Continuous Improvement Programs
Solid project management begins with skilled and knowledgeable people to accomplish the business objectives of an organization. Developing and delivering the right training followed with support to entrench new and improved skills, tools and processes, empowers your project managers and team members to be successful. VMC conducts Strategic Improvement Programs designed to bring your organization to the next level by implementing proven training, tools, and processes.
Methodologies Applied for Continuous Improvement
Six Sigma Projects
Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology focused on root cause analysis. Six Sigma tools and philosophies are used to tackle complex problems that require advanced analysis and problem solving techniques. A DMAIC approach is used to address defects with currently existing processes while a DFSS approach is used to develop new processes. Both approaches rely on industry standard tools such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Pareto Analysis, Pugh Matrices, House of Quality, and 5 Whys. At VMC, the Six Sigma certification program is done in house by VMC’s parent company, Volt Information Sciences, and consists of varying certification levels including Yellow, Green and Black Belts.
CAPA Initiatives
Our implementation of CAPA is based upon industry best practices and strongly incorporates Six Sigma methods and tools. Incorporating PMI based methodology ensures our CAPA initiatives and activities to be embedded within a sound project management approach. CAPA Containment Actions are immediate remedial actions that prevent a problem from spreading or continuing to occur. These actions are typically carried out by the operations team or project team members. The CAPA Implementation process strongly aligns with the Improve and Control phases of a Six Sigma DMAIC project. The goal of the Improve phase is to identify and implement solutions to eliminate the process defects. The CAPA Effectivity Review process is the final process within CAPA. It uses data gathered via the process control scheme and concludes with renewed process capability measurement, verifying process improvement.
Blitz Events
Blitz Events are conducted with three sessions, where representatives from all groups involved in a process get together to develop a new, more efficient process. Planning for a Blitz Event follows a similar path to the Define, Measure and Analyze phases of a Six Sigma project. The first session of the event is spent reviewing the current state of the process while identifying value-add and non-value-add steps. The second session focuses on developing a new process that maintains the value-add steps from the current state and eliminates as much of the non-value-add as possible. The third session is spent doing a gap analysis to identify an action plan to get from the current state to the desired future state. At the end of the third session, each representative walks away with a list of action items that they are responsible for implementing in the next two to four weeks. A control plan is also developed to ensure execution of the action plan and adoption and maintenance of the new process changes.
QuickValue Events
A QuickValue Event (QV) is designed to address an already identified problem or a specific inefficiency within a process. The scope of a QV is very narrow and usually focuses on a single problem or addresses one specific improvement objective. For example, a QV might be used to redesign a form that has been identified as problematic, or to define criteria used to identify different stages in a sales cycle.
Process Engineering & Re-engineering
Audit & CAPA Programs