Why Six Sigma

Six Sigma implementation will guide your organization to:

• Improve Customer
• Increase Profitability
• Increase Productivity

How it is that Six Sigma and Lean are complementary?

Six Sigma

• Emphasizes the need to recognize opportunities and eliminate defects as defined by customers
• Recognizes that variation hinders our ability to reliably deliver high quality services
• Requires data driven decisions and incorporates a comprehensive set of quality tools under a powerful framework for effective problem solving
• Provides a highly prescriptive cultural infrastructure effective in obtaining sustainable results

Lean

• Focuses on maximizing process velocity
• Provides tools for analyzing process flow and delay times at each activity in a process
• Centers on the separation of "value-added" from "non-value-added" work with tools to eliminate the root causes of non-valued activities and their cost
• The 8 types of waste / non-value added work
  Wasted human talent – Damage to people
  Defects – "Stuff" that’s not right & needs fixing
  Inventory - "Stuff" waiting to be worked
  Overproduction – "Stuff" too much/too early
  Waiting Time – People waiting for "Stuff" to arrive
  Motion – Unnecessary human movement
  Transportation – Moving people & "Stuff"

ISO 9001: 2000 /Design for Lean Six Sigma

'Customer satisfaction' is according to ISO 9001: 2000 and Lean Six Sigma (=statistic process control methodology with an emphasis on fast throughput processes) the most important quality aspect. A satisfied customer should get a product with a good price that will be delivered at the promised time with no errors or initial failures and requiring no exaggerated service. A satisfied customer has faith in the product and has absolutely no doubts concerning the reliability.
However, the customer only wants to pay for quality that fulfils his demand set. Because all quality characteristics can be quantified in money, no unnecessary costs should be added to the product that does not represent value for the customer. Amongst other these include:

• No costs for the repair of errors
• Minimalisation of overhead costs through shorter cycles
• Minimalisation of material, labour and energy costs
• No unnecessary goods transport
• Investments in conformity of production quantities

Six Sigma Process Model: DMAIC

• Define-Define the project goals and customer (internal and external) deliverables
• Measure-Measure the process to determine current performance; quantify the problem
• Analyze-Analyze and determine the root cause(s) of the defect or gap
• Improve- Improve the process by elimination defects of gaps
• Control-Control future process performance
  

Creating an affinity diagram may not be very valuable if:

1. The solution to the problem is simple
2. The situation demands quick, decisive action.
Making an affinity diagram will allow you to sift through large volumes of information and ideas with efficiency, however. It will also let truly new ways of looking at a problem or situation emerge for your consideration.

Take this course first, as it is the foundation for the Six Sigma series

The Six Sigma tools and techniques showcased in this fast-paced, interactive foundation course were first implemented by GE, AlliedSignal, Sony and Motorola. Learn how these companies succeeded in achieving dramatic cost savings and quality improvement through implementation of the DMAIC model. Then use the tools and techniques to capture these benefits for your own organization in your manufacturing, service and back-office operations. After completing this course and its exam, you will be Yellow Belt certified.

Waterfall and Six Sigma

At the highest level, the most commonly used software development lifecycle methodology, called the Waterfall Model, can be summarized as the following sequential series of steps:
1 Requirements and Specification
2. Design
3. Construction (Coding)
4. Integration
5. Testing
6. Deployment
7. Maintenance
From this high-level view, the Waterfall Model looks like an ideal process where the output of one step is the input into the next, finally resulting in the deployed software. Because of this process view, it would seem that Six Sigma, more specifically DMAIC, could help solve the issues outlined above and help improve the Waterfall process to deliver higher quality software on time.

Should we manage the software development process as such with Six Sigma?

In an earlier article, I define three different relationships that companies have with information technology: A primary technology company creates new hardware and/or software, a tertiary technology company uses those products to support its own business operations, and a secondary technology company helps tertiary companies figure out the products offered by primary companies. The process of software development is a business operation in its own right only for primary technology companies; for all others, it is simply a support function. Any method that treats software development at the same level as a true business operation is going to miss the target to some degree.
We have shown that software development is not a manufacturing process in any case. We have also shown that software development is a business process only when the core business of a company is software development. For secondary and tertiary technology companies, software development is only a supporting activity, and not a business process in its own right. Finally, we have shown that the underlying philosophies of Agile development and Six Sigma management are different. The former seeks to minimize administrative overhead to leave professionals free to do the right thing, while the latter depends on formal documents, hand-offs, and abstract data analysis to enforce quality on a process from without. Therefore, the question of whether Six Sigma applies directly to an Agile software development process in a tertiary technology company is answered by the first row in the truth table.

Six Sigma is more a matter of mindset and approach than of pure scientific rigor.

Sounds like the English word six was chosen to alliterate with the word sigma and because the Arabic numeral 6 looks pretty next to the Greek letter σ. The "science" basically goes downhill from there. But does that matter, provided the method yields the results we want? Let's think it through.

Is software development a manufacturing process?

It seems clear that if software development is a manufacturing process and a business process, then we may be able to apply Six Sigma to improve quality. Logically, if software development is not a manufacturing process or not a business process, then Six Sigma may not be a good fit.
Many people have lived and died by the belief that software development is just another form of manufacturing. Just look at all the attempts to realize the idea of a "software factory."
I keep saying that software development is fundamentally unlike a manufacturing process. If you are questioning everything (as you should be), then you must question that assertion, as well. If software development is unlike manufacturing, then what is it like?

Organizational impact

Six Sigma brings many changes in the work culture wherever it has been deployed, creating an open and transparent culture where ideas are invited from everyone, there is lack of hierarchy, and the focus is on a learning environment. It leads to quality thinking at every level and in every operation in a software development organisation.
The world over, the processes of different industry verticals such as manufacturing, cement, pharmaceuticals and software are much below the standard 3.5 level of Six Sigma—and the preferred requirement level is 4.8. A Six Sigma practice contributes significantly to the bottom-line of an organisation. It is estimated that the practice results in a contribution of about eight percent to the bottom-line, though of course it varies from project to project and company to company.

