The Opportunity Hierarchy

The Opportunity Hierarchy is a framework for us to apply to every situation and allows us to determine the opportunities for nonconformance on every level of our process and to focus on those which are critical. Remember, an active opportunity is any CTQ, CTD, and CTC that is measured with a scale against a standard. Throughout the hierarchy, from the complex down to the element level, there will be many opportunities for defect. Let’s look at one Black Belt’s story in a transactional process. 

The Champion has asked the Black Belt to improve the process of completing the documentation required to meet the aircraft regulatory requirements. There are many errors in the documents used throughout this process that are designed to meet the intent of this policy. This policy requires clearly recorded information as to who did what, when, and how throughout the manufacturing process. 

A total of eleven documents are used to comply with the policy. Each one of these documents contains opportunities for defect. With the Master Black Belt, the Champion decided to focus his efforts on one document. In order to determine which opportunities exist on this form, the Black Belt breaks the form down to another level; multiple sections. He finds that within each of these sections, there is specific information that must be filled out on each line. He realizes that in order to get a true estimate of the opportunities for defect in this document, he must break the form down to another level, the line level. 

Now that the document is broken down to the lowest level, the Black Belt will start counting the number of opportunities for defect. Eventually, he will be able to determine the capability of the process to produce this document, as well as the entire policy. >>