A review of how to set milestones for a typical Six Sigma DMAIC project.

1. Section & Lesson #:
Pre-Requisite Lessons:
Complex Tools + Clear Teaching = Powerful Results
Setting Project Milestones
Six Sigma-Define – Lesson 8
A review of how to set milestones for a typical Six Sigma DMAIC project.
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. Setting Project Milestones
o What are the project milestones?
• They refer to the future dates when each phase of the
project is expected to be complete.
o What is the purpose of the project milestones?
• To give the project Sponsor an expectation of the
project’s progress and completion.
• To help the team understand and plan for their expected
level of commitment over time.
• To help maintain a high sense of urgency for all team members.
o What milestones should I set for each phase of the project?
• Since every project is different, every set of milestones may be different.
• A general guideline is to estimate 1 month for each phase except 2 months for Improve phase.
 Improve phase is given more time to allow for coordination of piloting and implementing improvements.
 Be sure to adjust the milestones for holidays and vacation time for key team members.
• If the project is expected to take longer than 6 months, then consider scoping it down.
 Likewise, if the Sponsor or team expect it to go much faster, then it may need to be scoped down.
o Be sure the team agrees with the original milestones and any changes.
• The milestones should be closely managed to ensure the project isn’t delayed.
 If you finish a phase early, don’t adjust the milestones; you may need the extra time in a later phase.
 Don’t push out the milestones too often; being late for a milestone may help motivate the team.
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.

3. Practical Application
o How are milestones usually treated for your organization?
• Are they strictly enforced for every project, or are they unexpected or loosely followed?
 How does the leadership in your organization handle situations when milestones are not met?
 How do they define their own milestones? Do they use “hard”, specific dates or only “soft”, general dates
(e.g., rather than projecting a milestone for an exact day, it’s described for a month, quarter, or season)?
o How do you generally handle milestones?
• Do you set them voluntarily, or only when you’re asked or expected to set them?
• How successful have you been at meeting your milestones?
 If you’re less than 80% successful, then what can you do differently to improve your success?
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.
3