key members that significantly delivered the positive changes. Create plans to replace key leaders of change and standardize the process. As to relating this to a LSS project, a well planned and managed process documentation is equially important to keep all improvements and avoid or eliminate future defects in the process. At the same time, project knowledge alignment across.

 

[MohitKR]

8 steps of change management process

 

1.     Establish a sense of urgency

If we can create a scenario where individuals are aware of an existing problem and can see a possible solution the support for change will rise.

 

2.     Form a powerful coalition

Assemble a team with enough power and influence in the organisation to lead the change effort. It’s not possible to lead the whole change process alone, and therefore coalition is important. The coalition will consist of a range of people with different skills and experience to maximise its effectiveness.  This will help in spreading messages throughout the organisation and ensure there is enough support for the change organisation wide.

 

3.     Create a vision

Create a vision which is easy to understand and generate support from the whole organisation. To have maximum effect it also needs to be inspirational.

 

4.     Communicate the vision

Use every possible way to communicate the vision. We can utilise the coalition we have built up to continuously communicate this message in their networks in every area of the business

 

 5.     Empower Others

Identify and Remove obstacles to the change. Change systems or structures that undermine the change without disrupting any other business areas. 

  

6.     Create short term wins

Change processes will take a while to reap benefits so it is important to demonstrate the advantages of the change process by creating some quick wins which is useful for motivation. Plan visible quick wins. Implement and recognise employees involved.

  

7.     Consolidate Improvements and build on change

Change the policies and procedures which does not fit the vision. Engage in recruiting and promoting employees who can support in implementing the desired vision.

  

8.     Institutionalise Changes

Continuously articulate the connections between the new way of working and corporate success. Weave new corporate culture into leadership development and succession planning.

 

Neglecting any of the above steps may be enough for the whole initiative to fail.

[Manas Mohapatra]

Kotter’s 8 steps of change management:

 

This model for change management helps to understand the change management thoroughly before implementing them in to the organization. This is more straightforward implementation of the changes in the organization. In this model 8 steps are involved to make the change management effective which are mentioned below.

1.    Create an urgency:

a.      In this step the potential threats should be identified and highlighted. It can also be used during the all the stage where the potential threats to the project can be identified and highlighted so that we can fix them.

b.      We can also examine the opportunities that can be selected through some effective intervention.

c.      Involvement of subject mater experts and key stakeholders on the issue of the changes in Improve phase to avoid further negative impact on other factors.

2.    Form a powerful coalition

a.      Identifying and involving change leaders and key stakeholders in the change management process to get the things done effectively.

b.      Need to form a powerful change coalition to work as a team

c.      Identification of the weak areas and involving the key stake holders across the functions and working in the multiple departments/function of the organization.

Note: During defining the team for a DMAIC project we can build a good team following the above points.

3.    Developing a vision & strategy

a.      Determination of the core value and defining the vision and the strategies to realize a change in the organization

b.      Vision should be well described by the change leaders so that all the stake holders and end user can understand clearly.

Note: This can be referred during the goal setting process and defining the goal statement in Define stage and in Improve stage the actions and changes are to be clearly mentioned.

4.    Communicating the Vision

a.      Communication of the vision is very important and should be connected with all the aspects like training and performance

b.      The issues of people and organization should be handled carefully and honestly

5.    Removing the Obstacles

a.      Continuous checking of the obstacles and potential barriers which can resist the changes

b.      Implement proactive approach to eliminate the barriers/obstacles found in the change management process

Note: We can identify the barriers/obstacles by creating the FMEA whenever it is required in DMAIC projects.

6.     Creation of short-term win

a.      Creation of short-term plan to win always a better idea to get the success in the change management.

b.      Focus should be on the changes where cost is not involved/low cost and easily achievable

c.      We should create multiple short-term plans instead of one long term plan to get success, that boost the confidence level of the change management team/project leader and team on wining a small success as well.

Note: We should find out the actions where cost is not involved and easy to implement during taking decision on implementation of changes.

7.    Consolidating the Gains

a.      Achieve continuous improvement by analyzing the success.

b.      Note: Improvement is to be gauges after implementation of the changes in Improve stage.

