We start out so strong with our determination and clarity about making this year a great one! But it’s such a predictable cycle of rapidly disappearing goals and the predictable disappointment to reach our goals in life and in business. So how do we break the cycle and grab control of our future? In reality, it’s not that hard… as long as you have the desire to improve (most of us have that) and a method to make it happen.
Right now is the best time to consider where you are today versus where you would like to be. The thought of this can be overwhelming, especially as we consider all the different aspects of our life. But if you look at each area individually, you can quickly assess your goals for each. For example, consider your objectives for the different areas of your life:
One of the aspects of life that we hear about very often is balance. And one way to achieve balance is to assess each of the areas to determine where you need a change OR how to maintain if everything is going well. Assessing the current state (where you are today) and then allowing yourself to articulate a better version is the most important first step. That part feels good and can be very cathartic and motivating.
Read more: Work From Home vs. Office
The challenge is, once we have determined what we want to achieve, it takes a bit of rigor, structure, and discipline to make that vision a reality. With a focus on creating meaningful improvements in all aspects of our personal and professional lives, it is critical to use a consistent approach no matter what changes and improvements you are going after.
In life – whether we are talking about work, love, health, or career – there is one thing for sure. To make our goals a reality, we must continually evaluate our situation so that we can create and execute a plan to improve. Whether that improvement means better balance, better results, or eliminating negatives, it really doesn’t matter – as long as we continually take action that will allow us to realize a better something.
Easier said than done, right? Dreaming of a better life is one thing. But it takes to structure and discipline to actually pull it off! The beauty of improvement is that the same structure applies to any kind of improvement. So, if you get good at the structure for improvement, you can apply it to any area of your life.
If we assess our lives, set goals, and then execute a structured plan to execute those goals, we can achieve continuous improvement – that is ongoing actions are taken to improve in all areas of our lives.… whatever we prioritize as most important for our spirituality, finances, career, our intellect, fitness, our family, and our social lives.
The basic structure for improvement is the same no matter which method you use. And, while it has many different names and acronyms, they all essentially provide the same thing – a disciplined way to approach problem-solving so that we can get from point A to point B as quickly and effectively as possible. In Lean Six Sigma terms, the structure is known as DMAIC (pronounced Duh-MAY-ic), which stands for the 5 phases of problem-solving; Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. For sure, some of the tools and techniques used by certified Black Belts and Green Belts are quite advanced. But the tools are applied within a simple performance improvement model known as DMAIC.
This structure is a critical foundation for the success of improvement efforts because of the discipline it instills; before we begin solvingproblem, we need to understand it…to DEFINE the focus area and the problem. We then understand and measure the problem or opportunity. If you decide that you have a New Year’s resolution to get healthy for example, you’d define that goal and then come up with a way to Measure your starting point. Maybe you’d measure your weight or BMI or blood pressure. That’s the baseline measure so you have your starting point. Then the Analyze phase is the time when we understand all the different factors at play; which factors have the biggest impact on your goal? What about our routine have we not noticed before? How do all these factors interact? When we have analyzed our process and really understood all the different factors, THEN we can go to the Improve phase where we can now – with confidence – create some really innovative options for improvement. After testing and piloting our new way of doing things, the last phase is there to ensure that all the work that we did to improve doesn’t fade away – we want our hard work and great results to be sustained.
Improvement using the DMAIC cycle allows us the time and space that we need to do each of these critical phases very well. Without this structure, you can imagine that most people would jump right to solutions without truly knowing what it is that should or could change. And many of these solutions that go into place do not have the expected impact and many times, in fact, they make things worse. DMAIC applies to all improvement projects, big or small, in any type of process and it is the core method of Continuous Improvement.
Read more: ‘CLARE SAYS’: The 8th Waste
Here, we have provided a few simple summaries of how the DMAIC problem-solving structure has been used to achieve goals and resolutions of all types including Self-Care, Personal Life, Professional Life, and Work Life.
Self-Care: Get healthier
Define: Describe the current state (the problem) versus the desired state (the goal)
· Currently overweight with a goal to lose weight
· Current high cholesterol with a goal to lower cholesterol
Measure: Put some numbers to the current state (problem) and desired state (goal)
· Current weight (problem) = 150, Desired weight (goal) = 130
· Current cholesterol = 220, Desired Cholesterol = 180
Analyze: Research and verify the top contributors/causes of the Problem
· Currently, exercise is sporadic; low to moderate exercise from 3 times per month to 3 times per week)
· Currently, there are several unhealthy foods eaten regularly including fried foods and cookies for a midnight snack
Improve: Specific changes to eliminate or minimize the causes
· Manageable and consistent exercise routine; Yoga class 2x/week, Cycling 1x/week
· Diet changes; replace unhealthy oils with healthy oils. Eliminate midnight snacks. Replace with a banana before bed.
