Six sigma has been developed to improve manufacturing processes and therefore has traditionally been used in this direction. However, the concept demonstrates its effectiveness in other areas, such as construction. This activity area poses severe risks to its employees, and therefore, they must improve their business processes constantly. DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) is a data-driven problem-solving approach that helps gradually improve and optimize products, projects, and business processes. This paper considers the case of using the method to enhance ground works. Despite the emphasis on quality management, the use of the technique also contributes to the safety of workers.
DMAIC consists of five interrelated steps, and each uses the information obtained in the previous stage. The define phase identifies the problem, for example, a number of incidents, employees involved, or reasons for harmful events (Karakhan, 2017). Analysts use different tools for faster and easier problems finding. In the case under consideration, the authors applied DMAIC to the building object located in Koło, Poland, and the process of creating the foundation (Nowotarski et al., 2019). At the first stage, a project map was created, which included goals, expected results, and a description of the problem. It had weaknesses such as foundation wells issues, a small number of employees, and equipment problems.
Once a problem is identified, it must be carefully examined and evaluated. The second step, the measure phase, involves studying the severity of the issues (Karakhan, 2017). For this purpose, the Ishikawa diagram presented in Figure 1 was used in the case (Nowotarski et al., 2019). This tool helped group problems into categories to make them easier to study in the next phase. In the third step, Analyze Phase, a total of 23 issues were considered (Nowotarski et al., 2019).
This stage is necessary for establishing causal relationships and establishing the roots of the problem (Karakhan, 2017). The authors applied tools such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Pareto chart (Nowotarski et al., 2019). The first helped establish problems with the most significant risk factor, and the Pareto chart found that 13% arose due to the wrong location of the foundation wells (Nowotarski et al., 2019). Other problems of importance included overloading of equipment and incompetence of workers.
Based on the data obtained in the previous three stages, the improve phase is applied. Here, analysts consider potential solutions to detected problems, highlighting corrective and preventive measures (Karakhan, 2017). Since FMEA identified three issues with the highest risk factors, the measures proposed in the case aim to resolve them. In particular, the main focuses are highlighted – improving employees’ work, their training, and raising the quality of equipment. For example, one of the measures to solve the problem of the location of foundation wells is uninterrupted communication with the crane operator (Nowotarski et al., 2019).
Finally, in the control phase, a tool is being developed to monitor the effectiveness of measures. In this case, the expected result is improved work efficiency by 40% (Nowotarski et al., 2019). For control, the authors propose introducing a control card that will help better cope with the installation of foundation wells. Thus, they offer one of the applications of the DMAIC approach for the construction industry.
Thus, the DMAIC approach can be applied in various industries and be an effective tool for improving productivity and safety. This paper describes the example of the method’s use in the construction industry, and the improvement of work processes here is closely intertwined with employee security. DMAIC provides for several phases during which different tools can be used depending on the features of the problem. Examples of instruments used in this case include the Ishikawa diagram, FMEA, Pareto chart, and other measures.
References
Karakhan, A. (2017). Six sigma & construction safety: Using the DMAIC cycle to improve incident investigations. Professional Safety, 62(6), 38-40.
Nowotarski, P., Szymanski, P., & Rzepecka, P. (2019). DMAIC method of quality improvement of ground works processes: Case study. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 221(1), 1-10.