Six Sigma is a catalyst for change. The fact that your team is using Six Sigma implies that something in process needs to be improved and that Six Sigma techniques can modify the process to make it work better.
Completing the Six Sigma cycle tells what needs to be changed and how to change it, but once the change has been identified it still needs to be implemented. Change will not happen by itself, no matter how brilliant the innovation may be. We tend to be suspicious of changes and reluctant to make them, even necessary ones, because change involves uncertainty and it requires hard work.
Six Sigma pioneer General Electric (GE) created the Change Acceleration Process (CAP) to help implement newly completed Six Sigma projects. Employing new processes and making them permanent business practices requires the efforts of a specialized team with a solid project plan.
Creating the Team
Change acceleration typically requires its own team. Much like the Six Sigma project team, the change team contains different members with different roles.
Champion – This individual sets direction, determines deliverables and obtains resources for the team.
Team Leader – As always, leaders are responsible for the results the team delivers. They motivate members to achieve the team’s stated objectives.
Team Members – These individuals are selected for their skill and expertise. They have the authority to make decisions and are held responsible for their actions.
Team Coach – This role requires extensive experience with implementing change. The coach must be available to consult the team when needed.
Making the effort to select the right team members and assign them to well-understood roles at the beginning of the project helps prevent problems and confusion down the road.
Setting Project Scope
Once the change team is in place and each team member understands their role in implementing change, the team must define the scope of the project. Scope is the work that the team needs to do to complete the project.
Setting the project scope requires identifying and documenting the specific project goals, deliverables, tasks and deadlines required to implement the change. Teams use different tools to help them create and understand project scope, such as:
Framing the Scope – This is a visual exercise that gives team members cards describing all aspects of the project including deliverables, people impacted, timing, products impacted, etc. The facilitator then draws a frame on a flip board which represents the scope of the project. Team members then take turns placing their cards inside the frame, outside the frame or half-in-half-out of the frame to indicate what the scope of the project should include.
15-Word Statement – Every member of the team is given a flip chart page and a marker and asked to write a definition of the project in 15 words or less. All the charts are posted on a wall and reviewed by every member of the team. Team members identify vague words in each statement and the writer gives more detail about what the concept looks like or how the team will know when they attain it. The team then compiles the individual statements into a group project definition statement.
Process improvement doesn’t happen on its own. It requires the rigorous methodology of Six Sigma and a dedicated project team to create changes that eliminate variance and reduce defects. Likewise, implementing change doesn’t happen on its own. It also requires a dedicated team to implement it and the strict methodology that the change acceleration process provides.
