DMAIC: what it is and what it means

DMAIC is the structured improvement cycle of Six Sigma, organized in five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. Compared with PDCA it adds a formal measurement phase, which weighs the process data before the intervention and checks their dispersion afterward. That makes it suited to processes with lots of data and variability to reduce, where the gap between one result and the next matters more than the single defect. In a company with fewer than 50 employees it is rarely the first choice: PDCA follows the same logic with a lighter measurement setup and with data within reach of the people who already work in the process.

Distinctive: a formal measurement phase
Distinctive: processes with lots of data and variability to reduce
Essential: structured improvement cycle of Six Sigma
Essential: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
Constant: five phases

Glossary

DMAIC

The Six Sigma improvement cycle in five phases (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), with a formal measurement phase that PDCA does not separate out.