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Six Sigma Project Charter
Name of project: Reduce the time of producing admissions dashboard reports Green belt: Yes Submitted by: Xingming Yu
e-mail: [email protected]
Date submitted: May 21, 2012 Date updated: February 15, 2013
I. Project Selection Process
Item Yes No Comments
Key business issue x
Linked to a define process x
Customers identified x
Defects clearly defined x
Describe how and why project was selected. Reference any tools used, such as SIPOC, VOC plan, Affinity diagram, KANO model, CTS tree, etc….
This project was selected following the DMAIC project selection criteria. The problem is a key business issue. Admissions dashboard reports are critical for senior administrators and admissions counselors to track the undergraduate admissions process and make sound decisions. The problem can be linked to a defined process. Internal and external customers can be defined to receive and use the reports from the process. The reports should be 100% accurate or errors-free before delivering to the customers.
II. Project Description
Project Title
Reduce the time of producing admissions dashboard reports
Date Charted Target Completion Date Actual Completion Date
5/21/12 10/31/12
Project Leader Team Facilitator Team Champion
Xingming Yu Xingming Yu Brent Drake
Estimated Cost Savings Actual Cost Savings Costs of implementing project
Team members
Bob Delcourt, Madonna Ritter
Problem Statement
Admissions dashboard is very important for tracking university admissions activities critical to achieve the strategic goals. It helps senior administrators and counselors with their decision-making process and helps them make adjustments if necessary. 100% accuracy and error-free data reporting is required for the production process. Preparing, validating, and delivering this report to its
2 customers in a timely manner is especially important for undergraduate
admissions process. It takes almost 7 hours every Monday for three staff members to generate the admissions dashboard reports. How to reduce the production time and increase the productivity is the research for the team.
Project Goal and Metrics
The project goal is to analyze the current process and develop a controllable and improved process to reduce the time of producing the undergraduate admissions dashboard reports. The metrics to be used will be the amount of production time decreased by a period of six months.
Describe the challenges and support required
The challenges are the full understanding of the process by the team members and the willingness to follow the process, and the intensive validation process to ensure the data accuracy. Administrative supervisory support is a key for the success of the process improvement and for this Six Sigma project.
Project Schedule
D1. Select the output characteristic. Date:5/15/12
The output is the time spent to produce the admissions dashboard reports. It will be measured in minutes.
D2. Define the output performance standard. Date:7/18/12
The specification for the process will be 20 minutes to produce an admissions dashboard report. The total number of dashboard report is 15. The total time to process the 15 reports will be 300 minutes instead of the current 375 minutes.
D3. Describe the process. Date:7/21/12 Required tools: SIPOC, Detailed process map
The process starts with the export of Cognos admissions summary reports and ends with the validation of the admissions dashboard reports before their release to customers. Print out the PDF version of the summary reports, save the
summary reports to LAN as the data source for the production, and open the reporting templates to update reports fill the process between the start and end. Please refer to the attached SIPOC and Detailed Process Map.
M1. Validate the measuring system. Date:7/28/12
Required tools: Gage R&R/Attribute Agreement Analysis
Since my project has variable data, I conducted a variable Gage R&R analysis with Minitab. Please refer to the attached Gage R&R results and charts.
It turned out the measuring system is a pretty good one. The total Gage R&R is 21.51%, lower than the 30% or less guideline, and the Part-To-Part is 97.66%, higher than the 70% or more criteria.
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M2. Establish current process capability for the output. Date:7/29/12
Required tools: Process capability, Control chart
Process Capability Sixpack was utilized. The related charts and statistical results are attached.
From the Capability Histogram and the Normal Prob Plot we can see that the collected data has a normal distribution, which is important for statistical analysis. The p value for the measurement is over 0.5.
The I-Chart tells us that the current process is in control, and the mean is 24.24. From the Capability Plot table we can see we don't have the Cp and Pp values because we only care about the USL, not the LSL. However the Cpk (short term) and the Ppk (long term) values are pretty good: -0.57 and -0.34 for the
measurement, which indicate that the process average is close to the
specification limits. The values are negative because the USL is lower than the current process average.
