Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza

Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
Part C – Six Sigma Project Charter Six Sigma Projects under Consideration Based on the value stream map title Value Stream Mapping and Analysis (Attachment 1), the following Six Sigma projects are recommended for consideration: Total Lead Time Reduction. This metric (62-days) is being driven by the amount of process time that is specific to getting on a government customer’s (USG) calendar to review products on two occasions, coordinate schedules and clearances, and finally to get schedules aligned in order to execute an engagement. In other words, this reflects the total time it takes our field offices to deliver on internal and external customer requests for engagements. Activity Ratio (AR) Improvement. The AR of .76% represents an extremely low value and indicates that workflow is idle nearly 99% of the time that it takes requests to flow through this process. It would appear that we spend a significant amount of our operations in a passive mode. Percent Complete and Accurate Improvement (specific to Step 4). While on the surface it does not appear that field office operations have a problem with quality of product as reflected in each step of the value stream, the Rolled Percent C&A indicates that greater than 80% of the time, products have to be reworked to some extent across the value stream. The is a reflection of our quality output across our value stream but it begins with Step 4. While correcting any one of these three metrics will have a positive impact to our value stream, I am recommending that we address percent complete and accurate as our priority Six Sigma project. Why? Because % C&A across the value stream is not only impacting our Rolled % C&A but it is also adversely affecting total lead time and activity ratio which ultimately increase our operating costs and could potentially tarnish our customer-brand relationships. For example, referring to our government affairs value stream, we can see that steps 4, 5, and 6 in the process require either receiving or reviewing of briefing products. This equates to 22 of the 62 days in the process. While I hesitate to call out any goals for the project at this point, I have to believe that improving our percent complete and accurate at any one of these three steps (4, 5, or 6) will reduce total lead time, improve activity ratio, and ultimately result in advancing our business-like relationships with internal and external customers. I am recommending we focus specifically on the percent complete and accurate in Step 4 of our value stream. Project Charter Project Name Defense Industry Field Office Six Sigma Project No. 1 Problem Statement Our recent Value Stream Mapping activity concluded that over the past year, it takes us three independent steps to receive and review briefing products in advance of an executive-level customer engagement. Those steps have percent complete and accurate figures of 60, 80, and 95 percent respectively and are ultimately contributing to our total led time for the process of 62 days resulting in increased costs and adverse customer relations – both internal and external. Goal Statement Our goal is to improve the quality of our briefing products when first received, to eliminate multiple reviews (internal and external), reduce operating costs, and contribute to improved customer-brand relations. Specifically, this project will target an increase in the percent complete and accurate of our briefing products (Power Point Presentations) received in Step 4 from 60% to 90% within five months of project kick-off. Project Scope In Scope This project will focus on Step 4 of our Field Office Value Stream Map and research why % C&A for briefing products received by the field office is 60% – what are the drivers Analysis will be limited to assessing the average number of pages per briefs (no more than five pages is the customer limit for executive-level briefs), defining accuracy (the brief must reflect our business unit’s current line of products), relevancy of content (the brief must specifically address the customer’s request for information), and quality (administrative errors) – percentage grades will be assigned by reviewers We will conduct weekly, all day (eight hour) face-to-face meetings – not including project kick off, mid-course review, and final report debrief Out of Scope This project will not focus (initially) on process steps leading up to or after Step 4 in our Field Office Value Stream Map Metrics other than % C&A will not be considered for analysis unless the team elects to modify scope Critical-to-Quality Requirements of Processes within Scope The below CTQs are directly traceable to scope as related to briefing products: Length. Briefs can be no more than five pages in length Accuracy. Briefs must only include material on our products that are currently in production and/or, available in inventory Relevancy of Content. Company products referenced in briefing materials must be traceable to the customer’s request for information. Quality. Briefing materials must conform to the corporation’s standard corporate format and color scheme and be error free on first pass Key Metrics In order to develop a clear understanding of why our products do not have a high % C&A in Step 4 of our value stream the following metrics will be analyzed: Average length of Business Area briefs in number of pages Accuracy measured in percent of products referenced in our briefs that are readily available to the customer Relevancy of content measured in percent of content that is traceable to the customer’s request for information Quality measured in number of format, spelling, and color scheme errors per brief (first pass) Expected Benefits Operational