rev 12 Six Sigma Project Charter Name of project: Reduce the time of producing admissions dashboard reports Green belt: Yes Submitted by: Xingming Yu e-mail: yu46@purdue.edu Date submitted: May 21, 212 Date updated: February 15, 213 I. Project Selection Process Item Yes No Comments Key business issue Linked to a define process Customers identified Defects clearly defined x x x x Describe how and why project was selected. Reference any tools used, such as SIPOC, VOC plan, Affinity diagram, KANO model, CTS tree, etc. This project was selected following the DMAIC project selection criteria. The problem is a key business issue. Admissions dashboard reports are critical for senior administrators and admissions counselors to track the undergraduate admissions process and make sound decisions. The problem can be linked to a defined process. Internal and external customers can be defined to receive and use the reports from the process. The reports should be 1% accurate or errors-free before delivering to the customers. II. Project Description Project Title Reduce the time of producing admissions dashboard reports Date Charted Target Completion Date Actual Completion Date 5/21/12 1/31/12 Project Leader Team Facilitator Team Champion Xingming Yu Xingming Yu Brent Drake Estimated Cost Savings Actual Cost Savings Costs of implementing project Team members Bob Delcourt, Madonna Ritter Problem Statement Admissions dashboard is very important for tracking university admissions activities critical to achieve the strategic goals. It helps senior administrators and counselors with their decision-making process and helps them make adjustments if necessary. 1% accuracy and error-free data reporting is required for the production process. Preparing, validating, and delivering this report to its 1
customers in a timely manner is especially important for undergraduate admissions process. It takes almost 7 hours every Monday for three staff members to generate the admissions dashboard reports. How to reduce the production time and increase the productivity is the research for the team. rev 12 Project Goal and Metrics The project goal is to analyze the current process and develop a controllable and improved process to reduce the time of producing the undergraduate admissions dashboard reports. The metrics to be used will be the amount of production time decreased by a period of six months. Describe the challenges and support required The challenges are the full understanding of the process by the team members and the willingness to follow the process, and the intensive validation process to ensure the data accuracy. Administrative supervisory support is a key for the success of the process improvement and for this Six Sigma project. Project Schedule D1. Select the output characteristic. Date:5/15/12 The output is the time spent to produce the admissions dashboard reports. It will be measured in minutes. D2. Define the output performance standard. Date:7/18/12 The specification for the process will be 2 minutes to produce an admissions dashboard report. The total number of dashboard report is 15. The total time to process the 15 reports will be 3 minutes instead of the current 375 minutes. D3. Describe the process. Date:7/21/12 Required tools: SIPOC, Detailed process map The process starts with the export of Cognos admissions summary reports and ends with the validation of the admissions dashboard reports before their release to customers. Print out the PDF version of the summary reports, save the summary reports to LAN as the data source for the production, and open the reporting templates to update reports fill the process between the start and end. Please refer to the attached SIPOC and Detailed Process Map. M1. Validate the measuring system. Date:7/28/12 Required tools: Gage R&R/Attribute Agreement Analysis Since my project has variable data, I conducted a variable Gage R&R analysis with Minitab. Please refer to the attached Gage R&R results and charts. It turned out the measuring system is a pretty good one. The total Gage R&R is 21.51%, lower than the 3% or less guideline, and the Part-To-Part is 97.66%, higher than the 7% or more criteria. 2
rev 12 M2. Establish current process capability for the output. Date:7/29/12 Required tools: Process capability, Control chart Process Capability Sixpack was utilized. The related charts and statistical results are attached. From the Capability Histogram and the Normal Prob Plot we can see that the collected data has a normal distribution, which is important for statistical analysis. The p value for the measurement is over.5. The I-Chart tells us that the current process is in control, and the mean is 24.24. From the Capability Plot table we can see we don't have the Cp and Pp values because we only care about the USL, not the LSL. However the Cpk (short term) and the Ppk (long term) values are pretty good: -.57 and -.34 for the measurement, which indicate that the process average is close to the specification limits. The values are negative because the USL is lower than the current process average. M3. Determine project objectives. Date:8/1/12 The average time for the current process is around 25 minutes a report. Each Monday we have 15 similar reports to produce. The current total production time is about 375 minutes for the team. The project objective is to reduce the time to produce a report to 2 minutes in a period of six months. If we work out an improved process, the total time for the 15 reports will be 3 minutes instead of 375 minutes. For the complete process, 75 minutes will be cut or 2% of time will be reduced from the current process. A1. Identify and list all potential causes (inputs). Date:8/15/12 Required tools: Process map, Brainstorming, Fishbone diagram, Cause and effect matrix, Potential X matrix We organized a team meeting, used the Brainstorming method and the detailed Process Map with inputs and outputs to identify the potential causes. Then I categorized/classified the list of potential causes into the Fishbone Diagram attached with this document. A2. Screen potential causes. Date:8/16/12 Required tools: See A1 Explain how the inputs were screened and attach records. Describe your input reduction process. We voted on the potential inputs and picked up four inputs that might affect the output significantly. Cause and effect matrix was also used to screen the inputs and in the input reduction process. The detailed matrix was attached. A3. Determine the f(x) key input variable(s) Date:9/25/12 Required tools: One factor at a time experiment Explain how the KPIV(s) were chosen. 3
