What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a business methodology for quality improvement that measures how many defects there are in a current process and seeks to systematically eliminate them. Show
In 1984, a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith developed the Six Sigma management system to reduce the variations in Motorola's electronic manufacturing processes that were causing product defects. Since then, the strategies, tools and cultural norms that support the management system have been adopted by upper management and project teams in a wide variety of industries to increase operational excellence. Additionally, the meaning of the word "defect" has broadened to include any deficiency in business processes that prevents a company from meeting its customer's needs. How does Six Sigma work?In statistical analysis, the Greek letter sigma is used to denote a standard deviation from the mean. In the 1920s, statistical process control pioneer Walter Shewhart proposed that in lean manufacturing, three sigma from the mean is the tipping point that indicates there are too many defects and process improvement is required. This was the accepted norm for many years until Bill Smith proposed gathering and analyzing data at a more granular level and making six sigma the point at which a process has to be corrected. Because it is almost impossible to achieve zero defects -- a concept known as infinity sigma -- six sigma allows for 3.4 defects per million opportunities for a defect to occur. In contrast, three sigma allows for 66,807 defects per million opportunities. Once the necessary data has been gathered, a company that is implementing Six Sigma methodologies uses statistics to create a baseline sigma. The baseline illustrates how close -- or how far -- the company is from achieving six sigma and serves as a measuring stick for assessing future improvement. What is the importance of Six Sigma?Six Sigma proponents claim its business strategy benefits include up to 50% process cost reduction, cycle-time improvement, less waste of materials, a better understanding of customer requirements, increased customer satisfaction and value stream, and more reliable products and services. Motorola holds the federal trademark for Six Sigma, and it is generally acknowledged that Six Sigma can be costly to implement and can take several years before a company begins to see bottom-line results. In 1995, General Electric CEO Jack Welch's very public endorsement of Six Sigma helped businesses outside of manufacturing understand how Six Sigma methodologies can be used to improve customer satisfaction in any industry. What are the key principles of Six Sigma?The key sigma principles are the following:
Six Sigma methodologiesThe above principles can be applied with one of two improvement methodologies: Six Sigma DMAIC and Six Sigma DMADV. Each term's name is derived from the major steps in its process, but each has its own use.
DMAICHere is a step-by-step breakdown of Six Sigma DMAIC:
DMADVHere is a step-by-step breakdown of Six Sigma DMADV. The first three steps of this methodology are identical to DMAIC. Because the two acronyms are so similar, some companies use the acronym DFSS (design for Six Sigma) in place of DMADV.
When contemplating Six Sigma DMAIC versus DMADV, it is important to understand the circumstances in which each should be used. The DMAIC methodology should be used when an existing product or service is not meeting customer needs or performing to its highest standards. The DMADV methodology should be used when an organization is developing a new product or service, or when using DMAIC for a current project or process fails. How to implement Six SigmaTo implement Six Sigma within an organization, the first step is to properly make the case for statistical tools like Six Sigma, and its potential benefits to get stakeholder buy-in. Additionally, it's important to set the expectation that being entirely defect-free is not realistic. However, there are some best practices that can help to ensure the making of as much improvement as possible. Once management understands the potential behind Six Sigma, the following eight steps can help to implement a sigma project and ensure a clean rollout.
Please note that these steps may vary depending on whether you are utilizing Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma.
What is the difference between Six Sigma vs. Lean Six Sigma?The purposes of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma are different. The Six Sigma method is focused on limiting fluctuation within business processes and quality management of process output by implementing problem-solving statistical methods. Conversely, the primary focus of Lean Six Sigma is to eliminate waste and improve existing processes. Six Sigma certification and resourcesAll Six Sigma processes are executed by the following:
Sigma programs are overseen by a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, per the terms created by Motorola. Hierarchy for Six Sigma implementation, as dictated by Motorola.The International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC) is one organization that provides a certification program. At IASSC, yellow, green and black belt exams are designed to measure a person's knowledge of topics contained within IASSC's Universally Accepted Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge. Another sigma training organization offering belts from white to black is 6Sigma.us. During which phase of DMAIC are changes made to impact the root causes of the problem?The analyze phase of DMAIC answers the question: "What's causing the problem?" This is where your team gets to the true caus(es) of the issues by doing a root cause analysis. The idea behind the analyze phase is not to implement solutions but to resolve problems.
In which phase of DMAIC potential causes are identified and data collection is initiated?In the Analyze phase, you work with the data that you collected in the Measure phase. You'll: Identify defect causes. Analyze these to pinpoint the root cause.
In which phase of the Six Sigma The sources of variation are identified?The MEASURE phase involves more numerical studies and data analysis than the DEFINE phase. This phase focuses on measurement system validation and gathering root causes. The Voice of the Process (VOP) has variation from both the measurement system and the process and all its families (sources) of variation.
In which phase of the DMAIC roadmap are the customers requirements identified?DMAIC Define Phase
Properly defining the problem is the most important part of solving the problem. Key objectives of Define phase are: Gain the importance of identifying the Customer and key requirements.
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