SIX SIGMA FUNDAMENTALS - Software Design for Six-Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence - page 166

TABLE 7.3 A Sample List of Some Six Sigma Tools and Their Usage

Six Sigma Tool Use

Kano model,
Benchmark

To support product specification and discussion through better
development team understanding.

GQM “Goal, Question, Metric,” is an approach to software metrics.

Data collection
methods

A process of preparing and collecting data. It provides both a baseline
from which to measure from and in certain cases a target on what to
improve.

Measurement
system
evaluation

It is a specially designed experiment that seeks to identify the
components of variation in the measurement.

Failure modes and
effects analysis
(FMEA)

It is a procedure for analysis of potential failure modes within a
system for classification by severity or determination of the effect
of failures on the system.

Statistical
interference

To estimate the probability of failure or the frequency of failure.

Reliability analysis It is to test the ability of a system or component to perform its required

functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time.

Root cause analysis It is a class of problem-solving methods aimed at identifying the root

causes of problems or events.

Hypothesis test Deciding whether experimental results contain enough information to

cast doubt on conventional wisdom.

Design of
experiments

Often the experimenter is interested in the effect of some process or
intervention (the “treatment”) on some objects (the “experimental
units”), which may be people.

Analysis of vari-
ance(ANOVA)

It is a collection of statistical models, and their associated procedures,
in which the observed variance is partitioned into components
resulting from different explanatory variables. It is used to test for
differences among two or more independent groups.

Decision and risk
analysis

It should be performed as part of the risk management process for
each project. The data of which would be based on risk discussion
workshops to identify potential issues and risks ahead of time
before these were to pose cost and/ or schedule negative impacts.

Platform-specific
model (PSM)

It is a model of a software or business system that is linked to a
specific technological platform.

Control charts It is a tool that is used to determine whether a manufacturing or

business process is in a state of statistical control. If the process is
in control, all points will plot within the control limits. Any
observations outside the limits, or systematic patterns within,
suggest the introduction of a new (and likely unanticipated) source
of variation, known as a special-cause variation. Because increased
variation means increased quality costs, a control chart “signaling”
the presence of a special cause requires immediate
investigation.

Time-series
methods

It is the use of a model to forecast future events based on known past
events: to forecast future data points before they are measured.

( Continued )