SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA (DFSS): A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT - Software Design for Six-Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence - page 208

9.2 SOFTWARE SIX SIGMA DEPLOYMENT

The extent to which a software Six Sigma program produces results is directly affected
by the plan with which it is deployed. This section presents a high-level perspective
of a sound plan by outlining the critical elements of successful deployment. We must
point out up front that a successful Six Sigma initiative is the result of key contribu-
tions from people at all levels and functions of the company. In short, successful Six
Sigma initiatives require buy-in, commitment, and support from officers, executives,
and management staff before and while employees execute design and continuous
improvement projects.
This top-down approach is critical to the success of a software Six Sigma program.
Although Black Belts are the focal point for executing projects and generating cash
from process improvements, their success is linked inextricably to the way leaders
and managers establish the Six Sigma culture, create motivation, allocate goals,
institute plans, set procedures, initialize systems, select projects, control resources,
and maintain an ongoing recognition and reward system.
Several scales of deployment may be used (e.g., across the board, by function,
or by product); however, maximum entitlement of benefits only can be achieved
when all affected functions are engaged. A full-scale, company-wide deployment
program requires senior leadership to install the proper culture of change before
embarking on their support for training, logistics, and other resources required. People
empowerment is the key as well as leadership by example.
Benchmarking the DMAIC Six Sigma program in several successful deployments,
we can conclude that a top-down deployment approach will work for software DFSS
deployment as well. This conclusion reflects the critical importance of securing and
cascading the buy-in from the top leadership level. The Black Belts and the Green
Belts are the focused force of deployment under the guidance of the Master Black
Belts and champions. Success is measured by an increase in revenue and customer
satisfaction as well as by generated cash flow in both the long and short terms (soft
and hard), one a project at a time. Belted projects should, diligently, be scoped and
aligned to the company's objectives with some prioritization scheme. Six Sigma
program benefits cannot be harvested without a sound strategy with the long-term
vision of establishing the Six Sigma culture. In the short term, deployment success is
dependent on motivation, management commitment, project selection and scoping, an
institutionalized reward and recognition system, and optimized resources allocation.
This chapter is organized into the following sections, containing the information for
use by the deployment team.

9.3 SOFTWARE DFSS DEPLOYMENT PHASES

We are categorizing the deployment process, in term of evolution time, into three
phases:

The Predeployment phase to build the infrastructure