Problems, Resources and Results

If needed, you can change your process to reduce or eliminate this variability or error. Six Sigma methodology tells you when to take action to solve a problem. It moves an organization to consistently meet the requirements and minimize the resources used in its management system. And it creates the desired results for which the system was designed.

Six Sigma, Pyramids and Systems

A 'sigma' refers to the standard deviation from the mean of a population. Standard deviation indicates the likelihood that your next data point will deviate from the mean of the data set.
At the bottom of the Six Sigma pyramid begins a system’s current process capability. Usually at 1 or 2 Sigma levels is “tribal” knowledge based on first-time experiences. An organization moves up the pyramid to 3 Sigma as systems are put in place. To hit 4 Sigma, statistics and modeling tools are used for significant process improvement. And, finally, to aim for that near perfection, organizations apply DFSS, or Design for Six Sigma.

Lean-Six Sigma Customized Training

Implement Six Sigma Quality with Lean Speed and maximize profit by achieving the fastest rate of improvement. Lean and Six Sigma work best together because:

• Lean alone cannot bring a process under statistical control.
• Six Sigma alone cannot dramatically improve process speed.

Decrease non-value added activities in your management system! Lean-Six Sigma Goals:
1. Deliver in 50-80% less time.
2 Reduce manufacturing costs by at least 20%.
3. Reduce work in process/increase cash flow.
4. Reduce non-value-added activities from your costs.

What is Lean Management Certification?

The Expert Rating Lean Management Certification provides you with an in-depth understanding of a Lean enterprise and the philosophy behind lean manufacturing. Lean is a continuous improvement process that focuses on the elimination of waste and delivery of higher standards of quality, speed and efficiency. Lean manufacturing, which was earlier considered as a set of tools has transformed into a total solution to pursue business. This certification course covers all the Lean principles and Lean tools, together with the necessary examples to help you understand how the lean enterprise works.

Why Lean and Six Sigma?

• Six Sigma will eliminate defects but it will not address the question of how to optimize process flow.
• Lean principles exclude the advanced statistical tools often required to achieve the process capabilities needed to be truly "lean".
• Each approach can result in dramatic improvement, while utilizing both methods simultaneously holds the promise of being able to address all types of process problems with the most appropriate toolkit.

Program Implementation and Project Steps

Once an organization has decided to implement the Six Sigma methodology, there are some initial steps that need to be completed:

• Develop process maps for core processes, key sub- processes and enabling processes, and assign a process owner for each.
• Develop a measurement dashboard or scorecard for each process. (all measures for a given process)
• Develop a data collection plan (measure options, data sources, collection forms, etc.)For each dashboard process and collect sufficient data.
• Create project selection criteria and weight factors for choosing projects which should include impact on business objectives current process performance, current process cost or financial impact, feasibility (difficulty, use of resources, time commitment),etc.
  

Six Sigma Green Belt Course Methododlogy:

Our approach to developing Six Sigma Black Belts and Green Belts is based on an Action Learning Model. This model combines online instruction with real-time project implementation and training.
The course-training syllabus of six sigma is based as per the guidelines of Quality Council of India (QCI).
In Six Sigma, the concept of quality encompasses manufacturing, commercial and other service functions of an organization because all these functions directly or indirectly affect products/service quality & customer satisfaction.

Why is Six Sigma so popular?

Six Sigma methodology has recently gained wide popularity because it has proven to be successful not only at improving quality but also at producing large cost savings along with those improvements. Some spectacular Six Sigma "success stories" at large corporations have been widely publicized and they captured the imagination of many business leaders.
Many other companies have also reported savings of literally astronomical magnitude after incorporating Six Sigma methodology across their manufacturing facilities. For example, Motorola (the leading member of a consortium of companies that developed the Six Sigma approach) reported over 11 billion dollars in savings since Six Sigma started spreading over its factories 12 years ago. Allied Signals reported over 1 billion dollars in cost savings due to Six Sigma in just a few years.

Who are Six Sigma champions?

• The business leaders who are trained in the principles of six sigma methodology
• Persons involved in the selection of projects that support their business goals.
• Persons who are active in making the teams successful, offering resources, breaking down barriers, helping in inter-team coordination, and tracking team progress along with helping with inter team coordination.
• The leaders who can align, support, and integrate the Six Sigma approach and methodology in their organization.

Why Six Sigma and ISO 9000 as a quality system?

In essence, ISO 9000 requires you to:
* Say what you do
* Do what you say
* Record what you did
* Check on the results
* Act on the difference
In effect, ISO 9000 up to now(but not including the Year 2000 standard which is just now getting out to the world)can be thought of a BASIC, ENTRY-LEVEL quality program. It only consists of the basic stuff, nothing that would excite your financial people, or delight your customer base.
There is NO requirement to:
* continually improve the process
* to discover and reduce/eliminate sources of variation
* to actively promote employee involvement

Where should I look for Six Sigma project opportunities?

Six Sigma projects typically address a business problem that keeps a process from producing optimal results in cost, quality, or delivery in the eyes of your customer. The following are the most frequent situations to look for:

• Prevalent complaints or negative survey responses from customers (poor quality, missed deadlines, high costs, etc.)
• Rework and manual intervention have become the norm
• Long cycle times and multiple hand-offs exist
• Output quality is unpredictable
• "Variety" is killing efficiency

Six Sigma as a Business Improvement Methodology

Six Sigma is a set of practices originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects. The term "Six Sigma" refers to the ability of highly capable processes to produce output within specification. As a quality control metric, "Six Sigma" equates to 3.4 defects per one million opportunities (DPMO). Six Sigma's implicit goal is to improve all processes to that level of quality or better.
Six Sigma methodology focuses on the implementation of a measurement-based strategy to achieve the process improvement and variation reduction. This approach is based on two basic Six Sigma models: DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify). The Six Sigma DMAIC is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement. The Six Sigma DMADV process is an improvement system used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if a current process requires more than just incremental improvement.

