"Inspirational" DfSS Special Interest Group Meeting a great success

The second onesixsigma.com Design for Six Sigma (DfSS) Special Interest Group meeting, held this week, was a great success all round, both in terms of the smooth running of the day and from the feedback we have received.

Hosted by The Six Sigma Group in the idyllic countryside surroundings of Bourton Hall in Rugby, UK, the meeting brought together a cross-section of multi-industry practitioners. The objectives of the day were to increase general understanding of the methodology and knowledge of particular tools, share best practice and provide benchmarking and networking opportunities.

Special Interest Groups are focused User Group Meetings concentrating on a tightly defined toolset or methodology. Numbers are restricted in order to increase interaction and provide better value for the attendees.

This week’s meeting was attended by representatives from the automotive, insurance, construction, IT, legal, energy, technology and logistics industries; a good split between transactional and manufacturing sectors. There was also a good division of experience, with roughly half the attendees having over two years experience of DfSS, and the other half just starting out on their programmes.

The day began with breakout workshops that initially defined DfSS before debating the main inhibitors to the methodology and moving on to the key requirements for its success. Some very interesting points were made during these discussions; keep an eye on the online forums next week as we will be raising some of the issues there for further debate amongst the wider community.

After the workshops, specialist tool guide presentations were given on TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving and Quality Function Deployment, alongside a case study which showed, amongst other things, real-world application of QFD. There was also a fascinating, detailed case study of an actual DfSS programme which showed just how effective it can be when properly applied in creating efficient processes that increase opportunity. The meeting was rounded off with a discussion forum, where a panel of experts fielded open questions from the floor and discussed topics such as preferred software, application in a transactional environment, the difficulty in communicating the financial benefits of a DfSS programme, the pre-requisites of a successful deployment and how to measure a robust design.

There were many networking opportunities during the day for informal knowledge sharing, and the group as a whole had a relaxed-yet-focused atmosphere that helped greatly in facilitating the open discussions. Initial feedback has been excellent, with attendees being "inspired" and praising the "good mix of participants and experience". The quality of the presentations, the organisation of the day and the overall Net Promoter Score for the meeting were all given high ratings.

We would like to thank everyone who attended for entering so fully into the collaborative spirit of the day, and particularly the speakers for their enthusiasm and the high quality of their presentations. A special thank you also to the Six Sigma Group for providing such excellent facilities, and to Campbell McAuley, for chairing the meeting and sharing his wealth of experience gleaned at BT Openreach and other firms.

The next onesixsigma.com User Group Meeting takes place on the 9th October and follows the theme of creating a continuous improvement culture and the synergy of Lean and Six Sigma. Click here for more information.