Engaging in a DMAIC Project, but with few inputs and therefore a changing target, does it sound like an Agile framework?

DMAIC is intended to be cyclical, at least during Improve (PDCA), but there is an adaptation of it that would be more akin to an agile framework - look up Agile DMAIC and Agile Sigma. I couldn't say which would be better for you, but several iterations of Improve might be more effective than multiple iterations of DMAIC, unless you have need of multiple iterations of DMA.

DMAIC comes from 6 sigma which is very compatible with agile. I don't know what you mean by few inputs as to whether those are process inputs, or inputs as to your project lifecycle selection. Agile is well suited in high change environments such as if your target/requirements keep changing.

Applied to industrial processes, the two are frequently combined since as Aaron points out, the process is cyclical and often it is easy to make small incremental changes to evaluate the impact without disrupting the rest of the process.

Business processes may or may not be compatible with agile. Long involved processes such as those that involve regulatory agency oversight may not be well suited to frequent requirements changes and corresponding process changes. There is simply too much time and overhead required to jump through all the hoops with all the stakeholders. Predictive approaches may be required where there is much more testing and validation prior to going live, but between formal blockpoint releases, agile processes fit well in the development to try out pieces of the larger change.

Processes where you are in complete control are better suited provided you keep the whole team in-synch with the changes. Frequent change may be disruptive, particularly if they are not communicated well. Bugs should be expected during the incremental/iterative releases

Iheb -

The DMAIC life cycle lends itself to either a sequential or an iterative approach. In the former case, if there is a finite, well defined set of improvements to be identified and addressed, it can be a "one and done" initiative whereas in the latter it provides structure for a continuous improvement lifecycle.

D & M themselves can be repeated iteratively if we feel every cycle through DMAIC gets us closer and closer to understanding the real needs.

If we think of agile approaches as combining iterative & incremental then tackling aspects of the overall process, improving our understanding of the process and our stakeholders' needs, and delivering value incrementally would indeed be agile.

Kiron

When using DMAIC you will normally find information during the Analyze stage that will cause you to "refine" your Project Charter, this is okay and very common.

The Analyze phase involves examination of the data collected in the previous phases to identify the root causes of the problems or inefficiencies in the process. This phase aims to understand the factors contributing to the issues and to validate whether the data supports the identified causes.

Because DMAIC is a continuous improvement methodology you will find that you might have to revisit prior phases as you gain more information, but understand that you might not get 100% improvement right away. The goal is to improve, get results and improve some more (might be declared a new project) etc. Continuous Improvement projects are the gifts that keep on giving. Just make sure to put a stake in the ground on what you want to achieve and by when for this particular project.

Hope this was helpful.