8.    Anchoring the changes

a.      Discuss the success story regarding change initiatives when ever you find an opportunity

b.      Ensure the changes is done successfully and integrated in the organization & it is visible to all

 

Note: In improve and control phase we can refer the above points.

 

 

Thank You!

[Prabhu G]

Change – is powerful word, verb which is relevant any time, perpetual and eternal.

Any change has its share of resistance or requiring inordinate efforts to pass through inertia.

• Water – phase change from liquid to water – would require high energy (latent heat).
• When Air shuttle moves from space stations and enter earth atmosphere, it is encountered with resistance

Hence above changes have to be managed properly with across PDCA cycle. Same is true for Change in projects whether it is driven and managed by People, organization etc. There are many methodologies, competencies involved in managing changing projects. Professionals are trained especially project managers in various project management tools like PMP/ PMBOK guidelines. While these address technical aspects, there are many other softer elements like behavior, culture one need to address during driving, managing change. There are various models like :

 

Bruce Tuckman model – forming, storming, norming, performing – helps in preparing one self with various phases when teams are formed to undertake projects.

Patrick Lencioni- 5 Dysfunctions of team and how it affects team dynamics

Other such model is Dr. John Kotter’s – 8 step processes for Leading change

https://www.kotterinc.com/8-step-process-for-leading-change/

 

Kotter’s 8 steps are 3 broad steps

• Create a climate for change
• Engage and enable organization
• Implement and sustain change

There is subtle advantage lies with Project Managers who are trained as LSS champions/ Green / Black belts who are trained in DMAIC approach. A disciplined approach of DMAIC helps in adhering to Kottler’s change management guiding principles.

 

Create climate for change

Under this project manager must establish sense of urgency, collaboration requirements, goal post or vision. Define phase of DMAIC approach takes care of above change element. LSS Project leads have to ensure that change project is well defined by understanding

• Voice of customer
• Voice of Business
• Business Case
• Impact That is created (quantitative, qualitative)
• Team formation

 

Engage and enable organization

Communication of Vision is as important step in this. While working on Define phase, it is extremely important that LSS project leads ensure all stake holders are engaged. SIPOC process as part of Define measure understanding Customer to Supplier value chain and how project / project outcomes are influenced. Force Field analysis, Stake holder analysis, Resistance analysis – help in ensuring developing right foundation and first step is built in the change process.

 

Defining Project champion, Process Owner and Project Sponsor – helps in senior management commitment in change. Periodic review and governance as defined in Project charter helps in reviewing the project progress against milestones, seek support for resources, any decisions that are required from sponsor / top management. These review forums can be used as platform to highlight quick wins, reward and recognize efforts of teams. All these are part of Kotter’s step 5 - 6 of change management i.e Empower Broad based actions, generate short term wins.

 

In improve phase- Pug matrix, Brain storming techniques are also means to derive solutions by collaborative efforts.

 

Implement, Sustain change – These are important aspects which LSS Project managers have to be taken care as of Improve and control Phase in DMAIC approach.

Like in 5 S – Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain – last 2 steps are key factors in managing life cycle, generating repeatable models, institutionalizing processes for sustained performance.

 

Conclusion: While LSS champions, project leaders are well trained and equipped to drive and manage changes by adhering DMAIC approach, various change requirements have to be dealt with appropriate tools in letter & spirit – And one such approach is John Kotter’s 8 steps of change management.

[C V Satish]

Introduction

 

John P Kotter is acclaimed  to be an authority of tallest order in the field "Change Management"   and the foremost speaker on "Leadership". He has authored 18 books and has been faculty of HBS since 1972.Prof Kotter is a recipient of American Society for Training & Development  lifetime achievement award in recognition of his invaluable contributions in the fields of Organizational Transformation and Change management. 8 Steps of Change management professed by Kotter is perhaps has its most profound impact on the organizations globally.

 

8 Steps of Change Management

 

1. Increase Urgency: This helps to differentiate between complacency, false urgency and true urgency.

2.Build a Guiding Team: Putting together right coalition of people is critical to the success of the change management initiatives. 

