MODERN ACADEMY

FOR ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Production
Technology
Fall Semester - Academic Year 2020/2021
December 2020

Article Name : Lean Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Control Phase

Course Title: Seminar-2
Course Code: MNF 362

Student Name Ghaly Ashraf Ghaly

Student ID 18889
Student Level LEVEL 3
Section No. 3.b
Mobile No.

Dr. Mahmoud Saleh Rabie

1. Control phase:
 It is the fifth stage of the DMAIC method and ensures the sustainability of the
improvements made. You have to make sure that the issues do not get repeated. You need
to make sure that the whole process is following the Lean Six Sigma Principles. If you
find any deviation, the same should be noted and brought into notice. 

For this, your team can build a monitoring algorithm where you can decide the various
levels where the process will operate. You can also strategize the plan of action at these
levels to make sure the improvements are visible. Also, you may encourage your team
members to update the data and noticeable improvements at every stage. This record
comes in handy for the control phase.

1.2 what is control phase

The Control phase involves implementing the actual changes, whether they be physical,
behavioral or both; rewriting procedures and work instructions; retraining staff on new
procedures; putting systems in place to measure and monitor the new process, such as control
charts; and writing an action plan.

The focus of this stage is to make sure that the action item created in the Improve phase is
well-implemented and maintained. Several tools are used in this stage to make sure that
variables are within its limits. Activities such as checking the proper execution of
initiative(s), control charts are being employed, and effectiveness of the initiatives are also
evaluated. To standardize the course of action and documents, the guidelines and the
responsibilities are also shared with the proper group or individual.

1.3 Control and Implementation Plans:

The four techniques used for process control plans are:

1. Standardization
2. Documentation
3. Monitoring Plan
4. Response Plan

1.3.1 Standardization
 When working to improve a process, it is not enough to implement a solution and
stop. Without a plan to maintain the gains, at the first sign of trouble, systems will
revert to what has been comfortable in the past. That usually means a return to some
past operating procedure. To prevent this, there must be a linkage of the improvement
to the management system. This involves monitoring important metrics, documenting
methods and procedures, and providing a strategy for dealing with problems in the
future.
 This is the purpose of the Control Phase of a Six Sigma Project. It involves a plan to
maintain the gains from the new process and building that plan into the management
system. This will provide for on going accountability. Considering that process
improvement projects will typically cross functional boundaries, the various process
owners, and what they are accountable for, will be need to be specified, and included
in the plan, in order to insure long-term success.
 The process map of the new process that was created during Improve should be
reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect any modifications that may have
occurred during roll out. It will be used for training and reference so that the new
process will be clear. If many individuals or groups are involved in the process, a
deployment flowchart should also be developed to clarify roles and tasks.
 Standardization is about making sure that important elements of a process are
performed the same way every time, as prescribed by the standardized process. A lack
of consistency will cause the process to generate defects and compromise safety.
Standardization also provides predictability, which allows the process owners to
prevent problems before they affect the customer.
  When a process or practice is standardized, changes are made only when data shows
a need to change. This prevents individuals from doing the work the way that seems
best to them, thus compromising quality and negatively affecting the customer. The
objective is to maintain consistent quality over time in spite of environmental
changes.
 Standardization has three components:
1. elimination of waste
2. workplace simplification
3. work process analysis.
All three of these components are necessary. If work is standardized without waste
elimination, waste production becomes standardized. If work is standardized without
 workplace simplification, complexity becomes standardized. If a process is not being
measured, it is not being managed.

Standardizing the should-be process helps answer queries like:

 What are the steps in the process?
 Who does these steps in the process and when?
 Where more detailed work instructions can be found?

1.3.2 Documentation:
 Documentation is a necessary step to insure that the learning gained via improvement
is institutionalized and shared across the team by having it documented with proper
work procedures. Often the live processes have a tendency to evolve in an ad-hoc
manner. How to accomplish each process activity is usually left up to the individuals
and thus, much of the organizational knowledge resides only in the minds of all those
responsible for execution. Procedure: A procedure is the documented sequence of steps
& other instructions necessary to carry out an activity for a process.

Fig [1] steps to make documentation

 Detailed analysis and design produces the new processes which are documented,
delivered and rolled-out. Once trained, the teams know their roles and the process
document goes into the draw to gather dust as people get on with their job.

