DMADV
Definition
DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) is a Six Sigma methodology for designing new products, services, or processes to meet customer requirements at Six Sigma quality levels — used when no existing process can be improved to meet the goal.
DMADV is sometimes called DFSS — Design for Six Sigma. It's the twin of DMAIC: use DMAIC to improve something that exists, use DMADV to design something new from the ground up, or when a process improvement effort reveals the existing process is too fundamentally flawed to fix.
The five DMADV phases:
Define: Identify the project goals, customer requirements, and business case. Same as DMAIC Define.
Measure: Quantify customer needs and specifications in measurable terms. What does 'good' look like in numbers? Translate customer voice (VOC) into CTQs (Critical to Quality characteristics).
Analyze: Evaluate multiple design alternatives. Use benchmarking, simulation, and feasibility analysis. Select the design approach that best meets CTQs and constraints.
Design: Develop the detailed design. Build and test prototypes. Optimize the design to hit the CTQ targets.
Verify: Validate the final design under real or simulated conditions. Confirm performance meets CTQs. Pilot, then hand off to the process owner.
DMADV projects appear in manufacturing (designing a new production line), software (designing a new platform from scratch), healthcare (designing a new patient care pathway), and service design (designing a new customer onboarding experience). The Analyze and Design phases generate heavy whiteboard activity — design alternatives get sketched and compared, prototype concepts get drawn, CTQ tradeoffs get mapped.
Examples
- New software product: Define requirements → Measure what users need in quantifiable terms → Analyze three architecture approaches → Design the chosen architecture → Verify with beta users
- New hospital intake process: Define CTQs (wait time, accuracy, patient satisfaction) → Measure current benchmarks → Analyze intake flow designs → Design new digital intake → Verify in pilot ward
- New financial product: Define regulatory and customer requirements → Measure risk tolerance and market size → Analyze product structures → Design pricing and terms → Verify with focus groups
- New manufacturing line: Define output targets → Measure material properties → Analyze equipment options → Design the production cell → Verify with pilot run
Related terms
Snap a dmadv. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.