3. Get the vision right: A clear message that speaks hearts and minds of the organization.

4. Communicate for Buy in: It is mobilizing an aligned army of people and action at top sends a powerful message to the entire organization.

5. Empower action: It Addresses skills, structures and systems

6. Create short term wins: Celebrate success visibly and reward those who helped accomplish it. This maintains the momentum for change which is critical for long term implementation of strategic initiatives.

7. Don't Let up: An organization which works in aligned, urgent and accelerated manner creates significant competitive advantage.

8. Make Change Stick: New practices must grow deep to remain sustained.

 

 

Adoption of Change Management steps in D-M-A-I-C

 

Six Sigma methodology demands results and hence differs from other quality and process improvement methodologies. Results are delivered by projects which are tightly linked to the customer demands and enterprise strategy. LSS is a synergy of project management and business process improvement practices.

The eight steps of change management can be seen integrated well right from the Define phase up to Control phase of DMAIC from crafting a Project Charter up to handing over to the process owners and beyond.

 

In the closing

 

The world changing today at a pace unfathomable, the organizations irrespective of their size and sector have to respond faster than ever before and remain agile to remain in the business and market.

 

[Santosh SHARMA]

 

Organizational Transformation is often met with resistance & the implementation of changes is an intimidating prospect. However, for sustainable business adaptation is essential . 

According to a research by Harvard Business Review, more than 65% of organizational change initiatives fail.

John Kotter developed the "Kotter's 8 Step Change Model" to increase ability of change and. success.

The 8-steps for change management are:

1. Establish a sense of urgency
2. Form a guiding coalition
3. Develop a strategic vision & initiatives
4. Convey the vision for buy-in
5. Empower others to enact action
6. Generate short-term wins
7. Sustain acceleration
8. Incorporate changes into the culture

 

 

[prvnt]

 

John Kotter who was a Harvard Business School professor, had developed Kotter’s 8 steps which helps in executing change management effectively within organizations

 

Kotter's 8-Step Change Model

·       Step One: Create Urgency - people involved need to understand the importance and urgency

·       Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition - choose people who can help in bringing out the change

·       Step Three: Create a Vision for Change - A vision with key values and objective need to be derived

·       Step Four: Communicate the Vision - Vision and objectives need to communicate properly and         clearly to all         levels of organization

·       Step Five: Remove Obstacles - Removing obstacles at various levels to ensure change is         carried out without issues

·       Step Six: Create Short-Term Wins - Short term goals need to be derived which help in keeping the team         motivated when team achieve them

·       Step Seven: Build on the Change - Its important to keep changing and not to lose focus

·       Step Eight: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture - Leadership must initiate this, by          constantly reinforcing the new expectations

 

Now lets see how Kotter’s 8 steps can be blended into the DMAIC framework.

SixSigma blackbelts use quality management tools to define, measure, analyze, improve and control processes. Using change management techniques by Kotter, they can facilitate and manage organizational change by explaining to project team members how it makes sense by changing processes to enhance. Threats and obstacles to implementing the proposed changes are unearthed here. Six Sigma Black Belts lead these initiatives, with support from stakeholders, key team members, sponsors. Process improvements should need to tangible benefits, accordingly, the leaders can build the team and which generates the momentum needed to evolve and alter .

Six Sigma initiative that is successful, spreads throughout the entire company. Each department establishes and finalizes its own process improvement goals. Leaders then consolidate these goals to finalize the company's vision. Each project team identify their own goals and motivated team members embrace the vision and plan working towards it. A uniform message is communicated to everyone through presentations, email message, newsletter etc. Vision should be clear at all levels and simple. Complicated vision make people lose interest or interpret it incorrectly.

Along with Project goals, personal development goals also need to be aligned while using Kotter’s change management steps to enhance Six Sigma results. When every employee makes process improvement a part of his development plan, things like error reduction, waste elimination and improve customer satisfaction also gets embedded.

Rewards and recognition are also key here. This makes sure employees remain motivated. Short-term wins need to be celebrated, changes through improvements should be made a part of company review meetings, newsletters and award ceremonies.

[Johanan Collins]

DMAIC framework?