1. Does this mean that process documentation is only a vehicle for transition
from current-state to future-state?
 2. How can you “bring the processes to life” in a transactional world e.g., visual
controls?

3. How can you ensure processes do not become redundant but are fully
embedded and updated as new working practises develop?

 Throughout the life of the project the team has been creating documentation—Standard
Work, Process maps, Checklists and so on. It should be painless to finalize the
documentation so others can use it. This smooths the way for training new employees
and it also makes it simple for existing process participants to adopt the new way of
doing things. Adoption and adaptation are critical to ongoing success.

 One of the most powerful methods of ensuring that others follow the new process is to
create a visual workspace—labels, outlines, color-coding, and standards. This means
anyone can see at a glance exactly how a process flows and where to find what they
need. The more intuitive the updated process becomes, the less training anyone needs
to understand it.
1.3.3 Monitoring & Response Plan:

Fig [2] Monitoring & Response Plan

Ensure the New Process Is Managed and Monitored

 In order to maintain focus, the team must narrow down the vital few measurements they
need for ongoing monitoring of the process performance. There may have been dozens of
measures that helped the team dig to root cause, but the goal at this point is to establish a
 balance of “leading” and “lagging” indicators. Leading measures alert the Process Owner
of issues coming down the pike, whereas lagging measures answer the question, “how did
we do last month?” We need both.
 This Monitoring Plan is accompanied by a Response Plan which dictates the expected
performance of the newly improved process. It also outlines the “Trigger Levels”—if the
process goes beyond these points then it’s not operating as it should and it’s time to react.
The Response Plan details what to do if and when the process performance starts to
decline. The plan is for continued process refinement the pursuit of perfection!
Monitoring: It helps detect changes as and when they occur in the process and assure that
improvements continue to hold for us to be able to meet customer requirements over a
period of time. While observing a process a monitoring plan helps define:
 Key process and output measures for ongoing measurement of the improved process
 When data is to be collected and at how often
 Define the method for gathering, recording, and reporting data on the measures

Example of Monitoring Plan:

A monitoring plan in cooperation with the partner should be prepared to ensure that:

 Both parties have an understanding of what is being monitored and why

 Monitoring is seen as a tool for learning and improving the work, not as a demand
from the donor
 Project indicators are relevant
 Information is collected regularly throughout the project
 Operational environment is considered in the plan
 Fig [3] Table showing monitoring & response Plan

1.3.4 Response Plan:

Response plan helps identify the next steps on what needs to be done if one detects a change
in the process while monitoring. For each of the measure in the monitoring plan, the response
plan helps define:
 What actions will be taken for an out-of-control event occurrence with a timeframe
for the action
 Who takes action based on the monitoring data?
 Where to find trouble-shooting procedures to fix problem

A response plan goes with a control plan. A control plan sets out the quality requirements for
a process and how to measure them. A response plan, on the other hand, sets out what to do if
a process doesn’t meet one of those requirements.

for example, you’ve just developed a new widget. The tooling on this widget is tricky, and if
it’s only a fraction of an inch out in its sizing, it won’t fit into the gadget it’s designed for. So
your first step in the Control phase is to put together a control plan for the widget. This
control plan specifies the required height, width, and depth of the widget, as well as its
weight. It also tells the QA team which tools to use to measure each of these requirements.
All good so far, right? Your next step, though, is to develop a plan for what the team need to
do if the widgets aren’t measuring up. They might need to look at the tooling machine, check
their measurement instruments, or halt the production entirely while investigating the source
of the variation.

How to Develop a Response Plan:

Your plan needs to be based on your control plan. If you don’t have one, start there. You’ll
often need a response plan for each QA requirement in the control plan.

1. Designate a person responsible for addressing a problem with the requirement.

2. Specify initial steps to take.
3. Based on those initial steps, provide guidance on what to do next in common
scenarios.
4. Give at least one general action plan if none of the common scenarios apply.
5. Test it in real time, and amend the plan where needed.

Example:

A company that makes fixings for the building industry has developed a new line of screws
made from a tougher blend of steel. It has a control plan; now it needs a response plan to go
with it.

