Week 3: Six Sigma Measure Phase Detail

Last time we reviewed the key topics within the Measure Phase of Six Sigma DMAIC section of most Green Belt exams. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, no worries, just go here.

We covered a many topics that you may or may not have been familiar with.

This time, we’re going to dive in and explore the details of what’s expected by each organization.

Your Assignment

Here's what I'd like you to do.

Hint – this will look familiar to last time. ;’)

First, you’ll need to log in to the site.

Free membership or paid, it doesn’t matter. You just have to be logged in. Buttons to sign up and log in are below.

Note that after logging in you will have to return to this page. Login will bring you to your course home.

Second, review the articles I list below.

These are the concepts I refer exam candidates to when diving into these particular sections.

Take a look.

If you want to really improve your skills in a particular subject…

As I’ve mentioned before, the Feynman technique is Take a minute and write everything you know on a topic from scratch then go to the page and see how what you wrote compares to what is there.

For the next 2 weeks in the Measure and Analyze phases, I’d like you to focus on anchoring.

These topics can be difficult to remember due to sheer volume. So, a great way to remember them is to come up with an instance you would apply the technique in real life.

Here’s an example: Let’s say that you just can’t seem to remember when to use equations for sampling vs equations for a population.

If you take the time to either remember a real-world instance of when you did apply that equation (or invent a time you should or could have used that equation), you’ll stand a much better chance of remembering it.

Your assignment is to pick one topic that you are unsure of in this section and leave a comment on that topic’s page describing when you’ve seen it in action, or you could have / should have seen it in action

Let’s Dive into the Organization-Specific Define Phase Requirements

A quick note before we continue.

ASQ’s Green Belt Requirements for Six Sigma Measure Phase

ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt: Measure (30 Questions)

1. Process analysis and documentation
   1. Process modeling
      Develop and review process maps, written procedures, work instructions, flowcharts, etc. (Analyze)
   2. Process inputs and outputs
      Identify process input variables and process output variables (SIPOC), and document their relationships through cause and effect diagrams, relational matrices, etc. (Analyze)
2. Probability and statistics
   1. Drawing valid statistical conclusions
      Distinguish between enumerative (descriptive) and analytical (inferential) studies, and distinguish between a population parameter and a sample statistic. (Apply)
   2. Central limit theorem and sampling distribution of the mean
      Define the central limit theorem and describe its significance in the application of inferential statistics for confidence intervals, control charts, etc. (Apply)
   3. Basic probability concepts
      Describe and apply concepts such as independence, mutually exclusive, multiplication rules, etc. (Apply)
3. Collecting and summarizing data
   1. Types of data and measurement scales
      Identify and classify continuous (variables) and discrete (attributes) data. Describe and define nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio measurement scales. (Analyze)
   2. Data collection methods
      Define and apply methods for collecting data such as check sheets, coded data, etc. (Apply)
   3. Techniques for assuring data accuracy and integrity
      Define and apply techniques such as random sampling, stratified sampling, sample homogeneity, etc. (Apply)
   4. Descriptive statistics
      Define, compute, and interpret measures of dispersion and central tendency, and construct and interpret frequency distributions and cumulative frequency distributions. (Analyze)
   5. Graphical methods
      Depict relationships by constructing, applying and interpreting diagrams and charts such as stem-and-leaf plots, box-and-whisker plots, run charts, scatter diagrams, Pareto charts, etc. Depict distributions by constructing, applying and interpreting diagrams such as histograms, normal probability plots, etc. (Create)
4. Probability distributions
   Describe and interpret normal, binomial, and Poisson, chi square, Student’s t, and F distributions. (Apply)
5. Measurement system analysis
   Calculate, analyze, and interpret measurement system capability using repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R), measurement correlation, bias, linearity, percent agreement, and precision/tolerance (P/T). (Evaluate)
6. Process capability and performance
   1. Process capability studies
      Identify, describe, and apply the elements of designing and conducting process capability studies, including identifying characteristics, identifying specifications and tolerances, developing sampling plans, and verifying stability and normality. (Evaluate)
   2. Process performance vs. specification
      Distinguish between natural process limits and specification limits, and calculate process performance metrics such as percent defective. (Evaluate)
   3. Process capability indices
      Define, select, and calculate C_p and C_pk, and assess process capability. (Evaluate)
   4. Process performance indices
      Define, select, and calculate P_p, P_pk, C_pm, and assess process performance. (Evaluate)
   5. Short-term vs. long-term capability
      Describe the assumptions and conventions that are appropriate when only short-term data are collected and when only attributes data are available. Describe the changes in relationships that occur when long-term data are used, and interpret the relationship between long- and short-term capability as it relates to a 1.5 sigma shift. (Evaluate)
   6. Process capability for attributes data
      Compute the sigma level for a process and describe its relationship to P_pk. (Apply)

IASSC’s Green Belt Requirements for Measure Phase

IASSSC 2.0 Measure Phase

2.1 Process Definition
2.1.1 Cause & Effect / Fishbone Diagrams
2.1.2 Process Mapping, SIPOC, Value Stream Map (Also see: Process Map, Difference between Process Map and Value Stream Map)
2.1.3 X-Y Diagram
2.1.4 Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA)

2.2 Six Sigma Statistics
2.2.1 Basic Statistics
2.2.2 Descriptive Statistics
2.2.3 Normal Distributions & Normality
2.2.4 Graphical Analysis

2.3 Measurement System Analysis
2.3.1 Precision & Accuracy
2.3.2 Bias, Linearity & Stability
2.3.3 Gage Repeatability & Reproducibility
2.3.4 Variable & Attribute MSA

2.4 Process Capability
2.4.1 Capability Analysis
2.4.2 Concept of Stability
2.4.3 Attribute & Discrete Capability
2.4.4 Monitoring Techniques

What Do You Think?

I’d love to know what you think about the material you need to know in these sections. Please take a minute to share your thoughts below. I’ll use these responses to decide the best way to improve the site to help the most number of people.

Next Time

Next time we will dive into a few of the common question types asked on these sections.

Happy studying!