Six sigma history

Since the 1920's the word 'sigma' has been used by mathematicians and engineers as a symbol for a unit of measurement in product quality variation. (Note it's sigma with a small’s’ because in this context sigma is a generic unit of measurement.)
In the mid-1980's engineers in Motorola Inc in the USA used 'Six Sigma' an an informal name for an in-house initiative for reducing defects in production processes, because it represented a suitably high level of quality. (Note here it's Sigma with a big 'S' because in this context Six Sigma is a 'branded' name for Motorola's initiative.)
(Certain engineers - there are varying opinions as to whether the very first was Bill Smith or Mikal Harry - felt that measuring defects in terms of thousands was an insufficiently rigorous standard. Hence they increased the measurement scale to parts per million, described as 'defects per million', which prompted the use the 'six sigma' terminology and adoption of the capitalised 'Six Sigma' branded name, given that six sigma was deemed to equate to 3.4 parts - or defects - per million.)
In the late-1980's following the success of the above initiative, Motorola extended the Six Sigma methods to its critical business processes, and significantly Six Sigma became a formalized in-house 'branded' name for a performance improvement methodology, ie., beyond purely 'defect reduction', in Motorola Inc.
In 1991 Motorola certified its first 'Black Belt' Six Sigma experts, which indicates the beginnings of the formalization of the accredited training of Six Sigma methods.
In 1991 also, Allied Signal, (a large avionics company which merged with Honeywell in 1999), adopted the Six Sigma methods, and claimed significant improvements and cost savings within six months. It seems that Allied Signal's new CEO Lawrence Bossidy learned of Motorola's work with Six Sigma and so approached Motorola's CEO Bob Galvin to learn how it could be used in Allied Signal.

What types of projects are the teams working on?

Our project teams are working on a variety of projects ranging from establishing the best method to fully utilize our trailers to improving our first time delivery rate for furniture to determining the best way to buy specialty print for our sales catalogs. In 2003 many of our black belts conducted a complete process analysis of the building or operation they support resulting in significant improvements in our 4-wall productivity across the Macy's Logistics and Operations network. Our black belts are intimately involved in every aspect of the Macy's Logistics and Operations businesses.

Statistical Meaning of Six Sigma

the term sigma is a Greek alphabet letter (σ) used to describe variability. In Six Sigma, the common measurement index is DPMO (Defects Per Million Operations) and can include anything from a component, piece of material, or line of code, to an administrative form, time frame or distance.
A sigma quality level offers an indicator of how often defects are likely to occur, where a higher sigma quality level indicates a process that is less likely to create defects.
Consequently, as sigma level of quality increases, product reliability improves, the need for testing and inspection diminishes, work in progress declines, cycle time goes down, costs go down, and customer satisfaction goes up.

Six Sigma Quality and Total Customer Satisfaction

Significant improvements in lumen output can only be achieved in an environment where there are effective process controls and standards. At Lamina our goal is to continually develop the brightest LED light engines and lamps that have characteristic variations so minute that a typical distribution will maintain the Six Sigma process average.
Lamina strives to maintain total customer satisfaction and the highest level of quality and reliability through stringent product validations, application of DMAIC principles in problem solving, and value added customer support.

Six Sigma Scenarios Include:

• Track key metrics through automated data collections in easy-to-generate reports
• Make flexible process changes
• Map customer data to process data
• Enforce correct steps while providing transparency into bottlenecks using structured processes
• Automate paper processes in easy-to-use interfaces

Why Become Registered?

In today's world, where quality competition is a fact of life and the need for a work force proficient in the principles and practices of quality management is a central concern of many companies, Registration is a mark of excellence. It demonstrates that the registered individual has the knowledge to assure quality of products and services. Registration is an investment in your career and in the future of your employer.

TAP Air Portugal and Six Sigma

TAP Air Portugal is now implementing the Six Sigma methodology in order to enhance the continuous improvement and the Quality from the Customer point of view. In a few words Six Sigma is a practical and simple methodology oriented to process improvement and to increase the Quality level.
The European Six Sigma Club is an association of Companies with a common goal: improve the Quality and develop all the resources to reach it.
ESSC wants to empower and increase the European Business contribution to the World Economy, in order to increase the continuous improvement of Quality in Europe by fostering the Business & Service Organizations excellence.

Six Sigma Training

We have two Six Sigma e-learning courses; Introduction to Six Sigma and Six Sigma Tools and Techniques.
The Introduction to Six Sigma training package is aimed at those who are new to Six Sigma, or require an overview of Six Sigma. Lasting approximately 3 hours, it touches on Six Sigma concepts, Green & Black belts, the need for Six Sigma, Process Metrics, Cost of poor quality and DMAIC amongst others. This is the first of our e-learning training courses to be available over the internet.
Six Sigma Tools & Techniques is aimed at Six Sigma yellow belts and Six Sigma green belts explaining how Six Sigma is used. This course is divided into the 5 Six Sigma phases (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) and teaches Six Sigma tools such as Stratification, Pareto Analysis, Scatter Diagrams, Designed Experiments and a wide range of other Six Sigma tools, and lasts about 10 hours.

UNL Six Sigma Certification

The sigma in Six Sigma refers to the Greek symbols, which designates a standard deviation in statistics. The six refers to the number of standard deviations from a mean specifications should be.
From the early days of improving the robustness of design at Motorola. Six Sigma has morphed into an organization-wide program for improvement involving hierarchical training, organizational learning, and pay for learning.
Six Sigma is an advanced quality improvement approach designed to tackle most quality problems.

Six Sigma as an infrastructure for saving money.

Reducing defects will save you money. Reducing process variation will save you even more money. Doing six sigma the General Electric, Motorola, or Allied Signal way will save you a lot of money as well, but not any more money necessarily than a well-developed and soundly supported quality circle program would have in the 1980s. That's the real irony of this 'new' definition of six sigma. In a lot of ways, what is now being sold as THE way to do business is essentially repackaged theory from 15 to 20 years ago. Unfortunately, most quality circle programs in the 1980s failed because (1) teams were allowed to pick their own projects, (2) team members weren't properly trained about the costs of doing business, (3) not enough support resources were provided to help guide, train, and lead teams, and (4) circles were seen more as a benefit for employees instead of being the only right way for getting the projects a company needs to have completed ... and completed quickly.

