Twenty years ago, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) was called Plan, Do, Check Act (PDCA) or Plan, Do, Study Act. (PDSA). It is the heart of case study results.

In 1931, Walter A. Shewhart, the inventor of the quality control chart, use three words to describe today's DMAIC method: Hypothesis, Experiment, Test Hypothesis. DMAIC is a first cousin to the scientific method. The difference, as Shewhart pointed out, is that DMAIC is more exacting. It demands more precision and accuracy. As the capability curve illustrates, with Six Sigma there must be fewer than 3-4 Defects per Million (DPM) services or products. Perfection is an expectation.

From slashing the days in accounts receivable, to lowering the lengths of stay for hospital patients, from eliminating manufacturing defects to increasing market share, case study results speak for themselves. The Sloan, Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC) Project Results Map has changed little over the decades. Successful, breakthrough projects begin with clear, operational definitions. An operational definition is one that reasonable women and men can agree on. Measurement, and more precisely a comprehensive lean analysis of measurements, is the bridge to agreement. With 21^st Century computing power a sophisticated analysis of measurements is no more than a mouse click away.

The Sloan Consulting evidence-based decision improvement model is a very Lean, Six Sigma approach. Sloan's books and our Executive Lean Six Sigma booklet outline details. Answering questions is a pleasure. To learn more about how this Lean Six Sigma map can help power your breakthroughs call us today at 206-525-7858.