Critical To Quality Characteristics

Critical Requirements

Six sigma projects can be directed at any number of CTX (critical to X) requirements as given below:

1. Critical to Quality (CTQ)

2. Cost of Quality (COQ)

3. Critical to Delivery (CTD)

4. Critical to Price (CTP)

5. Critical to Safety (CTS)

Let us look at a few examples for each of the CTX requirements.

Critical to Quality (CTQ)

Critical to quality improvement projects may include:

1) Simplifying product designs

2) Aligning product designs with customer requirements

3) Meeting current marketplace quality levels

4) Exceeding current marketplace quality levels

5) Exceeding reliability and maintainability requirements

6) Exceeding product appearance expectations

7) Meeting technical requirements

8) Providing products that are more durable

Cost of Quality (COQ)

Cost of quality improvement projects may include:

1. Reducing internal rejections

2. Reducing external rejections

3. Minimizing salvage and sorting operations

4.Reducing warranty claims

5.Reducing product variation

6. Reducing process variation

7. Reducing various forms of waste

8. Eliminating unnecessary inspections

Critical to Delivery (CTD)

Critical to delivery improvement projects may include:

1) Providing exact amounts of product

2) Providing service within a specific time interval

3) Ensuring immediate responses to customer questions

4) Providing a product or service on the proper day and time

5) Providing more rapid field service

6) Providing cost-effective delivery methods

7)Meeting customer packaging requirements

8)Minimizing shipping damage

Critical to Price (CTP)

Critical to process improvement projects may include:

1. Designing products that are easier to assemble

2. Minimizing changeover times

3. Reducing in-process inventories

4. Minimizing product touch times

5. Optimizing work cell design

6. Streamlining internal work flows

7. Reducing process flow variation

8. Enhancing process velocity

9. Eliminating redundant operations

10. Maximizing product yields

11. Speeding up operations

12. Reducing cycle times

13.Minimizing equipment downtime

14. Maximizing preventative maintenance

15. Performing value stream mapping

Critical to Safety (CTS)

Critical to safety improvements may include:

1) Simplifying tasks

2) Mistake proofing operations

3) Providing operator visual prompts

4)Providing safety cut-off devices

5) Using warning alarms

6) Providing adequate employee training

7)Providing clear written instructions

8) Protecting both operators and equipment from damage

9) Making products that are user-friendly

10) Providing constraints to prevent incorrect product use

11) Providing back-up redundancies for critical processes

12) Conducting safety reviews

13) Expanding prototype testing

14) Providing protective devices when applicable

15) Eliminating failure-prone elements

16) Meeting product disposal requirements