Читать книгу Lean Six Sigma For Dummies - Martin Brenig-Jones - Страница 44

One of the most important things to have in place when starting a project is a clear scope. Without a clear scope, it can be very difficult to manage the improvement (how will you know when you’ve finished?), and it can also be difficult for project stakeholders to understand what will be affected by the project, the effort involved, the timescales, and the results that can be expected. Managing expectations is vital.

The tool used, which is shown in Figure 2-3, is very simple:

1 Draw a picture frame onto a flipchart, large sheet of paper, or online collaboration tool. Label the area inside the frame as “In.” Label the area outside of the frame as “Out.” Label the frame itself as “Up for discussion.”

2 Brainstorm various issues and write them on sticky notes. These could be related to customers or market segments in or out of scope, products, services, geographical regions, people affected, systems involved, and so on. The 5Ws and 1H mentioned in the preceding section might be useful here.

3 Place the sticky notes in what appears to be the most appropriate position.

4 Review and discuss all of the items with stakeholders.

5 Following the review and decisions made, seek to move all of the “Up for discussion” items either In or Out.

© Martin Brenig-Jones and Jo Dowdall

FIGURE 2-3: Framing the scope of your improvement project.

It can be very easy to grow the scope of an improvement project. As you learn more about the process and its issues, you might be tempted to take on further aspects of the problem. You might also have stakeholders who want you to “solve everything” in one go. Our advice is always to manage and control the scope of the project and take everything in bite-size chunks.

Throughout your project, developing a storyboard summary of the key decisions and outputs helps you review progress and share what you’ve learned. A storyboard builds up as you work your way through your project by capturing the key outputs and findings from the DMAIC phases. A storyboard would include, for example, your improvement charter and process map (see Chapter 5) as well as other tools you’ll use in your DMAIC journey and the conclusions they help you to reach. The storyboard also helps your communication activities. Developing and reviewing a communication plan is an essential activity. You really need to keep your team and the people affected by your project informed about the progress you’re making. Communication begins on day one of your project.