Kotter’s Eight Steps and the DMAIC framework

1.         Creating a Sense of Urgency

In the Define stage, the Project Charter creates a sense of urgency for the senior management.  It needs to have a compelling Business case in order to get the buy-in of the senior management.

2.         Building a Guiding Team.

The Team Members which are included in the Project Charter need to be selected with great care. Also, the Stakeholder Analysis done in the Define stage contributes towards the building of a guiding Team. Position power, expertise, credibility, and leadership need to be taken into consideration right at the Define stage of the DMAIC Process

In the Improve and Control Phase of the DMAIC process, the team members to Improve/Implement and control the project should be chosen with great care.

3.         Get the Vision Right

John Kotter in his book Leading Change has defined A right vision as being imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible, and communicable. Getting the vision right is critical to a DMAIC project and starts right with the Project Charter in the Define Phase. The Project should be approved only if the vision is right and has SMART Goals.

4.         Communicate for Buy-in

Frequent and uniform communication for buy-in is necessary for change to take place. Buy-in has to be first communicated in a very strong manner in the Define Phase. The Measure phase would further validate buy-in. Once the Measure phase has validated the buy-in, the communication of buy-in needs to be sustained in the Analyse and Improve phase, however once again the Buy-in needs to be stepped up during the Control phase. The Buy-in during the control phase would need to include the entire staff of the area of implementation of the LSS Project.

5.         Empower Action

Often the obstacles to empowering action are structural barriers, skills, systems, and supervisors. These barriers need to be removed in order to empower action. The LSS Project Leader would need to empower his team during the Improve and Control Phase. It is during these phases that the team is going to come in direct confrontation with the staff of the area of implementation and without empowerment, it would be difficult for the team to improve/implement and control the project.

6.         Create Short Term Wins

Short-term wins help in maintaining the momentum of the project. Short-term wins should be created right from the Define Phase. However, there is plenty of scope for the Project Leader to create short-term wins during the Analyse, Improve, and Control Phase. The LSS project leader needs to be creative in coming up with short-term wins throughout the Project.

7.         Don’t Let Up

The Project Leader should ensure that the team is kept motivated and does not give up. He should ensure that the timelines are followed and the scope creep does not take place.

He should ensure that the documentation prepared through the Project and is a tollgate requirement of the Control phase includes the Issues/Opportunities, lessons learnt that may be taken up in the next project.

8.         Make Change Stick

This involves a cultural change and is the last step. DMAIC and Lean Project are a philosophy that operates within a Lean culture. The Project Leader needs to study the perquisites for the new system and prepare a cultural change in the area of operation of the new system.

Conclusion

A DMAIC Project would be a failure without change management. Incorporating the Eight steps of change as enumerated by John Kotter and the three steps of Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze as enumerated by Kurt Lewin at various stages in the DMAIC framework is necessary for the success of the Projecrt. The LSS Project Leader needs to understand both these change models and be creative in integrating these change models in the DMAIC framework.

References

Benchmark Six Sigma Blackbelt Preparatory Module

[kiran Kumar R]

All LSS projects focus on finding new ,innovative solution for process improvement and the same can’t exist without implementing a change effectively. Integrating lean six sigma methodologies with effective change management strategies are required for a smooth transition of change.” John Kotter”, a Harvard business school professor ,has introduced the  8 process steps theory for change management in his book , “Leading change”. According to him the change management needs to follow the 8 steps mentioned below, for it to be effective and sustainable.

 

Step 1: Create Urgency

To develop an urgency around the need for change and to spark the initial motivation is critical. Initiate discussion on the potential threats ,opportunities  and communicate effectively to convince the people on the need and importance of change.

 

Step 2: Form a Powerful Coalition

You need to bring together a coalition or a team of influential people ,who are powerful across their job title, expertise and status. Once such a coalition is formed, you need to lead the change as a team.

 

Step 3: Create a Vision for Change

A clear vison can help people understand the need for change. Creating a vision which  determine the values that are central to the change. Creating s strategy to execute the vison would the next steps to follow.

 

Step 4: Communicate the Vision

Frequent and powerful communication in everything you do regarding the change is an inevitable step. It is important to lead by example, as what you do is more important than what you say.

