Issue: 01/01/2011

Control Plans
e-Learning STUDENT GUIDE for AT&T

Holding the Gains A Six Sigma Course for CONTROL

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Contents - Control Plans Learning Objectives ............................................................. 3 Key Definitions .................................................................... 3 DMAIC Roadmap ................................................................. 4 Introduction ........................................................................ 5 Key Points ......................................................................... 6 Control Plan Form ............................................................... 6 Completing a Control Plan .................................................... 7 Administrative Section ......................................................... 7 Process Section ................................................................... 8 Control Method Section ........................................................ 9 AT&T Example................................................................... 10 Summary ......................................................................... 11 Change History ................................................................. 12 Legal Disclaimer Throughout materials delivered on the AT&T e-Learning Portal, persons who are involved in training are referred to as trainees, employees, students, candidates, members, leaders, management, participants, instructors, facilitators, or administrators, etc., as appropriate. In addition, personal pronouns are used to refer to trainees, facilitators, Six Sigma team members, and any other individuals. This was done to improve readability and is in no way intended to discriminate against persons of either gender. Nothing in this material should be construed to indicate any discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, disabled or Vietnam Era Veteran status, or sexual orientation. Notice: Documents on the AT&T e-Learning Portal are unpublished works protected by the United States copyright laws and are proprietary to AT&T Intellectual Property, while some documents are owned by appropriate third party suppliers. Disclosure, copying, reproduction, merger, translation, modification, enhancement, or use by anyone other than authorized employees or licensees of AT&T companies without the prior written consent of AT&T Intellectual Property or appropriate third party suppliers is prohibited. This document has been prepared and distributed pursuant to a strict review process. Under no circumstances should changes be made to this document without first submitting the changes for review to the author. AT&T Proprietary (Internal Use Only): Not for use or disclosure outside the AT&T companies except under written agreement. 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 01/01/2011 All company, product, and service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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Learning Objectives Control Plans This module is on developing and understanding Control Plans and is part of the Control phase of the methodology. Control Plans are essential to the successful completion of a project and to ensuring that the gains made, both process and financial in nature, are maintained without the direct involvement of the Green or Black Belt that led the project. Upon completion of this module, students will understand the relationship between the Control Phase and the DMAIC process, the components included in the Control phase, and their role in using the Control phase to improve their processes. Students will be able to: understand the definition of the Control phase, its components, and its objectives identify the Control Plan section names and understand the purpose of each section understand the relationship between a Control Plan and Control Chart

Key Definitions The following are some of the key definitions that will facilitate the understanding of this module. Additionally, the Quality Management System website contains a comprehensive glossary of terms frequently used by Six Sigma practitioners. SPC stands for Statistical Process Control. SPC is a technique that uses control charts to monitor a process for stability. Control Chart is a graph of process data that is used to help determine whether a process is stable or not. Control Plan is a document used by the Process Owner to ensure the improvements are maintained by listing the key metrics with level that are required and also what to do if the level is not achieved. Capability is the extent to which a stable process is able to meet specifications.

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DMAIC Roadmap

As an aid to understanding the methodology, the AT&T Quality Management System Center of Excellence has provided a quick roadmap for the Green Belts. This roadmap allows you to identify the tasks, deliverables, and tools for each phase of the project.

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Once a project nears completion and the improvement has been implemented, it will be important to institute controls to ensure the gains are maintained over time and that the process is not allowed to backslide. Sustaining a project's return on investment (ROI), or holding the gains is the primary purpose of the Control phase of any Six Sigma project. The Control Plan explicitly defines what we are trying to sustain and which variables must be controlled for the optimal output to be achieved. This module on Control Plans is located in the Control phase of the program. Control Plans - Introduction The objective of the Control phase is to define, write, and implement a control plan for a defined process. A control plan is a written summary of the systematic approach the team will use to minimize product and process variation. In this course, you will learn how to use a control plan to define the data collection strategy to be used in monitoring and controlling your processes. Implementation of a control plan in a process will: Establish a system for continuous monitoring of the process for stability. Correct any problems or process deviations as they occur by deploying appropriate corrective action procedures. Allow for a reliable assessment of process capability. The control plan will be utilized to develop a data collection strategy for a process. This is an example of a control plan.

