CPDE and Six Sigma

I was asked recently how Certified Process Design Engineer® (CPDE) and Six Sigma might work together. I was also asked to clarify the value of holding a Certified Process Design Engineer® certification. To deal with these questions we must first clarify the difference between CPDE® and Six Sigma. First CPDE® is a role and a set of methods and approaches for that role to use in defining, designing and implementing strong IT Service Management processes. Six Sigma is a quality framework based on the work of men like W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran and Philip Crosby (the Big Three of the quality movement) and developed out of Motorola’s efforts to improve quality. The two are not at odds, rather they complement each other.

A CPDE has the skills to look at an organization, understand its culture, its approach to process and quality and its need for improvement. Once this assessment is done (using tools like the ITIL Process Maturity Framework, or CMMI) the CPDE would identify which elements or aspects of all the available ITSM frameworks (including Six Sigma, Microsoft Operations Framework, CObIT, TOGAF, Zachman, and any number of others) could become part of an appropriate mix of approaches to meet the unique needs of a company’s customers and challenges. This proprietary mix of elements could then be continually improved or changed by the CPDE to meet ongoing or future challenges or needs.

A CPDE would be versed in how the various frameworks work and interact; which framework is right for a given issue or challenge; how to assess the maturity of an organization and their current efforts; how to make improvements to processes, culture and organization to better succeed in meeting challenges.

An example might suffice in this situation. Let us say we have a large organization in an electronics manufacturing industry. It has a number of clients who have large orders. Our organization is having difficulties meeting these orders because the manufacturing line computerized equipment keeps failing. This causes delays in producing the orders and the quality is not meeting the needs of the clients who begin to become dissatisfied. The business is looking to IT to help fix the situation because they support the computerized equipment.

A CPDE would be able to look at the situation and recognize that lack of good design processes, as well as incident management, problem management, project management and continual improvement are all lacking. They could then recommend to the IT department that efforts be made to use ITIL, Project Management Book of Knowledge and Six Sigma methods to help improve the situation. The CPDE could then lead the effort to define and develop these approaches and help see them get implemented and maintained over time.

So a CPDE is a type of internal consultant, expert, auditor, project leader and implementation leader who brings the right elements and parts together to create the correct solution for a given issue or challenge or need to be met. This might be through Six Sigma or ITIL or a large selection of available methodologies, frameworks and standards.

When first introduced to the role of the CPDE I thought “what a brilliant idea”. Here, finally, was a way to be taught and shown the proper way to help an organization succeed in their ITSM effort. I have long sought for a definitive approach to being a consultant to others without only being very smart about a subject. Being a Professor I know well that just having knowledge of a subject does not mean you automatically know how to teach, train or lead others in executing an action. The role of CPDE helps to fill that gap for the implementation of ITSM and the associated processes and frameworks by having the knowledge of how to implement the best combination of elements for their organization.

Four Service Characteristics

Recently I came across several articles by researchers and experts that laid out definitions and characteristics of services. ITIL provides us with a definition that can help drive the creation of value-laden services: A means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks. An area that ITIL is not so clear is in terms of service characteristics. Several researchers and experts put forth that services have four basic characteristics (IHIP): Intangibility—Services are the results of actions not things. They have no physical presence and represent a logical set of elements. One way to think of service is “work done for others.” Heterogeneity—Also known as “variability”; services are unique items because of the mechanisms used to deliver services, which is people. Because the people element adds variability, the service is variable. This holds true, especially for the value proposition—not eve...

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The ITIL 4 Best Practice Guidance defines a “Service Offering” as a description of one or more services designed to address the needs of a target customer or group. As a service provider, we can’t stop there! We must know what the contracts of our service offering are and be able to put them into context as required by the customer. Let’s explore the three elements that comprise a Service Offering. A “Service Offering” may include: Goods, Access to Resources, and Service Actions 1. Goods – When we think of “Goods” within a service offering these are the items where ownership is transferred to the consumer and the consumer takes responsibility for the future use of these goods. Example of goods that are being provided in the offering – If this is a hotel service then toiletries or chocolates are yours to take with you. You the consumer own these and they are yours to take with you. ...

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This article was originally published in 2015. With the Introduction of ITIL 4, some of this best practice has changed. See ITIL 4 and the Evolving Role of Roles . Updated Definitions in ITIL 4: Process Owner: In ITIL 4, the concept of 'processes' has expanded into broader 'practices.' Consequently, the Process Owner is now often referred to as the 'Practice Owner.' This individual is accountable for the overall design, performance, integration, and improvement of a specific practice within the organization. They ensure that the practice achieves its intended outcomes and aligns with the organization's objectives. Process Manager: Now commonly known as the 'Practice Manager' in ITIL 4, this role is responsible for the day-to-day management of the practice. The Practice Manager ensures that activities are carried out as intended, manages resources assigned to the practice, and oversees the practitioners performing the work. Process Practit...

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