A review of how to build a control plan to help sustain the implemented improvements.

1. Section & Lesson #:
Pre-Requisite Lessons:
Complex Tools + Clear Teaching = Powerful Results
Building a Control Plan
Six Sigma-Control – Lesson 9
A review of how to build a control plan to help sustain the implemented
improvements.
None
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photographic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.

2. Control Plan Defined
o What is a Control Plan?
• In general, it’s a defined plan that outlines all necessary steps in order to sustain improvements.
 In practice, it can be comprised of a one page document that defines all the controls necessary to sustain
the improvements implemented in the new process.
 There are many different versions of control plans; the example herein is a direct and simplified version.
o Who builds the Control Plan?
• It should be a product of the team, however it doesn’t need to be formally built by the team.
 The team must agree to the Control Plan, but it can first be built by one or more SMEs and later modified
and validated by the team.
o What resources are needed for building the Control Plan?
• The following items can be referenced for helping to build the Control Plan:
 Metrics from Analysis (e.g., project Y and statistically significant X’s)
 Project performance goals
 Voice of Customer – VOC (e.g., Lower/Upper Spec Limits, etc.)
 Voice of Process – VOP (e.g., Lower/Upper Control Limits, etc.)
 To-Be Process Map (or Value Stream Map)
 Kanban system measurements
 Training documentation (when implementing new process)
 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) or Job-Aides
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.
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3. Issue Timing Measure Trigger Owner Corrective Action Process Adjustment
What is the item of
interest (Y, X, …)? What
control points?`
How often is
it checked?
What tool is used to checkit?(e.g.,
control chart, logsheet, checklist, or
action alarms)
At what point is corrective action
needed? What are the perf
standards (LSL/USL)?
Who does the checking&
Corrective Actions /Process
Adjustment?
How do we stop the defects & minimize the impact? How do we prevent future occurrence?
Billing Quality Rate Weekly Billing Performance Scorecard LSL = 95% John Smith - Billing
Quality Manager
Begin to measure individual performance of bill
entry agents and provide as-needed training or
take corrective action for agent. Next, explore
EDI resources for potential errors received from
customers.
Communicate to all bill entry agents any as-
needed training; help agent supervisors to
enforce compliance and apply corrective
actions.
Billing Cycle Time Weekly Billing Performance Scorecard USL = 3 days Sally Jones - Billing
Process Manager
Review workload balancing issues (e.g.,
incoming volume with staffing) that could've
created a backlog. Compare to Billing Quality
Rate (e.g., did improved quality cause delays,
etc.) and workforce scheduling & mgmt that may
not have been properly planned. Take as-needed
corrective action for root cause.
Modify forecasted timeperiod for workforce
scheduling to improve planning. Adjust
workload balancing in closer proximity to
staffing (consider other outside factors like
holidays, excessive vacation, etc.).
Control Plan
Control Plan Example
o Below is an example of a Control Plan having 2 critical metrics:
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.
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Issue: Identify what is being
measured (e.g., project Y or X)
Timing: Identify how frequently the
issue is to be monitored.
Measure: Identify what tool
will be used to perform the
monitoring (e.g., scorecard,
dashboard, etc.)
Trigger: Identify at what point a
corrective action is necessary
(e.g., above UCL/USL or below
LCL/LSL, etc.)
Owner: Identify the person
responsible for doing the
monitoring and taking the
corrective action.
Corrective Action: Identify what
action is necessary when the issue
is triggered; this could suggest
potentially known root causes.
Process Adjustment: Identify
what actions or changes may
be necessary to prevent the
issue from reoccurring.

4. Practical Application
o Identify at least 2 projects or initiatives you worked on in your organization.
• Ask yourself the following for each project:
 Was a control plan created to help sustain the improvements?
– If so, then how closely was the control plan followed? What problems occurred (if any) that were found and quickly
resolved because of the control plan?
– If not, then why not? What are some of the critical elements you would’ve added in creating a control plan? What
problems occurred (if any) that could’ve been avoided or resolved more quickly if a control plan was used?
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.
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