Fig [4] Table showing response plan

There are five points in the manufacturing process where a malfunction could cause a size
variation:
 Before it begins – wrong wire used (neck width)
 In the cutting machine (length)
 Head-stamper (head width)
  Shaping (point width)
 Thread cutting (thread length).
the response plan includes:
1. Identify which specification is out of tolerance.
2. Check the machine or material associated with that specification.
3. If the machine is working correctly, or the material is correct, check the quality of
material provided.
4. If no material quality issues are detected, raise an issue with the factory manager.

The key elements of a full scale implementation plan are:

 Clear Objectives
 Pilot Learning's Incorporated
 Implementation Milestones
 Resource Needs
 Influence Strategy
 Implementation Budget
 Process Control Plan

1.4 Tools Used in Control phase

1.4.1 Control Charts

The most common tool is the Control Chart. Project owners watch the progress of the
process through the control chart. It is also a must that project owner can interpret the
control chart so that the project team can create a reference log signifying what the
project owner should look for. The charts are differentiated through the control limits set
of three sigma from the course mean.

Fig [5] Control chart

The main reason of using control charts is to perceive the assignable causes of course
variation so that examination and counteractive action will be carried out to eliminate the
assignable causes of process discrepancy before there is an excessive number of conforming
units produced or delivered services. This is also used for the sake of keeping the course
within statistical control.
1.4.2 Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Fig [6] Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) refers to a system of maintenance and improvement of

production and quality systems through the use of machines, employees, processes, and
equipment which give an organization its value. A three to five-day TPM event is focused on
ensuring that your work process equipment is kept in ideal operational condition, while
setting up maintenance processes for it. This ensures that there is minimum downtime and
very few delays in the manufacturing process.

1.4.2.1 Understanding the Current State:

A TPM event starts with an examination of the production floor, equipment, and the
maintenance department. Operators and the area owners offer the input for assessment in the
form of a systems view of an organization with regard to maintenance excellence.
1.4.2.2 Establish Ownership of TPM Through a Steering Committee

Although TPM is generally considered to be a “bottom-up” tool (it can be implemented

without requiring any support from the top), a team is still required to set goals for the effort
and to identify the measures that need to be taken for complete implementation

1.4.2.3 Identify Mission-Critical Equipment

One of the reasons why many Total Productive Maintenance efforts fail is having an
unnecessarily large scope. This results in a scarcity of essential resources needed to get the
work done

1.4.2.4 Establish the Condition of Each Piece of Crucial Equipment

By examining each sub-system of the equipment such as controls, hydraulics, and

pneumatics, it is possible to code the equipment’s condition based on its current state. Not
only does this help with scheduling any required new equipment purchases, it also assists in
the planning and prioritization of necessary rebuilds, upgrades, and overhauls

1.4.2.5 Assess Maintenance Skills

In this phase, any gaps in skill sets are addressed. The initial step is identifying any basic
skills which may need to be enhanced as well as the process- or machine-specific expertise
which has to be upgraded

Implementation, Assessment, Improvement:

The implementation phase is built on the eight pillars of Total Productive Maintenance. The
focus of the TPM pillars is ingraining proactive preventive maintenance techniques and
tactics to improve the reliability of equipment. They are:
1. Focused Improvement
2. Administrative & Office TPM
3. Autonomous Maintenance
4. Planned Maintenance
5. Quality Management
6. Education and Training
7. Early/Equipment management
8. Safety Health Environment
 1.4.3 Visual Factory:

A visual factory uses graphics like charts, infographics and icons to convey key information.
For example, say you run a team in a small factory. Turnover is high because a lot of your
employees are working through college. So, you need to make sure that new staff know
where to go and what to do. You can use the visual factory concept to clearly label each work
area, provide simple maps of the facility, and give basic instructions for each workstation.

1.4.3.1 Visual Factory vs Manuals

This might sound an awful lot like an employee manual. While the information conveyed is
similar, though, the method differs substantially. Manuals tend to rely a lot on text. Lots of
words! Many people struggle to learn effectively from manuals, because they experience the
‘wall of text’ phenomenon: a page of words just turn into a huge barrier to learning.

Visual factory modifies the flow of information by making the chunks of data smaller and
making them easier to ingest. You’ll find that most people learn more easily from simple
graphics than from a few paragraphs of text that explain the same concept. But not only do
they learn more easily – they also tend to learn faster. And this is why Visual Factory is such
a key part of Lean methodology.