Design for Six Sigma fits best when:

• Process or product is new (does not exist); or
• The problem is so bad that old process needs to be discarded
• Customer requirements need to be well-defined
• Resources are available for a detailed effort

Our Commitment to Service and Quality

Our customers trust us to deliver service and quality- and they also expect us to keep on innovating to help keep their fleet management costs down. Masterlease aims to constantly research and invest in new products in order to enhance our service and offer the best level of quality possible. Our commitment to service and quality means that we strive to ensure our full service leasing products deliver consistently and efficiently.

Introduce your workforce to the principles of Six Sigma

Six Sigma Start-Up introduces the principles and practices of Six Sigma to your employees. By explaining key concepts, it prepares your employees to support your Six Sigma efforts. Your employees will gain appreciation for the powerful Six Sigma tools and will recognize that Six Sigma is a way of doing business; not just a another program of the month.
Designed for operators, engineers, supervisors, and managers, Six Sigma Start-Up familiarizes employees with Six Sigma terminology, and teaches them the role of the environment, tools, and infrastructure in a successful Six Sigma process. After completing Six Sigma Start-Up, employees are ready to take the next step, whether it is Black Belt or Green Belt training. Supervisors and managers will have a better understanding of their role to make Six Sigma a success.

Implementation of Roles in Six Sigma Methodology

There are many roles that that are used in the Six Sigma Methodology. While most of the roles below are used in many organizations Six Sigma implementation, it should be noted that they are not universal. The roles include:
Executive Leadership - Top level executives are responsible for vision and ultimately implementation of the Six Sigma Methodology. They also empower others to take initiative and ownership of the Six Sigma principles.
Champions - Champions are usually upper management that is responsible for the implementation of Six Sigma throughout their organization.
Master Black Belts - are usually hand picked by Champions to coach others within the organization on the Six Sigma methodologies. They allocate either all or most of their time to the Six Sigma methodologies. It should also be noted, that they usually have mentoring responsibilities to coach and train lower roles including Black Belts and Green Belts (see below)
Experts - while this role is not in every organization, it can play a huge role in major engineering or manufacturing sectors. They improve overall services, products, and processes for their end customers.

Sigma Works Features:

• Six Sigma tools including Architecture Importance Matrix, FMEA, Cause and Effect Matrix, Control Plan, SIPOC and Decision Trees
• Six Sigma calculators including statistical tables and queuing analysis
• Monte Carlo simulation of complex functions consisting of multiple random inputs
• Optimization of complex functions that can be nonlinear and random
• Project planning tools including Gantt chart, PERT chart, lead time, org charter and project EVA
• Management tools including deployment planner, organizational EVA and risk/return summary

Four Core Principles of Engagement

1. Manage by outcomes, not behaviors - In other words, although the end remains constant, the means to achieve that end will inevitably vary between individuals.
2. Liberate, don’t legislate - The most dramatic increases in productivity occur when companies allow workgroups to choose their own initiatives and focus on them. Anything that makes employees passive viewers instead of active participants in the employee-customer encounter is counterproductive.
3. Engagement is for everyone - The ability to capture the heads, hearts, and souls of employees and instill an intrinsic desire and passion for excellence.
4. All politics is local - Companies cannot dictate employee engagement from corporate headquarters. They must manage engagement locally. To this end, the local manager is the single most important factor in local group performance.

Six Sigma Project Tracking Software has two objectives

• Substantially reduce costs and accelerate the implementation of process improvement initiatives
• Automate operational processes and administrative overhead, which leads to significant cost reductions, better operational control and visibility and improves the organization's project delivery and service capabilities
  

Six Sigma - mind map it with Mind Pad

Six Sigma is a highly structured program for improving business processes. Support Six Sigma process with mind mapping and Mind Pad.
Six Sigma in action:

• Describe processes that you want to improve/control.
• Add some index to the object and define your out of tolerance range. Measure your processes and Analyze why the problem occurred.
• Improve the process to stay with tolerance. Redesign the process to meet customer’s needs.
• Control the process to stay within goals. Verify if the changes have met customer needs

Why did this happen?

• This happened because the Japanese products offered better features at lower prices with excellent customer-care. The industry in USA and Europe got a terrible jolt and it took them some time to decipher the reasons for Japan's success.
• Motorola was one of the first organizations in USA to understand the secrets of Japan's success. They were facing a major threat in the field of electronic components and as a response they developed the Six Sigma approach to manage the quality and pricing of their products / services.

What are the advantages of enrolling for an accredited course?

• You are assured of a standardized and evaluated curriculum.
• You achieve a qualification that is internationally recognized.
• You are taught by expert-faculty who have been thoroughly trained and tested for imparting lean six sigma training.

How popular is Lean Six Sigma Management system in India?

• In the last 8 to 10 years, many organizations in India have been adopting Lean Six Sigma in their quest for reducing defects, achieving process excellence and improving the organization’s profitability.
• In fact today, the businesses in India and other parts of the world, are experiencing a shortage of qualified Lean Six Sigma professionals.
  

More Six Sigma Tools

Here are the rest of the Six Sigma tools:
T-Test: In Six­ Sigma, you need to be able to establish a confidence level about your measurements. Generally, a larger sample size is desirable when running any test, but sometimes it's not possible. The T-Test helps Six Sigma teams validate test results using sample sizes that range from two to 30 data points.
Control Charts: Statistical process control, or SPC, relies on statistical techniques to monitor and control the variation in processes. The control chart is the primary tool of SPC. Six Sigma teams use control charts to plot the performance of a process on one axis versus time on the other axis. The result is a visual representation of the process with three key components: a center line, an upper control limit and a lower control limit. Control charts are used to monitor variation in a process and determine if the variation falls within normal limits or is variation resulting from a problem or fundamental change in the process.
Design of Experiments: When a process is optimized, all inputs are set to deliver the best and most stable output. The trick, of course, is determining what those input settings should be. A design of experiments, or DOE, can help identify the optimum input settings. Performing a DOE can be time-consuming, but the payoffs can be significant. The biggest reward is the insight gained into the process.

Outcomes of the Design Team Implementation Workshop

• Understand the history and market forces driving the implementation of Lean Six Sigma
• Know the components of a Lean Six Sigma System
• Understand the 5-step DMAIC problem solving process
• Understand the critical success factors for a Lean Six Sigma quality system
• Understand the requirements for organizing and implementing Lean Six Sigma
• Understand the structure required to successfully implement cultural change
• Describe the major considerations in selecting Black Belt candidates
• Identify Critical Success Factors - Identify Improvement areas
• Develop the awareness package for the organization

What is the goal of Six Sigma?

The goal is to achieve robustness by moving progressively toward a Sigma Performance Level of 6. At this level the process is robust against undetected process shifts; that is, variation is small enough relative to the requirements that a shift will not result in more than a few defects in a million opportunities.

Should my company pursue Six Sigma, Lean, or ISO 9001?

It is not an either/or proposition—these programs are complementary, and your organization should be pursuing all three.

• ISO 9001 is a model for quality management systems. It provides a foundation for process management by helping to define the processes needed to obtain the planned results.
• Six Sigma is a model for designing, managing, and improving process results. It focuses on the effectiveness or accuracy of the process.
• Lean Enterprise is a model for designing, managing, and improving process flow. It focuses on the efficiency or speed of the process.
  

Six Sigma and holistic design for World Class Manufacturing

Six Sigma has become the way many businesses are run. In this hyper competitive global environment companies need every edge they can get to say ahead and thrive. Six Sigma offers a complementary set of tools and methods that can enable Indian companies to deliver world class performance.
Despite all the progress India has made, there is little presence of Indian products in the west. Further, many business professionals and executives in the U.S. are already shying away from doing business with India because the quality delivered is rather unpredictable. This has huge implications for India, and we believe the change has to start with the right education at the right time. India faces a touch challenge from countries such as Brazil, Hungary, Russia, and China of course, and the competition will heat up in the near future.
Six Sigma offers tools, techniques, and philosophical approach that has withstood the test of time and these needs to be driven at all levels in any organization. Adaptation may be needed due to uniqueness in your business; however the adaptation should be suited to Indian conditions.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion participants will be able to:

• Describe Six Sigma origins and its evolution to address the type of work and business focus in their work areas.
• Effectively lead Six Sigma teams (perhaps more than one simultaneously)
• Support Green Beltso Reviewing plans, data, and analysis work
• Developing ‘chalk talks’ to transfer learning on topics ‘on demand.’
• Act as a key liaison to management, diagnosing performance a set of Green Belt projects.
• Communicate status of groups of projects to leadership and stakeholders.

Key dependencies

Successful Six Sigma implementation relies on a basic framework being in place:

• Six Sigma methods assume a leadership capability and team structure (sponsors, champions, process owners, green belts, black belts). If the leadership and roles are not in place the method is significantly weakened.
• Six Sigma assumes there is an agreed and well-understood top level down business process model known and in place. If this is not the case then the detailed process design work is done in isolation of the overall business model, which can be disastrous.
• Six Sigma assumes that the business, including IT, understand the purpose and mandate of the method and how it will integrate to other methods such as the system development life cycle, organization design methods and change management methods. This is often not the case, resulting in confusion and rework by analysts from these teams.

Key Features:

• Provides guidance for using the Six Sigma approach successfully in IT service organisations.
• Show how to merge ITIL and Six Sigma into a single approach.
• Demonstrates how IT can be made to work as an enabler to better business processes.
• Show how they are a perfect fit of improving the quality of IT service delivery and support

The reasons are not hard to find:

• Six Sigma Black Belt training demands decisions based on fact using the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Install, Control) , SIPOC, (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer), VOC (Voice of the Customer) approach and decision making based on fact using such tools as SPC and DOE. rather than untested opinion
• In addition to all the recognised Six Sigma Black Belt tools, The DHI approach embraces the ‘Lean’ concept of operations management. This includes JIT, SMED, Cycle time reduction, TPM, Kaizen (Quality Circles), Hoshin Planning, Policy Deployment (Often referred to as Balanced Score Cards), Customer focussed Design for Six Sigma incorporating Concept Engineering, the Kano Model for determining Customer needs, product Development based on the principles of QFD.
• Supply Chain management development.
• Preparation for later upgrading to Master Black Be
  

Driving Six Sigma Excellence throughout the Organization

For an increasing number of organizations, success is measured by customer satisfaction and discernable loyalty, shareholder value, and corporate wealth. Achieving these goals is underpinned by the commitment to a Six Sigma performance management system that demands ambitious performance gains and ever-higher standards of business excellence. By focusing on the elimination of errors or defects, companies realize an increased level of customer satisfaction while attaining a distinct financial and competitive advantage in the form of reduced costs, improved efficiency, and increased profitability.
Six Sigma's focus on the bottom line impact of quality improvements demands that practitioners have the tools and methodologies to support their goals. Aims management consultants as worked with some of the world's foremost Six Sigma thought leaders to create powerful process solutions specifically designed to make Six Sigma more efficient, more powerful, and easier to implement.
Aims management consultants Process for Six Sigma provides a visual framework for connecting the data that drives performance of their respective processes. Through this framework, the origins of hidden factories, bottlenecks, and other drivers of time, cost and rework are rapidly exposed, enabling "quick hit" improvements. Later, high-value opportunities are more easily assessed and prioritized for action by team members.

Why use Facilitators Lean Six Sigma?

• Improve on areas that directly impact and influence your customers
• Address issues that keep impacting on your efficiency
• Improve your existing processes and develop a continuous improvement philosophy
• Adapt quickly and effectively to rapidly changing forces
• Reduce delivery times and operating costs
• Increase the effectiveness of resource/investment.

