The document outlines the phases of the DMAIC process for process improvement: Define involves determining project objectives and scope as well as customer requirements. Measure identifies product characteristics, maps the process, and validates measurement systems. Analyze assesses current performance, estimates baseline capability, and uses analysis to identify vital factors and root causes for improvement. Improve discovers relationships among vital factors, establishes tolerances, and validates measurements. Control determines ability to control vital factors and implements process control systems.

1. DMAIC: BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE PHASES

2. Define Phase Determine the objectives and the scope of the project Collect information on the process and the customers Specify the deliverables to customers

3. Measure Phase Identify one or more product or service characteristics Map the process Start the basic understanding of the potential X’s Validate the measurement systems

4. Measure Phase Assess the current level of process performance Estimate baseline capability And quantify the problem

5. Analyze Phase Evaluate and reduce the variables with graphical analysis and hypothesis testing And identify the vital few factors out of the list of the trivial many for process improvement to arrive at the root cause of the defects

6. Improve Phase Discover variable relationships among the vital few Establish operating tolerances Validate measurements

7. Control Phase Determine the ability to control the vital few factors and implement process control systems