Six Sigma DMAIC Project Charter
Framework: DMAIC — Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
Use for: Reducing defects or variation in a repeatable process, with the rigor to prove the improvement was real and the controls to make it stick
Time required: 1–2 hours to charter. The project itself runs over weeks
How to use this template
- DMAIC is for improving a process, not running a project. If you are building something new, use Agile or Waterfall. If an existing process produces too many defects or too much variation, this is the tool.
- Measure before you improve. The discipline that separates Six Sigma from "let's just fix it" is the baseline. You cannot prove an improvement you never quantified.
- Find the root cause before proposing a fix. The Analyze phase exists so you change the thing that actually drives the defect, not the most visible symptom.
- Control is not optional. An improvement with no control plan reverts. The last phase is what makes the gain permanent instead of temporary.
Charter header
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Process being improved | [Name] |
| Problem statement (the defect, in numbers) | [What is wrong, how often, what it costs] |
| Goal statement (the target, in numbers) | [From X to Y by when] |
| Sponsor / process owner | [Name] |
| Team | [Names] |
| In scope / out of scope | [Boundaries] |
The five phases
Define
- Problem and goal stated in numbers (not "improve quality" but "cut the error rate from 8% to 2%")
- Customer and the critical-to-quality requirement identified
- Scope boundaries agreed
Measure
- Baseline measured from real data: current defect rate or variation
- Measurement method validated (are we measuring it consistently?)
- Baseline: [ ]
Analyze
- Root causes identified, not just symptoms (5 Whys, fishbone, data analysis)
- The vital few causes separated from the trivial many
- Verified root cause: [ ]
Improve
- Countermeasures designed against the verified root cause
- Piloted and measured against the baseline
- Result: [ ]
Control
- The new way standardized and documented
- A control (monitoring, alert, checklist, control chart) keeps it from reverting
- Ownership handed to the process owner
- Control mechanism: [ ]
Result
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Baseline → outcome | [X% → Y%] |
| Improvement holds (control in place?) | [ ] |
| Annualized impact | [$ / time / defects avoided] |
"Lean Six Sigma" pairs Lean's war on waste with Six Sigma's war on variation, and DMAIC is how it gets done. The phase teams skip is Control, which is exactly why their gains evaporate. More on Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen in the Frameworks & Mental Models Guide at biztechprimer.com.