The control plan contains information about product and process characteristics for the purpose of defining the control methods to be used and the corrective action procedures to follow when problems are detected. This is an example of a Control Plan form that is standard in many industries, including AT&T. The objective of the Control Plan is to define, write, and implement a detailed plan for a defined process including what to do if an out of control situation occurs. A control plan is a written summary of the systematic approach the team will use to minimize product and process variation. The In this module, you will learn how to Page 5 of 12

use a control plan to define the data collection strategy to be used in monitoring and controlling your processes. Implementation of a control plan in a process will: Establish a system for continuous monitoring of the process for stability. Correct any problems or process deviations as they occur by deploying appropriate corrective action procedures. Allow for a reliable assessment of process capability. The control plan will be utilized to develop a data collection strategy for a process after the improvements have been completed. The risk response plan the team developed during the Improve phase of the project, will provide a solid foundation or starting point to aid in the development of the control plan. Key Points Control plans help reduce product and process variation from occurring by being proactive and focusing on control of the variables As a historical process document, a control plan will promote continuous improvement by increasing the process knowledge of the employees Control plans only give detail on a specific operation step where a critical parameter in the process is being controlled. Control plans are not a substitute for detail process procedures or work specifications Control plans should be teamed up with the appropriate control chart (control charts are discussed in more detail in another module) The best control is one that is not needed because we have prevented a defect from occurring in the first place by mistake-proofing (Poka Yoke)

Control Plan Form Each team may use their own customized form, but most control plan forms have three basic sections; the header or administration section, the process section, and the control methods section.

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The administration section of the form is used to enter basic tracking information such as Control Plan ID Number, Key contact information, origination and revision dates, as well as any approval information if required. The process section contains information describing each of the critical to quality, or CTQ, variables identified as part of the Define phase. In the control methods section, the team will describe the type of process controls to use on each Critical to Quality variable identified during the Define phase. The type of control chart, sample frequency, sample size, and corrective action procedures are all defined. One of the responsibilities of the team in developing the control plan is to identify what data will be used to monitor and control the process. In developing the data collection plan, the team will use evaluation tools, process flow information, and customer requirements or specifications. The data collection plan must address such issues as the evaluation methods to be used, the risk of failing to detect a loss of control, levels of verification, sample size and frequency of measurement. Completing a Control Plan The control plan needs to have each section or information block completed in order to be an effective tool in sustaining improvement. Administration, the first section is quick and easy to do.

1. Key Contact / Phone who and how to contact the Process Owner 2. Date (Original) when was the control plan first initiated into action 3. Date (Revision) if revised, when 4. Product Title what project is associated with this control plan

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5. Owned By who is the Process Owner 6. Control Plan Life Cycle Manager who is in charge of managing the control plan 7. Black Belt or Green Belt - who developed the control plan 8. Approved By who approved this control plan (VP or Champion for Project) 9. Effective Date when the control plan was instituted on the process

Process Section contains the information of what process step, input, or output, and the specifications of that input or output. Only key process steps and inputs / outputs of those steps are listed in the control plan.

1. Line / Operation / Process the step or action in the process or system that is being controlled 2. Process Input or Output the process step input or output that is being measured. Ideally, the control item should be the input of the process step 3. Control Subject what is the metric being used to express the input or output of the process 4. Subject Goals the target (goal) or acceptable level (specification) of performance which if not met will trigger the reaction plan

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Control Methods Section contains the information of how the data will be collected, stored and how (if required) a corrective action will be initiated. This is the section of the control plan that will direct how the Control Plan Manager will be required to act whenever the process is deemed to be in an out of control situation.

1. Sensor: Measurement Tool describes what will be used to measure or evaluate the process input to output that is being controlled 2. Frequency indicates how often will the measurement be taken 3. Sample Size indicates how many samples will be taken at each measurement time period 4. Location where will the data being collected stored (database, file, etc). 5. Who Measures what person is responsible to collect the measurement data and analyze the data to the metric identified 6. Analysis Method - how will the data be analyzed and graphed (mean value, median, individual data points, counts, % - this will vary by project and control item) 7. Decision Rule / Corrective Action describes at what level or points will a corrective action be initiated and what the action will involve. Identifies who is responsible for taking the corrective action steps

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8. Reference Procedure - is used to provide detail on any specific procedural steps for the control plan that need additional explanation or are very complicated Control Plan Example

This is an excerpt from an actual control plan that was created for the U-verse Referral project. The Administration section was omitted from this view to more of the process information and control methods could be shown in this example. In the process information section, note that the team has identified the project outcome, Reschedule Rate as the Y to be controlled. Two of the vital Xs to be controlled are shown in this view as well, agent referral rates and M&Ps. It is important to remember controlling input variables (Xs) and reacting to them before the output (Y) happens will reduce defects in the output and improve process quality. Look over the control methods section of the Control Plan. Note that multiple analysis methods have been documented, and procedures have been developed in support of the Control Plan. It is also important to note in this section, that responsibilities for addressing issues that arise with the plan are specifically identified.

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Summary In summary, the control plan module has allowed you to: Understand the need to develop a strong method to control the results of the project Learn the three sections of a control plan in detail Administrative, Process, and Methods Recognize that in many projects a control chart will be developed to assist with the control plan

And remember what we said earlier, the best control is one that is not needed because we have prevented a defect from occurring in the first place! This completes the module on developing a control plan.

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Change History Issue Date 01/01/2011

Reason for Issue / Reissue Initial Issue of Student Guide to support new module

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