DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) vs KAIZEN

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Roboyo

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Learn more about our consultation services that fuse people, technology, and performance to create harmonious, human+ workforces, or read on to discover more about the difference between Kaizen and Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC).

Let’s look at the main characteristics of each approach:

Kaizen – a Japanese word that simply means ‘Change for the better’. The main characteristics are:

• Projects are well defined and baseline stats are collected before starting
• Dedicated resources are subject matter experts (SMEs) and focus on only the project
• The solutions should come from the SMEs as they will need to act as champions for the change
• Often follows the Demming/Shewhart cycle of Plan-Do-Check-Act
• Kaizen projects typically last 3 – 5 days
• Management MUST make resources available from support functions during the project. i.e., HR, Finance, Warehouse, Sales, Marketing
• Solutions are implemented based on 80% confidence instead of 95% 
• Implementation is completed within the project timeline but if items fall outside, they are generally completed within 20 days
• Basic analysis is acceptable with indicative results enough to make decisions.

Additionally, the rise of AI has allowed opportunities for the fast-moving world of Kaizen to be enhanced by rapid analysis of processes.

DMAIC – a 5-step process where the 1st letter of each stage spells out DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. The main characteristics are:

• The existing process is not meeting customer requirements, but the reason why is not obvious
• Time is spent on analyzing the baseline data to understand current performance
• Baseline data is used to prove/validate the benefits once re-measured
• Solutions can come from anywhere and may not be popular with employees as they may mean significant changes
• Solutions require 95% confidence in being correct before implementation
• There can be a level of risk associated with the solution that will need to be accepted by the business before implementation
• Change is led by a Six Sigma Blackbelt or Greenbelt due to the nature of the data analysis. 

How to choose the right approach

The best solution in many cases may be to combine both business approaches but the most appropriate approach can be chosen for a project by answering the following questions.

If YES, Kaizen

If NO, DMAIC

• Has the problem been identified?
• Is there an urgent solution needed? Is the source of waste unknown?
• Are there dedicated SMEs from the business available?
• Do we need to be 95% confident in the solution?
• Is the solution likely to be expensive?
• Do you have robust baseline data?
• Is there a minimal risk to the business?
• Is there a minimum requirement for data analysis?
• Are there opportunities to move at pace by employing AI?

Interestingly, many practitioners have started to plan out their Kaizen projects using the DMAIC process steps. This way they ensure that everything is considered. So, it may not be a case of Kaizen vs DMAIC but instead getting the best results by choosing to apply both.

The emergence of excellent Process Mining tools such as Celonis has further accelerated the implementation of both Kaizen and DMAIC approaches. With robust and inciteful data at your fingertips, process mining tools really help you understand performance of a process and identify where the potential improvements are located.

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