Assessment Question You are employed by an organisation, which is performing poorly and is considering the application of a Six Sigma programme to deliver improvements in customer service and financial performance. As someone who has a degree of expertise in the field, they have approached you to investigate the approach and appropriate techniques which might best be applied to effect improvement. They are aware that there are many tools which might be applied within the DMAIC cycle and would like you to consider not only how the whole Six Sigma programme might best be applied, but also what specific tools you would recommend being the focus of training and application. Prepare a report based on the literature and any previous relevant experience. Report should include: 1. A detailed flow chart, which clearly define the key steps of ‘yours specific’ Six Sigma belt implementation in the company (excluded in word count). (25% marks) 2. Critical analysis of the issues involved with the implementation process of your improvement. (15% marks) 3. Selection of tools and techniques the organization should introduce as a priority in order to aid the improvement process, explain how you came to this conclusion. (10% marks) 4. Application of previously described tools (choose appropriate 2). (20% marks) 5. The types of improvements you would expect to see (e.g. cost reduction, improved customer satisfaction, etc.) with the supporting factors e.g. organizational structures, improvement process structures, training etc.) which would be necessary to maximise the results. In your answer, you will need to consider how you will define customer satisfaction, and the things, which contribute to it. (20% marks) Remaining 10% will be allocated to presentation, structure and academic writing. Assessment Objectives 1. To understand how customers perceive ‘quality’ and how this can be addressed by an organization. 2. To understand the potential impact of tools and techniques considered on the course. 3. To understand key success factors for application, and how tools and techniques can be combined to produce a systematic approach to improvement. 4. To understand the links between tool application and enabling organizational factors in delivering success. Literature Review It is necessary to read a reasonably broad cross-section of the literature in order to form a balanced view. Use articles, journals and books as academic references. Critically review the content to reach a considered opinion. Mark will be given for: • • • Thoroughness of understanding of the literature on theory and practice. Intellectual quality of the analysis. Recommendations. Questions to considered: What are the key aspects of customer satisfaction in respect of the question? What are the key aspects of cost reduction in this context? Where do the tools and techniques contribute? What evidence do you have to support your conclusions? What tools or techniques are most important for improvement? How are they best applied in a chosen environment? What supporting factors will achieve the best results? Clear linkages to the analysis are required. Innovative comment is encouraged. Reference ALL work that you use. Deadline The assignment should be handed in via Tabula by 12.00pm on Thursday 16th January 2020. The essay is worth (30% of a 15 CATS course). The length of the assignment should not exceed 2,500 words. Please record the number of words on the contents page for your report. Measure – Collecting the data Analyse - Risk Register Focus on areas to improve Come up with strategic plan Improve - Coming up with possible improvements Control - Longevity of work How they do it themselves Team of people New it management system Engaging with leadership Manufacturing companies have been implementing numerous technologies and management models to achieve zero-defect manufacturing. Zero defect manufacturing is increasingly realised globally to reduce the cost of manufacture. A six sigma model is a Implementing a continuous quality improvement model. Quality of work Manufacturing companies have been adopting numerous technologies and management models to achieve zero defect manufacturing. The need of zero defect manufacturing is increasingly realised globally for the purpose of reducing the manufacturing cost and increasing profit. One of the ways of achieving zero defect manufacturing is implementing a continuous quality improvement model. Of late, manufacturing companies have been adopting Six Sigma as the continuous quality improvement model for achieving zero defect manufacturing (Shafer and Moeller, 2012; Lin et al., 2013). Six Sigma emerged in Motorola in the late 1980s (Black and Revere, 2006). After that, the popularity of Six Sigma was enhanced by General Electric (GE) (Antony et al., 2012) which reported achieving zero defect manufacturing on implementing it. During the early years of emergence of the Six Sigma, it was widely implemented in manufacturing companies. On realising its capability in facilitating financially beneficial results coupled with achieving zero defect manufacturing, the Six Sigma has been applied in both manufacturing and service sectors (Tjahjono et al., 2010; Miguel et al., 2012; Laureani and Antony, 2012). Furthermore, Six Sigma applications have been reported in sales and marketing also (Salzarulo et al., 2012). These developments indicate the proven capability of Six Sigma (Arumugam et al., 2013). Six Sigma is primarily encapsulated with two pillars which are known as DMAIC and belt-based training system. DMAIC facilitates the companies to carry out Six Sigma projects through five phases namely define, measure, analyse, improve and control (Goh and Xie, 2003; Anand et al., 2007; Sahoo et al., 2008). On the other hand belt-based training system facilitates the development of trained personnel with designations as Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt and Green Belt (Zu et al., 2008). While There are several definitions of quality, and one standard view is that quality only has to do with fulfilling predetermined specifications. “fitness for use” Bergam & Klefsjo (2001) Ericsson is a worldwide provider of telecoms equipment and related services to both mobile and fixed network operators. >405 of all mobile calls worldwide are made through Ericsson’s systems. The company offers end-to-end solutions for all major mobile communication standards. Many tools are available to improve quality within a manufacturing company Who would be responsible Gemba walk - Process walkthrough to identify certain issues Black belt - Key decision
