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What Is Six Sigma? Donald P What is Six Sigma? Donald P. Lynch, Ph.D. I: INTRODUCTION Six Sigma has become part of our everyday (defects per million opportunities). The standard vocabulary as its popularity has grown in today’s unit of measure can be used to compare processes, business environment. For those who work in business units and, furthermore, organizations. an organization that has embraced Six Sigma, Six Sigma, the methodology, comprises a the term is clear and the methodology is well systematic approach, a set of statistical tools understood. However, others are still trying to and a vehicle for customer focus, breakthrough figure out exactly what Six Sigma is, and how improvement and people involvement. This it may be able to help them reach their goals. viewpoint is really the “how” for the “why” – vision and “what” – metric. Six Sigma as a isd.engin.umich.edu/six-sigma A: What is Six Sigma? methodology is the step-by-step approach to reduce variation, in everything we do, to One of the reasons it has been so difficult for improve customer satisfaction. This approach ABSTRACT those not working in an organization that has follows a methodology sometimes referred embraced Six Sigma to really understand it to as the Breakthrough Strategy, and utilizes is because Six Sigma means multiple things. a set of tools to accomplish the results in a Six Sigma has burst onto The term Six Sigma is used interchangeably to project environment with dedicated personnel. the business world scene These three categories of Six Sigma can be reflect a vision, philosophy, commitment, goal, and has commanded level of performance, statistical measurement, summarized into a couple of phrases. Six Sigma metric, benchmark, methodology, systematic is a business process that allows companies the attention of industry approach, set of statistical tools, and a vehicle to drastically improve their bottom line, by leaders and Wall Street designing and monitoring everyday business for customer focus, breakthrough improvement analysts alike, by posting and people involvement. These different activities in ways that minimize waste and definitions can be summarized in three main resources, while making fewer mistakes in impressive success stories categories; Six Sigma the philosophy, Six Sigma everything they do, eliminating lapses in quality regarding improving the metric and Six Sigma the methodology. at the earliest possible occurrence. It provides the bottom line of Six Sigma the philosophy, comprises specific methods to re-create the process, so the ideas of Six Sigma as a vision, philosophy that defects and errors never arise in the first many different types of and commitment. Used in this fashion, Six place. Six Sigma represents extraordinary organizations. While Sigma is a direction for everyone to follow and sense - not ordinary or common sense. [1] Six Sigma has become a reflects a way of doing business. A customer is Six Sigma distinguishes itself as a defined as anyone (internal or external to the business improvement methodology from common methodology, organization) who receives a product, service prior quality improvement methodologies, in engrained into many or information. An opportunity is defined that it supports the improvement in quality organizations that have and customer satisfaction only as a means as, every occasion to do something “right” or embraced it, several “wrong.” Six Sigma represents the commitment to an end – to improve the bottom line of to our customers that ensures the results of the organization. It accomplishes this by others still grapple with each opportunity meet customer expectations. defining the goals of the business, and defining what Six Sigma actually performance metrics that tie to the business Six Sigma the metric, comprises the ideas is. This paper will focus on of Six Sigma as a goal, level of performance, goals. Six Sigma then uses performance statistical measurement, metric or benchmark. metrics-based projects that will yield clear providing an introduction This view is most popular from a quantitative business results by applying advanced quality and overview of Six Sigma point, because it provides a standard unit of and statistical tools to achieve breakthrough to answer the question, measure for calculating variation in our products financial performance. These results are and services. The metric is often even extended attained using dedicated, focused, qualified what is Six Sigma? to represent a very specific goal of 3.4 DPMO personnel working in a project environment. WHAT IS SIX SIGMA? 