Six Sigma

Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near
perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating
defects (driving toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification
limit) in any process from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service.
It was developed by Motorola in 1986, coinciding with the Japanese asset price bubble which is
reflected in its terminology

Jack Welch made it central to his business strategy at General
Electric in 1995.Today, it is used in many industrial sectors
The statistical representation of Six Sigma describes quantitatively how a process is performing.
To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million
opportunities. A Six Sigma defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications. A
Six Sigma opportunity is then the total quantity of chances for a defect. Process sigma can easily
be calculated using a Six Sigma calculator.
Three Key Characteristics of SIX SIGMA:
Leadership Commitment:
Achieving Six Sigma is not easy it requires serious commitment in the form of time, effort, and
resources. For a company to be successful, such commitment must come first from the top
executive leadership of the organization and must be practiced by everyone.
Managing Decisions with Data:

It is not enough to run a business based on ones experience or "tribal knowledge." Decisions
must be based on data versus the typical "I think", "I feel", or "In my opinion" practices that
often exist today. With the maturation of the information economy, data is available to virtually
everyone in the organization, along with the tools for analyzing that data. Properly using data to
Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control performance forms the foundation of the Six Sigma
methodology.

Training and Cultural Change:

Improved performance does not and will not happen automatically. High-calibre training is
required. Disciplined implementation must follow, and people at all levels have to change the
way they go about doing their jobs. In short, new ways of thinking, communicating, and
operating must pervade the entire organization. You also need a methodology. DMAIC and
DFSS provide a structured problem solving roadmap and tools towards obtaining the results you
expect.



Six Sigma Methodologies
Six Sigma is a process oriented methodology designed to improve business performance by
improving specific areas of strategic business processes. There are 2 different methodologies
processes. There are 2 different methodologies available for carrying out improvements in
available for carrying out improvements in processes or operations.
Improvements can be of two types:
Improving the existing process or designing a new process altogether. When we have an existing
process and we want to improve the process we deploy and we want to improve the process we
deploy the DMAIC methodology. While designing a new process or completely revamping the
existing process or completely revamping the existing process the Design for Six Sigma or
IDOV process the Design for Six Sigma or IDOV methodology is deployed.

DMAIC Methodology
Define
Define the problem
Define the customer(s) and the requirements
Define the current capability
Define the key processes that will have the greatest impact on customer.
Measure
Identify the statistical measures to monitor the key process
Set up the data collection plan
Measure the process
Analyze
Determine the analysis tools and methods to be used.
Summarize the data measured.
Run the analysis and determine the root causes, effects, etc.
Improve
Improve and Implement.
Focus on developing process/technology to improve the root cause.
Test the method on sample process and validate the improvement.
Control
Standardize and document the process and implement the plan.
Monitor the process and feedback the results back to the process for continuous
improvement.




DFSS (IDOV) Methodology
Identify
Develop a team.
Create team charter.
Gather VOC.
Perform competitive analysis
Develop CTQs and formally tie design to VOC.
Design
Identify functional requirements.
Develop alternative concepts.
Evaluate alternatives and select a best-fit concept.
Deploy CTQs and predict sigma capability.
Optimize
Determine process capability.
Develop detailed design elements.
Predict performance. Optimize design.
Verify
Test and validate the design.
Share feedback with manufacturing and sourcing to improve future manufacturing and
designs.

Advantages of Six Sigma:

