International Six Sigma Council - Six Sigma Professionals Registration Body

Procedure for Project Assessment

It should be a process improvement project of sufficient scope and complexity to demonstrate all five phases of the Six Sigma improvement process: Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control.

If your organization has not yet adapted a Six Sigma program, or if you are unemployed, you can still complete a Six Sigma project - either within your organization, or with an outside organization - for example: school, church, or social service organization.

If your organization has not implemented an overall Six Sigma program, ask your immediate supervisor to act as the Project Sponsor, and otherwise fill out the charter as if your organization was engaged in the Six Sigma process

Submit the final project documentation, with your Sponsor's endorsement, for evaluation when the project is implemented. Please feel free to modify any sensitive data in the interest of confidentiality.

Six Sigma is a method for reducing variation in manufacturing, service or other business processes. Six Sigma projects measure the cost benefit of improving processes that are producing substandard products or services. Whether in manufacturing or service industries, such projects quantify the effect of process changes on delays or rework. The goal of each successful Six Sigma project is to produce statistically significant improvements in the target process; over time, multiple Six Sigma projects produce virtually defect-free performance. The Six Sigma project is one that uses appropriate tools within a Six Sigma approach to produce breakthrough performance and real financial benefit to an operating business or company.

The following examples are not all-inclusive, but will provide examples of acceptable and unacceptable projects:

Examples of projects that qualify:

• Manufacturing product defect reduction
• Services cycle time reduction
• Reduced accounts payable invoice processing costs
• Reduced Manufacturing machine setup time

Projects that do not qualify:

• Prepackaged or classroom exercise that are mock, or simulated projects that were previously completed and/or that do not include actual “hands on” work
• No real organization or business unit; no current problem or cost benefit
• Basic product improvement projects not associated with process improvements
• Software maintenance or remediation without detailed process measurements
• Any project without measured before-and-after cost benefits