Improved internal customer relations – speed to close on engagement by ultimately eliminating errors and redundancies in product reviews Improved external customer relations – qualitative improvement in briefing products delivered to USG SMEs reducing review time with the potential to eliminate one industry and USG SME product review (Step 6) Financial 30% improvement in process time in first pass review of briefing products by Field Office SME – should reduce process time by one eight-hour work day annually per field office producing savings of $1000+ annually per field office (considering 12 engagements per year per Navy field office) The potential to eliminate one Field Office SME and USG SME Product Review (Step 6) – should save 1.5 work days annually per field office producing savings of $1500+ annually per Field Office (considering 12 engagements per year per service field office) Milestones for DMAIC Phases The expected level of effort will require 10 hours per week for the project lead and five hours per week by core team members (50% of which will be virtual to remain within budget). Project Champion. Corporate Vice President – TBA Project Leader. Field Office Senior Manager Project Team Members (Core) Corporate Six Sigma Black Belt Field Office A Representative Field Office B Representative Field Office C Representative Field Office D Representative Ad-Hoc Team Members Operations Analyst Human Resources Manager Financial Management Specialist Administrative Assistant IT/AV Specialist Approved by & Date /s/ Project Champion November 18, 2017 6
Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
  CHECKLIST FOR PROJECT CHARTER TEMPLATE PROJECT NAME: PROBLEM STATEMENT:   – Specific; problem is specific, not a general problem.  State specifically what the problem is, in specific terms  –  Measurable; specify size of problem and its operational and business impact in measureable terms –  Chronic problem or performance deficiency (not a one-time or one-off problem)  –  No blame no causes, no solutions in the problem statement GOAL STATEMENT:  –  Target level of performance to be achieved by the project, and by when –  SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound PROJECT SCOPE:  –  Manageable and doable “bite size” project, within 6 months or less; not “world hunger” size –  Specify what’s in-scope and what’s out-of-scope (for example, residential customers are in scope but commercial customers are out of scope) CTQs of PROCESSES WITHIN PROJECT SCOPE:  –  CTQs are stated correctly –  One or more of the listed CTQs is/are the Key Metric(s) for this project.  Note: CTQs are the performance characteristics of a process, product or service that are critically important to customers.  For example, timely deliveries measured by % on-time, and correct deliveries measured by % correct and accurate.  Or correct temperature of pizzas (so that customers receive hot pizzas), measured by degrees Fahrenheit. KEY METRIC:   –  Stated as a metric (i.e. the focus of the project; this is the metric to be measured, analyzed and improved during the project) Note:  This is the performance outcome Y (in Y=f(x)) to be improved by the project, stated in measureable terms, such as: order-to-delivery time in hours, % on-time, % defective, thickness of pizza crust in inches, or temperature of pizza in degrees F. EXPECTED BENEFITS  (operational and financial benefits to be expected when project goal is achieved): MILESTONES FOR DMAIC OR DMADV PHASES: –  Projected start/end dates for each DMAIC phase of the project PROJECT CHAMPION:  PROJECT LEADER (Green Belt or Black Belt): PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS: AD-HOC MEMBERS: APPROVED BY & DATE:    — END OF CHECKLIST — 
Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
Part C: Six Sigma Project Charter(s) Overview Six Sigma projects are powerful tools for achieving breakthrough improvements. Improvement projects utilize the DMAIC methodology, while design or re-design projects use the DMADV methodology. Such projects can be undertaken for large or small initiatives, but because they require a fair bit of work in planning and engaging the team, are usually applied in situations where a significant change effort is likely to lead to an outcome well in excess of the work put into the project. In the first two parts of your Operations Management Course Project, you have: (A) mapped and analyzedthe value stream, and (B) organized Kaizen or Work-Out sessions to address improvement opportunities which do not require rigorous data analysis. Now you are ready to move forward with one or more projects that leverage the power of Six Sigma’s tools and rigorous data-driven analysis. A project charter is needed for each proposed Six Sigma project. Project charters enable management to understand, evaluate and approve projects for launch. Instructions Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organization. 1) Explain the Six Sigma project(s) that you would recommend to senior management, and justify your selection. 2) Develop a detailed Project Charter for your recommended project. The project charter must include the following: a. Problem statement b. Goal statement or Objectives c. Project Scope. d. Critical-to-quality requirements or CTQs of the processes within the scope of thisproject e. Key metric Y (or key metrics Ys) f. Expected operational and financial benefits of the project g. Milestone dates for each phase of DMAIC (or DMADV) h. Project team (titles of project team leader and members) i. Champion (title of executive or senior manager)
Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
