Asking “Why?” may be a favorite technique of your three year old child in driving you crazy, but it could teach you a valuable Six Sigma quality lesson.
“The 5 Whys” is a technique used in the Analyze phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology. It is a great Six Sigma tool that does not involve data segmentation, hypothesis testing, regression or other advanced statistical tools, and in many cases can be completed without a data collection plan.
By repeatedly asking the question “Why” (five is a good rule of thumb), you can peel away the layers of symptoms which can lead to the root cause of a problem.
Very often the ostensible reason for a problem will lead you to another question. Although this technique is called “5 Whys,” you may find that you will need to ask the question fewer or more times than five before you find the issue related to a problem.
- Help identify the root cause of a problem.
- Determine the relationship between different root causes of a problem.
- One of the simplest tools; easy to complete without statistical analysis.
- When problems involve human factors or interactions.
- In day-to-day business life; can be used within or without a Six Sigma project.
1. Write down the specific problem. Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and describe it completely. It also helps a team focus on the same problem.
2. Ask Why the problem happens and write the answer down below the problem.
3. If the answer you just provided doesn’t identify the root cause of the problem that you wrote down in Step 1, ask Why again and write that answer down.
4. Loop back to step 3 until the team is in agreement that the problem’s root cause is identified. Again, this may take fewer or more times than five Whys.5 Whys Examples Problem Statement: Customers are unhappy because they are being shipped products that don’t meet their specifications.
- Why are customers being shipped bad products?
- Because manufacturing built the products to a specification that is different from what the customer and the sales person agreed to.
- Why did manufacturing build the products to a different specification than that of sales?
- Because the sales person expedites work on the shop floor by calling the head of manufacturing directly to begin work. An error happened when the specifications were being communicated or written down.
- Why does the sales person call the head of manufacturing directly to start work instead of following the procedure established in the company?
- Because the “start-work” form requires the sales director’s approval before work can begin and slows the manufacturing process (or stops it when the director is out of the office).
- Why does the form contain an approval for the sales director?
- Because the sales director needs to be continually updated on sales for discussions with the CEO.
In manufacturing GMP Plasmids, having the know-how and experience to successfully troubleshoot problems when they arise is a point of pride for us.
"Kwa nini?"" inaweza kuwa mbinu favorite ya mtoto wako wa miaka mitatu katika kuendesha wewe wazimu, lakini inaweza kufundisha somo muhimu Six Sigma ubora. """ "Kwa mfano, ""Kwa nini"" ni mbinu ya kuelezea ya Six Sigma DMAIC (Kufafanua, Kupima, Kuchambua, Kuboresha, Kudhibiti)." Ni chombo cha Six Sigma ambacho hakihusishi mgawanyiko wa data, upimaji wa nadharia, kurudi nyuma au zana nyingine za hali ya juu za takwimu, na katika kesi nyingi inaweza kukamilika bila mpango wa ukusanyaji wa data. Kwa kuuliza mara kwa mara swali <unk>Kwa nini<unk> (tano ni sheria nzuri ya kidole gumba), unaweza kuondoa tabaka za dalili ambazo zinaweza kusababisha chanzo cha tatizo. Mara nyingi sababu inayoonekana ya tatizo itakuongoza kwenye swali jingine. Ingawa mbinu hii inaitwa <unk>5 Kwa nini<unk>, unaweza kupata kwamba unahitaji kuuliza swali mara chache au zaidi ya tano kabla ya kupata suala kuhusiana na tatizo. - Kusaidia kutambua kisababishi kikuu cha tatizo. - Kuamua uhusiano kati ya sababu mbalimbali za msingi za tatizo. - Moja ya zana rahisi; rahisi kukamilisha bila uchambuzi wa takwimu. - Wakati matatizo kuhusisha mambo ya binadamu au mwingiliano. - Katika maisha ya kila siku ya biashara; inaweza kutumika ndani au bila mradi Six Sigma. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Andika tatizo hususa. Kuandika suala husaidia formalize tatizo na kuelezea kikamilifu. Pia husaidia timu kuzingatia tatizo moja. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Uliza kwa nini tatizo hutokea na uandike jibu chini ya tatizo. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Kama jibu ulilotoa halijulikani chanzo cha tatizo uliloandika katika hatua ya kwanza, uliza kwa nini tena na uandike jibu hilo. 4. Uwe na uhakika Nenda nyuma hadi hatua ya 3 mpaka timu inakubali kwamba chanzo cha tatizo kimetambuliwa. Kwa sababu hii, ni muhimu sana kuelezea sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu za sababu. - Kwa nini wateja wanasafirishwa bidhaa mbaya? - Kwa sababu utengenezaji ilijenga bidhaa kwa vipimo ambayo ni tofauti na nini mteja na muuzaji mtu alikubaliana. - Kwa nini utengenezaji kujenga bidhaa kwa vipimo tofauti na ile ya mauzo? - Kwa sababu mfanyabiashara huongeza kasi ya kazi kwenye sakafu ya duka kwa kumwita mkuu wa utengenezaji moja kwa moja kuanza kazi. Kosa lilitokea wakati maelezo yalipokuwa yakijaribiwa au kuandikwa. - Kwa nini mtu wa mauzo anaita mkuu wa uzalishaji moja kwa moja kuanza kazi badala ya kufuata utaratibu uliopangwa katika kampuni? - Kwa sababu fomu ya "kuanza kazi" inahitaji idhini ya mkurugenzi wa mauzo kabla ya kazi kuanza na hupunguza mchakato wa utengenezaji (au huiacha wakati mkurugenzi yuko nje ya ofisi). - Kwa nini fomu hiyo ina idhini kwa mkurugenzi wa mauzo? - Kwa sababu mkurugenzi wa mauzo anahitaji kuwa daima updated juu ya mauzo kwa ajili ya majadiliano na Mkurugenzi Mtendaji. Katika utengenezaji wa GMP Plasmids, kuwa na ujuzi na uzoefu wa mafanikio ya matatizo wakati wao kutokea ni uhakika wa fahari kwa ajili yetu.