Six Sigma Tool Navigator: The Master Guide for Teams

2017-07-07 02:10:07

AKA

N/A

Classification

Planning/Presenting (PP)

Tool description

A top-down flow chart illustrates the major steps in an organizational work process or project. It shows the essential requirements, sequenced from left to right, with a number of substeps listed below each step. This flow chart has an advantage of showing the complete process without too much detail, therefore allowing a team to quickly understand the problem solving or process-improvement opportunities of the process.

Typical application

To display all necessary steps in a work process or project.

To provide an overall picture of a top-level process.

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

links to other tools

before

Storyboarding

Systems Analysis Diagram

House of Quality

Process Selection Matrix

Information Needs Analysis

after

Basili Data Collection Method

Process Analysis

Action Plan

Resource Requirements Matrix

Gantt Chart

Notes and key points

Designations of Top-Down Flow Chart elements:

Step-by-step procedure

STEP 1 A facilitator explains the purpose of a top-down flow chart to the team participants. The team identifies the process.

STEP 2 The participants identify essential, major process steps.

STEP 3 Team consensus is reached to select a final 5–7 process steps to be drawn on a whiteboard or flip chart. See example Motorola's Model of "Six Steps to Six Sigma Quality".

STEP 4 The facilitator draws the top-down flow chart and asks participants to provide 4–5 sub-steps for each process step drawn.

STEP 5 Identified substeps are discussed, changed, and finally listed under each major step.

STEP 6 Finally, the facilitator provides numerical identification numbers and substep level numbers and dates the flow chart, as shown in the example.