Six Sigma

Design For Six Sigma

Design for Six Sigma also known as DFSS is a straight derivative of QFD (Quality for Deployment) process. DFSS guides developers of a product right from the time they receive customer specifications for the product till the time the product is developed. In essence, Design for Six Sigma presents itself as a roadmap for a product development team to ensure that all customer specifications are adhered to at all times and the end product developed strictly adheres to what the customer wants and what the customer does not want.

Design for Six Sigma process flow

It is extremely important for us to realize that though DFSS is a bit subjective in nature, it would need to have a process flow primarily for the fact that it is a Six Sigma initiative.

1. Step 1 would be to identify the customer product. Good product developers that I know of, try and obtain a sample of the product which they need to develop. If it is a new product which needs to be developed, developers ask for the closest prototype for the product.
   
   
2. Step 2 would be to identify the customer requirements. In all probabilities, this is the stage where the customer would say as to what he wants and what he does not want in the product.
   
   
3. Identifying the raw materials which will be used for the manufacturing of the product. A complete breakdown analysis of all the CTQ( Critical to Quality) factors is done on the raw materials.
   
   
4. Identifying the best possible manufacturing process for the product development. Generally, product development companies invest a lot of time here because decision on the manufacturing process for the product directly determines the cost margins of the company. "Would the product be best developed by the manufacturing process?" is another thought which crosses developer's minds now.
   
   
5. If any concerns arising out of the KPOV and KPIV, they are addressed so that no issues are pending before manufacturing commences. A proper plan is laid out for prototype manufacturing which includes costing and deadlines.
   
   
6. Once the prototype of the product is developed, the customer is informed of the prototype by a demo version. Customer feedback is integrated into the product specifications.
   
   
7. The prototype with the customer feedback (if any) is considered for the final manufacturing and development of the product.

The above mentioned steps are indicative of some major steps which should be followed in a Design for Six Sigma process for product development. Essentially, Design for Six Sigma follows a much more exhaustive procedure to present itself as a roadmap for the developers. Finally, DFSS is only a road map to the developers. The quality of the product will be entirely dependant on the manufacturing technique and the raw materials used for the product.