 

Step 5: Remove Obstacles

Check for barriers in the change constantly. Removing obstacles will empower the people executing their vison. Rewarding people for making change happen and hiring leaders to drive change are suggested at this stage.

 

Step 6: Creating Short-term Wins 

Nothing motivates like a success, short wins are extremely important to keep the team motivated. Short wins could be created by keeping the target small or achievable.

 

Step 7: Build on the change

Effort to improve continuously on what is done right ,is critical to ensure the effectiveness of change management.

 

Step 8: Anchor the changes in corporate culture

Make continuous effort to ensure that the change is seen in every aspect of your organization. Communicate the success stories and utilize every chance to talk about the progress.

[Chaitanya Shankar Nemani]

A LSS Project Leader follows DMAIC framework to accomplish improvement projects.

Define Measure Analyze Improve Control

 

John Paul Kotter is the “Konosuke Matsushita” Professor in the division of Leadership & Emeritus, at the Harvard Business School. He is an author and also the founder of Kotter International, a management consulting firm based in Seattle and Boston. He is one of the best thought leader in business, leadership, and change.

While writing a book namely, In Leading Change (1996), and later in The Heart of Change (2002), Kotter defines an eight-stage model of successful change. The eight stages or rather steps include: -

 

1.       Create sense of Urgency – Discuss about the problem and communicate the urgency to solve it

2.       Build Guiding Coalition –Identify the supporting team members to obtain the data and start measuring the problem

3.       Form a Strategic Vision – Analyze the risks & challenges. This sow the seeds of achievable vision.

4.       Enlist Vision Buy-in and form an Army – Start thinking “how” the future model eliminates the current problem and form a solution building team.

5.       Enable Actions by removing barriers – Understand the barriers and fix it early before advancing.

6.       Generate Short Term Wins – See the low hanging fruits and quick fix them.

7.       Sustain Acceleration – Stay motivated with quick fixes and accelerate the achievements of long-term goals.

8.       Institute changes – Communicate the improved/improving changes to the entire organization and bring the culture of continuous improvement.

 

Below picture demonstrates, how the Kotter's 8 steps change management process fits at various DMAIC stages :-

 

 

[Sandip Mittra]

Statistic says about 60% of the corporate lean six sigma projects fail. If we perform RCA on these failed projects, we will see that most of them have failed as it could not continue with the improvement proposed. There are several factors to it. However, the most common factor is the change management was not factored properly in the scope of the project.

 

To improve the success rate of LSS project, we need to factor few of the concepts below:

 

·       Management Support

·       Process Owner Support

·       Selection of the Project

·       Scoping the Project

·       Data Driven approach

·       Selection of Team members

·       Change Management

 

If we analyze the above points and compare the Kotter’s 8 step Model of Change, we find lot of similarity. Let us understand the Kotter’s change model and analyze how it may help in improving the probability of LSS project success. Below are the 8-step model of change proposed by John Kotter.

 

1.       Creating an Urgency: - Management team can help us to suggest on the projects which could be picked up on priority, having huge impact in revenue, multiple escalations, Client with renewals coming days, etc. Once we have this, we are sure to get the management support. This, therefore, helps us in project selection and get the buy-in from Management.

2.       Forming a Powerful Coalition: - Process owner is the one who can drive the change. He / She can be from the team or someone appointed by the management. If we have a person who can influence the team and make them adapt the change, the entire project will be just a cake walk

3.       Developing a Vision and a Strategy – The process owner & Management place a vital role here. He / She can share the vision and may assign some target to the team.

4.       Communicating the Vision: - If the process owner can show the benefit with the project with the team, the adaption can increase. They also select few of the team members (SPOCs) who can help in implementing the ideas. The process owner may set some of the parameters as KPI, which will help the change management to sail through

5.       Removing Obstacles: - The process owner or the SPOCs who will enable the Project team to deploy the improvements. He / She will be driving the success of the improvement opportunities within the team.

6.       Creating Short-Term Wins- Any sort term wins give some confidence to the professionals and therefore, any future improvement can be implemented without much of resistance.

