Abstract
Purpose: This paper provides an idea on the future prospect for change in steps of the six sigma DMAIC project under the environment of the 4th industrial revolution. Methods: First, the purpose and activities required in each step of DMAIC are reviewed. Next, activities are reviewed together with tools and techniques, considering the purpose and the environmental changes of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Finally, the best approaches for achieving the purpose are prospected to get an idea on future change. Results: The purpose of each phase of DMAIC is expected to remain unchanged. But activities, techniques, or methods will be replaced with more effective and efficient ones. Also, many activities may possibly be executed by a system instead of people like BB, GB or team members. Moreover, DMAIC may not be a project any more but a routine job of the system in the future. Conclusion: Under the environment of the 4th industrial revolution, many activities including analyzing various types of data and extracting valuable information, will be executed by a system with proper algorithms instead of people. And six sigma improvement projects may be intrinsic parts of the system and may not exist as separate projects any more.