Six Sigma tools are a critical component of the business process and are designed to reduce manufacturing defects down to as few as possible. Every business wants to identify flaws and vulnerabilities in its manufacturing pipelines. If you’re working towards acquiring the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, understanding various Six Sigma Green Belt tools will help. You can get so by enrolling in Six Sigma Green belt course.
However, there are many options to choose from, and it can quickly get confusing for the beginner. If used correctly, Six Sigma Green Belt tools drive revenue growth, reduce inefficiencies, improve business processes, and enhance employee productivity.
Top Six Sigma Green Belt Tools
1. Tallyfy
Tallyfy helps automate tasks between users and clients. It produces material and information flows for businesses, letting them create high-quality value stream mapping to outline how products are brought from manufacturing to consumers. The process map breaks down every step of the production process and summarizes data. The tool also generates cause-and-effect diagrams and assists in performing detailed analysis for all problems and listing all possible solutions.
5 Whys and the Kanban System
The 5 Whys and Kanban System are two methodologies used by Tallyfy to troubleshoot issues and fix them. Kanban System is used in the supply chain process to reduce costs and provide better inventory control management. A Pareto chart also gives a graphic representation of various business metrics and many more additional features such as project charter, RACI Matrix, and process mapping.
2. DMAIC
DMAIC is a 5-step process that is described as follows:
- Define
- Measure
- Analyze
- Improve
- Control
Its purpose is to develop high-quality products by streamlining business workflows and reducing manufacturing defects. DMAIC is more specifically a roadmap to follow for manufacturers, and every step of the five phases identifies problems and provides solutions. DMAICs are used by all organizations using Six Sigma Green Belt tools simply because of how effective it is. It helps you find out value-defining elements within the company, research and scope projects, and prioritize them according to their list of importance. You can also use this tool to test pilot projects and see how they work in action, including predicting implementation costs and process performance.
3. Kaizen
Kaizen translates to ‘the art of continuous improvement,’ and it is a word that has its origins deeply rooted in Japan. It is more of a mindset or approach to fine-tuning business processes. The goal is not to be perfect but incorporate gradual improvements into your processes in small increments. Over time, they add up and show results.
In Six Sigma Green Belt, Kaizen is used to identify, observe, and implement the product or manufacturing pipeline changes. The process involves all employees and managers and getting them to work together in a coordinated fashion. Using Kaizen at the workplace ensures minimal waste in production and productivity is maintained. It is about making efforts sustainable and improving oneself or the company a natural process, a mere outcome of good habits or building blocks. Kaizen is one of the most used used tools by professionals looking to get six sigma green belt certification.
4. Pareto Chart
The Pareto Chart follows the concept of using the Pareto principle, which features the ‘80-20,’ rule. The rule is that it takes 20% effort to produce 80% results, and the emphasis is on working smart, not just hard.
Pareto Charts can be created using Microsoft Excel and are a valuable toolkit for product quality management. According to the Six Sigma Green Belt philosophy, 80% of errors happen from one part that’s malfunctioning in a company. Teams found that by showing a visual Pareto histogram chart to members, a company could produce outstanding results and reduce the number of triggers responsible for causing errors. Know more about Pareto cart by enrolling into the KnowledgeHut PMP training program.
How to Use the Pareto Chart
You can use the Pareto chart to capture raw data accurately, represent it, and identify potential problems with simple-to-understand units. Cost and frequency are the two common variables used, and the performance of various metrics is measured over some time. The data used in the Pareto model can be trending, historical, or periodical.
5. Regression Analysis
Regression analysis is used in conjunction with the DMAIC model, which lets organizations optimize and redefine processes. Projects use regression analysis to plot data and variables, determine how one crew’s performance differs from another, and determine the number of sales made every year.
These graphs can also calculate how supply chain deliveries impact the assembly line. The analysis can be used to identify blind spots in an organization, including detecting flaws in support systems used to carry out various operational processes. For nonlinear regression, cluster analysis can be done and applied to variables.
6. Data Collection Planning
This is a tool used by all green belts to determine how to collect data, determine sample sizes, and discover the best data sources. Raw and accurate data is key to deriving useful insights and making the best predictions. A good way to create a data collection plan is to identify what type of data is relevant to your project and define the current state of processes.
There are three types of measurements you want to look for:
- Output measures
- Input measures
- Process measures
Good quality data starts with people, giving insights into your processes. It can help answer specific questions about your project goals and be used to map out input-output-process diagrams. Before making a plan, you should also consider your budget and time constraints. This will ensure you don’t compromise on data integrity and not get influenced by other unforeseen conditions. You can measure the data in different ways via check sheets, survey answers, and display data using a mix of control charts and run charts.
7. FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis)
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis is a proactive mode that tests every element of processes to pinpoint failures and how they occur. It explores all the failure possibilities when analyzing these elements and breaks them down. FMEA is a preventive approach where teams work towards preventing failures by correcting them instead of reacting to adverse events.
This saves costs since changes can be proposed before the implementation phase. So far, FMEA has been used in various industry verticals such as healthcare, patient safety, collaborations, and the Idealized Design of Medication Systems (IDMS).
Although these are the most important ones and make the top of our list, other Six Sigma Green Belt tools are available. Popular options are the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), Heijunka Box, Poka Yoke, Kanban Pull System, A3, and Hoshin Kanri. These tools help users keep up with the latest developments in their projects, define targets and trends, and get current updates.
Since it’s a continuous process, it’s always recommended to use tools that fit your requirements and not be restricted to just one or two options. Six Sigma Green Belt tools and methodologies can be used regularly or for specific periods.
The goal is to get employees working towards a long-term goal and make sure they understand the implications of every step of the process. Hoshin Kanri (Policy Development) is also ideal for businesses that strive to do their best while others are focused on inventory management and optimizing processes.
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Conclusion
Defining the goals of a company and making them a reality is the objective of every CEO. However, without proper tools and strategies, an organization cannot succeed. Six Sigma Green Belt Tools are used to enhance the effectiveness of processes greatly, address defects, and streamline production workflows. Using them will depend on your budget, objectives, and upcoming project milestones. KnowledgeHut Six Sigma Green belt course helps you execute these tasks in a short span of time.
