Six Sigma Documentation
Six Sigma documentation is the collection of standardized records, templates, and reports created throughout the DMAIC process phases to track project progress, validate improvements, and ensure process changes remain sustainable.
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What is Six Sigma Documentation?
Six Sigma documentation covers all the formal records, templates, and reports that teams put together throughout a Six Sigma improvement project. These documents do several things at once: they capture how a process currently works, track data collection and analysis efforts, record decisions made during each DMAIC phase, and establish the standards that keep improvements from slipping after a project wraps up. Without solid documentation, even the most successful Six Sigma projects can fade over time as institutional memory weakens.
The six sigma documentation requirements tend to be fairly demanding, which makes sense given how much the methodology depends on data and evidence. Each phase of the DMAIC process generates its own set of documents. Define produces project charters and SIPOC diagrams. Measure yields data collection plans and baseline reports. Analyze results in root cause findings and statistical analyses. Improve captures the solutions that got implemented. Control ties it all together with control plans, updated SOPs, and monitoring protocols. Taken together, these six sigma documents tell the complete story of what the team learned and changed.
Organizations practicing Lean Six Sigma often standardize their documentation templates across all projects. This consistency pays off in several ways: new team members ramp up faster, results become easier to compare across initiatives, and the organization builds real institutional knowledge about what approaches actually work. Quality six sigma documentation also creates the audit trail that industries like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace manufacturing need for regulatory compliance. This level of rigor supports broader continuous improvement efforts across the organization.
Key Characteristics of Six Sigma Documentation
- Phase-Specific Deliverables: Each DMAIC phase comes with defined documentation requirements. Teams produce project charters in Define, measurement system analyses in Measure, fishbone diagrams in Analyze, pilot results in Improve, and control plans in Control.
- Data-Centric Records: Six sigma documents put quantitative evidence front and center. You will find statistical analyses, process capability studies, and defect tracking data throughout project records.
- Standardized Templates: Most organizations use consistent templates for common documents like project charters, process maps, and control plans. This speeds up project work and makes it possible to compare results across different initiatives.
- Version Control: Processes change over time, so six sigma documentation needs to track those changes. Version-controlled SOPs and dated control charts help teams piece together what was different and when.
- Stakeholder Accessibility: Documentation has to work for different audiences. Project sponsors want executive summaries. Practitioners need the technical details. Process owners require clear operating procedures they can actually follow.
Six Sigma Documentation Examples
Example 1: Manufacturing Control Plan
A plastics manufacturer wraps up a DMAIC project aimed at reducing injection molding defects. The Control phase documentation includes a detailed control plan that spells out critical process parameters like temperature, pressure, and cycle time. It specifies acceptable ranges for each parameter, how often to take measurements, who is responsible for monitoring, and what to do when readings fall outside limits. The plan references the updated work instructions and includes SPC chart templates for ongoing tracking.
Example 2: Healthcare Process Improvement
A hospital's Six Sigma team takes on patient discharge delays. Their documentation package contains the original project charter that defined the problem and goals, a process map showing the current-state discharge workflow, the data collection sheets from the Measure phase, Pareto charts highlighting the main causes of delay, the redesigned process flow with embedded checkpoints, and training materials for nursing staff. A dashboard template tracks daily discharge times moving forward.
Six Sigma Documentation vs General Process Documentation
Both involve capturing how work gets done, but six sigma documentation serves a different purpose and follows a different structure.
| Aspect | Six Sigma Documentation | Process Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Support structured improvement projects with evidence-based records | Describe current processes for training and reference |
| Structure | Organized by DMAIC phases with specific deliverables per phase | Typically organized by department or function |
| When to use | During and after Six Sigma improvement projects | For ongoing operational reference and onboarding |
| Content focus | Data analysis, root cause findings, before/after comparisons, control mechanisms | Step-by-step procedures, roles, and responsibilities |
How Glitter AI Helps with Six Sigma Documentation
Six Sigma projects require a lot of documentation, and creating it all by hand can really slow down improvement work. Glitter AI helps teams pick up the pace by automatically generating step-by-step process documentation from screen recordings. During the Define and Measure phases, teams can capture current-state processes and build baseline documentation in minutes instead of hours.
The Improve and Control phases are where Glitter AI proves especially valuable. Updated procedures that reflect process changes can be created, version-controlled, and shared out quickly. Visual work instructions make training on new methods clearer and faster to absorb. Teams end up spending less time fighting with documentation and more time on what actually matters: making processes work better and keeping them that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents are required for Six Sigma?
Six Sigma projects typically require a project charter, SIPOC diagram, data collection plan, measurement system analysis, root cause analysis documentation, process maps, control plan, updated SOPs, and training materials for each DMAIC phase.
What is Six Sigma documentation?
Six Sigma documentation is the collection of standardized records, templates, and reports created throughout a DMAIC improvement project to track progress, validate improvements with data, and maintain process changes over time.
What are the documentation requirements for the Control phase in Six Sigma?
Control phase documentation requirements include control plans, updated standard operating procedures, statistical process control charts, response plans for out-of-control conditions, training materials, and monitoring dashboards.
What is a Six Sigma project charter?
A project charter is a Define phase document that outlines the problem statement, project goals, scope, team members, timeline, and expected business impact. It serves as the foundational reference for the entire improvement project.
How does Lean Six Sigma documentation differ from standard Six Sigma documentation?
Lean Six Sigma documentation incorporates Lean tools like value stream maps, waste identification records, and flow analysis alongside traditional DMAIC documents. The combined approach documents both variation reduction and waste elimination efforts.
What is a control plan in Six Sigma?
A control plan is a document that specifies how improved processes will be monitored and maintained. It identifies critical parameters, measurement methods, acceptable ranges, responsible parties, and corrective actions when performance drifts.
Why is documentation important in Six Sigma projects?
Documentation captures the evidence supporting each decision, creates an audit trail for regulatory compliance, enables knowledge transfer to process owners, and provides the reference materials needed to maintain improvements after project closure.
What is included in Six Sigma Measure phase documentation?
Measure phase documentation includes data collection plans, operational definitions, measurement system analysis results, baseline capability studies, process maps showing data collection points, and initial sigma level calculations.
How do you maintain Six Sigma documentation after project completion?
Maintaining Six Sigma documentation involves regular reviews of control plans, updating SOPs when processes change, archiving project records for future reference, and conducting periodic audits to ensure documented procedures match actual practice.
What templates are commonly used in Six Sigma documentation?
Common Six Sigma templates include project charters, SIPOC diagrams, data collection forms, fishbone diagrams, FMEA worksheets, control charts, process capability reports, and control plans. Most organizations standardize these templates across projects.
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