Saturday, July 10, 2010

DA "MADD" Man!

One of the pre-press reviewers of my latest book "The New Brass Ring" (ISBN 976-1-60911-613-2) prosaically wrote that "...the unveiling of the DMADD methodology can be likened to a glorious sunrise over a tumultuous ocean...the dawn of a new day in Process Improvement"  These are kind words...AND I would like to believe so!

DMADD (Define/Measure/Analyze/Develop/Deliver) is not a new concept, but an offspring from a lineage of parents that can be traced to the earliest ancestors of process improvement.  Darwin would be proud!  Another example of evolution!

A cool thing about nature...it does not create perfection...just better!  The DMADD methodology is not perfect, but it does address many of the weaknesses of its forefathers and has adapted to the environment that threatens the Process Improvement species!  Like our children, it inherently leverages the benefits of the information age, rather than depending on an easily ignored, "add-on, after the fact," tool set to capture available information. 

Moreover, it goes beyond simple "Cause/Effect," to "Cause/Effect/Impact" allowing for a more meaningful assessment of driving relationships...and...

Its decision making tool adds a 3rd element to "Opportunity/Effort" (a simple ROI) " making it truly more applicable to real decision-making...

What more do we need to make decisions in this century?" you may ask.

The answer is "Risk."  This provides a more representative set of characteristics used in decision making.  In fact from my experience and research..."Risk" is the strongest determinant in decision-making and it is seldom quantified beyond a "gut feeling."

I am excited about the NBR and its methodology.  Define/Measure/Analyze/Develop/Deliver (DMADD) is more attuned to the way Process Improvement people should be working.  It is the way that management should be thinking!  Organizations don't want or need CULTURAL CHANGE!  They need RESULTS that move them from Surviving to Thriving...anything less is a waste of time!

Some may argue that this is simply a variant of the DMAIC methodology.  IT IS NOT!

I have been a constant practitioner of Six Sigma nearly since its beginnings!  I recognized and taught it as an analytical based methodology and actually classified it as a "discovery based methodology" early on!  I mentored my students to seek the "eureka moment!"

DMAIC is a "Discovery-based" problem solving methodology.  It utilizes the benefits of the scientific methods (hypothesis testing) to identify the causes and the level of contribution (correlation) to the given effect(s).  Although effective, those practitioners that are weak in statistics do more harm than good.  Those that are good in statistics often get caught up in the beauty of the analysis.  There is seldom a middle ground. Six Sigma got a bad reputation from individuals who did not know the methodology deeply enough to know when it was time to make a decision...enough said about this...so they analyzed it to death out of fear for being seen as incompetent...the others analyzed it to death out of the pure joy of analysis...and missed the results!

DMADD is a "Solutions-based" problem solving methodology.  Thanks to Six Sigma and the information-age driven marketplace itself, in all but a very few cases, "the answer is out there!"  (sounds like X-files!).  In fact...there are sometimes hundreds of possible answers!  We just need to find it (them) and determine which of the myriad of solutions has the greatest chance (least risk) of providing the required results!  AND adapt it to the current need and implement it and adjust until it provides the desired results...

The central tool driving this is called the "Solutions Tree."

Over the course of the next few months, we'll address some of the concerns and issues...

I am already hearing that many practitioners are threatened by the dawning of DMADD.  These are the very people who promote...(actually...mandate...) "embracing change" yet when something new comes along...the "not invented here" demon from within them crawls out of the depths of their true character!

To them...I say...what we need is results...stop touting the need for cultural change...and all of that fluffy stuff...give the companies what you promised and stop wasting their money...

It saddens me to have a good thing attacked rather than welcomed...

These are the same people who probably watch a beautiful sunrise and rue the morning!

Time will show the true colors of these people...I did not create this methodology to make any methodology obsolete...in fact it is just another weapon in the PI arsenal, that we can use to effectively and efficiently address process and performance problems...

It will not and can not apply to every situation...

There are still situations where Lean or Six Sigma will still be more effective...

There are still situations where TQM works best...

I could go on with many examples...

The fact of the matter is...

I have become "Da-MADD" man and I am proud of it...because I have been able to consistently able to provide better results faster and less costly!  Isn't that what companies want?

If you want to find out more about DMADD...The New Brass Ring is here...get it!    

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