Category: Glossar – Englisch

QFD, short for Quality Function Deployment, is used in quality management and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) for planning and developing high-quality products that meet customer requirements. QFD consists of four consecutive phases, during which a House of Quality (HoQ) is created with the customer to develop specific product elements – CTQs (Critical to Quality), system functions, design elements, and the production process. The most important factors are selected through prioritization. The customer requirements for a quality product, identified in Phase 1, serve as the foundation for the CTQs and are consistently applied throughout the entire process.

The project plan is a document used in project management. It summarizes all the key plans and facts relevant to project planning and specifies the project charter. A project plan not only includes timelines, resources and costs but also refers to the tools and methods that will be used. It consists of several parts, including a problem description, a budget overview, and the allocation of human resources. The document also contains milestone scheduling, a list of actions, the timing of their initiation and the project goals, as well as a risk assessment.

The terms Pull System and Push System are primarily found in logistics. They represent two strategies for how products or services are delivered to a market. Both pull and push have their place. In a push system, the supplier pushes the product into the market to offload it. In a pull system, the customer pulls the product from the supplier.Pull systems are also referred to as the supermarket principle. The consumer and supplier are decoupled, meaning they operate in two different cycles. When implementing pull systems, it is often challenging to accurately determine true customer demand. This issue, or incorrect calculations, causes companies to struggle with their inventory strategies for years.The question of what to stock in inventory depends on factors such as lead time, customer deadlines and quality fluctuations. The choice of inventory strategy is often determined empirically. We recommend running a small simulation based on your historical data beforehand.

The Project Charter is the central document of a Lean Six Sigma project. It contains all the essential information needed to initiate the project.The tools of the Define phase are used to create a project order. The order in which the tools are processed is not important.

To launch the right projects, they should be selected based on effort and benefit and assigned to project leaders. This workshop should be conducted during the (Pre-)Define phase. A B&E analysis is used to select the most important projects. The goal of this workshop is to create a solid project charter to reduce the lead time of all projects.

Typically, a well-structured workshop is conducted over two half-days, spaced about a week apart. In the first session, the pre-charter is created and assigned to potential sponsors. In the second session, the sponsors gather additional information about the project, allowing it to move forward in the project selection process. Enter the projects into the B&E matrix or use another tool for visualization. Projects in the green area should be executed immediately, as well as those in the blue area. Common stumbling blocks often include incorrect categorization or choosing the wrong type of project (roadmap).

Companies must continuously adapt and undergo transformation, meaning that the pace of project management is constantly increasing. This transformation involves managing the entire Portfolio of projects within an organization. Over the past decades, comprehensive programs have been developed to manage this task, such as Portfolio management, project management and program management. The primary goal of all these programs is to achieve objectives. The challenge is that often all projects are considered high priority, which makes it difficult for most companies to successfully implement a cohesive overall strategy.

Implement Project Management (PM) as an organization-wide initiative (PMO), not just as a tool or program. Leaders, managers, and associates need knowledge of methodologies and systems. PMO means not being merely a part of a model or just managing resources, tools, dashboards, and projects. Understanding and measuring the current culture through Shingo should be an integral part of this modern organization from the start.

The PDCA Cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) is a four-step continuous improvement process for identifying and solving problems.Der PDCA Cycle is a loop for continuous problem-solving. Through incremental steps, the outcome is progressively improved. PDCA is often used in quality management and Lean Six Sigma.

Poka Yoke is a method developed by Shigeo Shingō to identify and completely eliminate random, preventable errors. Poka Yoke is a concept within the zero-defects strategy. Poka Yoke is a preventive method to prevent errors. It aims to reduce errors completely or partially.

PCE (Process Cycle Efficiency) is a Lean metric that indicates the percentage of value-added time in a process, reflecting its efficiency. The higher the value, the more efficient the process is. PCE helps identify improvement opportunities and the proportion of non-value-added activities that need to be addressed through projects. To calculate PCE a process is divided into value-added time (VAT) and non-value-added time (NVAT). The cycle time for each activity is estimated, and the values are summed separately for VAT and NVAT. PCE is calculated by dividing the value-added time by the total cycle time of the process and multiplying the result by 100. By determining a PCE value you establish a baseline for efficiency, which can be used for further analysis. After completing a project, a before-and-after comparison can be performed.

The Pareto diagram oder Pareto principle is based on the assumption that 80% of problems are caused by 20% of potential causes, or that approximately 80% of negative impacts can be eliminated with 20% of the effort. The Pareto principle is used to identify and analyze problems with the goal of recognizing the factors with the greatest impact and developing corrective actions to address them. Data and facts are collected over a specified period, categorized by importance, organized, and then presented in a bar chart, starting with the largest single value. An ABC analysis is then used to establish priorities for further action.