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Define Phase

Understanding Six Sigma fundamentals, project selection, and establishing business case.

The Define phase establishes the foundation of any Lean Six Sigma project. It covers the basics and history of Six Sigma, voice of the customer/business/employee, project selection criteria, building business cases and project charters, developing project metrics, and understanding the Lean enterprise including the seven wastes and 5S methodology.
5 minutes 5 Questions

The Define Phase is the first and foundational stage of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology in Lean Six Sigma. This critical phase establishes the framework for the entire project by clearly identifying the problem, setting objectives, and aligning stakeholder expecta…

Concepts covered: Meanings of Six Sigma, History of Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement, Deliverables of a Lean Six Sigma Project, The Problem Solving Strategy Y = f(x), Voice of the Customer (VOC), Voice of the Business (VOB), Voice of the Employee (VOE), Six Sigma Roles and Responsibilities, Defining a Process, Critical to Quality Characteristics (CTQs), Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), Pareto Analysis (80:20 Rule), Defects Per Unit (DPU), Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO), First Time Yield (FTY), Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY), Cycle Time, Building a Business Case, Project Charter, Developing Project Metrics, Financial Evaluation and Benefits Capture, Understanding Lean, History of Lean, Lean and Six Sigma Integration, Overproduction Waste, Correction/Defects Waste, Inventory Waste, Motion Waste, Overprocessing Waste, Conveyance/Transportation Waste, Waiting Waste, 5S Sort (Seiri), 5S Straighten (Seiton), 5S Shine (Seiso), 5S Standardize (Seiketsu), 5S Self-Discipline (Shitsuke)

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LSSGB - Define Phase Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Define Phase

Question 1

A team leader notices that during Seiso activities, employees are only wiping down visible surfaces but skipping hard-to-reach areas behind equipment. What feedback would best reinforce proper Shine implementation?

Correct Answer: Cleaning should be thorough and systematic, including all areas regardless of visibility

The correct answer states that cleaning should be thorough and systematic, including all areas regardless of visibility. This best reinforces proper Seiso (Shine) implementation because:

Seiso is the third pillar of 5S methodology and emphasizes thorough cleaning of the entire workplace, not just visible or convenient areas. The purpose of Shine goes beyond aesthetics - it serves to:
1. Identify abnormalities and potential equipment problems early
2. Maintain equipment in optimal condition
3. Create a safe working environment
4. Establish cleaning as inspection

Hidden areas behind equipment often harbor dust, debris, and contamination that can lead to equipment failures, safety hazards, or quality issues. A systematic approach ensures no area is overlooked.

The second option is incorrect because focusing only on customer-facing and high-traffic areas defeats the purpose of Seiso. Hidden contamination behind equipment can still cause problems regardless of whether customers see it.

The third option is incorrect because extending time for accessible surfaces doesn't address the core issue - employees are skipping hard-to-reach areas entirely. More time for easy areas won't improve coverage of difficult areas.

The fourth option is incorrect because it still focuses on frequently touched surfaces and equipment exteriors, which perpetuates the problem of neglecting hidden areas. Proper Seiso requires attention to ALL areas, including those behind and underneath equipment.

Question 2

A retail store finds that 12% of price tags printed each day contain errors and must be reprinted with corrected information. Employees spend time identifying mistakes, disposing of incorrect tags, and creating new ones. Which term best describes this type of operational inefficiency in Lean Six Sigma?

Correct Answer: Correction/Defects waste resulting from errors requiring rework

The correct answer is Correction/Defects waste resulting from errors requiring rework.

In Lean Six Sigma, there are eight types of waste (often remembered by the acronym DOWNTIME or TIMWOODS). The scenario describes a situation where price tags are printed with errors (12% defect rate), and employees must:
- Identify the mistakes
- Dispose of incorrect tags
- Create new replacement tags

This is a classic example of Defects/Correction waste. Defects waste occurs when products or outputs do not meet specifications and require additional effort to fix, rework, or redo. The time, materials, and labor spent on reprinting price tags represents non-value-added activity caused by quality failures in the initial process.

The other options are incorrect because:

Overproduction waste refers to making more of something than is needed or making it sooner than required. The scenario describes correcting errors, not producing excess quantities of tags.

Motion waste involves unnecessary physical movements by workers, such as reaching, walking, or bending. While employees do move to handle the reprinting process, the root cause of the inefficiency is the defects themselves, not the movements.

Transportation waste deals with unnecessary movement of materials, products, or information between processes or locations. The scenario focuses on errors in printing and the subsequent rework, not on moving tags between different locations.

Question 3

A production supervisor is training a new team member on process metrics. The supervisor explains that a three-step process has yields of 0.90, 0.85, and 0.95 at each respective step. What is the Rolled Throughput Yield for this process?

Correct Answer: The RTY is approximately 0.727 or 72.7%, calculated by multiplying all three step yields together

Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) is calculated by multiplying the individual yields of each process step together.

For this three-step process:
RTY = 0.90 × 0.85 × 0.95
RTY = 0.765 × 0.95
RTY = 0.72675

This rounds to approximately 0.727 or 72.7%.

The other answers are incorrect because:

  • Taking the average of the yields (0.90 + 0.85 + 0.95) ÷ 3 = 0.90 or 90% is not how RTY is calculated. Averaging would overstate the actual throughput capability of the process.

  • Using the lowest individual step yield as a bottleneck (0.85 or 85%) does not account for the cumulative effect of defects at each step. Each step contributes to overall yield loss.

  • Adding defect rates and subtracting from 100% would give: 1 - (0.10 + 0.15 + 0.05) = 1 - 0.30 = 0.70 or 70%. This method incorrectly assumes defect rates are additive, which overstates the total defect rate and understates the true RTY.

The multiplication method correctly reflects that a unit must pass through ALL steps successfully to be considered good output.

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