Nonprofit professionals are do-ers. We are fixers. Heck, we build planes while we fly them, right? Believe it or not, these penchants for action and for fixing can actually interfere with sound problem solving, data-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement. In our rush to make changes and improvements, we skip important steps that shortchange our understanding of problems, opportunities, and stakeholders’ needs. We waste time and energy with trial and error, instead of more confidently and intentionally designing improvements. That is why I love to teach the five-phased problem-solving approach of Lean Six Sigma – DMAIC – to nonprofit professionals.
Bear with me. Don’t get alienated by the jargon. Lean Six Sigma is one of many models of quality improvement which were developed for other sectors – manufacturing, primarily – and are often clumsily adapted to ours. Don’t let that deter you. Lean Six Sigma is a process that is pretty intuitive, and it comes with a diverse enough toolkit that it can meet our needs, too.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is a five-step process improvement methodology that guides teams and organizations through a structured thought process to understand and act on opportunities for improvement. Lean Six Sigma consists of a thought process and a set of tools to support that thought process. (Check out one of my all-time favorite resources The Quality Toolbox.)
When Should We Use It?
Whenever your organization is faced with an opportunity for improvement.
- You have fallen short of a goal or a standard.
- Stakeholders – clients, volunteers, staff – are frustrated or unhappy.
- You want to create more clear and efficient processes to save time or reduce confusion.
- A funder or accrediting body says your organization needs to demonstrate cycles of continuous improvement.
Five Steps: DMAIC
Lean Six Sigma is organized into five, rather intuitive steps represented by the acronym DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. Unfortunately, I have seen nonprofit professionals consistently skip four of the five, when left to their own devices.
Define
Define the problem or opportunity.
- Use data when you can to quantify the frequency, scope, and severity of the problem. Measure how many clients are no-showing, staff are leaving, or how often are files incomplete, for example.
- Articulate why it matters. What does the organization stand to lose if this problem is not addressed?
- Write a concise and compelling case statement.
- Articulate your vision for improvement. You don’t know yet what you need to do to improvement, so don’t try to articulate the solution at this point. Instead, describe how you’ll know when you’ve solved the problem. What benchmarks with the organization achieve?
Measure
Gather data and other information to develop a deep understanding of the current state of things – of the problem or the current process.
- Develop a deep understanding of how often the problem occurs, how much time or money you spend or waste, or how many people the problem affects.
- Develop a deep understanding, also, of what your stakeholders want and need. What would they consider to be high quality and satisfactory?
Analyze
Reflect upon the information or analyze the data you gathered in your Measure Phase.
- Look for themes, patterns, or trends in your data.
- Look for overlaps, gaps, or conflicts in stakeholder wants and needs.
- Explore the root cause of the problem.
Improve
Then, and only then, you can start brainstorming solutions. Generate solutions that reflect an understanding of what your stakeholders want and of what’s causing the problem, so they are more likely to create your desired result. Carefully select one or more improvements based on articulated criteria. You may choose solutions that are easiest to implement, closest to the root of the problem, enjoy the most support and buy-in, or can be implemented quickly and affordably, depending on your organization’s culture and priorities.
Control
You’re not done yet! Change isn’t “set it and forget it!” You have to take steps to make sure your improvement is properly and consistently implemented, and you have to monitor it to see if it’s having the desired effect.
For more on the five phases, you can check out this resource (but just don’t get hung up on the terminology. Remember, they didn’t write this for us!)
Skipping Steps Wastes Time and Energy
Follow the steps to more confidently design more targeted solutions!
Without a clearly defined problem or opportunity, you’ll have a hard time building buy-in for improvement and change. Similarly, without a clearly articulated goal, you won’t know when your work is done. When organizations skip the Measure phase, they set themselves up to fly blind, to solve the wrong problem, and/or to design something that will still miss the mark. Organizations (or some team members) often assume they know the cause of the problem. Don’t zero-in too quickly on the usual suspects (human error or resource constraints), though. Instead, use a thorough root cause analysis to expand your thinking to consider other culprits. Finally, when organizations don’t plan to sustain their solutions, they waste all the time they spent designing them because the problem will likely continue or recur.