What is DMAIC and It's Uses

DMAIC is a popular model used for problem solving in organizations. This tool has been adopted by many Kaizen gurus due to the methodical approach used in DMAIC tool. This is also a prominent tool used in Six Sigma processes.

This tool can be used to identify problems within the organization and resolve them in a systematic manner.

In Kaizen, DMAIC tool is used a lot since it can deliver change in a standardized manner. And DMAIC can be used in a cyclical manner for problem solving and improvement, which is a core concept of Kaizen.

What does DMAIC stand for?

1. Define
2. Measure
3. Analyse
4. Improve
5. Control

Define

First step of this process is to identify the problem that you need to tackle. This is called 'defining' your problem. There is no strict guidelines as to how this can be done. You can write a few sentences about the problem at hand and the current situation of it.

Measure

The second step of the DMAIC process is to quantify your problem. By this way, you always have supporting evidence to backup your problem statement as well as objectives of your DMAIC project.

Also measuring helps you evaluate the before and after results so you can identify if your DMAIC project was fruitful.

Measuring criteria largely depends on the issue you are tackling. For an example: if you are trying to identify the reasons for loss of productivity in a production line, you could probably start by measuring the times taken by each activity and determine the lagging indicators.

It is important to know that measuring doesn't necessarily mean collecting numbers. It could be any type of qualitative data too.

Analyse

Analyse essentially has to do with crunching the numbers you gathered before. Do not mistake that it is just numbers that you can analyse. You can analyse qualitative data too.

Analyse step should be used to derrive at a plausible solution to your problem. Since your problem and solution is backed by extensive data and numbers, there is little chance that your solution will fail.

Improve

The fourth step of the DMAIC model is to implement your solution that is going to improve the current context of the problem. Notice the word "improve" being used as opposed to "solving." This is to mean that DMAIC model should be used to provide an improvement over the current problem. The solution that you derive might not eliminate the problem. Instead DMAIC focuses on continuously improving from the current status to a better status. This is why DMAIC is also identified as a cyclical process.

Control

The final step of DMAIC model is to ensure that the achieved improvement is sustained. For this you can implement one or more control mechanisms or points. These control points will ensure that the process does not slide back to its original status.

After one cycle of DMAIC is completed you can start working on your next project starting from the achieved and sustained improvement. So any shortcomings that were overlooked in the first cycle can be improved in the second cycle. Likewise, DMAIC can be used in turns to achieve the optimum result for any problem at work place.