INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA (DFSS) - Software Design for Six-Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence - page 173

C onceptualize the concepts, specifications, and technical and project risks.
O ptimize the design transfer functions and mitigate risks.
V erify that the optimized design meets intent (customer, regulatory, and deploying
software function).

In this topic, both ICOV and DFSS acronyms will be used interchangeably.

8.2 WHY SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA?

Generally, the customer-oriented design is a development process of transforming
customers' wants into design software solutions that are useful to the customer. This
process is carried over several development stages starting at the conceptual stage.
In this stage, conceiving, evaluating, and selecting good design solutions are difficult
tasks with enormous consequences. It usually is the case that organizations operate
in two modes “proactive” (i.e., conceiving feasible and healthy conceptual entities)
and “retroactive” (i.e., problem solving such that the design entity can live to its
committed potentials). Unfortunately, the latter mode consumes the largest portion
of the organization's human and nonhuman resources. The Design for Six Sigma
approach highlighted in this topic is designed to target both modes of operations.
DFSS is a premier approach to process design that can embrace and improve
developed homegrown supportive processes (e.g., sales and marketing) within its
development system. This advantage will enable the deploying company to build on
current foundations while enabling them to reach unprecedented levels of achieve-
ment that exceed the set targets.
The link of the Six Sigma initiative and DFSS to the company vision and annual
objectives should be direct, clear, and crisp. DFSS have to be the crucial mechanism
to develop and improve the business performance and to drive up the customer
satisfaction and quality metrics. Significant improvements in all health metrics are
the fundamental source of DMAIC and DFSS projects that will, in turn, transform
culture one project at a time. Achieving a Six Sigma culture is very essential for
the future well-being of the deploying company and represents the biggest return on
investment beyond the obvious financial benefits. Six Sigma initiatives apply to all
elements of a company's strategy, in all areas of the business if massive impact is
really the objective.
The objective of this topic is to present the software Design for Six Sigma approach,
concepts, and tools that eliminate or reduce both the conceptual and operational types
of vulnerabilities of software entities and releases such entities at Six Sigma quality
levels in all of their requirements.
Operational vulnerabilities take variability reduction and mean adjustment of the
critical-to-quality, critical-to-cost, critical-to-delivery requirements, the CTSs, as an
objective and have been the subject of many knowledge fields such as parameter
design, DMAIC Six Sigma, and tolerance design/tolerancing techniques. On the
contrary, the conceptual vulnerabilities usually are overlooked because of the lack