# Six Sigma Program Maturity Assessment > Source: https://netray.co/tools/six-sigma-program-maturity-assessment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Score your Six Sigma and SPC program across leadership, project selection, data quality, skills and sustainment, and get next steps for your band. ## Category quality ## Audience - Quality manager - Plant manager - Six Sigma Black Belt - Operations director ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### How are improvement projects selected? **Help:** Think about the last five projects started. **Options:** ##### Whoever has an idea or a loud customer complaint **Score:** 0 ##### Selected by a manager, with little data **Score:** 1 ##### Selected from a ranked list using cost of poor quality or customer data **Score:** 2 ##### Linked to strategy, ranked by impact and reviewed quarterly by leadership **Score:** 3 #### How trustworthy is your measurement data? **Options:** ##### We do not know; no gauge studies have been done **Score:** 0 ##### Gauges are calibrated but no gage R&R **Score:** 1 ##### Gage R&R done on critical characteristics **Score:** 2 ##### Gage R&R and attribute agreement done and repeated on a schedule, with data stored in a system **Score:** 3 #### How is SPC used on the floor? **Options:** ##### Not used **Score:** 0 ##### Charts exist but are rarely reviewed **Score:** 1 ##### Charts are reviewed and reaction plans exist on key characteristics **Score:** 2 ##### Charts on key characteristics drive decisions, with documented reactions and audits **Score:** 3 #### How do you report process capability? **Options:** ##### We do not calculate it **Score:** 0 ##### Only when a customer asks **Score:** 1 ##### Cp, Cpk or PPM for key characteristics with a defined method **Score:** 2 ##### Capability is tracked over time, split short and long-term, and tied to reaction triggers **Score:** 3 #### What training do the people running improvement projects have? **Options:** ##### None formal **Score:** 0 ##### A few people had outside training **Score:** 1 ##### Green Belts trained, with some Black Belt support **Score:** 2 ##### Defined belt roles, certification criteria, mentoring and refreshers **Score:** 3 #### How do you check that root causes are real? **Options:** ##### We act on the first plausible cause **Score:** 0 ##### Brainstorming and team consensus **Score:** 1 ##### Data analysis such as Pareto and stratification **Score:** 2 ##### Statistical tests or designed experiments are used and reviewed **Score:** 3 #### How are gains made permanent? **Options:** ##### Rarely; processes often drift back **Score:** 0 ##### Procedures are updated sometimes **Score:** 1 ##### Control plans and work instructions are updated for each project **Score:** 2 ##### Control plans, mistake-proofing, training and ownership are audited after 6 to 12 months **Score:** 3 #### How involved is leadership? **Options:** ##### Not involved **Score:** 0 ##### Supportive in words only **Score:** 1 ##### Sponsors projects and attends some reviews **Score:** 2 ##### Regular gate reviews, resources protected and results in management reviews **Score:** 3 #### How are financial benefits verified? **Options:** ##### Not tracked **Score:** 0 ##### Estimated by the project team **Score:** 1 ##### Reviewed by finance at closure **Score:** 2 ##### Verified by finance, with follow-up after 6 to 12 months and a consistent definition of savings **Score:** 3 #### How easy is it to get quality data from your ERP or MES? **Options:** ##### Manual extraction and re-keying **Score:** 0 ##### Reports exist but need spreadsheet work **Score:** 1 ##### Most defect, scrap and inspection data are available in standard reports **Score:** 2 ##### Defect, inspection and process data feed dashboards and projects directly **Score:** 3 **Bands:** #### Ad hoc **Min:** 0 **Max:** 29 **Verdict:** Improvement happens in pockets and depends on individuals. Data and methods are not yet trusted. **Recommendations:** - Start with the measurement system: gage R&R on three critical characteristics - Pick one or two projects from cost of poor quality data and run them with the DMAIC checklist - Name a sponsor and agree a monthly review #### Emerging **Min:** 30 **Max:** 59 **Verdict:** Some tools and trained people exist, but selection, sustainment or data access hold results back. **Recommendations:** - Create a ranked project pipeline using defect cost and customer impact - Add control plans and reaction plans to every closed project - Fix the data path so defect and inspection data do not need manual re-keying #### Established **Min:** 60 **Max:** 84 **Verdict:** The program is run with defined roles and methods. The gap is in consistency, verification and long-term sustainment. **Recommendations:** - Audit past projects at 6 to 12 months to see whether the gains held - Standardize how finance validates savings - Use statistical tests and designed experiments more consistently at Analyze #### Embedded **Min:** 85 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Continuous improvement is part of how the plant is managed, with data, leadership and sustainment in place. **Recommendations:** - Extend the approach to suppliers and administrative processes - Use early-warning charts such as EWMA on critical characteristics - Share lessons across sites and refresh training regularly ## Content **Intro:** Six Sigma programs often stall not because the tools are wrong but because project selection, data, skills or follow-up are weak. This ten-question assessment scores your program on those dimensions and gives next steps for your band. **Sections:** #### How to use it **Body:** Answer for how the program actually works today, not how the policy says it should. Ideally a quality manager, a plant manager and a Black Belt answer separately and compare scores. Differences between their answers often show where the real gaps are. You get a score out of 100, a band and recommendations. Export the result and revisit every six months to see progress. **Bullets:** - Answer based on the last five projects, not the best one - Have two or three people answer independently - Retake it after each major change #### What the questions cover **Body:** The questions follow the typical failure points: how projects are chosen, whether measurement systems are trustworthy, whether SPC is used for decisions, how capability is reported, whether people are trained, how root causes are verified, how gains are sustained, how involved leadership is, whether finance validates benefits and how easily quality data can be pulled from the ERP or MES. Each answer is scored from zero to three. #### Reading your band **Body:** Ad hoc and Emerging programs gain most from fixing fundamentals: measurement system analysis, project selection and control plans. Established programs usually need discipline: sustainment audits and consistent financial validation. Embedded programs should look outward at suppliers and transactional processes and keep refreshing skills. A high score on tools with a low score on leadership or sustainment usually predicts that results will fade. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Teams often equate belt count with maturity, though trained people with no sponsor or data produce little. Another is to launch many projects at once without capacity. A third is to measure success by the number of projects closed rather than the verified, sustained benefit. A short list of strong projects with clear owners generally beats a long list. **Cta:** If easy access to defect, scrap and inspection data is your weakest area, Netray can help connect your ERP and MES data for improvement teams, read-only by default. **Faq:** #### Is this assessment tied to a formal Six Sigma standard? **Answer:** No. It is a practical self-assessment based on common program failure points, not a certification or a formal standard such as ISO 13053. Use it as a conversation starter, not an audit result. #### Does it apply if we use Lean rather than Six Sigma? **Answer:** Mostly yes. The questions on project selection, data, leadership, sustainment and financial verification apply to any improvement program. A few refer to statistical methods that a Lean-only program might not use. #### What score should we aim for? **Answer:** Aim to move up one band at a time. A realistic goal for most plants is Established, with a high score on sustainment and data. Embedded takes years of consistent leadership attention. #### How often should we repeat it? **Answer:** Every six months is a good rhythm, or after a significant change such as a new ERP, a new site or a leadership change. Keep each result so you can show the trend. ## Search terms six sigma maturity assessment, lean six sigma assessment, spc program assessment, continuous improvement maturity, six sigma program health check, quality program maturity model, six sigma readiness assessment, manufacturing quality maturity --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json