Control: How to verify results and make the improvement stick
· Gym group with sign-in for classes and regular weigh-ins
· Gym tracks weekly participation and weight
· Pre-planned menu and shopping list created
· Doctor appointments made every 3 months for the next year for a cholesterol check
Read more: The Leadership Cycle
Personal Life: Get balanced
Define: Describe the current state (the problem) versus the desired state (the goal)
· Spending too much time at work with a goal to balance time between work and home
· Too tired for quality family time with a goal to improve the quality of family time
· Missing social events with a goal to attend important social events
Measure: Put some numbers to the current state (problem) and desired state (goal)
· Current work hours/week (problem) = 60, Desired (goal) = 40
· Current hours quality family time/week = 5, Desired = 20
· Missed important social events in the past year = 3, Desired = 0
Analyze: Research and verify the top contributors/causes of the Problem
· Currently, working from home with 24/7 access to notifications, comms, and tasks
· Currently, quality time consists of family dinner on Sundays and attending kid’s sports
· Missed social events due to lack of preparedness and lack of energy/enthusiasm
Improve: Specific changes to eliminate or minimize the causes
· Set working hours for Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 6 pm. Notifications and work apps shut down outside of working hours.
· Plan for family dinner 5 nights/week. The family cooks, enjoy dinner, and cleans together.
· As social invitations are received, prioritize and schedule important events on the family calendar. Adjust the work schedule as needed to allow for event prep and to ensure proper rest.
Control: How to verify results and make the improvement stick
· Weekly calendar with working hours, dinner plans, and social events will be posted on the refrigerator.
· Tracking of planned versus actual work hours, family dinners, and social events
· Simple and fun feedback form for the family to fill out for ongoing improvements to the plan
Professional Life: Increase income
Define: Describe the current state (the problem) versus the desired state (the goal)
· Currently struggling to make ends meet with a goal to improve lifestyle and increase savings
Measure: Put some numbers to the current state (problem) and desired state (goal)
· Current annual net income = $75,000, Desired = $90,000
· Current annual savings = $3,000, Desired = $18,000
Analyze: Research and verify the top contributors/causes of the Problem
· One income stream maxed at $75k
· No formal budget or savings plan
Improve: Specific changes to eliminate or minimize the causes
· Add flexible income stream (Affiliate Sales role). Estimated work time of 6 hours/week will produce an average of $300/week income.
· Formalized budget and savings plan (with an automated deposit into a new savings account)
Control: How to verify results and make the improvement stick
· Track hours worked and income per week
· Monitor actual versus target budget and savings
Work-Life: Decrease Rework/Errors
Define: Describe the current state (the problem) versus the desired state (the goal)
· Too many mistakes are being made in the shipping department. The goal is to decrease errors
· Too much time spent on corrections and re-work. The goal is to spend less time correcting old orders and more time on new orders.
Measure: Put some numbers to the current state (problem) and desired state (goal)
· In the last 6 months, shipping quality (packaging, labels, returns) was 93%. The goal is to improve quality to 98%
· In the last 6 months, the shipping department averages 30-50% of their time on corrections and re-work. The goal is to reduce re-work time to 10%
Analyze: Research and verify the top contributors/causes of the Problem
· There are no packing instructions by product
· Packing supplies are inconsistent, missing, and hard to find
· 2 of the 6 label printers are faulty, generating unreadable labels
Improve: Specific changes to eliminate or minimize the causes
· Create packing instructions for each product category. Make it easily accessible for all workers
· 5S of Shipping Supplies
· Repair or replace 2 faulty printers
Control: How to verify results and make the improvement stick
· Monitor defects by product type. Review problem products with the shipping team to continually improve the packing instructions
· Regular 5S Assessment and continual improvement
· Test all printers to ensure proper performance. Solidify preventive maintenance plan for label printers.
Our best intentions and hopes for a better future are just passing thoughts unless we have a plan that will take us there. Using the DMAIC structure as a guide, will clear the fog and will help you to see an obvious path to your best future. Check out our online Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification course and so many other great courses for tools to make your goals and resolutions a reality.
You have the power to make tremendous changes in your life. The results won’t materialize overnight, but you can take the first step today!
