Six Sigma
Introduction
In the dynamic arena that is modern business, organizations are constantly on the alert to gain a competitive edge. It is those organizations that continually deliver better quality products and services than rivals that beat competition and thrive in their industry. The Six Sigma method has proven to help companies achieve this, while cutting costs and boosting performance. The best news is - this system is relevant for all business areas.
In its simplest form, Six Sigma can be defined as a measure of quality that strives for near-perfection, represented by 3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO), or 99.9997 percent perfect. At its most complex - Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximising business success by close understanding of customer needs, disciplined use of data, facts, and statistics, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes.
The overall goal of Six Sigma implementation is to increase profitability by eliminating variances, defects and waste that undermine customer loyalty. The approach is best viewed as a "get rich slow" plan, as it takes time for company culture to adapt and grow in sync.
Six Sigma Process
Six Sigma is essentially the process of comparing actual process outputs against customer requirements. To get processes operating at less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities means that the company must continuously strive to meet targets of near perfection, with the customer setting the bar. In fact, as part of Six Sigma methodology, a defect is any instance or event in which the product or process fails to meet a customer requirement.
Before further investigating the Six Sigma process, it is useful for us to understand the structure of such an organization, and meet the people that make things happen. Six Sigma improvement initiatives can only be...
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