Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Foundations

This 1-week hands-on workshop is specifically tailored to provide the background knowledge and pre-requisite skills necessary for successfully completing DFSS Green Belt or Black Belt training. It teaches participants the foundations of Six Sigma, Design of Experiments (DOE), Measurement System Analysis (MSA), probability, and basic statistical analysis along with an introduction to statistical software. It prepares participants for continued study in the Design for Six Sigma methodology, which is aimed at getting better products and services to market faster and at a lower cost. The course is taught with a “Keep It Simple Statistically” (KISS) approach that makes use of many in-class examples and exercises. Participants have ample opportunity to practice what is taught to ensure they have a practical, working knowledge of MSA, probability and data distributions, and Design of Experiments. This 1 week workshop is designed for participants who have not previously completed Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt training, or need to brush up on the fundamentals of DOE and statistical analysis in preparation for further Design for Six Sigma training.

The proven and powerful Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology can be used for both initial design as well as re-design efforts, and provides a way to implement the Six Sigma methodology as early in the product or service life cycle as possible. DFSS teaches participants how to “design in” quality when costs are the lowest in order to create new game-changing products and services which exhibit outstanding performance right from the start. DFSS employs the IDOV methodology, which focuses on identifying the voice of the customer, designing products and processes which satisfy the customer’s requirements, optimizing products and processes to maximize performance, and testing and validating designs to ensure capability.

In the foundations course, emphasis is placed on understanding statistical concepts and methods used in the DFSS process. Participants learn how to set up and assess a measurement system to ensure that it provides accurate and repeatable data. Various data distributions are explored and used to help predict defect levels or probabilities of not meeting requirements. And, the details of how to plan, design, conduct and analyze statistically designed experiments is taught so that participants can build transfer functions and models useful for gaining knowledge about a product or process and for optimization and variance reduction. Emphasis is on developing practitioners in the organization who are focused on improving customer satisfaction and generating business growth and breakthrough improvements. During the workshop, participants will complete several in-class exercises which allow them to gain confidence using the software, analyzing data, and applying MSA and DOE. The intended audience is anyone who desires to become a practitioner of DFSS.