DMAIC vs. IMAGES: Differences and Similarities
Promoting quality is crucial to the customer satisfaction rates and the performance of the staff in any business, not to mention the environment of healthcare and the related services. Therefore, the incorporation of quality management tools is an essential step toward managing the operational processes in the healthcare setting. As the case study set in the MEDRAD healthcare facility shows, however, there is a significant gap between different quality provision tools. Namely, the frameworks known as DMAIC and IMAGES deserve a closer attention of the staff (Shaar, 2010).
When considering the main difference between the above frameworks, one must mention that, unlike IMAGES, DMAIC implies that a smaller number of steps should be taken when addressing a particular problem. To put it differently, the IMAGES procedure implies that the problem should be identified, measured, and analyzed, the solution should be generalized, the solution should be located with the help of an experiment, and the improvements could be sustained for a considerable amount of time. DMAIC, in its turn, requires that the problem should be defined, measured, and analyzed, the current situation should be improved, and that the results should be controlled. As the definitions provided above show, the frameworks rub elbows at some points. For example, the problem location, evaluation, and analysis can be traced in both study patterns. The generalization of the solution, however, is absent in the DMAIC approach, which makes it rather narrow. In other words, the tools created with the help of the DMAIC method can only be used on a case-by-case basis (Pyzdek, 2014).
Stakeholders and Their Relevance to the Projects
Although the connection between the project needs and the stakeholders involved may seem not quite evident at first glance, a paradigm can be noticed when considering the agents involved closer. For instance, the use of MVS as the tool for storing and arranging the organization’s data is essential to facilitate a fast and efficient information transfer and at the same time maintain a security of the patients’ personal data. The planning, shipping, and procurement-related processes define the rates of customer satisfaction as the quality rates of the services included are often defined by the speed of their delivery in the healthcare environment. The services and the plant management processes are linked closely to the above issues as the given processes hinge on the speed of the required products delivery and the information analysis. PEC as the sponsor of the company plays a big role in the overall development of the entrepreneurship, and the increase in its sustainability and competitiveness as the firm provides financial support to the hospital. The FGA optimization project as the essential source of information that the hospital uses to identify the existing threats and opportunities in the target market is also a crucial element of the firm’s competitiveness design. Last but definitely not least, the role of teams, including the packaging and the engineering ones, deserves to be brought up. Contributing to the production process, they help increase customer satisfaction rates.
Affinity Diagram: Advantages
An affinity diagram permits a clear and concise arrangement of the existing factors for their further analysis. The tool splits the key elements of an organizational process into five categories (waiting, motion, processes, resources, and inventory). As a result, an adequate arrangement of the available resources becomes a possibility (Pyzdek, 2014).
Reference List
Pyzdek, T. (2014). The Six Sigma handbook. New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Shaar, T. (2010). Critical elements for major improvements. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ.