Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Online Course (2023)

20. Improve - Generating & Screening Solutions

Approach to Solution Generation:

• The goal is to generate ideas that address the problem or opportunity at hand.
• This can be done through various techniques, such as brainstorming, lateral thinking, and creative problem-solving methods.

Definition and Types of Lateral Thinking:

• Lateral thinking is a process of creative problem-solving which seeks to avoid typical patterns of thinking in order to find novel solutions.
• Edward de Bono popularized the concept of lateral thinking.
• It involves looking at a complex problem from different perspectives, questioning assumptions, and considering factors that may not be immediately obvious.

Edward De Bono:

• A psychologist and author who introduced the concept of lateral thinking.
• His approach emphasizes looking beyond the conventional solutions to find innovative approaches.
• He introduced the idea of using random stimuli to encourage non-linear thinking.

Unstructured Brainstorming:

• A freewheeling, non-judgmental session where participants try to come up with as many ideas as possible.
• It encourages spontaneous contributions from all members of the group and is less structured in terms of rules or guidelines.

Structured Brainstorming:

• More systematic than unstructured brainstorming, often involving specific stages such as goal setting, idea generation, and evaluation.
• Techniques like SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse, and Question) can be used here.

Solution Screening Techniques:

• Criteria are established based on the problem's goals and constraints.
• Ideas are then filtered or screened against these criteria to determine their viability.

N/3 Voting:

• A group decision-making technique where every participant votes for their top idea (or solution).
• The idea with the most votes is considered the group's selection, provided it receives more than one-third of the total votes.

Pay Off Matrix:

• A tool that helps to evaluate ideas based on multiple criteria.
• It allows for a comparison of ideas across various aspects such as cost, ease of implementation, impact, etc.

Criteria Based Matrix (CBM):

• A decision-making technique that evaluates solutions against specific criteria.
• Each criterion is weighted based on its importance to the problem at hand.

Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) or Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Evaluation (FMECE):

• An analysis method that examines all possible ways a system can fail and evaluates the effects and criticality of each potential failure.
• It is a structured version of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis).

Risk Priority Number (RPN):

• A number used in risk management to assess the risk associated with each identified failure mode.
• RPN is calculated by multiplying three factors: Severity (S), Occurrence (O), and Detection (D).

Severity Rating Scale:

• A scale used in FMEA to rank the consequences of a failure mode.
• Typically, it ranges from 1 (least severe) to 10 (most severe).

Occurrence Rating Scale:

• A scale used in FMEA to estimate how often a failure mode is likely to occur.
• Also typically ranging from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely).

Detection Rating Scale:

• A scale used in FMEA to assess the probability of detecting a failure before it reaches the customer.
• Similar to the Severity and Occurrence scales, it ranges from 1 (most detectable) to 10 (least detectable).

Risk Mitigation Strategies:

• Once risks are identified and prioritized using FMEA or FMECA, appropriate strategies are developed to mitigate these risks.
• These can include design changes, process modifications, additional testing, or implementing safeguards.

Control Plan:

• A document that outlines the actions required to monitor and control a process to ensure consistent quality and conformance to requirements.
• It includes specifications for monitoring, inspection, and testing procedures, as well as corrective actions to be taken when out-of-control conditions are detected.

Statistical Process Control (SPC):

• A method of quality control which employs statistical methods to monitor and control a process.
• The goal is to ensure the process operates within specified parameters and to identify any shifts or trends that might indicate a change in process stability or capability.

Control Charts:

• Graphical tools used in SPC to determine if a process is producing products or results within acceptable limits.
• They help in identifying when a process has shifted out of control, enabling corrective actions to be taken promptly.

Guidelines for Stability Tests:

• Before implementing control charts, it's essential to ensure that the process is stable and capable.
• This involves collecting samples over time to determine if the process exhibits random variation without any identifiable patterns or trends.

Statistical Validation of Improvements:

• After implementing changes, the effectiveness of these improvements should be validated statistically.
• This can involve re-evaluating control charts and capability analysis to ensure that the process now meets the desired quality standards.

Project Documentation:

• All aspects of the project, from initial problem definition to final solution implementation and validation, should be documented thoroughly.
• This includes any changes made, the reasons for those changes, and evidence that the new process is stable and capable.

Benefits:

• Effective documentation provides a clear record of what was done and why, which can be invaluable for future reference or audits.
• It allows for the transfer of knowledge to new team members or stakeholders, and it contributes to continuous improvement efforts.

Project Closure:

• The final step in the project lifecycle where all activities are completed, and the project is formally ended.
• This includes ensuring that all improvements are implemented, the process is stable, and the project's benefits are realized.
• A translation or transfer plan may also be necessary to ensure that any knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices are carried forward into future projects or business as usual (BAU) operations.