Evaluation of Piping Isometric Drawings Using Six Sigma Process

Abstract

Six Sigma is a business strategy that helps organizations to improve its organizational efficiency and customer satisfaction; it decreases operating cost and increases profits. Six Sigma is a widely used method to improve processes from various industrial sectors. The target failure rate for Six Sigma projects is 3.4 parts per million. Numerous practitioner studies claim that Six Sigma improves organizational performance. However, its implementation to design process is limited. So, in this study, we have implemented the Six Sigma philosophy in piping design process. Piping isometric drawings, which feature their intrinsically topological relation rather than just geometrical shape, are important industrial artworks in the field of Computer-Aided Design (CAD). This study suggests that the link between Six Sigma and piping design process performance can be explained and developed by integrating organizational knowledge creation processes. We have quantified the performance of a design process in terms of sigma level and tried to find the possible ways to improve it. The method used in this study is based on five main steps summarized in the acronym (DMAIC): Define Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Application of the method on the design process during the five phases of the method will help to reduce costs and losses of man-hours to strive for optimum results in terms of profit and quality.