Methods | Info724

Info724™ has the perfect blend of business and technology expertise. Our work is grounded in the proven methodology of Six Sigma with the primary aim of achieving process excellence. This means that you’ll receive our expertise in information technology only within the context of a business process improvement framework. The artifacts that come out of the Six Sigma approach as well as the process itself serve two purposes: 1. to have a successful (on-time, on-budget) project and 2. to develop your resources to take ownership of this approach in the future. If this on-the-job training is not enough, we can also support your resources with formal training.

The methodology at Info724™ is based on the framework of "DMAIC" in Six Sigma. DMAIC is an acronym that represents the 5 stages of process improvement: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

Define	To articulate the problem or process needing improvement, to understand the impact to the customer, and to determine the scope of processes and systems to improve. The specific steps, activities, and deliverables of the Define stage are customized for each client area of need.
Measure*	To gather relevant information and measure the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the current processes, inclusive of relevant information systems in place. The specific steps, activities, and deliverables of the Measure stage are customized for each client area of need.
Analyze	To review and assess the data gathered so that the root causes can be determined and to develop strategies for solving the problem or improving the process. The specific steps, activities, and deliverables of the Analyze stage are customized for each client area of need.
Improve	To develop, try out, and implement a better process and/or solution that works within an acceptable investment level and timeframe. The specific steps, activities, and deliverables of the Improve stage are customized for each client area of need.
Control	To evaluate the results of the new process and/or solution against the root causes and to monitor, measure, and sustain the improved processes and/or systems. The specific steps, activities, and deliverables of the Control stage are customized for each client area of need.

*Note Regarding the Measure Stage: It is important to note that we plan to approach projects from a ‘process’ standpoint as opposed to a ‘data’ standpoint. To that extent, the way we will deal with metrics and data is in the following way: Identify relevant metric/data items, Define the type of measure for that metric/data, Determine if metrics and/or data exist for that item or not. This approach does not include studying the data itself nor data/statistical analysis and is sometimes called the ‘metric profile level’. The scope of work at this point does not include going beyond this level. The scope is certainly subject to change so that the approach to metrics is deeper, however the project pricing and timeframes would be impacted via the change control process.