What Is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to problem-solving and a methodology for eliminating errors and defects. Companies measure their organization’s productivity and quality through highly analytical and statistical methods. They aim to achieve quality improvement by optimizing company processes. For this reason, it’s important to establish and maintain a highly effective and efficient production and administration system in operations, purchasing, human resources, and customer service.
There are various Six Sigma checklists to meet the specific needs of different business areas within an organization. But what they all have in common is that they are used to assess efficiency and excellence in company processes. The Six Sigma method is widely used and applied in various industries.
This article briefly opens:
1. What can be achieved with a six sigma checklist
2. Getting certified with a six sigma template
3. How to create six-sigma checklists with a digital tool
What Is the Importance of a Six Sigma Checklist?
The main task of a Six Sigma checklist is to help optimize processes. Among other things, this includes increasing process performance, reducing manufacturing costs, and vertical integration while avoiding errors. Since the method is designed for a continuous and sustainable improvement of processes, it is not surprising that companies opt to use checklists to stay organized with so many variables under examination. In this way, quality managers can easily observe variables, such as time and defects, over a longer period to guarantee future success.
The Six Sigma checklist makes it easy to record key figures for evaluation and planning. This way, companies can regularly monitor performance targets and measure product data, so they can continuously optimize their internal processes. Nearly defect-free products improve the company’s position in the market and its reputation with customers.
A Six Sigma checklist helps companies implement process improvements that will achieve the following:
1. Avoid Waste
Waste includes everything that your business doesn’t use but still costs money or resources. The elimination of waste helps guarantee that the company will always deliver its products and services on time. For that reason, a Six Sigma checklist is based on supply and demand to achieve efficiency and improve the production process.
For example:
All employees start work at 7:00 a.m. Team B can only start its task when team A finishes its process. The idle time of Team B is an example of waste.
2. Reduce Errors and Defects
The main purpose of a Six Sigma checklist is to reduce errors and defects. To achieve one hundred percent quality, managers must ensure that site staff maintains the plant and its equipment, ensuring that everything remains operational to avoid recurring problems. This also includes identifying human and process errors to identify potential for improvement.
For example:
Before each delivery, you should carry out a final inspection of the products to detect errors or damage at an early stage.
3. Streamline Processes
Six Sigma templates facilitate documentation. You can record everything at once, such as employee profiles, production processes, problem identification, effective solutions, and the implementation of corrective actions. A Six Sigma checklist can help avoid unwanted costs and unnecessary repetition of tasks and other activities.
For example:
In a company, the distribution of tasks should depend on employee strengths and competencies and be in line with their skills, training, and acquired knowledge.
How to Achieve Certification With a Six Sigma Template?
Six Sigma supports the statistical analysis of process optimization. Its checklists do not stand alone but are based on the following methods, which you must implement to achieve certification:
Use the DMAIC Method
The DMAIC method is a detailed process that defines a problem, measures its performance, analyzes the cause of existing errors, improves the identified process, and controls future performance. DMAIC is the most widely used method within Six Sigma that contributes to the improvement, optimization, and stabilization of business processes and concepts. A special DMAIC template among the Six Sigma templates facilitates implementation of process improvements.
Integrate the Lean Approach
The lean approach is an effective way to reduce waste. This includes errors, overproduction, low-quality products and, unproductive processes. It promotes the standardization of work and the rationalization of processes in production. You can eliminate errors with effective tools such as implementing the 5S method, Kaizen methodology, and Failure Modes and Effects Anaylsis (FMEA).
Use Digital Technologies for Six Sigma Checklists
The preparation for Six Sigma certification is complex. It includes a wealth of documentation and analyses as well as extensive archiving. Its certification process often afflicts Six Sigma users with many challenges. Collecting information on a paper-based, Six Sigma checklist and then switching over to a computer to evaluate the data is a time-consuming process.
With Lumiform’s mobile app, you can perform any quality inspection easily using a tablet or smartphone – online or offline. With the desktop software, you can create Six Sigma templates and evaluate the data collected on-site. This significantly reduces the risk of quality losses, documentation errors, and damage to your reputation. Use the advantages of Lumiform to apply the Six Sigma method:
- The flexible form construction kit helps you to convert any individual paper list into digital checklists within minutes.
- Generate real-time data via internal processes. This makes quality and security measurable, and you can use the data to optimize processes continuously.
- Get an overview of everything that’s going on on-site.
- Reports are created automatically – this saves you from having to do it yourself.
- You can increase the efficiency of your internal processes through more efficient communication with the team, third parties, and management.
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