M3. Determine project objectives. Date:8/10/12
The average time for the current process is around 25 minutes a report. Each Monday we have 15 similar reports to produce. The current total production time is about 375 minutes for the team. The project objective is to reduce the time to produce a report to 20 minutes in a period of six months. If we work out an improved process, the total time for the 15 reports will be 300 minutes instead of 375 minutes. For the complete process, 75 minutes will be cut or 20% of time will be reduced from the current process.
A1. Identify and list all potential causes (inputs). Date:8/15/12 Required tools: Process map, Brainstorming, Fishbone diagram, Cause and effect
matrix, Potential “X” matrix
We organized a team meeting, used the Brainstorming method and the detailed Process Map with inputs and outputs to identify the potential causes. Then I categorized/classified the list of potential causes into the Fishbone Diagram attached with this document.
A2. Screen potential causes. Date:8/16/12
Required tools: See A1
Explain how the inputs were screened and attach records. Describe your input reduction process.
We voted on the potential inputs and picked up four inputs that might affect the output significantly. Cause and effect matrix was also used to screen the inputs and in the input reduction process. The detailed matrix was attached.
A3. Determine the f(x) – key input variable(s) Date:9/25/12
Required tools: One factor at a time experiment Explain how the KPIV(s) were chosen.
4 The potential “X” matrix was used in this step and the matrix was attached.
I-1. Establish operating tolerances for key inputs and output. Date:9/25/12
Describe how the solution was derived and how it will be implemented. Describe the operating tolerances and how they were selected.
With the efforts of teamwork, and voting on the solutions, cause and effect matrix and potential “X” matrix were used. The method of brainstorming was also
initiated to derive the possible solutions. Communications between team members during the production process, take notes about stop point when interrupted, two-minute break from one report to another, and open two Excel applications for data check and report update will be implemented.
10-20 minute a report was chosen for the operating tolerance of the output. This tolerance of the output also complies with the RUMBA: it is reasonable,
understandable, measurable, believable, and attainable within the team. By changing the method we expect to reduce the current process time for our 15 admissions dashboard reports without compromising the 100% accuracy. The selection process also follows the “Establish Operating Tolerance” guidelines: customers’ expectations, feasibility, measuring accuracy, and cost effectiveness.
I-2. Re-evaluate the measuring system. Date:9/26/12
Required tools: Gage R&R/Attribute Agreement Analysis Describe statistical results and any actions taken. Attach records.
Data were collected again after the solutions were implemented in the process. Variable Gage R&R analysis was conducted to re-evaluate the measuring system. The statistical results and graphs were attached to this document. Total gage R&R was 34.14% and the part-to-part value was 93.99%, which tells us that the measuring system is valid.
I-3. Establish final capability for key input(s) and the output. Date:9/26/12
Required tools: Process capability, Control chart
Describe statistical results and any actions taken. Attach records.
Another process capability analysis was conducted and the graphs and output were attached. The average time for the new process was 15.288. Hence the USL was set at 15 instead of the first value 20. The Cpk is 0.13 and the Ppk is -0.06 which means the process average is close to the USL. Here the values are negative because the USL is set lower than the process average.
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Date:9/27/12
Required tool: Four levels of control, error proofing
List controls including error proofing. Utilize highest level of control possible. Categorize controls 0, 1, 2, or 3.
We use level III controls for the process with mistake-proofing (Poka-yoke) because they can 100% prevent defect and can save time and money.
Follow-up to ensure effectiveness. Date:10/1/12
List follow-up activities.
Make sure every team member understands the new process and is willing to implement the solutions. Time for producing each report will be recorded and monitored. Trainings and documentation will be provided. The process will be improved.
Black Belts must utilize the following additional tools: FMEA, hypothesis testing, regression, design of experiments, and one lean tool of their choice.
SUPPLIERS
INPUTS
PROCESS
OUTPUTS
CUSTOMERS
List Suppliers, internal andexternal.