rev 12 The potential X matrix was used in this step and the matrix was attached. I-1. Establish operating tolerances for key inputs and output. Date:9/25/12 Describe how the solution was derived and how it will be implemented. Describe the operating tolerances and how they were selected. With the efforts of teamwork, and voting on the solutions, cause and effect matrix and potential X matrix were used. The method of brainstorming was also initiated to derive the possible solutions. Communications between team members during the production process, take notes about stop point when interrupted, two-minute break from one report to another, and open two Excel applications for data check and report update will be implemented. 1-2 minute a report was chosen for the operating tolerance of the output. This tolerance of the output also complies with the RUMBA: it is reasonable, understandable, measurable, believable, and attainable within the team. By changing the method we expect to reduce the current process time for our 15 admissions dashboard reports without compromising the 1% accuracy. The selection process also follows the Establish Operating Tolerance guidelines: customers expectations, feasibility, measuring accuracy, and cost effectiveness. I-2. Re-evaluate the measuring system. Date:9/26/12 Required tools: Gage R&R/Attribute Agreement Analysis Describe statistical results and any actions taken. Attach records. Data were collected again after the solutions were implemented in the process. Variable Gage R&R analysis was conducted to re-evaluate the measuring system. The statistical results and graphs were attached to this document. Total gage R&R was 34.14% and the part-to-part value was 93.99%, which tells us that the measuring system is valid. I-3. Establish final capability for key input(s) and the output. Date:9/26/12 Required tools: Process capability, Control chart Describe statistical results and any actions taken. Attach records. Another process capability analysis was conducted and the graphs and output were attached. The average time for the new process was 15.288. Hence the USL was set at 15 instead of the first value 2. The Cpk is -.13 and the Ppk is -.6 which means the process average is close to the USL. Here the values are negative because the USL is set lower than the process average. C1. Implement process controls for the key inputs. 4
rev 12 Date:9/27/12 Required tool: Four levels of control, error proofing List controls including error proofing. Utilize highest level of control possible. Categorize controls, 1, 2, or 3. We use level III controls for the process with mistake-proofing (Poka-yoke) because they can 1% prevent defect and can save time and money. Follow-up to ensure effectiveness. Date:1/1/12 List follow-up activities. Make sure every team member understands the new process and is willing to implement the solutions. Time for producing each report will be recorded and monitored. Trainings and documentation will be provided. The process will be improved. Black Belts must utilize the following additional tools: FMEA, hypothesis testing, regression, design of experiments, and one lean tool of their choice. 5
SIPOC SUPPLIERS INPUTS PROCESS OUTPUTS CUSTOMERS List Suppliers, internal and external. List Inputs to Process: Data, information, materials, Map Process Below. Do not get led by the form! List Outputs to Process: Data, information, materials, List customers, internal and external. manpower, environment, equipment, resources. List as many steps as necessary to descriibe the MACRO manpower, environment, equipment, resources. Office of Admissions Admissions data process. The purpose of his exercise is to examine scope, to E-copy of dashboard reports Admissions committee Student Assessment Excel data source list primary inputs and outputs, Hard copies of reports Office of admissions Student Analytics PDF data source and to list high-level customer Binder filing Admissions counselors Student Reporting Dashboard template/shell expectations. Hard copy distribution Colleges and schools ITAP Report producers e-copy distribution College Deans Banner PCs Historical data recorded Senior administrators EMAR Printers Information shared EMAR Punches File binders Calculators Measuring rulers Printing paper Pens and pencils The process is a timeintensive and accuracymust and teamwork. Admissions recruiters Housing services Budgeting Office Space management Financial aid office Export Cognos admissions summary reports Print out admissions summary reports Save admissions reports to LAN as data sources Open templates to update to the weekly reports Validate updated dashboard reports
Process Map: Start Export Cognos summary reports Print out summary reports Save summary reports to LAN as data source U C Open reporting template to update Validate dashboard reports Finish U U U U
Identify Inputs/Outputs: Start U Banner Excel output C Template Dashboard U ODS Export Cognos PDF output U MS Office Open reporting updated C Cognos summary reports U PC template to update Finish product U PC Historical data recorded Graphs updated U Printer PDF hard U PC Print out summary copy summary C Excel Accurate C Send out reports reports C spreadsheet Validate dashboard reports printing task C PDF hard reports Accurate copy data recorded Previous year data U Mouse PDF copy U Keyboard Save summary on LAN U Adobe reports to LAN Excel copy U MS Office on LAN Finish
Measurements Material Personnel Previous year data Documentation of univ, school & Communications 1% accurate/error-free Unified reports Report producers 15 dashboard reports Reporting templates A team of 3 producers Complete, validate and upload Excel data source Process training and best- Prior to 4PM Monday PDF data hard copy Practice share 2-min break b/t dashboards Printing paper, pens & pencils Column designation Dashboard Reports Interruptions!!! Formula editor expand Workstation PC Banner data entry errors: Reduce spreadsheet window Printer Accuracy; Time Take notes about stop points/time Punches ODS Spot check total #s, comp & sig % Calculators Cognos Trade off Adcom report & validation Measuring rulers Open 2 Excel applications Crosscheck reports Dual PC monitors Adobe and MS Office programs EDW cube dashboard??? Environment Methods Machines
Relevance to Customer (Y) 9 x 6 9 x x x x x 9 Outputs Accurate reports Accurate data recorded Graphs updated Dashboard updated Excel copy on LAN PDF copy on LAN PDF copy printed out Excel output PDF output Finished product Cause & Effect Matrix Inputs Score Communications 9 9 9 9 297 Report producing team 3 1 3 3 87 Training & best-practice share 1 3 36 PC 1 3 36 Documentation 1 1 18 Reporting templates 3 1 1 3 69 Excel data source 9 1 3 117 PDF hard copy 1 9 Column designation 1 1 3 45 Formula editor expand 1 1 18 Take notes about stop point 3 3 3 3 99 Spot check total #s and % 1 1 1 27 Previous year data 1 1 1 27 2-minute break 1 1 3 3 69 Interruptions 1 9 Adobe and Office programs 1 1 18 ODS 1 9 Cognos 1 9 Banner data entry 1 1 18 Open 2 Excel applications 3 3 3 3 99