1.4.3.2 Visual Factory and Lean

Lean methodology is all about removing waste to improve processes and productivity. Visual
Factory helps companies to achieve these aims by:

Offering a faster learning experience. Providing just-in-time reminders for key

information. Allowing staff to take in updates with a glance.

1.4.3.3 Purposes for which we can use Visual Factory.

Here are a few of the most common:

Process metrics: These deliver information about a process. This might be the current
stage of the process, or information about a stage in the process. For example, a graphic
that displays the current temperature of a kiln vs the ideal temperature. Process metrics
are often delivered electronically to allow rapid, automated updates.
 Warnings: These warn staff about safety threats in the vicinity. They are typically action
based. It’s more effective to use instructions on countering the threat than to simply warn
about it. For example, think of the difference between a “Hazardous Chemicals” warning
and a “Hazardous Chemicals – Put on your HAZMAT suit!” warning.

Instructions: These remind staff about how to complete a job. For example, an
infographic might list the five steps needed to safely use a lathe.

General information: Project updates, work site maps, company information, and the like.
These can all be displayed so that they’re quickly and easily understood. Dashboards are
a common display mechanism for this type of information.

1.4.3.4 workplace organization:

Workplace organization, or 5S, was developed in Japan in the 1970s as a systemic
organizational approach. It is not housekeeping, nor is it “spring cleaning.” Rather, it’s a
system that uses visual cues and visual management to organize the workplace to help reduce
some forms of waste and make problems visible sooner.

1.4.3.5 Visual Management:

The purpose of visual management is to improve the effectiveness of communication and
reaction. This is one component of Lean Manufacturing.
Visual aids can convey messages quicker and invite more interest than written
information. And this also means exposing defects and problems to allow them to be
addressed sooner.... bad news doesn't get better with time. 
Effective visual management involves careful thought to have the best impact. 
OBJECTIVE: 
 Expose waste (7-wastes) and make it clear to everyone.
 The work area/cell/machine should "talk"to you in simple terms
 The goals should be clearly indicated
 The status of production should be found with the goals
 Simple problem-solving tools on display (such as A3, 5-WHY)
 Increased communication is ultimately what all the above will do
5 S in Control:

Fig [7] 5 S in Control

The five “S’s” stand for:

 Sort—Sort items used daily, monthly and yearly, and keep on hand only what is
immediately needed. The rest should be labelled and relocated.
 Straighten/Set-in order—Objects should be stored functionally, with visual aids such
as labels to help staff put things away in the right place.
 Shine—Ensure a clean work environment by removing dirt, waste and scrap and
implementing regular cleaning schedules.
 Standardize—Teams should establish rules and work standards on common
operational issues, such as the type of materials and tools to use and how information
is shared in the group.
 Sustain—An internal audit system should be used to ensure work processes are
maintained, including regular inspections and solicitation of feedback on how to
improve the process.
What can you do to ensure a successful 5S implementation?
1. Recognize that you and your management team have a role to play in sustaining the
initiative.
2. Train yourself and your employees on the tool—education precedes improvement!
3. Start small—pick a small area of your operation (digital or physical) to go through all
the 5S properly
4. Allow your employees time to learn and implement 5S.
5. Create tangible and intangible rewards and recognitions for implementations.

1.4.4 Sustain Improvements:

•Lessons learned
•Training plan deployment
•Documentation
•Monitoring plan
•Response plan
•Ongoing evaluation and ongoing assessment

References
1. "The Inventors of Six Sigma". Archived from the original on 2005-11-06. Retrieved
2006-01-29.
2. “Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s
Top Corporations” by Mikel J. Harry, Ph.D. and Richard Schroeder, Doubleday 2000.
3. ^ Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.
4. ^ Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.
5. “Six Sigma for Everyone” by George Eckes, John Wiley and Sons 2003.
6. "The Inventors of Six Sigma". Archived from the original on 2005-11-06.
Retrieved 2006-01-29.
7. “Quality Control Handbook” by J. M. Juran, F. M. Gryna, and R. S. Bingham.
McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1979.
8. ^ Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.
9. Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services.
Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 0-566-08374-4.