Balance and flexibility

The essence of Six Sigma leadership can be described in two words: balance and flexibility. It's this combination of stability (balance) and responsiveness (flexibility) that gives Six Sigma leadership its power.
It argues against those who favor a particular leadership style, or those who excuse their own leadership approach – even when it's not working – by saying, "That's just how I am."
A lack of leadership balance and flexibility leads to poor decisions, misguided efforts, and millions, if not billions, wasted each year. We also examine how it creates scepticism from followers regarding your ability to lead, and failure of businesses to coordinate their activities to the best advantage of customers and shareholders.
On the positive side, we also see how understanding balance and flexibility can make you a significantly better leader, and help you foster better leadership throughout your organisation.

What is the real effect on the bottom line?

Six Sigma Quality is often touted on the basis of its significant bottom line impact. Some claim more than $1M per year per Black Belt in typical cost savings. For example, according to one Motorola Six Sigma Presentation, in 1996 they achieved 5.6s performance (up from 4.2s in 1986), $16B in cumulative manufacturing cost savings and a reduction in Cost of Poor Quality from 15% in 1986 to a little over 5% of sales in 1996. I'm not sure where that number comes from nor where the billions of dollars in resulting claimed savings went, but I'd really like to see an independent audit so that I could understand the basic assumptions used.
I would hope that the calculated savings net out the component of traditional cost reduction, as captured, for example, by the historical cost experience curve, so that the resulting number is truly reflective of the incremental savings that are directly assignable to the 6s initiatives. It is always very tempting to attribute all benefits to the current program, regardless of their true origins.

The Difference between Typical Project Management and Six Sigma Project Management.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) became an accepted standard (as established by the Project Management Institute) that is still widely used in many industries around the world. At a basic level, many of the methodologies advocated by PMBOK and Six Sigma have a great deal in common. Both seek to establish a sound plan; identify and communicate with stakeholders; conduct regular reviews; and manage schedule, cost, and resources.
Six Sigma is not just another project management initiative or process improvement programme. Six Sigma is not just a new term for project management nor is it a mere repackaging of old concepts. It is more than that because it is a robust continuous improvement strategy and process that includes cultural and statistical methodologies. Six Sigma is complementary with existing project management programmes and standards but differs in significant ways. Both disciplines seek to reduce failures, prevent defects; control costs and schedules, and manage risk. Generally, professional project management attempts to achieve these goals by encouraging best practices on a project-by-project basis, often through the mechanism of a project office that promulgates policy, provides templates and advice, promotes appropriate use of tools such as critical path method, and perhaps performs periodic project reviews.
Too many project management methods have failed not because they weren't adding value but because you couldn't measure the effectiveness of the methodology or quantify the value added by process changes. Six Sigma provides a structured data-driven methodology with tools and techniques that companies can use to measure their performance both before and after Six Sigma projects. Using Six Sigma, management can measure the baseline performance of their processes and determine the root causes of variations so they can improve their processes to meet and exceed the desired performance levels.

What to look for in a Six Sigma Provider?

A Six Sigma provider should be:
· Personally available for as long as it takes
· Mentors for life
· Professionals who measure and define your needs
· Master Black Belts who believe totally in the Six Sigma methodology
· Dedicated to the Pursuit of Perfection
· Applications experts
· Recognized for granting only authentic Black and Green Belt certification
· Equipped with an Exit Plan that empowers organizations to sustain the program for life

What will you gain?

The programme covers a range of important aspects including:
· The concepts, philosophy, and benefits
· The underlying principles
· An overview of how Lean Six Sigma is typically undertaken in other organisations
· Project selection
· A walk through the Lean Six Sigma Improvement Journey*, providing practical hands on experience for a range of supporting tools, techniques, and concepts

What is Six Sigma and its Impact on your Business?

Six Sigma provides companies with a series of interventions and statistical tool that lead to breakthrough improvements in profitability and quantum gains in quality, whether a company's products are durable goods or services.
Six Sigma is a letter in the Greek alphabet used to denote the standard deviation of a process (standard deviation measures the variation or amount of spread about the process mean).
A process with "Six Sigma" capability means having 12 standard deviations of process output between the upper & lower specification limits. Essentially, process variation is reduced so that no more than 3.4 parts per million falls outside of the specifications limits. The higher the sigma number, the better.
The "Six Sigma" term also refers to a philosophy, goal and/or methodology utilized to drive out waste and improve the quality, cost and time performance of any business. On average, one Six Sigma project will save an organization between $100,000 and $ 200,000. Black Belts with 100% of their time allocated to projects can execute five or six projects during a 12-month period, potentially adding over $1M to annual profits.

Six sigma project power distribution reliability.

Define: Large chemical site had significant losses due to power outages.
Measure: Dollar value determined for each failure and the total. Each failure was assigned to a major component.
Analyze: Mapped the entire system by major component and identified failure rates for each major component. Found areas with projects scheduled that were very unlikely to fail and would add nothing to overall reliability. Other components were being ignored and had a highly likelihood of causing an outage.
Improve: Developed plan for each component depending upon failure mode and frequency for that component. Made a 10X reduction in the dollar losses due to power failures on site.
Control: Track each major component and modify action plan based on failure mode if needed. System shared with other locations.

Design for Six Sigma Introduction and Overview

The business challenges of Innovation, An overview of DMADV (the Design for Six Sigma Framework) and why it makes the critical difference, 7 principles of DMADV, Quality Function Deployment and the “House of Quality” , DMADV building on DMAIC, Linking DMADV with new product stage gate processes.
Define
Project start up, Market and customer segmentation, The change management challenges of DMADV.
Measure
Voice of the Customer & Introduction to advanced VOC techniques, House of Quality 1, Benchmarking and setting design goals, Design scorecards, crystallizing the value proposition.
Analyse
Functional Analysis, House of Quality 2, Creative Thinking, Concept selection.
Design
Building the design elements, Lean design tools, Simulation & Scale up (including design for operation), Capability Evaluation, Robust Designs & Tolerancing, Intro to DOE.
Verify
Piloting & testing, Control Planning, Handover to operations.