PROJECT CHARTER PROJECT NAME: PROBLEM STATEMENT (must be a specific, measurable and chronic problem or performance gap/deficiency; No blame, no causes, no Solutions in this statement): GOAL STATEMENT (what level of performance is to be achieved, by when, for this project. Must be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound): PROJECT SCOPE (must be a manageable and doable “bite size” project, within 6 months or less): IN-SCOPE: OUT-OF-SCOPE: CTQs of PROCESSES WITHIN PROJECT SCOPE: (example: https://www.isixsigma.com/methodology/voc-customer-focus/defining-ctq-outputs-key-step-design-process/) KEY METRIC (this is the performance outcome Y to be improved by the project, stated in measureable terms, such as: delivery time in hours, % yield ) EXPECTED BENEFITS (operational and financial benefits to be expected when project goal is achieved): MILESTONES FOR DMAIC OR DMADV PHASES: PROJECT CHAMPION: PROJECT LEADER (Green Belt or Black Belt): PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS: AD-HOC MEMBERS: APPROVED BY & DATE:
Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
SIX SIGMA PROJECTS HRIS PROJECTS IDEAS: System/Process Enhancements: Online New Hire Paperwork and Onboarding Ancillary Notifications from Hiring Process Online Position Request Report Access for Departments Outside of HR Manager Self-Service: Online/Automation of Compensation Increases with Approvals and Workflow Online Terminations Online Position Request Employee Self-Service Address Updates by the Employee Name Updates by the Employee RECOMMENDED PROJECT: Manager Self Service/Online Terminations – Voluntary SUPPORT: Historically, HR has been responsible for knowing when an employee is active or terminated; and when employees resign, managers would just say “go tell HR”. Acme, Inc. has grown significantly in the last four years and HR is not able to monitor employees to the same level of detail that they used to, and employees do not “tell HR” because they already told their manager. This is causing many (voluntary) terminated employees to be overpaid because they are not timely terminated before the next payroll processes – totaling about $53,000 in payroll expense over the last eighteen months. Foreman, Supervisors and Managers have better line of sight to who is (and who is not) employees on their shifts and crews and when employees resign, they will tell their leader first. Acme, Inc. owns the Manager Self Service functionality in our HRIS, Workday, and terminations are three clicks for the leaders to submit for processing. Because voluntary terminations are typically done with some notice to the managers, these are a perfect place to start to drive cost out. These payroll expenses are a 100% avoidable cost and with a system workflow, there will be timely notifications and, once implemented, we will have configurable options available to us to enhance the termination process for other parties that have actions triggered by a termination. PROJECT CHARTER PROJECT NAME: Acme, Inc. US Workday/Manager Self Service Voluntary Termination Process. PROBLEM STATEMENT: Over the last eighteen months Acme, Inc. has overpaid $52,160 dollars to voluntarily terminated employees in Acme, Inc. US/Workday – reflecting an overpayment to 30% of our terminated employees. GOAL STATEMENT: Reduce overpayment to terminated employees that voluntarily leave Acme, Inc. US/Workday to less than 1% of terminations within six months. PROJECT SCOPE: IN-SCOPE: Voluntary Terminations for Acme, Inc. US employees that are in Workday. OUT-OF-SCOPE: Involuntary Terminations, any non-US business unit or any business unit that is not in Workday. CTQs OF PROCESSES WITHIN PROJECT SCOPE: No monies paid to an employee that is not earned. Ex-employees don’t have to pay back dollars due to company error. No rework or retroactive processing for the HRBP, HRIS and Payroll teams. KEY METRIC Less than 1% of terminations to be retroactive and $0 in payroll costs on ex-employees. EXPECTED BENEFITS: OPERATIONAL: Reduce retroactive processing from payroll Reduce manual work arounds Reduce risk introduced in manual intervention of employee pay Tax, Payroll, and Benefit Program Compliance FINANCIAL: Cost savings from reduced overpayment in payroll expenses Hard dollars from the overpayment Soft dollars from time spent (wages) calculating what to collect Soft dollars from time spent (wages) contacting and collecting monies from ex-employee Cost savings from ineligible benefit coverage Hard dollars from erroneously covering medical expenses Hard dollars from over-contributing to 401k and match Soft dollars from time spent correcting and reversing records MILESTONES: Using the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) method, these would be the project milestones. PROJECT CHAMPION: VP, HR and VP IT PROJECT LEADER: HRIS Manager PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS: HRBP, HRIS, Payroll AD-HOC MEMBERS: Recruiting, Benefits, IT, Floor Managers (the “do-ers”) APPROVED BY & DATE: VP, HR and VP, IT | 11.15.17
Use your work in Part A and Part B of your Course Project, and what you have learned so far in this course to identify a potential Six Sigma project that can benefit the value stream and your organiza
