Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective
The concept of insurance came about in the business field to cover the risk of loss of assets due to natural and manmade disasters as well as other calamities. In the current times, Organizations especially those which are dependant heavily on IT systems have begun to look at preventive steps as well as plan for […]
Next Wave of International Business Investing: Emerging Market Cities
Emerging Market Cities and their Growth Potential Studies have shown that the number of cities in emerging markets is growing. Now, there are nearly 700 emerging market cities with populations of more than half a million and this number is expected to grow in the years ahead. The proliferation of Tier II cities alongside the […]
The Debate over the Continuity of Policies When Governments Change and Implications
Is it Necessary to Discontinue Policies of the Predecessors when Governments Change? You might have read in the news about the decision of the Current Government in Andhra Pradesh, a state in India, to cancel the grandiose plans for the capital of the state chosen by the previous government and instead, go in for decentralised […]
Do Emerging Markets Represent the New Frontier for Globalization ?
Ever since the onset of the global economic crisis, there has been much talk about how globalization has reached its nadir and that the concept of an integrated global economy leading to prosperity has been discredited. The reason for this cynicism was that many commentators blamed globalization for causing the global economic crisis and plunging […]
Cannabis Legalization: Impact on Canadian Economy
The movement to ensure the legalization of cannabis has been going on in many parts of the globe. Even in the United States, many states have legalized cannabis. This means that it is legal to possess cannabis for the purpose of sale in these states. However, this rule has not been formed on a national […]
In the equation - Y = f(X), Y is the dependent variable and it is dependent on the variable X. In other words, when there is a change in value of X then value of Y will automatically change. The following are the characteristics of both types of variables:
| Y | X |
| Dependent variable | Independent variable |
| Output of the process | Input to the process |
| Effect | Cause |
| Symptom | Problem |
| It is monitored | It is controlled |
It is important to know that the variable or the factor that we want to improve is a Y or an X. If the variable under control is a Y then we should identify the Xs or the independent variables that affect Y and we should focus on improving the Xs and thereby improving the Y. There could be more one X that influences the Y and we should try to brainstorm along with the team to identify as many Xs as possible and then perform Pareto analysis or other prioritization tools to identify the critical Xs that impact our Y.
Customer is the person (whether internal or external to the organization) who uses the output that the organization produces. A customer could be
Customer requirements can be defined as the needs of the customer and his expectations from the output that the organization is producing and delivering. When the organization is able to meet all the customer requirements then it will lead to Customer Satisfaction. On the contrary, if the organization is unable to meet the customer requirements then the customers will be dissatisfied and over the period of time they will turn away from the organization’s product. Customer requirements are also called Voice of the customer - “VOC”.
While performing the above the following questions should be asked:
CTQ stands for ‘Critical to Quality’. In other words it represents the critical requirements of the output. CTQ’s could be derived from Customer requirements, Risks, Economics and Regulations. For eg a CTQ could be on-time delivery or accuracy etc. It is very critical to identify and define CTQs appropriately because it depicts the quality parameters that relate to wants and needs of the customer.
Once we have collected the voice of the customer (VOC) we then will have to arrive at Critical to Quality (CTQ) elements so that the customer requirements can be incorporated into our process and the output can be produced as desired by the customer.
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The Cost of Poorly Performing Processes – Need for Six Sigma
February 12, 2025
