CSSBB key terms

A disciplined, data-driven approach for reducing variation and defects in processes so results consistently meet customer requirements, typically targeting fewer than 3.4 defects per million opportunities.

The five-phase improvement cycle - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control - used to solve existing process problems, with each phase tied to specific deliverables and a gate review.

A structured methodology for designing new products or processes so they meet customer needs and capability targets from the start rather than being fixed after launch; common roadmaps include DMADV and IDOV.

A policy-deployment method in which senior leaders set a few breakthrough objectives, then cascade them into annual plans, targets, and measures that are reviewed at every level of the organization.

The practice of comparing your processes, products, or performance measures against recognized leaders or best-in-class practices to expose gaps and identify improvement opportunities worth pursuing.

A performance measurement framework that tracks an organization from four perspectives - financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth - so short-term measures stay aligned with long-term strategy.

The total cost incurred because of poor quality, including scrap, rework, warranty, inspection, returns, and lost goodwill; used to size the financial opportunity of an improvement project.

The pace at which a process must complete one unit to satisfy customer demand, calculated as available production time divided by the number of units customers require in that period.

A measure of equipment performance that multiplies availability, performance, and quality rates to show how much of the scheduled production time actually yields good product.

A visual map of every step, both value-adding and non-value-adding, that a product or service passes through from request to delivery, including information flow and waiting time.

The systematic collection and analysis of customer needs, expectations, and complaints through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and field data, used to define what a process must deliver.

A measurable characteristic of a product or service that matters enough to customers that it must be met; CTQs turn vague customer wants into specific, testable specifications.

A way of classifying customer requirements into must-be, performance, and delighter categories so teams can decide which features to fix first and which to invest in for differentiation.

A document that authorizes a Six Sigma project by stating the problem, goal, scope, business case, team, schedule, and expected financial benefit, and is signed by the project sponsor.

A high-level diagram showing the Suppliers, Inputs, Process steps, Outputs, and Customers of a process; used to agree on scope before detailed process mapping begins.

Defects per million opportunities: the number of defects divided by total defect opportunities, multiplied by one million, so defect rates can be compared across processes of differing complexity.

The probability that a unit passes through every step of a process without a defect, calculated by multiplying together the first-pass yields of all the individual steps.

Indices that compare process spread with the specification width (Cp) and also account for how well the process is centered (Cpk); higher values mean fewer units fall outside specification.

A set of studies quantifying how much observed variation comes from the measurement system itself - repeatability, reproducibility, bias, linearity, and stability - before the data are relied upon.

Unpredictable variation arising from assignable, non-routine sources such as a broken tool, a new operator, or a changed supplier; control charts flag it, and it must be investigated rather than modeled.

A bar chart of problem categories ordered from largest to smallest with a cumulative line, used to focus improvement effort on the few causes that account for most of the effect.

A fishbone diagram that arranges possible causes of a problem into branches - commonly methods, machines, materials, measurement, people, and environment - to structure a team's brainstorming.

A structured risk assessment that lists potential failure modes, rates their severity, occurrence, and detection, and prioritizes preventive actions using the resulting risk scores.

The probability of obtaining data at least as extreme as the observed sample results if the null hypothesis were true; a small value is evidence against the null hypothesis.

A statistical technique that compares the means of three or more groups by testing whether variation between group means is larger than variation within groups, using an F-test.

A technique that models the relationship between one or more input variables and a continuous response, showing the size, direction, and statistical significance of each effect.

A planned experiment in which input factors are varied together in a structured pattern so their individual and combined effects on a response can be estimated efficiently.

A philosophy and event format in which the people who do the work make many small, rapid improvements to remove waste, often within a focused workshop of a few days.

A workplace organization method with five steps - sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain - that removes clutter and makes abnormal conditions immediately visible.

A pull system that uses visual signals to authorize production or replenishment only when downstream consumption creates demand, thereby limiting work in process.

The principle that a system's output is limited by one bottleneck at a time, so improvement should first exploit and then elevate that constraint instead of optimizing everything at once.

An error-proofing device or design that prevents a mistake from being made or makes it obvious immediately, so a defect cannot pass on to the next step.

A time-ordered plot of a process measure with statistically calculated control limits that separates routine variation from signals of a real change or problem.

A document naming the process steps, the product and process characteristics to monitor, the measurement method, sample size, frequency, and the reaction plan when a deviation occurs.

The documented current best method for each task, including cycle time, work sequence, and required inventory, so deviations are visible and improvement rests on a stable base.

The predictable phases a new team passes through - forming, storming, norming, performing, and eventually adjourning - each requiring a different style of leadership and facilitation.

A chart that assigns each task or decision to people who are Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed, preventing ownership gaps and duplicated effort within a project.

Identifying everyone affected by or able to influence a project, then assessing their interest and influence so communication and buy-in activities can be planned.