Six Sigma Tool Navigator: The Master Guide for Teams

2017-07-07 02:10:07

AKA

N/A

Classification

Analyzing/Trending (AT)

Tool description

Developed by Leo Moore, the creativity assessment technique is applied as a sorting and rating process to a long list of brainstormed ideas. It should help teams with evaluation and categorization by selecting ideas on the basis of predetermined criteria.

Typical application

To categorize a list of generated ideas using team-established criteria.

To evaluate and sort ideas into groups.

To screen ideas or solutions considered for implementation.

Problem-solving phase

→	Select and define problem or opportunity
→	Identify and analyze causes or potential change
→	Develop and plan possible solutions or change
	Implement and evaluate solution or change
	Measure and report solution or change results
	Recognize and reward team efforts

Typically used by

	Research/statistics
1	Creativity/innovation
2	Engineering
	Project management
	Manufacturing
	Marketing/sales
	Administration/documentation
3	Servicing/support
	Customer/quality metrics
4	Change management

links to other tools

before

Brainstorming

Round Robin Brainstorming

Brainwriting Pool

Pin Cards Technique

Criteria Filtering

after

Consensus Decision Making

Cluster Analysis

Solution Matrix

Selection Matrix

Presentation

Notes and key points

The categorization scheme is often dependent on the type of data and the situation encountered.
- Ideas can be categorized into levels of difficulty using Roman numerals for designating levels, such as:
  
  I = easy to do; II = hard to do; III = most difficult to do
- Other criteria can be used to determine value, importance, cost, and resources required:
  
  I = few resources required; II = considerable resources required;
  
  III = a great many resources required.

Step-by-step procedure

STEP 1 The team's facilitator displays flip charts of previously brainstormed ideas. See example Improve Quality.

STEP 2 The participants establish the criteria for assessment. In this example, the criteria are easy to do, hard to do, and most difficult to do.

STEP 3 The facilitator writes the respective category headings on three flip charts, and participants evaluate and organize ideas into the three categories as shown in this example.

STEP 4 After all ideas have been categorized, the three resulting categories I–III are reviewed and dated.

STEP 5 Lastly, the team presents the three idea categories to upper management for further evaluation and action.

Example of tool application

Improve Quality