List Inputs to Process: Data, information, materials,
manpower, environment, equipment, resources.
List Outputs to Process: Data, information, materials,
manpower, environment, equipment, resources.
List customers, internal and external.
Office of Admissions Admissions data E-copy of dashboard reports Admissions committee
Student Assessment Excel data source Hard copies of reports Office of admissions
Student Analytics PDF data source Binder filing Admissions counselors
Student Reporting Dashboard template/shell Hard copy distribution Colleges and schools
ITAP Report producers e-copy distribution College Deans
Banner PCs Historical data recorded Senior administrators
EMAR Printers Information shared EMAR
Punches Admissions recruiters
File binders Housing services
Calculators Budgeting Office
Measuring rulers Space management
Printing paper Financial aid office
Pens and pencils
Open templates to update to the weekly
reports
Validate updated dashboard reports
SIPOC
Map Process Below. Do not get led by the form! List as many steps as necessary
to descriibe the MACRO process. The purpose of his exercise is to examine scope, to
list primary inputs and outputs, and to list high-level customer
expectations.
The process
is a
time-intensive and
accuracy-must and
teamwork.
Export Cognos admissions summary reportsPrint out admissions summary reports
Save admissions reports to LAN as
U C U U U U
Start
Finish
Export Cognos
summary reports
Validate dashboard
reports
Open reporting
template to update
Save summary reports to
LAN as data source
Print out summary
U Banner Excel output C Template Dashboard
U ODS PDF output U MS Office updated
C Cognos U PC Finish product
U PC Historical
data recorded Graphs updated
U Printer PDF hard
U PC copy summary C Excel Accurate
C Send out reports C spreadsheet reports
printing task C PDF hard Accurate
copy data recorded
Previous year data
U Mouse PDF copy
U Keyboard on LAN
U Adobe Excel copy
U MS Office on LAN
Start
Export Cognos
summary reports
Print out summary
reports
Save summary
reports to LAN
Open reporting
template to update
Validate dashboard
reports
Finish
Previous year data Documentation of univ, school & Communications 100% accurate/error-free Unified reports Report producers
15 dashboard reports Reporting templates A team of 3 producers
Complete, validate and upload Excel data source Process training and best-
Prior to 4PM Monday PDF data hard copy Practice share
Printing paper, pens & pencils
2-min break b/t dashboards Column designation
Interruptions!!! Formula editor expand Workstation PC
Banner data entry errors: Reduce spreadsheet window Printer
Accuracy; Time Take notes about stop points/time Punches
ODS Spot check total #s, comp & sig % Calculators
Cognos Trade off Adcom report & validation Measuring rulers
Open 2 Excel applications Crosscheck reports Dual PC monitors
Adobe and MS Office programs EDW cube dashboard???
Dashboard Reports Personnel Material Measurements Machines Methods Environment
Relevance to Customer (Y)
9 x 6 9 x x x x x 9
Out put s Accura te repo rt s Accura te d at a reco rded G ra phs up dated Da shbo ard upd at ed Ex ce l c op y o n LAN PDF co py on LAN PDF co py print ed out Ex ce l o utp ut PDF out put Finis he d pro duct Inputs Score Communications 9 9 9 9 297Report producing team 3 1 3 3 87
Training & best-practice share 1 0 0 3 36
PC 0 0 1 3 36
Documentation 1 0 0 1 18
Reporting templates 3 1 1 3 69
Excel data source 9 0 1 3 117
PDF hard copy 0 0 0 1 9
Column designation 1 0 1 3 45
Formula editor expand 0 0 1 1 18
Take notes about stop point 3 3 3 3 99
Spot check total #s and % 1 0 1 1 27
Previous year data 1 0 1 1 27
2-minute break 1 1 3 3 69
Interruptions 0 0 0 1 9
Adobe and Office programs 1 0 0 1 18
ODS 1 0 0 0 9
Cognos 1 0 0 0 9
Banner data entry 1 0 0 1 18
Open 2 Excel applications 3 3 3 3 99
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
