You are on page 1of 7

Basic terminology and Figures

Pareto
The Pareto principle states that 80% of the impact of the problem will show up in
20% of the causes. (Originally stated: 80% of the wealth is owned by 20% of the
people.) A bar chart that displays by frequency, in descending order, the most
important defects. Proper use of this chart will have the cumulative percentage
on a second y-axis (to the right of the chart). This chart-type is used to identify if
the Pareto principle is evident in the data. If the Pareto principle is evident,
about 20% of the categories on the far left will have about 80% of the impact on
the problem.


Cause & Effect Diagram
The cause & effect diagram is the brainchild of Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality
management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the
founding fathers of modern management. The cause and effect diagram is used to explore all the
potential or real causes (or inputs) that result in a single effect (or output). Causes are arranged
according to their level of importance or detail, resulting in a depiction of relationships and
hierarchy of events. This can help you search for root causes, identify areas where there may be
problems, and compare the relative importance of different causes.
Causes in a cause & effect diagram are frequently arranged into four major categories. While
these categories can be anything, you will often see:
manpower, methods, materials, and machinery (recommended for manufacturing)
equipment, policies, procedures, and people (recommended for administration and
service).
These guidelines can be helpful but should not be used if they limit the diagram or are
inappropriate. The categories you use should suit your needs. At SkyMark, we often create the
branches of the cause and effect tree from the titles of the affinity sets in a preceding affinity
diagram.
The C&E diagram is also known as the fishbone diagram because it was drawn to resemble the
skeleton of a fish, with the main causal categories drawn as "bones" attached to the spine of the
fish, as shown below.
Download Products




Cause & effect diagrams can also be drawn as tree diagrams, resembling a tree turned on its side.
From a single outcome or trunk, branches extend that represent major categories of inputs or
causes that create that single outcome. These large branches then lead to smaller and smaller
branches of causes all the way down to twigs at the ends. The tree structure has an advantage
over the fishbone-style diagram. As a fishbone diagram becomes more and more complex, it
becomes difficult to find and compare items that are the same distance from the effect because
they are dispersed over the diagram. With the tree structure, all items on the same causal level
are aligned vertically.

To successfully build a cause and effect diagram:
1. Be sure everyone agrees on the effect or problem statement before beginning.
2. Be succinct.
3. For each node, think what could be its causes. Add them to the tree.
4. Pursue each line of causality back to its root cause.
5. Consider grafting relatively empty branches onto others.
6. Consider splitting up overcrowded branches.
7. Consider which root causes are most likely to merit further investigation.
Other uses for the Cause and Effect tool include the organization diagramming, parts hierarchies,
project planning, tree diagrams, and the 5 Why's.


Flowchart
A flowchart is a graphical representation of a process, depicting inputs, outputs and units of
activity. It represents the entire process at a high or detailed (depending on your use) level of
observation, allowing analysis and optimization of workflow.

A flowchart is a graphical representation of a process. It represents the entire process from start
to finish, showing inputs, pathways and circuits, action or decision points, and ultimately,
completion. It can serve as an instruction manual or a tool for facilitating detailed analysis and
optimization of workflow and service delivery.

Cause and Effect Diagram
A cause and effect diagram is a visual tool used to logically organize
possible causes for a specific problem or effect by graphically displaying them in increasing
detail. It helps to identify root causes and ensures common understanding of the causes. It is also
called an Ishikawa diagram.

Cause and Effect relationships govern everything that happens and as such are the path to
effective problem solving. By knowing the causes, we can find some that are within our control
and then change or modify them to meet our goals and objectives. By understanding the nature of
the cause and effect principle, we can build a diagram to help us solve everyday problems every
time.

Cause and Effects Matrix
Relates the key inputs to the key outputs (customer requirements) using the process map as the
primary information source
Key outputs are scored as to importance to the customer
Key inputs are scored as to relationship to key outputs
Pareto of key inputs to evaluate in the FMEA and control plans
Input into the initial evaluation of the Process Control Plan


Cause & Effect Matrix Steps
Identify key customer requirements (outputs) from process map
or other sources
Rank order and assign priority factor to each Output (usually on a
1 to 10 scale)
Identify all process steps and materials (inputs) from the Process
Map
Evaluate correlation of each input to each output
low score: changes in the input variable (amount, quality,
etc.) have small effect on output variable
high score: changes in the input variable can greatly affect
the output variable
Cross multiply correlation values with priority







Cause & Effect Matrix Form


Rating of
Importance
to Customer




1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

R
e
q
u
i
r
e
m
e
n
t

Total

Process
Step
Process
Input


1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
5 0
6 0
7 0
8 0


Process Map
It is a hierarchical method for displaying processes that illustrates how a product
or transaction is processed. It is a visual representation of the work-flow either within a process - or an
image of the whole operation. Process Mapping comprises a stream of activities that transforms a well
defined input or set of inputs into a pre-defined set of outputs.

The High Level Process Map; "30,000 feet overviews", "Medium image" is differentiated from the Detailed
Process Map; "homing in", "zooming in", "Micro Map". The High Level Process Map is utilized in scoping
a Six Sigma project and establishing boundaries, while a detailed process map will be used by the GB/BB
to Analyze (identify potential causes) and Improve (optimize) the process.

A good Process Map should:
1)allow people unfamiliar with the process to understand the interaction of causes during the work-flow.
2)contain additional information relating to the Six Sigma project i.e. information per critical step about
input and output variables, time, cost, DPU value.

Software programs utilized to create Process Maps include Microsoft Visio, SigmaFlow and iGrafx. For
those individuals who may not have access to these packages, Process Mapping may be performed in
Excel or Power Point.

Value Stream
A value stream is all the steps (both value added and non-value added) in a
process that the customer is willing to pay for in order to bring a product or service through the main flows
essential to producing that product or service.

Value Stream Mapping
Value stream mapping is a paper and pencil tool that helps you to see and
understand the flow of material and information as a product or service makes its way through the value
stream. Value stream mapping is typically used in Lean, it differs from the process mapping of Six Sigma
in four ways:

1) It gathers and displays a far broader range of information than a typical process map.
2) It tends to be at a higher level (5-10 boxes) than many process maps.
3) It tends to be used at a broader level, i.e. from receiving of raw material to delivery of finished goods.
4) It tends to be used to identify where to focus future projects, subprojects, and/or kaizen events.

----------
A value stream map (AKA end-to-end system map) takes into account not only the activity of the product,
but the management and information systems that support the basic process. This is especially helpful
when working to reduce cycle time, because you gain insight into the decision making flow in addition to
the process flow. It is actually a Lean tool.

The basic idea is to first map your process, then above it map the information flow that enables the
process to occur.

Lean Manufacturing
Initiative focused on eliminating all waste in manufacturing processes.

The Production System Design Laboratory (PSD), Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) http://lean2.mit.edu/ states that 'Lean production is aimed at
the elimination of waste in every area of production including customer relations,
product design, supplier networks and factory management. Its goal is to
incorporate less human effort, less inventory, less time to develop products, and
less space to become highly responsive to customer demand while producing
top quality products in the most efficient and economical manner possible.'

Principles of Lean Enterprise:
Download Products
Lean Six Sigma Champion
Training

Six Sigma Leadership
Series

Lean Six Sigma Team
Member Training Course
Zero waiting time
Zero Inventory
Scheduling -- internal customer pull instead of push system
Batch to Flow -- cut batch sizes
Line Balancing
Cut actual process times.

You might also like