Six Features of Six Sigma

chillibreeze writer — Pradipta Saha

Six Sigma, put very simply, is an approach aimed to improve the performance of and eliminate defects in processes and was originally developed by Motorola, U.S.A. in 1981. Technically, sigma is a measure of the capability of a process with processes of higher capabilities having higher sigma values.

The term ‘Six Sigma’ originated from terminology associated with the statistical modeling of manufacturing processes. The capability of a manufacturing process can be described by a sigma rating indicating its yield, or the percentage of defect-free products it creates. A six-sigma process is one in which 99.99999% of the products manufactured are statistically expected to be free of defects. At a level of six sigma, any process works right the first time in 999,997 cases per million times.

Six Sigma has gained prominence after having credited with saving Motorola. Six Sigma is a registered service mark and trademark of Motorola Inc. Jack Welch of GE once declared that Six Sigma is “…the way the company now works.” Most interestingly, the Dabbawallahs of Mumbai, India have attained the Six Sigma status and this has been a matter of great discussion and research.

The six most important characteristics of Six Sigma are:

1. It has a structured approach towards problem solving and the most commonly used version of this structured problem solving methodology is known as DMAIC (Define - Measure - Analyze - Improve – Control), an acronym for the phases of Six Sigma improvement. In this methodology, a team defines a problem and works to find a solution linked to its underlying causes, establishing practices to ensure that the solution is permanent.
2. It has a very strong customer focus and targets are set keeping in mind the requirements of the customers.
3. The Six Sigma approach is absolutely facts and data driven and accurate data is always needed in a suitable and systematic format to arrive at the right decisions. Great importance is attached to the fact of making decisions on the basis of verifiable data rather than on assumptions and speculations.
4. The approach is also financially driven with the selection of projects being based solely on the concrete financial outcomes that they are expected to generate and there is emphasis on the achievement of specific and quantifiable targets.
5. Six Sigma is team based and the structured nature of this approach requires extreme discipline within the organization which includes time management and pro-active leadership but the real challenge lies in the ability to plan and execute projects which deliver specified financial benefits.
6. Six Sigma is all about continuous improvementand like all previous quality improvement initiatives, its ultimate aim is to refine the processes within the organization leading to the improvement of the quality of the produced output.

The Six Sigma approach is indeed one of the most innovative and complete methods of quality improvement and is a coveted status for any company.

 

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in October, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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Related links

Six Sigma Implementation in Indian Organizations: Analysis of Challenges and Solutions
Management Gurus
The Top Five Pioneering Companies of the Indian Outsourcing Industry

 

 

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—About our writer: Pradipta Saha, is an MBA from ICFAI Business School. Writing is his passion and he likes to write on a variety of topics.

 

 

 

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