The Six Sigma Story

Six Sigma - What is it? How does it work? Is it a technique or a culture change programme? The answer to these questions and further information regarding Six Sigma is provided below.
Six Sigma is the name given to a management concept originated by Motorola in the late 1980’s with stunning results. It enabled them to become one of the first winners of the prestigious ‘Baldrige Award for Quality’ and is claimed to be responsible for very impressive improvements in all aspects of business performance. Other star performers such as GE, Allied Signal, Navistar, Polaroid, Bombardier, etc., also developed Six Sigma programmes.
During 1998, a number of British subsidiaries and suppliers to these large companies found themselves being introduced to the concept by their American customers with the result that now Six Sigma has become an important new approach to business performance improvement.
Sigma is the mathematical symbol for standard deviation and Six Sigma can simply mean predicting a particular level of quality achieved by a "process". For example ±6 sigma or six standard deviations would mean the process would be unlikely to produce more than 4 defects in a million. Mostly this would be considered an impressive performance. The "process" being referred to is often thought to be a manufacturing process, possibly mass producing cars, but this would be extremely short sighted. In fact, it is a popular misconception that Six Sigma is only applicable to the volume manufacturing processes - it is not.

What is Six Sigma from a Middle Management Perspective?

• It is a process that structures work into Project Charters that clearly define the Business Opportunity, Project Goals and Potential Benefits that directly link to Strategic Critical Success Factors, Customer Value and Bottom Line results
• It is a formal, structured problem solving / problem prevention process that strives for perfection (3.4 Defects / Million opportunities to create a defect).

What are the Results of Managing using the Six Sigma Process?

· Six Sigma increases management control of the processes that produce results
· Managers are able to make bolder decisions

The DMAIC Structured Improvement Methodology

· Structured approaches to problem solving
· Identifying potential Six Sigma project opportunities
· Six Sigma in business, manufacturing & design
· The DMAIC Roadmap
· Overview of key Six Sigma tools & techniques
· DMAIC case studies

Six Sigma Improvement Approach

Six Sigma improvements is about taking existing products and processes and improving them. It is an extremely powerful approach to organizational improvement which is achieved by being:
· Systematic and disciplined
· Data driven
· Project based (improvement through teams)
· Customer focused (internal and external)

Is SixcSigma Certification Right for You and for Your Business?

The great thing about six sigma certification is that it is perfect for all businesses, whether you are a large corporation producing a product or a small business that specializes in customer service. Six Sigma Training will help your business improve productivity and increase the bottom line. 6 Sigma is a very flexible program that gets everyone working together towards one common goal and that is improving the quality of whatever you produce, thus improving your company’s profitability.
The different levels of Six Sigma Certification give each and every employee the chance to contribute, which in essence allows everyone to be part of the solution to the businesses problems. This not only creates a feeling of team work and unity, but also allows each and every employee to realize they are valued by the company.

Why use our Six Sigma e-Learning ?

· Complete overview of the Six Sigma methodology, easily understood.
· Intuitive, straightforward layout and navigation.
· Interactive exercises and colorful animation to keep student engaged.
· Lesson assessments to help cement knowledge.
· Cost effective and convenient method to deliver training.
· Useful as refresher training, even after the course has been completed.
· Student progress and test scores tracked and managed via a database system.
· Flexibility of training to be carried out at any time where a PC is present.

How does Six Sigma apply in all sectors, companies or industries?

Six Sigma can be applied in all industries/companies as work always takes place in processes and the following hold true for every company (in any industry).

• Everything that anyone does is a part of a process.
• A process is efficient or inefficient depending on the output to input ratio. (this ratio could be productivity measure, cost measure, time measure or any other useful metric)
• Very few processes are defect free and most have unacceptable level of defects or delays (as per industry standards, company's own philosophy towards defects or based on customer expectations). Here, for many processes there is an internal customer (instead of or in addition to an external customer).
• Meeting customer (internal, external or both) expectations with reasonable cost is a key success criterion.
• Variation in process inputs or improper controls result in reduced efficiency or dissatisfied customers, which increases costs and breeds further inefficiency.
• Six Sigma requires that you define success criteria for key processes, eliminate defects (or reduce their severity or occurrences), and rigorously measure outcomes for exceeding industry standards or creating new benchmarks, thereby leading to competitive advantage in terms of cost or value for customers.

How are Six Sigma projects selected?

Trained professionals, called Six Sigma Black Belts or Green Belts, work within an organisation to select improvement projects. A Six Sigma team could be formed to examine a manufacturing process, for example, to determine how to make more of a product with existing capacity rather than investing in additional capacity. Six Sigma can be applied to any important process in an organisation to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

What does the term 'Six Sigma' mean?

The term "sigma", taken from the Greek alphabet, is used in statistics as a measure of deviation. If a company achieves a "six sigma" measurement in production, for example, that means that only 3.4 of 1 million products are defective. This represents a 99.9997 percent error-free performance. Not all Six Sigma projects reach that lofty goal but they aspire to it and set continuous improvement as a standard.

How do I achieve my Black Belt Six Sigma Certification?

1. You will receive a Six Sigma Black Belt Practitioner Diploma upon completion of the training portion of the Black Belt Six Sigma Certification program.
2. Global Quality Systems will award you a Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate of Completion if you complete one six sigma project and pass all quizzes with an score higher than 70%.
3. You will submit to ASQ an application form for the Black Belt Six Sigma Certification, provided that you have a specified level of education and/or experience and a proof of professionalism.
4. You will submit to ASQ a project affidavit form describing one or two completed six sigma projects. ASQ certification costs are not included in the Global Quality Systems course fee.
5. You are required to pass a written examination that consists of multiple choice questions that measure comprehension of the Body of Knowledge. The Six Sigma Black Belt Certification is a four-hour, 150 multiple-choice question examination. It is offered in the English language only.

What is Green Belt Six Sigma Certification?

Global Quality Systems will award you a Green Belt Six Sigma Certificate of Completion in recognition of the comprehension and implementation skills of a simplified version of the ASQ (American Society for Quality) Black Belt Six Sigma body of knowledge.