1 “One of the II: DISCUSSION such as Texas Instruments, Bombardier, reasons it has been Nokia, Ford, Visteon, Kodak, Toshiba, Dupont, A: A History and Business Case Dow Chemical, Johnson Controls, Lear, etc. so difficult for those Historically, the bulk of companies involved in not working in an In 1979, Six Sigma was initiated at Motorola Six Sigma have been manufacturing oriented. in response to declining performance, due to However, most recently there has been a surge organization that quality issues. Motorola changed the current of organizations from the service / transactional has embraced Six paradigm regarding quality and profitability. sectors. Financial companies such as American Express, Citicorp, Merrill Lynch and Bank of Sigma to really Motorola proved that the highest quality producer could also be the lowest cost producer America now have formal Six Sigma efforts. understand it is by developing a system centering on eliminating Additional transactional-based companies (e.g. because Six Sigma defects rather than detecting them. By 1993, Hyatt, Starwood Vacation Properties, Home most of Motorola’s facilities were operating at Depot, Sears) are currently active in Six Sigma. means multiple levels near Six Sigma. During the same period, Continued steady growth in manufacturing things. The term Motorola’s sales productivity had increased from organizations is anticipated. An even more $68.9K to $110.1K per employee, and USA savings rapid expansion into transactional applications Six Sigma is used from operations improvements increased to is believed to stem from the fact that historically interchangeably more than $2.2 billion. [1] there has been little emphasis on measuring to reflect a vision, Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch is these types of processes, leaving an even greater probably the most famous backer of Six Sigma. potential for savings. philosophy, Lawrence Bossidy of AlliedSignal originally commitment, goal, introduced GE to Six Sigma. In 1995, Jack Welch B: The Six Sigma Methodology mandated that each GE operation work towards level of performance, achieving Six Sigma. He described Six Sigma As previously stated, the sigma level corresponds statistical as “…the most important initiative GE has ever to the level of performance within a process, and measurement, undertaken.” GE’s margin increased from 10% in Six Sigma as a metric corresponds to 3.4 DPMO the decades prior to 1995, to 13.6% in 1995 and or a yield of 99.99966%. With regards to process metric, benchmark, 16.7% in 1998. In 1997, Six Sigma delivered $300 performance in Six Sigma, this is considered methodology, million to GE’s operating income. [1] almost perfect. Listed below in the Table is Based on the financial performance of a summary of various sigma levels with their systematic Motorola, General Electric and many other corresponding DPMO and yield. approach, set of subsequent organizations, a typical payback A basic premise of Six Sigma is that a yield statistical tools; model has been developed for each dedicated of 99% or 3.8 Sigma is no longer an acceptable Six Sigma project leader (termed Black Belt). level of process performance. When the cost and a vehicle Each Six Sigma Black Belt is presumed to be of operating a manufacturing or transactional for customer capable of delivering $250,000 hard dollar cost process at 3.8 Sigma is calculated, the numbers savings per project, and execute 4 projects per are often astronomical. The idea behind Six focus, breakthrough year, contributing $1 million each year to the Sigma is a constant never ending journey toward improvement and bottom line. perfection in our processes, by application of the Since its inception, numerous companies have Six Sigma methodology. people involvement.” joined the Six Sigma ranks including companies Historically, most companies operate between 2 and 4 Sigma level. At this level, they are applying the basic quality tools and may even have formal quality systems, but fail to TABLE I. SIGMA LEVEL TABLE see the breakthrough improvement they desire. Companies are typically stuck at this level due to a number of issues, including: arrogance bred from past success, dependence on inspection and rework, reliance on trial and error methods of problem solving, emphasis on fire fighting, minimal focus on quality measurements, and because of functional silos that inhibit collaboration. In order to breakthrough this performance level and achieve the type of performance they desire, these companies, trapped between 2 and 4 Sigma, need to change their culture to one that values a high level of process knowledge. They need to be open to challenging the status quo, and have conviction in the opportunity 2 WHAT IS SIX SIGMA? to improve with belief in the Six Sigma methodology. It is necessary to have TABLE II. SEVEN LEVELS OF DATA ANALYSIS driven personnel and to dedicate them to the business of process improvement, providing them with the new skills, tools and information to make a difference. Lastly, they need to reinforce new behaviors for managers that support and reward the new culture. This transformation is one of moving from dealing with processes as an art form, in a firefighting mode, with chaos and waste, to one that is science / knowledge based, in a preventive / problem solving mode, with good decision making based on facts and data. This transformation is often called the operational excellence leap. After organizations make the operational excellence leap, they will hit another wall at 5 Sigma.
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