The DMAIC process is widely used as part of the Six Sigma set of combined tools and methodologies. The DMAIC Roadmap contains five elements: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Each of these steps must be mastered and completed in a particular order in order to get the most out of the DMAIC methodology.

Here is an overview of each of the five steps:

Define – In the Define phase, leaders define project goals and customer deliverables. Importantly, the Define step requires outlining and capturing the Voice of the Customer (VoC) and preparing a Project Charter. As part of the Project Charter, managers define the problem and the project goals (as well as the scope of the project).

Measure – In this phase, leaders must continuously measure what is being done to determine overall progress and current level of performance. As part of this process, managers must determine exactly what information is going to be collected, how it will be gathered, and who will be responsible for collecting it.

Analyze – In the Analyze phase, leaders must determine the root cause of a specific problem or defect. The Analyze phase is often described as the most important step in the Six Sigma problem solving process. In this phase, the organization must determine the relationship between different data points and prioritize which actions or activities should be taken in order to bring about greater change.

Improve – In the Improve phase, the organization and the leaders within the organization seek to eliminate defects and reduce errors in a process or system in order to streamline. After identifying which data points, actions or activities will have the greatest impact on the organization, it is the responsibility of senior leaders to generate solutions which will enable the organization to improve on where it currently stands.

Control – The Control phase of the DMAIC Roadmap takes into consideration all of the analysis and improvements conducted previously and calls for the development of procedures and controls to ensure that improvement is sustained over time and those changes which have been made are not simply a temporary fix.

The tools business leaders use to guide their teams through the steps for using the DMAIC Roadmap include fishbone diagrams, project charters, and process mapping, which are then used for regular reviews of progress. Get started with our DMAIC Roadmap template. 

How to use it: 

1. For each DMAIC step, identify the specific goals, strategies, and tools you will use in your process.  
2. Build a roadmap using the tools that are most relevant. 
3. Create an action plan to implement each step of your DMAIC process.​ 

Unlike most traditional DMAIC Roadmap processes, Praxie’s online DMAIC Roadmap tools allow any team or organization to instantly begin working with our web templates and input forms. Our digital platform goes far beyond other software tools by including progress dashboards, data integration from existing documents or other SaaS software, elegant intuitive designs, and full access on any desktop or mobile device.