Black Belt Program on Lean Six Sigma

The black belt certification course on lean six sigma methodology was organized by KPMG India at SIBM Hyderabad. The rigorous certification program lasted for six days i.e., 9th-14th January 2017. The program was headed by Mr. Manish Jha (Assistant Manager, Strategy & Operations Division, KPMG India). Under this program seven students from operations specialization (batch 2015-17) were trained extensively on DMAIC. The seven students are already green belt certified in same domain from KPMG in September 2016.

DMAIC (an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) refers to a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing and stabilizing business processes and designs. DMAIC cycle is the core tool used to drive Six Sigma projects. Below are the few excerpts from the training program:

Each step in the cyclical DMAIC Process is required to ensure the best possible results. The process steps:

1. DEFINE :

   1. Define the Customer, their Critical to Quality (CTQ) issues, and the Core Business Process involved.

   2. Define who customers are, what their requirements are for products and services, and what their expectations are

   3. Define project boundaries ­ the stop and start of the process

   4. Define the process to be improved by mapping the process flow

2. MEASURE :

   1. Measure the performance of the Core Business Process involved.

   2. Develop a data collection plan for the process

   3. Collect data from many sources to determine types of defects and metrics

   4. Compare to customer survey results to determine shortfall

3. ANALYZE :

   1. Analyze the data collected and process map to determine root causes of defects and opportunities for improvement.

   2. Identify gaps between current performance and goal performance

   3. Prioritize opportunities to improve

   4. Identify sources of variation

4. IMPROVE :

   1. Improve the target process by designing creative solutions to fix and prevent problems.

   2. Create innovate solutions using technology and discipline

   3. Develop and deploy implementation plan

5. CONTROL :

   1. Control the improvements to keep the process on the new course.

   2. Prevent reverting back to the “old way”

   3. Require the development, documentation and implementation of an ongoing monitoring plan

   4. Institutionalize the improvements through the modification of systems and structures (staffing, training, incentives)

Also, Minitab software was used to understand the actual process; Minitab is a statistics package. It teaches statistical tools and concepts in the context of quality improvement, managing six sigma and lean manufacturing.

The six days program was followed by an offline 60 minutes objective test covering all the topics taught in the programme. This certification programme was a complete value addition for students and would help them to create an edge in their corporate lives.