Process Improvement Teams For Six Sigma Success

The Six Sigma process improvement team is formedmore involved and valued for their efforts.
by selecting members from selected processes of theIn the process of building a team for a Six Sigma
organization. They have a clear set of goals andproject, it is important to put together members who
targets defined. Each member is trained and isare knowledgeable about the processes and have a
well-versed on organizational objectives. They haveresourceful mind. A team leader should be appointed
mutual trust and each member knows that they canwho is familiar with the project management process.
influence the team agenda positively.They should also be aware of Six Sigma and should
The team is put together by a team leader andbe undergo the proper Six Sigma training.
process owner. The members may be directly orThe team size should be manageable to ensure that
indirectly involved with the process. Members may beall members participate. There should also be
built by the senior management but need not havesomeone who is able to record ideas properly.
departmental leaders. Regular users of the system orThe team should start work by developing a project
processes are the major players of the improvementcharter and setting the definition of the initiative. The
team.charter should define the processes which need to be
In a management-led approach to improvementconsidered for improvement, along with the timeline for
projects, communication is top- down. Since there is novarious steps of the project. They should be aware of
involvement of the basic workforce in processthe metrics and select one which suits their process
improvement, they may resist it more.needs most.
Advantages Over Management TeamsOnce the metrics have been decided, they should
The Six Sigma process improvement teams, however,brainstorm improvement options. If a simple quick-fix
have an advantage over management-led teams.solution is available for even a small improvement, it
They are developed by involving some of the coreshould be implemented so that it encourages other
members directly working on the processes. Thismembers of the organization to see its benefits and
creates a sense of ownership and passion in therespect the initiative. Various control tools are available
implementation of the project.to monitor the actions and their impact on the
Solutions by these members are often closer to theorganization. Any variations or defects are identified by
required results, as they are aware of the problems inusing these charts and then the necessary changes
the system. The resulting savings and improvementsbrought about. A critical system to process
are immediately visible to the affected business units.performance has to be put in place.
As teamwork is and underlying factor, members feel