SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA (DFSS) PROJECT ROAD MAP - Software Design for Six-Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence - page 301

caused by the application of the approach itself and the business unit, or function
specific deliverables are needed.
In this section, we will first expand on the ICOV DFSS process activities by
stage with comments on the applicable key DFSS tools and methods over what
was baselined in Chapter 8. A subsection per phase is presented in the following
sections.

11.3.1 Software DFSS Phase I: Identify Requirements

This phase includes two stages: idea creation (Stage 1) and voices of the customer
and business (Stage 2).

Stage 1: Idea Creation
Stage 1 Entrance Criteria
Entrance criteria may be tailored by the deploying function for the particular
program/project provided the modified entrance criteria, in the opinion of the
function, are adequate to support the exit criteria for this stage. They may
includes:
A target customer or market
A market vision with an assessment of marketplace advantages
An estimate of development cost
Risk assessment 2
TG “1”—Stage 1 Exit Criteria
Decision to collect the voice of the customer to define customer needs, wants,
and delights
Verification of adequate funding is available to define customer needs
Identification of the tollgate keepers 3 leader and the appropriate staff
Stage 2: Customer and Business Requirements Study
Stage 2 Entrance Criteria
Closure of Tollgate 1: Approval of the gate keeper is obtained
A software DFSS project charter that includes project objectives, software
design statement, Big Y and other business levers, metrics, resources and
team members, and so on.
This is almost the same criteria required with define, measure, analyze, im-
prove, and control (DMAIC) Six Sigma type of projects. However, project
duration is usually longer, and initial cost is probably higher. The DFSS team,

2 See Chapter 15.
3 A tollgate keeper is an individual or a group who will assess the quality of work done by the design
team and initiate a decision to approve, reject or cancel, or recycle the project to an earlier gate. Usually,
a project champion(s) is tasked with this mission.