By Polly Walker

“Process Improvement” is a phrase thrown around frequently in today’s business world. But what is it?

It is a project to analyze the steps of a process, analytically determine what improvements can be made, implement those improvements, and continually monitor and track the results of the improvement. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the process improvement project, the “DMAIC” approach must be utilized.

“The Process of Process Improvement” is the first article in a series designed to walk you through the five steps of the DMAIC approach, and the change management and people strategies needed for each of the steps.

This week, we will cover the first of the five DMAIC steps: “D- Define”.

STEP ONE: DEFINE

1. Receive request from Project Sponsor to initiate a continuous improvement project.

2. Gather the following items that relate to the process being reviewed in order to understand the scope/frame the problem:

a. Strategic, Business and/or Improvement Plan(s) and Budget Documents

b. Performance Metrics for the Process (i.e. defect rate, cycle time, etc.)

c. Drivers/Key Customer Requirements for the Process

d. Policies, procedures and all training and communication documentation

3. Draft the project charter, including timeline, deliverables and team members.

4. Review draft charter with the Project Sponsor, and get input from the project team in order to finalize the charter.