7.       Consolidating Gains – Capturing the benefit & presenting the success stories in different forums will help the team feel proud and motivated.

8.       Anchoring Change in the Corporate Culture – Marketing the success stories from all around will help the team to be motivated for new projects and improvement ideas. RnR also can be a mechanism to support change.

 

I, therefore, would like to re-iterate that the probability of LSS project success lies in better change management and Kotter’s model is one which can obviously follow to make it happen.

[Pradeep S.]

Define

1. Highlight Urgency.

• Define possible issues and risks which may occur in future.
• Analyzing the chances which can be noticed through effective interventions.
• Initiate open and transparent dialogues and discussions to motivate people to accept the issues at hand and provide convincing reasons for doing so.
• On the issue of change, encourage industry professionals, key stakeholders, and customers to participate and support us.

Measure

2. Form a Powerful Coalition.

• Identifying your organization's effective change leaders as well as key stakeholders and requesting their participation and contribution to the entire process.
• Develop a strong change coalition which will work together.
• Identify the problem areas in the coalition teams and make sure that they include a diverse group of influential people from various cross-functional departments and levels of an organization.

Analyze

3. Create a Vision for Change.

• Identifying core values, defining the desired vision, and continuing to develop strategies for implementing change in a company.
• Inspect whether the change leaders can effectively describe the vision in a way that others can comprehend and follow.

Improve

4. Communicate the Vision.

• Communicate the shift in vision as often as possible, and do so in a compelling and persuasive manner. Connect the vision to all of the important aspects, such as performance evaluations and training.
• Handle people's concerns and issues with honesty and involvement.

5. Remove Obstacles.

• Verify that the organization's procedures and framework are in place and that they are in line with the company's overall vision.
• Check for obstacles or people who are resistant to change on a regular basis. Take proactive steps to overcome the challenges that come with the change process.
• Incentivize people for supporting the change process and endorsing it.

6.     Create Short-Term Wins.

• You can give an indication of victory in the early stages of change by creating short-term wins early in the process.
• Create a number of short-term goals rather than a single long-term goal, which are more attainable, less expensive, and less likely to fail.
• Recognize and reward the contributions of those who are involved in achieving the goals.

Control

7.     Build on the Change.

• Continuously improve by evaluating success stories one by one and learning from each one.

8.     Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture.

• Every chance you get, talk about success stories related to change initiatives.
• Ensure that the change becomes ingrained in your company's culture and is visible in all aspects of operations.
• Ensure that the existing company leaders, as well as the new ones, continue to support the change.

[Afzal Wadood]

Change is difficult to implement even if we know that it is needed .In any organization, to implement change we need some defined approach or framework. Kotter’s 8 step is one of such change management framework. Since the LSS projects are also change projects, we can use this model steps in different stages of DMAIC for successful LSS project completion.  Here are the change management steps:

 

Kotter’s 8 steps :

1. Establishing a Sense Of Urgency
2. Building A Coalition That Can Make Change Happen
3. Develop A Vision And Strategy
4. Communicating The Change Vision
5. Empower Broad Based Action
6. Generating Short Term Wins
7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture

 

             These steps can be integrated in the below stage of LSS projects.

 

• Define : Here we select the most important opportunities for improvement and define the project scope. We also identity project team members (stakeholders) and project goals. So , Kotter’s step 1, 2 and 3 can be used here in define stage of the DMAIC.

 

• Measure: Here we establish baselines of current performance of the process we want to improve through the LSS project and communicate this to stakeholder. Here step 3 , 4 of the Kotter’s model will be relevant.

 

• Analyse & Improve: Here we analyze the underlining causes of the problems, from where improvement actions can be decided. Team identifies, communicate and implement the improvement actions needed. Kotter’s model step 5 and 6 are relevant here.

 

• Control : Work on  maintaining  the improved process under control for long term effectiveness. Once the process is changed and stabilized,  look for further process improvement opportunities. Step 7 and 8 of Kotter’s model can be utilized in this stage.

[Mayank Gupta]

Excellent answers from all participants. The best answer was provided by Roshini Vijayan for exploring the possibilities of multiple steps being integrated within the different phases of DMAIC.