Identify potential projects Identifying the potential projects for Six Sigma lays the foundation for understanding it. By striving towards this object, you learn to develop and implement other necessary skills, such as applying the proper screening criteria, screening projects, and prioritizing them for launch. Once you take note of the mandatory components necessary to this identification, then these projects are easily identified. The first component is figuring out the company’s annual goals by inquiring about the necessary improvements, performance gaps in key metrics as well as key performance indicators. With this information, you can then determine which Six Sigma projects would help to achieve these goals. Not all performance gaps have to be closed, so the reports on products, services and processes should first be assessed. It’s important to identify all of the potential targets for Six Sigma projects. The data from returns and claims along with other feedback, including audits, must be reviewed in order to identify any deficient areas with long histories of poor performance. Employee suggestions are another source for identifying projects, especially where the improvement ideas are supported by data. Now once you’ve identified potential projects, you have to screen them to see if Six Sigma is appropriate. You can screen them using the following criteria. The performance deficiency should be a recurring or chronic issue, which means it should not be a one-time occurrence. The opportunity should be specific to a particular product, process, or service.  Next, it should be measurable. You cannot improve what you cannot measure. Then the improvement opportunity should have a significant operational and financial impact. Finally, there must be alignment. Each project should help you achieve annual goals and targets established by senior management. Potential projects must pass every one of these screening criteria. Yes, every criterion, no exceptions.  Now, it would be great to select every project that passed screening, but there is not a huge bandwidth due to time constraints, as well as limited resources and other competing priorities. Choices have to be made. Senior management must step up to prioritize and select the right projects to launch.  These professionals are in the best position to see the entire forest, not just the trees. This broad perspective enables to think beyond the present and into the long-term consequences of their actions. Projects that save $50,000 should not be prioritized above projects that save over a million dollars. You don’t want to suboptimize.  It is vital that you put the company’s limited bandwidth to the best possible use. In addition to financial impact, the degree of urgency should also be considered when prioritizing. For example, is there a risk of a major product recall, or are we risking noncompliance that results in a plant shutdown by the regulators? What would happen if we don’t select this project? The considerations for prioritizing include: the project’s impact on customers, the degree of difficulty in executing the project, and the level of change or cultural acceptance by the organization. Start using these checklists to identify, screen, and prioritize projects for Six Sigma. Problem and goal statements Charles Kettering, a famous American inventor, once said, “A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” The importance of problem definition cannot be emphasized enough. It is vital to know how to develop effective problem and goal statements for a Six Sigma project. The problem statement describes the opportunity to be addressed by the Six Sigma project. The opportunity should not occur on as a one-time occurrence but instead exist as a recurring, chronic problem. The opportunity should be specific and measurable. For example, it is specific to a process, product, service and type of defect or performance deficiency. It should be measurable to indicate a size and impact of the problem in operational and financial terms. The opportunity or problem should be relevant and significant to the organization. If it doesn’t adhere to these two standards, it raises the question as to why bother trifling with this issue at all. Here’s an example of a problem statement. “Over the past 12 months, First Call Resolution “at our IT Help Desk is only 60%. “This is below the 75% required “in our service level agreement” or SLA. “Failure to meet this requirement will result “in a loss of $200,000 in penalties, “not to mention customer dissatisfaction, “nonrenewal, and the potential loss of clients.”  The opportunity is a recurring, chronic problem stated in specific and measurable terms, and it is both relevant and significant. The problem statement is compelling enough to make you want to address it immediately. The purpose of this goal statement is to establish the target result to be achieved and by when. To do this effectively, the goal statement should be SMART, as in S-M-A-R-T. It is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. S, specific as to what needs to be improved. M, measurable as to how much improvement to achieve. A, attainable that a target result is realistic and achievable. R, relevant to the success of the business or organization. T, time-bound, the time-frame to get it done.  In our example, the goal statement is “Improve First Call Resolution rate to 75% or higher, “while ensuring customer satisfaction, “within the next four months.” As you can see, the goal statement is SMART, meaning specific to improving First Call Resolution rate and measurable at 75% or more, which makes it an attainable, reasonable goal. It is relevant to the success of the business, since that is the level required in the service level agreements. Additionally, this objective is time-bound, as the goal must be achieved within four months.  When the problem and goal statements are stated correctly, you and your project team benefit. Both statements show a compelling problem that needs to be addressed, including how much needs to be improved and by when. To summarize, the problem is recurring goal that is smart, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. When you learn how to develop effective problem and goal statements, you benefit because they compel you to act decisively with direction and focus as to what needs to be improved and why, by how much, and by when. Complete the project charter Time is never to be wasted. A meeting’s agenda need to state the purpose and objective of the session. A Six Sigma project needs a Project Charter, which is a document that provides direction and focus to the project team. It is management’s authorization for the project, spelling out purpose, goals, scope of work, and assignment of resources to the project. In short, it provides legitimacy to the project’s existence. While there may be variations as to how much is included in Project Charters, here are the key elements of a Project Charter. Project name. Give the project a name for easy identification. Opportunity or problem statements. Describe the opportunity or problem to be addressed.  