Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development [Hardcover]

Clyde M. Creveling (Author), Jeff Slutsky (Author), Dave Antis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130092231 | ISBN-13: 978-0130092236 | Publication Date: November 4, 2002 | Edition: 1

Technology companies can only achieve the full benefits of Six Sigma if they implement it proactively, starting with the earliest stages of technology development and product design, link it to a well-structured product development process, and rigorously manage it. Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development shows how. Authors Clyde Creveling, Jeff Slutsky, and David Antis Jr. present step-by-step techniques, flow diagrams, scorecards, and checklists, plus the first complete introduction to Critical Parameter Management (CPM), the breakthrough approach to managing complex product development.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• Implementing DFSS at the critical early stages of technology development and product design
• Linking DFSS to best-practice tools and project management practices
• Leveraging Critical Parameter Management, a breakthrough in the management of complex product development
• Step-by-step techniques, detailed flow diagrams, scorecards, and checklists

Build Six Sigma quality into the critical early stages of technology development and product design.

Technology companies can only achieve the full benefits of Six Sigma if they implement it proactively, starting with the earliest stages of technology development and product design. To succeed, they must tightly link Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) to the phases and gates of a well-structured product development process, and carefully manage it through a rigorous project management discipline. Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development is the first book to show them how. Coverage includes:

• Proven techniques for integrating DFSS with program and cycle-time management, technology development, product design, system architecture, and system engineering processes
• Comprehensive coverage of Critical Parameter Management (CPM), the breakthrough technique for managing complexity in product development
• Step-by-step techniques and flow diagrams for integrating DFSS tools and best practices into development and design
• Practical scorecards and checklists for applying DFSS concepts in modern Phase-Gate processes
• Crucial leadership, financial, and value management issues associated with successful DFSS deployment

Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development is a serious text for serious practitioners-and an essential resource for anyone committed to maximizing quality in technology and product development.

Process Improvement Series

Foreword by Frank McDonald, Motorola University

"The authors of this book have worked as designers and consultants leading the transition from build, test, and fix to disciplined, fact-based designs that delight customers and stakeholders alike. I am not aware of any other book that discusses Design for Six Sigma in such a comprehensive and practical way as this one. This is the right book for leaders and designers who want to change from hoping for the best to expecting the best."

—Steve Schaus, VP of Operational Excellence, Sequa Corporation

About the Author

Clyde "Skip" Creveling is the president and founder of Product Development Systems & Solutions Inc. (PDSS) (http://www.pdssinc.com). Since PDSS' founding in 2002, Mr. Creveling has led Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) initiatives at Motorola, Carrier Corporation, StorageTek, Cummins Engine, BD, Mine Safety Appliances, Callaway Golf, and a major pharmaceutical company. Prior to founding PDSS, Mr. Creveling was an independent consultant, DFSS Product Manager, and DFSS Project Manager with Sigma Breakthrough Technologies Inc. (SBTI). During his tenure at SBTI he served as the DFSS Project Manager for 3M, Samsung SDI, Sequa Corp., and Universal Instruments.

Mr. Creveling was employed by Eastman Kodak for 17 years as a product development engineer within the Office Imaging Division. He also spent 18 months as a systems engineer for Heidelberg Digital as a member of the System Engineering Group. During his career at Kodak and Heidelberg he worked in R&D, Product Development/Design/System Engineering, and Manufacturing. Mr. Creveling has five U.S. patents.

He was an assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology for four years, developing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in mechanical engineering design, product and production system development, concept design, robust design, and tolerance design. Mr. Creveling is also a certified expert in Taguchi Methods.

He has lectured, conducted training, and consulted on product development process improvement, design for Six Sigma methods, technology development for Six Sigma, critical parameter management, robust design, and tolerance design theory and applications in numerous U.S, European, and Asian locations. He has been a guest lecturer at MIT, where he assisted in the development of a graduate course in robust design for the System Design and Management program.

Mr. Creveling is the author or coauthor of several books, including Six Sigma for Technical Processes, Six Sigma for Marketing Processes, Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development, Tolerance Design, and Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design. He is the editorial advisor for Prentice Hall's Six Sigma for Innovation and Growth Series.

Mr. Creveling holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology and an M.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology.

J. L. Slutsky has 20 years' experience designing and developing complex medical and image processing products. He is now Master Consultant for a major Six Sigma Consulting firm, specializing in DFSS, statistical engineering, robust design, and product development best practices.

D. Antis, Jr., CEO of a new global consulting firm and former Vice President of Operations for SBTI, has deployed DFSS for over a dozen clients, drawing on best practices from Motorola, Kodak, GE, Black & Decker, and other leading firms. He formerly served as European Director of Operational Excellence and Total Quality for the Engineered Materials Sector of AlliedSignal, overseeing quality initiatives throughout Europe.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130092231
• ISBN-13: 978-0130092236
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Methodology
  • #68 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Design Tools & Techniques

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Designing for Six Sigma, February 2, 2005

By 

John J. Oneill Jr. "Pareto Man" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

Disclosure: I'm a competitor of Skip's in the Design for Six Sigma field.

Skip obviously knows his stuff - he's written one of the most detailed descriptions of DFSS around. His differentiation of a methodology for technology development and product development is an important concept. The book provides a detailed step-by-step description of how to design a product for Six Sigma performance.

However, the book is really a tough read. I've been working in the DFSS field for the last 7 years and I found it a tough go. The methodology descriptions, while detailed, suffer from a lack of examples or a case study.

My other critique is that Skip describes the DFSS "nirvana" - if your development process is a bit informal, you'll start asking yourself "How in the world will I ever get to DFSS?" Some thoughts around how to transition from a typical development process to a DFSS-based approach would have been helpful.

Finally, one of my clients handed this book out to virtually all their engineers at the beginning of their DFSS iniative. When, a year or two later, I'd ask the engineers if they had the book, the answer was invariably "Yes." When I'd asked if they'd read the book, however, the answer was just as invariably "No."

If you already know about DFSS, its a great reference. If not, go buy one of the introductory books first.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DFSS within the product development cycle, August 5, 2009

By 

M. Heffner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

This is really two books in one, and requires a close read to keep the two separate. One book is a description of the product development process / technology pipeline. The second book is a very good description of the DFSS process and the use of the specific tools within each step of the process and their interrelationships. The author does a good job describing the process of developing transfer functions.

This is not a casual read. However, it goes well beyond some of the other DFSS books I have read which are merely a data dump on a collection of tools.

I would definitely place this at the top of my DFSS read list.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Challenging but worthwhile, August 12, 2007

By 

L. Brackney - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

I don't disagree that Creveling's book is a challenging read, but I do think it's a worthwhile and reasonably comprehensive text on the topics. Many of the methods presented require a certain level of sophistication to execute correctly. If you don't understand the material, maybe you shouldn't be trying to use some of the tools.