The Affinity Diagram is a powerful tool to use during projects with team members.  It is an analytical tool that teams can use to organize ideas into subgroups with a common theme or relationship. The affinity diagram can help you see correlation in large amounts of data/information.  

  The RPN or Risk Priority Number is a quantitative assessment of risk that is assigned to a process or product function as part of a failure modes & effects analysis.  Individuals or teams assign the RPN based on an established criteria measuring the severity of impact, frequency of occurrence and the likelihood of detection.

  The Traditional Yield is taken at the final step of a process to measure the effectiveness of the overall process.  Specifically, it shows you the percentage of products  or information that are acceptable at the end of a process.  This can be calculated by dividing the final output quantity by the initial input amount and converting that calculation into a decimal or a percentage.  This type of measurement does not take into account scrap, rework or any other inefficiencies in a process it only looks at what goes in and what comes out.  With this in mind yield may be a good initial measurement to start with but keep in mind that it does not reveal the hidden factory.

  DMADV is the methodology used when designing new processes that did not exist prior to their design.  

  ​A function check or functional test will help you measure the ability of your equipment to perform and work as it is intended to or should.

  A changeover is the work required to change a specific machine, resource, work center or line from making the last good piece of an item to making the first good piece of another item.  That means that if the first good piece after the changeover is not good the changeover is not complete.  

  Work in progress or process refers to one form of inventory.  WIP as it is often referred to as, is the work that is in process or production at a stage that falls between raw material and finished product. 

This is the core equation used in six sigma.  

  The DMAIC Method is a problem solving methodology used within a six sigma strategy.  The methodology focuses on improving business processes, specifically through the improvement of quality and reducing variation.  It is an Integral part of six sigma.

  The term yokoten refers to the sharing, learning and teaching of best practices laterally throughout an organization.  Yokoten is often referred to as "horizontal deployment" because practice of this principle requires various levels of an organization to share, innovate spread knowledge and or improve on kaizen in a cross functional manner.  A very important aspect of this critical principle is that individuals have an opportunity to exercise Genchi Genbutsu and gain consensus on improvements.  At times yokoten can include benchmarking, comparing and even borrowing from other improvements, but, in the truest sense yokoten should allow people to develop and grow as a result of sharing, learning and teaching.