Three paths to Operational Excellence

• Customer voice — collecting and weighting requirements
• Kano model (basic, performance, delight factors)
• Building the House of Quality (HoQ) step by step
• Requirements ↔ product characteristics: correlation matrix
• Competitive comparison and benchmarking in the HoQ
• Technical correlations (the "roof")
• Prioritising technical characteristics
• Practical case study throughout the day
• Transition to downstream HoQs (design, production, suppliers)
• QFD templates in Excel for reuse

Day 1 — DFMEA

• FMEA in the context of preventive quality methods
• Preparatory methods: boundary diagram, process parameter model
• DFMEA structure: function, malfunction, cause, effect
• AIAG-VDA 7-step approach in detail
• Evaluation: severity, occurrence, detection
• Action priorities (AP) instead of the classical RPN
• Practical DFMEA case study over several hours

Day 2 — PFMEA and linkage

• PFMEA structure: process steps and process characteristics
• Linkage DFMEA → PFMEA → control plan
• Special characteristics
• Moderating an FMEA session in practice
• Practical PFMEA case study with transition to the control plan
• FMEA software overview and live best practice

• Process vs. project vs. function — clean conceptual boundaries
• Process map and process landscape
• SIPOC diagram as an entry point to any process analysis
• Modelling notations overview: VAD, eEPC, BPMN 2.0
• Modelling software overview (e.g. Aris, Signavio, Bizagi)
• Interface analysis between processes and functions
• Deriving process KPIs
• RACI matrix for clear responsibilities
• Process audits — preparation and execution
• Continuous process improvement as a routine practice
• Practical case study on building a process map

• The 8D method — position within complaint management
• D1 — Form the team and clarify roles
• D2 — Describe the problem (5W + 2H, is / is-not)
• D3 — Containment actions to limit damage
• D4 — Root cause analysis (5-Why, Ishikawa)
• D5 — Develop effective corrective actions
• D6 — Implementation and effectiveness review
• D7 — Prevention of recurrence (lessons learned)
• D8 — Team recognition
• Customer-facing communication and reporting
• 8D report templates ready for direct use

• Symptom, cause, root cause — clean distinctions
• 5-Why method in practice (and its limits)
• Ishikawa diagram (fishbone analysis)
• Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) as a formal method
• 5W2H — structured problem capture (What, Where, When, Who, Why, How, How much)
• Rational decision-making with multiple hypotheses
• Testing hypotheses — from gut feeling to data
• Case studies from semiconductors, sensor technology and mechanical engineering
• Tool selection: when to use which method?

• AQP — Advanced Quality Planning: phases and logic
• VDA Volume 2 / Maturity Level Assurance
• APQP as per AIAG — the five phases
• Quality gates and milestones in the product development process
• Interfaces with DFMEA, PFMEA, MSA, SPC
• PPAP — Production Part Approval Process
• PPAP levels 1 to 5 — when to use which
• The 18 PPAP documents at a glance
• Creating the initial sample inspection report (EMPB)
• Supplier evaluation and approval routines
• Practice templates for PPAP documentation

• AEC in the broader context of automotive qualification
• AEC-Q100 for integrated circuits (ICs)
• AEC-Q200 for passive components
• Stress test classifications — Grade 0 to 3 (temperature range)
• ESD, HTRB, AC and DC tests
• Mechanical tests and environmental stress tests
• Introduction to lifetime modelling (Arrhenius, Eyring)
• Failure-in-Time (FIT) and bathtub curve
• Structuring the qualification plan
• Documentation and reporting requirements
• Interfaces with IATF 16949 and PPAP

• Data types and measurement scales (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)
• Sampling strategy for meaningful data
• Descriptive statistics — measures of location and dispersion
• Histograms, box plots and distribution charts
• Normality test (Anderson-Darling, Q-Q plot)
• Process capability: Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk — definition and distinction
• Machine capability: Cm, Cmk
• Statistical process control (SPC) with control charts
• Evaluation with Western Electric rules
• Practical case study with numiqo (free trial access for 3 months) — alternatively Minitab

• Data exploration with scatter plots and box-plot comparisons
• Correlation analysis (Pearson, Spearman)
• Linear regression — simple and multiple
• Diagnosis of regression models (residuals, multicollinearity)
• Hypothesis tests — t-test, ANOVA, chi-squared
• Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis)
• Confidence intervals and their interpretation
• Reliability considerations with the Weibull distribution
• Lifetime analysis and censoring
• Practical case study with numiqo (free trial access for 3 months) — alternatively Minitab

• MSA in standards and norms
• Definitions and parameters of MSA
• Repeatability and reproducibility
• Formal verification methods — cg, cgk, %R&R, %Tol
• Type 1 study in practice
• Type 2 study in practice
• Special cases of MSA (one-sided characteristic)
• Attribute Gauge R&R in practice

Day 1 — Fractional and full factorial designs

• Classical experimentation vs. statistical design of experiments
• The DOE parameter model
• Full factorial designs (2^k)
• Fractional factorial designs (2^k–p)
• Comprehensive practical case study
• Goal: identify significant influencing factors

Day 2 — Response surface and alternative designs

• Central composite designs
• Effort minimisation (steepest ascent, EVOP)
• Optimisation of multiple response variables
• Response optimiser in Minitab
• Comprehensive practical case study (continuation of day 1)
• Goal: identify the ideal operating point