Creating a SIPOC Chart
February 12, 2025
5G is the latest buzzword in the telecommunication sector. For a layman, it is difficult to understand what the buzz really is all about. Modern-day consumers have lived through the introduction of 3G and 4G. They believe that 5G will just be a minor enhancement over the way things are currently functioning now. However, that […]
The Chinese economic prowess is second to none. They have certainly pulled off an economic miracle since Mao Zedong began unleashing his tough policies on the people. The transformation was painful. However, as a result, China has become a global economic behemoth, a power to be feared. It is the second largest economy in the […]
Business Process Improvement projects can be applied to any and every process in any industry. Using BPI it is possible to increase the efficiency of any and every process. Processes though designed well, can become inefficient over a period of time. Besides, processes need to be subject to review periodically to determine the efficiency as […]
Mergers and acquisitions used to be fairly straightforward in the yesteryears. This is because companies would only make acquisitions within their own industry. This meant that if a technology-based startup were up for grabs, the list of potential suitors would only include companies like Google and Microsoft. This has completely changed now. Traditional companies like […]
The Surging Protectionist Sentiment There is a surge of protectionism and populism worldwide. From President Trump’s Protectionist Rhetoric and his America First and Make America Great Again slogans to the rise of Anti Immigrant sentiment in Brexit Britain and the latent hyper nationalism in other countries around the world, there is a backlash against globalization. […]
Although the 5 Why’s is an elementary tool when it comes to six sigma methodology, it is nonetheless important. Since there is a high degree of subjectivity involved with the usage of the tool, it is suggested that it be used only by a team of cross functional experts to obtain best results. Here is the list of the steps to follow to get best results:
Step 1 - Be Careful While Creating Problem Statements: The main goal of the Five Why’s tool is to ensure that we move past symptoms and make headway into finding and solving the root cause. It is therefore important that the problem be framed in the correct manner. As the old saying goes “A problem well defined is half solved”. The definition of the problem should be objective i.e. it must include facts and measurements. It must leave no room for ambiguity for words like “more”, “less” etc. Its only when the problems can be defined in concrete numerical terms can a desired solution be defined and worked upon.
Step 2 - Honesty – Avoid the Blame Game: Power and politics in an organization are a severe hindrance towards moving forward with the Five Why’s analysis. Many times brainstorming sessions do not work because there is deliberate shielding of problems by departments to avoid being penalized for being inefficient in the past. It should be ensured that the participants are indeed objective. There must be no penalties on bringing out past and present shortcomings, instead it must be encouraged.
Also the rules of the discussion must be made clear prior to beginning the process. The focus must always be on results and not the people involved. Organizations that move beyond people are the ones that succeed with their six sigma endeavors.
Step 3 - Parent Child Diagram: The first focus should be on getting as many problems on the discussion board as possible. Once this is done and the answers begin to get repetitive, one must start mapping the levels of causes. For example A causes B, B causes C and C causes D. In this case A is a Level 1 cause, B is a level 2 cause and C is a level 3 cause when it comes to solving D as a problem. Solving A would pull the rug beneath all other issues and the management will be able to use much more with limited resources than it would otherwise have done.
Step 4 - Ensure That the Cause is Systematic: A systematic cause is one where the system is to be corrected, not the parties in the system. A six sigma process does not allow error even if the participants willfully want to err. Hence the root cause analysis should ensure that it is not degenerating to a finger pointing exercise. The idea should be to make the system so efficient that it does not allow any errors whatsoever.
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