Position Paper Instructions
Familiarity with key quality improvement organizations is essential to a well-rounded healthcare professional. For this assignment, you are required to access the NQF website and then critically analyze the DMAIC process central to Six Sigma. As a quality improvement specialist, the organization is looking for your expert opinion on a debate among members of a quality improvement team who have formed three distinct positions:
1. DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Improve Control) approach to improvement outlined in the Six Sigma methodology.
2. Some team members believe that by using measures reviewed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), the team does not have to concern itself with the Define and Measure phases of the Six Sigma methodology, since these steps are essentially embedded in the NQF's review process.
3. Others disagree, arguing that the NQF simply provides an avenue for clinicians to share clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and is not a substitute for the Define and Measure steps.
Access the NQF website (http://www.qualityforum.org/Home.aspx) and review the "Setting Priorities" and "Measuring Performance" tabs found at the bottom of the homepage. Detail your opinion regarding the need to include the Define and Measure phase of the DMAIC process or not.