The main advantage of Six Sigma compared to other approaches to quality control is that Six
Sigma is customer driven. Six Sigma is defined as a limit of 3.4 defects per one million products
or service processes, where anything not acceptable to the end customer is considered a defect.
Six Sigma addresses the entire process behind the production of an item or completion of a
service, rather than just the final outcome. It is proactive rather than reactive, as it sets out to
determine how improvements can be made even before defects or shortcomings are found.
Role of six sigma
Six Sigma defines a clear road map to achieve Total Quality:
1. Leadership Commitment: Top management not only initiates Six Sigma deployment, it
also plays an active role in the whole deployment cycle. Six Sigma starts by providing
senior leadership with training in the principles and tools it needs to direct the
development of a management infrastructure to support Six Sigma. This involves
reducing the levels of organizational hierarchy and removing procedural barriers to
experimentation and change.
2. Customer Focus: Systems are developed for establishing close communications with
external customers (direct customers, end-users, suppliers, regulatory bodies, etc), and
with internal customers (employees). From upstream suppliers to ultimate end-users, Six
Sigma eliminates the opportunities for defects.
3. Strategic Deployment: Six Sigma targets a small number of high-financial leveraged
items. It focuses the companys resources: right support, right people, right project, and
right tools, on identifying and improving performance metrics that relate to bottom-line
success.
4. Integrated Infrastructure: The Leadership Team defines and reviews project progress.
The Champion acts as a political leader and removes the barriers for the project team.
The Master Black Belt acts as a technical coach and provides in-depth knowledge of
quality tools. The Black Belt controls the project while the Green Belt supports the Black
Belt - together they form the Six Sigma Project Teams. In addition, the incentive and
recognition systems motivate the project teams to achieve the business goals.
5. Disciplined Framework: Six Sigma projects are Implemented using the Measure,
Analyze, Improve and Control disciplined road map. This MAIC discipline sets up a
clear protocol to facilitate internal communication. In addition, from a business
perspective, Six Sigma is also a framework for continuous business improvement
6. Education and Training: Six Sigma believes that true commitment is driven by true
understanding. As a fact-based methodology, it intensively utilizes quality and statistical
tools to transform a practical problem to a practical solution. Thus, a top-to-bottom
training is conducted in Six Sigma philosophy and system improvement techniques for all
levels.
Importance of Six Sigma Quality and Scenarios
Small businesses eager to enhance the quality of their business processes, products and/or
services should consider adopting a strategy known as Six Sigma. Six Sigma aims to identify and
correct errors in design and reduce the amount of variability in business processes. Six Sigma
projects follow a predetermined series of steps that have a measurable financial goal, such as an
increase in revenue or decrease in costs. Six Sigma quality standards and scenarios can help a
small business correct and anticipate quality issues in its processes and products/services.
Definition of Quality
The central concept of Six Sigma is to measure the number of defects in a process or product and
determine how to eliminate nearly all of them. It strives to create a business environment with
nearly zero defects. The methodology relies heavily on data and statistics to evaluate how a
process is performing. By Six Sigma standards, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects
per million opportunities. One of the key concepts in the Six Sigma methodology is its
requirement that a business focus on critical-to-quality attributes -- which consist of the most
important customer specifications -- and how the process delivers them.
Quality Implementation
One of the defining elements of Six Sigma is the support it receives from top management. The
methodology is put into practice through a specially trained team of experts who provide training
and locate and make process improvements. These experts are given specific titles, such as
Champions, Black Belts and Green Belts. Decisions made by experts are guided by verifiable
data that specifically identify where improvements are needed. By utilizing a team approach to
implement Six Sigma standards, your business can ensure that the project progresses toward a
desired state of business processes that meet customer expectations.
Continuous Improvement
One of the main benefits your business derives from a Six Sigma implementation is the creation
of a Six Sigma culture. In this new culture, business process knowledge and process
improvements are commonplace throughout the company. The methodology creates dashboards
of valuations that measure processes from day-to-day, determine which ones need improvement
and a reduction in variation. Business leaders well versed in Six Sigma are also able to apply the
concepts to the companys strategic goals. The new culture created by Six Sigmas focus on
process performance instills in the business the importance of quality and continuous process
improvement.
Purpose of Scenarios
Scenarios in Six Sigma implementation are important because they serve as a useful planning
tool and help businesses visualize what quality and process events will occur given various
situations. By using scenarios, Six Sigma experts maintain a long-term focus. Scenarios are
critical during design stages and help to identify what the customers needs and wants are. They
help in determining if the process can achieve predictable and consistent outcomes, or if it needs
to be changed to meet customer expectations.