Remember, it should be a specific, recurring problem that is measurable, relevant, and significant to the organization. Goal statement. State the goal or target result to achieve and by when. The goal statement should improve what was described in the problem statement. The goal should be SMART, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Key metric. State the metric or performance measure to be improved. This is the y in y is a function of x. Expected benefits. State the expected operational and financial benefits. Speak the language of management in order to get priority, and the language of management is money. Project scope. State what’s in scope, and equally important, what’s out of scope. This scope provides project boundaries and helps prevent scope creep. Milestones. List the checkpoint dates for project progress. The completion dates of each phase of DMAIC are usually good milestones. Signatures. Typically, there are three signatures including the project leader, someone from finance, and the champion.  The project leader agrees to take on the project, the finance person validates the expected financial benefits, and the champion approves the launch of the project. So, those are the key elements of the Project Charter. Put all of those together, and you have a clear mandate to execute the project. Critical to quality metrics Consider the process of ordering a pizza. There are expectations concerning the time it takes to arrive after ordering as well as the quality of the item delivered. These values expressed by the customers are called the Voice of the Customer, or VOC. VOC are needs and expectations communicated in the customer’s language. Now, put yourself in the shoes of the pizza restaurant owner. How can you make these words meaningful to your employees as they make and deliver pizzas every day? You will have to translate these expectations into a language that your employees relate to and understand.  These translated Voice of the Customer turn into Critical-to-Quality requirements, or CTQs, which are the performance characteristics of a process, product, or service, that are critically important to customers. CTQs are measurable by the degree in which they meet the needs and expectations of the customers. In reference to the pizza delivery example, the VOC indicates that customers don’t want to wait too long, and they don’t want cold pizza. We can translate “don’t want to wait too long” to on-time delivery, and we can translate “don’t want cold pizza” to hot pizza when delivered. So, the Critical-to-Quality requirements, or CTQs, are on-time delivery and hot pizza when delivered. These CTQs can be measured by order-to-delivery time in minutes, and temperature of pizza in degrees Fahrenheit. We can specify how well your restaurant must perform on these metrics, in order to satisfy your customers. In other words, we can determine the specifications and targets for these CTQ metrics. In this example, the CTQ targets or specifications might be delivery time in 30 minutes or less, and pizza temperature doesn’t fall below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  To recap, CTQs are the performance characteristics of a process, product, or service that are critically important to customers. CTQs are measurable, and we can specify how good they need to be so that they meet the needs and expectations of the customers. If you are managing a process, you benefit from learning about CTQs because you know what metrics to monitor and how well they must perform to satisfy customers. In reference to our previous example, you want to monitor order-to-delivery time, and temperature of pizza. If you’re doing a Six Sigma project, you will definitely benefit from learning about CTQs. The underlying premise of Six Sigma projects is Y is a function of X.  One Y is pizza temperature, and the other is delivery time. Xs are all those things that affect pizza temperature and delivery time, respectively. Y and CTQs help you focus your measurement, analysis, and improvement efforts. CTQs provide customer focus for your project, and after the project, CTQs provide customer focus for your process on a day in, day out basis. Steps in the Define phase The first phase of a Six Sigma project is the define phase. This phase defines the project with all of the components and the overall objective as well as who and what are going to accomplish it. The first step is to define the problem and goal statements. Consider which specific problem or improvement opportunity this project is addressing. Idenitfy which measurable performance outcome or target must the project accomplish the time limits by which it must be completed. It defines the Y, as in what is the Yin Y is a function of X. Where Y is the performance measure to be improved.  The second step is to develop the project charter. The project charter is a document that describes the project. It includes problem and goal statements, project scope, expected operational and financial impact, names of the project team and other key players, and milestones. The project charter serves as an internal contract between senior management and the project team, and it provides a common understanding on the purpose and focus of the project. Once the charter is completed, a champion will review and approve it.  