A simple example demonstrates the many virtues of DMAIC as a general purpose approach

to improvement, divorced from any particular method and, in this case, from business itself.
Tiki Barber, the retired New York Giants running back, could always be counted on to make
big yardage gains, and, in the early part of his career, for making costly fumbles. In four
seasons, from 2000-04, Barber fumbled 35 times, more than any other running back in the
National Football League.
Understanding what Barbers fumbles were costing the team, Giants head coach Tom
Coughlin analyzed the problem and looked at a number of possibilities, such as the
exchange from the quarterback, excessive shifting of the ball from one arm to the other, or
carrying the ball with the wrong arm. Coughlin concluded that Barbers style of carrying the
ballarms extended, ball held horizontal to the groundwas the root cause of the problem.
Coughlin ordered Barber to hold the ball vertically against his chest and to walk around
during training camp holding it that way.
As Barber would head through the locker room carrying the ball, an assistant coach would
sneak up on him and try to slap the fall from Barbers grasp. Eventually, Barber became
acutely conscious of holding onto the ball, fumbling only nine times in the remaining three
years of his career.
Recast in DMAIC terms, this problem solving and improvement process looks like this:

Define: Barber excessively fumbling the ball.

Measure: Calculate the impact of Barbers 35 fumbles on field position, opposition

points on turnovers, outcome of games and teams season record.

Analyze: Barber carries the ball horizontally with arms away from body, the root
cause of his fumbles.

Improve: Barber should carry the ball vertically, holding it close to his chest.

Control: Have assistant coaches try to cause fumbles in the locker room. Closely
observe how Barber carries the ball in subsequent games and correct, if necessary.

As the example demonstrates, DMAIC is easy to use and understand; it provides a common
language for improvement of any kind. It links and logically sequences procedures and tools.
And it is elegant in its simplicity.

DMAIC Helps Agency Craft Green Electronics Plan

In September 2008, in an effort to reduce its environmental footprint, P&R IM implemented
an electronics stewardship plan. The plan documents policies and procedures that will
enable P&R IM to achieve, in an incremental approach, sustainable practices for energy
efficiency, acquisition of green products and services, cost effective waste prevention and
recycling programs, and electronics stewardship. The P&R IM approach to improving energy
efficiency and electronics stewardship follows Lean Six Sigmas DMAIC methodology.
Creating the Plan
P&R IM past practices related to acquisition and management of information technology (IT)
equipment did not take into consideration the overall environmental impact of these
practices. In order to increase staff environmental awareness and adopt more
environmentally sound IT practices, an electronics stewardship plan was developed. The
plan also helped to satisfy requirements of the March 2007 implementing instructions for
Executive Order (EO) 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and
Transportation Management.
The EO requirements included:

Ninety-five percent of computer workstations must be Electronic Product

Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered electronic products.

The Energy Star feature must be enabled on 100 percent of agency computers and

monitors.
Policies must be developed to establish and implement the useful life of agency
electronic equipment.
To improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the EO also stated that
energy usage had to be reduced by 3 percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015,
or 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015.
In order to address all of the applicable EO requirements, P&R IM developed a multigenerational plan to incrementally achieve the EO goals and objectives while reducing the
organizations environmental footprint. Generation 1 of the plan addressed the goals for
attaining 95 percent EPEAT-registered electronic products; enabling the Energy Star feature
on 100 percent of agency computers and monitors; establishing and implementing policies
to extend the useful life of agency electronic equipment; and using environmentally sound
practices with respect to disposition of agency electronic equipment that has reached the

end of its useful life. Generation 2 addressed the goals for improving energy efficiency and
reducing greenhouse gas emissions of the agency, through the reduction of energy usage by
3 percent annually. Generation 1 and 2 were completed in 2008 and 2009 and resulted in
significant, and sustainable, reductions in energy usage and electronic waste.
Generation 3 will address the goals for ensuring that at least half of the statutorily required
renewable energy consumed in a fiscal year comes from new renewable sources; agency
acquisitions of goods and services consider sustainable environmental practices (including
acquisition of biobased, environmentally preferable, energy-efficient, water-efficient and
recycled-content products, and use of paper of at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber
content); and that the agency maintains cost effective waste prevention and recycling
programs.
Incorporating DMAIC
Implementation of the improvement plan followed the DMAIC approach. In the Define phase,
the P&R IM team developed problem statements to address the requirements of the EO. The
problem statements captured that P&R IM did not have an electronics stewardship plan in
place to implement sustainable policies and practices for energy efficiency, acquisition of
green products and services, cost effective waste prevention and recycling programs, and
electronics stewardship.
During the Measure phase, P&R IM created green IT equipment purchase and use process
models and determined that only 34 percent of their current IT inventory was EPEATregistered; this was because the current purchase and use processes did not stipulate that
new equipment be EPEAT-registered.
P&R IM developed a data collection plan to capture energy use data for computer
workstations. These aggregated measurements indicated that there was a statistically
significant difference in energy use between three computer usage patterns:
1.

Computer work station on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

2.

Computer work station off on non-duty days

3.

Computer work station off each night and non-duty days

This analysis was done to determine degrees of difference in usage patterns in order to
target the pattern that would yield the most energy savings while also considering the
impact to work station log-on times.
During the Analyze phase, P&R IM used input and output variables and fishbone diagrams to
determine that the root cause for failing to meet the EO energy efficiency and acquisition
goals was that there were no standard policies or procedures in place to implement green IT
purchasing, Energy Star enabling, electronic end-of-life management and energy use.
In the Improve phase, P&R IM used failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to develop a
new process model for green IT equipment purchase. The analysis determined that

documenting and distributing policies and procedures that included increasing awareness
and training on how to purchase green IT equipment could significantly decrease the amount
of non-conforming purchases at very little cost. The team analyzed energy usage by
identifying triggers for increases in energy consumption, and brainstormed corrective
actions. P&R IM concluded that energy use associated with IT devices across the
organization could be significantly decreased by adopting a policy to shut down computers
during weekends and non-duty days and improving awareness and training on energy
efficient computer usage.
To execute the improvements, P&R IM implemented the electronics stewardship plan in
September 2008. The plan called for purchasing green IT equipment (EPEAT-registered),
enabling Energy Star features on IT equipment, managing the end of life of IT equipment,
establishing policy and procedures for energy use (e.g., changing the P&R IM policy to shut
down work stations during weekends and non-duty days), and establishing training on
carbon dioxide emissions.
In the Control phase, P&R IM is tracking progress from the plan, and has developed and
implemented policies and procedures to help meet its green goals. Specifically, the plan
provides:

Early warning if P&R IM is not purchasing energy efficient equipment

Documentation of training

The review of contracts and solicitations to ensure proper language to support green

IT purchases
A policy to reduce IT power use

Measurements for monitoring progress toward the defined goals

The establishment of a communication strategy to reduce power usage

The Results
Since the implementation of the P&R IM electronics stewardship plan, P&R IM has enabled
Energy Star features on 100 percent of equipment and extended the useful life span of
equipment to four-plus years. P&R IM also has developed a purchasing plan that will enable
achieving the goal of having 95 percent of IT acquisitions being EPEAT-registered products
by 2015.
Additionally, by implementing the policy to shut down work stations during weekends and
non-duty days, energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 13 percent
in 2009, far exceeding the interim EO goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 percent
annually, while minimizing the increase in work station log-on time.
The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) recognized P&R IM with the FEC Silver Award for
reducing the environmental impacts of electronics and helping the Federal government
improve its sustainable practices when purchasing, managing and disposing of their
electronics assets.