GEC Scenario #75: DOE Dilemma

As part of a Six Sigma team, you recently conducted a DOE (Design of Experiment) that validated a cost reduction opportunity for a fabricated assembly and its supporting tooling at one of your company’s plants in Germany. The manufacturing and maintenance of this tooling is the responsibility of your German counterpart, Gretta Meiher. When you contact her to share the news of a significant cost saving opportunity on the horizon for the tools, she interrupts you professionally but abruptly, asking “why would you consider making a change to a tool that has a history of operating without fail?”  When you begin to explain how the redesigned tooling inserts will generate fewer machine cycles, Gretta says in a stern tone: “es kann nicht getan werden - it cannot be done.” What would you do? 

1. Defer to Gretta and abandon the proposed tooling change.
2. Meet with Gretta in person to share the DOE data and results, as well as examples of previous successes. 
3. Bring the proposed tooling change to Gretta’s manager. 
4. Propose working with Gretta to perform another round of validation for the proposed tooling change. 
5. Ask your manager to apply further pressure on Gretta.
6. E-mail Gretta the DOE documentation and ask her to report back to you after reviewing the data and findings.
7. Try to generate support for the tooling change among other members of Gretta’s team.