The third step is to develop a high-level process overview map called a SIPOC diagram. SIPOC, is an acronym for Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer, and it identifies and illustrates high level processes relevant to the project including the inputs and outputs involved. Those who supply the process inputs, and those that receive those product outputs as customers. The SIPOC diagram is a useful scoping tool that shows which processes are within the scope of the project and the stakeholders involved. In summary, these are the steps in the define phase.  Key roles of executives and champions Within Six Sigma, there are terms like Six Sigma, executives, and Champions. These roles are critical in driving the success of Six Sigma.  Executives are the CEO, and his or her direct reports influences the decisions that affect the implementation of Six Sigma. These executives and senior management deploy Six Sigma projects as a means to achieve the organizations strategic and all goals, establish project selection criteria, review and select projects, assign Project Champions, review updates from Champions, and provide resources as needed. The Champion, also known as the Project Champion, is the executive teams point person who is tasked with insuring project success. Normally the Champion is an executive or senior manager who has enough clout and respect to ensure that the project has the right resources, time, and priority it needs.  The Project Champion selects a project leader. The project leader is someone who plans, leads, and executes the project with the help of a designated project team. Additionally, they approve of the project charter, which is a document that defines project including its objectives, timeline, and scope. They also select the project team and launch the project. The Champion provides time and resources for the project team to work on the project, and they reassign and redistribute work to others as needed. The Champion closely monitors progress and removes any road blocks. The Champion receives updates from the project leader on a weekly basis. Road blocks maybe organizational turf issues, budget, resource limitations, or conflicting priorities.  Finally, the Champion approves implementation of improvements. This executive is the key person who approves or disapproves any changes or improvement proposed by the project team, including changes to processes, key metrics, procedures, training, and job descriptions. The Champion signs off on this project when it’s completed successfully. In short, the Champion is management’s point person responsible for project success. Correctly understanding the roles of the executives and the Project Champion is pivotal as your organization implements Six Sigma. Select the Six Sigma team In order to win this championship, companies would need someone supportive and organized that could lead the team to victory. These are the same considerations that companies must consider when selecting the champion, the project leader, and team members for Six Sigma projects. The champion needs to be in charge of organizing and supporting the project, as well as a person who has an interest, better yet, a stake in insuring the project’s success. The champion must be in senior management because he or she must be high enough in the organization to have enough clout to authorize the time and resources needed for the project and have enough influence to remove any roadblocks to the project completion. To ensure that a champion has an interest or stake in that project, make sure you select someone whose goals or targets for the year are one step closer to achievement, if and when the project succeeds.  Now that’s motivation. Senior management team is responsible for the project’s location, whether it is within the factory or office location you want a management team of that local facility. If the project is across multiple locations within a division or business unit, then the senior management team in charge of that division or business unit.  The project leader is kind of like the team captain; they lead and execute the project. You want someone who has the knowledge, and experience in the processes being targeted by the project. You also want someone who can lead a cross-functional team, because processes and improvement opportunities cut across the departments and functional boundaries. The project leader should be selected by the champion and the team members. Let’s go back to the corporate Olympics. Who do you select to play for your team so that you can win against other companies? Do you ask for volunteers? No! You want to select the best players for that particular sport to play for your team. Similarly, you want to select the right people for that project, and who should select the team members, the champion, with the help and knowledge of the project leader should select the individuals with the experience and expertise, who can best contribute to the project’s success. If they are not available, the champion will work with their managers to reassign their current duties to others so that they can be freed up to help with the project.  In summary, the champion is the team owner. Someone who has the management clout to make things happen and remove roadblocks. The project leader is a team captain in charge of leading and executing the project. Team members are the best players for that team. The individuals who can best contribute to project’s success. You want the best players to play for your team. The champion, the project leader and the team members they are your Six Sigma Team. Lecture content from Richard Chua, distributed free to students for educational purposes.