Handing off the Project to the Process Owner

After the control charts have been created and deployed, the control phase of the DMAIC methodology comes to a close as far as the project is concerned. The solution that the team had set out to reach has now been reached. It is therefore time to transition the process from being a project to being the part of the regular operations of the business. This is done via the Six Sigma Transition Methodology, the details of which are mentioned as follows:

What Does a Project Hand-off Signify ?

A project handoff signifies the return to business as usual. It is critical from the point of view of the organization. This is because after the implementation of this plan, the responsibility of the project is transferred to the process owner from the Six Sigma Team. This is vital because in the initial stages of a transition, there are likely to be issues emerging. It is for this reason that there must be crystal clear accountability. This transition plan marks the shift in accountability.

Steps to Successfully Handoff Projects

Here are a few steps that every Six Sigma project team must follow to ensure that the process has been successfully transferred i.e. business as usual is running smoothly and without any operational hiccups.

1. Document the SOP’s: The first step in this process begins with documentation. The Six Sigma process is expected to clearly write down step by step, how they suggest that the concerned process be operated. Although the Six Sigma team is engaged in verbally explaining the process to the process owner, it is essential that documentation be done to avoid communication errors. Also there is a possibility that the concerned process owner may leave the organization taking the knowledge with them. Hence documentation ensures that the knowledge remains within the system.

2. Document the Risks: Along with the way the process is normally expected to function, the process owner must also be made aware of the special circumstances that might emerge. This is usually done by explaining the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis conducted to the process owner and the strategies that have been devises to mitigate the risks involved. The process owner may also suggest changes and modifications in the process.

3. Appoint Experts: Along with pointing out the risks, the Six Sigma team must also explain the mitigation plan. Experts must be appointed as a part of the mitigation plan. The process owner must know exactly which expert to contact in case of failure of a certain kind. This must also be documented in the process.

4. Get The Signoffs: After all the documentation has been done and the process explained to the content of the process owner, it is time to get the signoffs. These signoffs signify that the Six Sigma project team has finally achieved what it had set out to and that the process owner endorses this fact!