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Six Sigma And Quality

Why do you need a set of organizational processes before you consider six sigma?

Any improvement initiative must begin with a stable functioning process. Established processes typically have clear inputs, outputs, criteria for hand off, an owner and stakeholders. Six Sigma methodologies require that all of these basic elements exist for the gains of these practices to be successful.

Six Sigma takes the concepts of process and quality management through to the next levels: process improvement and continual improvement. Most quality systems have these ideals built in, Six Sigma provides a framework for evaluating opportunities for improvement and steps to see that through to a measurable result.

The DMAIC process is the underlayment of this framework.. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control are the steps that need to be taken as part of the SIX SIGMA framework. In the define step, leadership needs to define the objectives of the project. In order for this definition to be clear and able to be accomplished, the project should center on a clearly defined process with a proicess owner and stakeholders. Without an owner, no one would be accountable to the functioning of the process, without the stakeholders the benefits can not be measured nor the impacts assessed. The second step is the measurement step. In order to accomplish the goals of the six sigma program, the process outputs must be measurable. Six Sigma provides tools for establishing the baselines for the comparison against the end result of the improvement project. If the process being improved was not clearly defined and had clear outputs the six sigma concepts will not be useful. A process must be in control for one to measure the comparative outputs and determine improvement. Analysis is the phase in which the team directs the issues, symptoms, problems of the process and trys to establish root cause. I is for Improve. This is quite clearly the objective of the entire...