DFSS stands for Design for Six Sigma and represents an emerging and interesting business process management method which is very much related to Six Sigma. The main objective of DFSS is to determine the needs that a certain business and its customers have, and also to drive their particular needs into a certain product or service solution. This methodology is highly important for the complex phase of product/system, especially in an unprecedented system development context. In fact, DFSS represents the contrast between process improvement and process generation.
The Design for Six Sigma methodology process has no less than eight phases that align to four main steps. The first one of these is the one of identifying the customers’ needs and a strategic intent. The second one is represented by designing and by delivering the detailed design while also evaluating some alternatives of it. The third step is the one of optimizing the design according to a certain business requirement and to certain customer requirements. Finally, the last step is the one of validating the design, of updating it as needed and of preparing to launch it on the market.
In turn, by integrating the DFSS steps, tools and methods, organizations can benefit from very positive impacts. These are represented by reduced early-life letdowns, reduced warranty costs post launching and reduced design process complexity. By the integration of DFSS, businesses can also benefit from shorter development cycles, from increased customer satisfaction, from an easier integration of the separated designed groups and from less post design changes. DFSS can also make the design resource utilization a more efficient one.
In turn, operational excellence can also have a positive impact on any business, in the sense that it can enable any enterprise together with its management team to continuously progress in all performance areas. Some of the performance areas that can be improved through operational excellence include ongoing investments, decision making operations, partner and customer services, profitability operations and also human resources competences.
Enterprises that decide to implement operational excellence in their processes of manufacturing client-satisfying services or products are able to possess the structures and the processes, also known under the name of intangible assets, which in turn gives them the necessary tools, visibility, management practices and control needed to achieve a greater operational efficiency and effectiveness.
However, there is a certain roadmap that must be followed in order for operational excellence to be able to give its best. First of all, the key operational processes must be visualized. Secondly, the predefined responses and the workflow must be designed. Gauges and metrics must be developed, measuring must be done systematically, while operations should be done functionally. A continual chase for improvement should be maintained as well, and possible operational risks must be continuously managed too. In turn, if these operational excellence methods are implemented in the right way, they can pay off for any type of business.
See how making use of Project Management concepts like operational excellence and DFSS to get your business ahead and find an online course you can enroll in, to get the skills and knowledge you need to make a difference.