Who should attend:

Professionals and managers in operations, engineering, IT, administration, finance, product design and development, and supply chain management; as well as individuals that drive improvement initiatives.

What Are The Six Sigma Certifications?

• Six Sigma Green Belts have received two weeks of training on the Six Sigma road map and essential elements of statistical methodologies supporting Six Sigma projects. Green Belts allocate up to 50% of their time on Six Sigma projects, and Black Belts assist them with projects as needed.
• Six Sigma Black Belts are technical leaders who have received four weeks of training focusing on the Six Sigma road map and extensive statistical methodologies. Black Belts normally dedicate up to 75% of their time to Six Sigma projects, and they assist Green Belts as needed. Green Belt certification is required for Black Belt certification eligibility.
• Six Sigma Master Black Belts represent the highest level of technical and organizational proficiency. They have received six weeks of training on the Six Sigma methodology, and they've learned the skills and tools required to teach Six Sigma philosophies and implement Six Sigma within an organization. Master Black Belts lead all levels of Six Sigma projects, and they help Black Belts apply methodology when necessary. Their jobs are completely devoted to Six Sigma. Black Belt certification is necessary for Master Black Belt certification eligibility

Six Sigma Implementation

It is reasonable to carry out the Six Sigma Implementation as a six-phase process. Phases from one to four are establishing Six Sigma, and phases from five to six are for realization of Six Sigma. Six Sigma Implementation requires leadership from top management since it must be embraced throughout the organization.
Six Sigma Implementation Model: Steps—Establishing Management Commitment

• Information Gathering
• Training
• Developing Monitoring Systems
• Business Processes to be improved are chosen
• Conducting Six Sigma Projects

First phase in Six Sigma Implementation is to establish commitment of supreme command. This means training the principles and tools to senior management. This should be followed by a development of a management infrastructure to support the Six Sigma Implementation. One tool to monitor the change in management is to use QPR ScoreCard.
Second phase in Six Sigma Implementation is information gathering. This translates into intensive communication with customers, suppliers, and employees. Information about the conditions of the processes which should be improved, for example, supply chain is obtained from customers and suppliers. Analysis of the information helps to identify the obstacles standing in the way of success during Six Sigma Implementation.
Training the whole staff in the organization is the third phase on the way to Six Sigma Implementation. The training needs are assessed, and the training is conducted from top-to-bottom. Training levels can be, for example, Black Belt and green belt. Black Belts are the all-day problem solvers who also operate as team leaders in Six Sigma projects. Green belts are the team members in Six Sigma projects.
Fourth phase of the Six Sigma Implementation process is to develop a monitoring system. Because one main goal is continuous improvement, the framework of the management has to support that end. After the framework is in order, it is time to develop a monitoring system. Adequate measures should be created for strategic goals and key business processes. Measures can be internal and/or external, for example, customer satisfaction. One framework element is, for example, a balanced scorecard.

What is the Six Sigma Green Belt level? And how can I graduate to a Black Belt?

The Six Sigma (Green Belt) Certification is the most popular type of six sigma certification. The Expert Rating Six Sigma Certification (Green Belt) is intended for people who are new to the concept of Six Sigma, or for experienced professionals who would like to get themselves formally certified. This course requires no prior knowledge on the subject.
To get an all round understanding of Six Sigma, it is advised that people new to Six Sigma take both the Green Belt and Black Belt Certifications (at a special combo price mentioned below). The Project Management Certification is also a great addition to the Six Sigma Certifications.

The 6 Sigma Proposition

All to often businesses base their performance on an average and average-based measures of the recent past. However, customers don’t judge businesses on averages; they feel the variance in each and every transaction. Customers value consistent, predictable business processes and products that deliver world-class levels of quality. Six Sigma focuses first on reducing variation and then on improving process capability
A common goal with a Six Sigma program is to minimize variation within all of our critical processes. Examples of key processes include: Invoicing/Billing customers; new product development; processing customer orders; Managing human resources (including payroll, holiday applications, etc.); Hiring employees; Budgeting; paying bills; Evaluating vendors.
Quantitatively, this means working towards Six Sigma quality, or fewer than 3.4 defects per million “opportunities.” An opportunity is defined as a “chance for non-conformance” (or put another way not meeting required specifications).

What is Lean Six Sigma.

Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology which combines tools from Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Lean focuses on speed and lower waste; Six Sigma focuses on quality. By combining the two, the desired result is better quality faster – applicable to any organization type.
Process Management is the bedrock on which to build such initiatives. By using Control 2007 as a strategic platform for mapping, measuring, structuring and improving business processes, right across the enterprise, organizations can optimize their approach to business improvement.
As Pete Pande, President of Pivotal Resources and author of 'The Six Sigma Way', underlines:
“I am presented with Six Sigma tools every day. Control is the first I have found that genuinely supports the most critical aspect of Six Sigma — that is, to clarify and drive end-to-end process management and improvement. It also helps ensure gains are locked-in, through ongoing measurement and monitoring support.”

How is Six Sigma different from other Traditional Approaches.

Six Sigma differs from traditional performance improvement programs in its focus on input variables. While traditional methods depend on measuring outputs and establishing control plans to shield customers from organizational defects, a Six Sigma program demands that problems be addressed at the root level, eliminating the need for unnecessary inspection and rework processes.
Also, while other programs mention philosophies, ideas, and requirements (e.g. ISO 9001 specifies requirements) Six Sigma provides a structured Roadmap on how to bring out the benefits.

Six Sigma Certification

Every company or business wants to improve on what they're already doing. Creating a system of strategic improvement is a great way to do this. That's exactly what the Six Sigma is.
The Six Sigma was created by Motorola in 1986 and since then, has been adopted by countless organizations. This methodology systematically removes flaws from products and processes using two models - the DMAIC and the DMADV. Motorola says it has saved $17 billion as of last year thanks to this system.
Gaining Six Sigma Certification involves many steps. This method uses "belts" to classify professionals within the system. White belts are the lowest and they understand basic Six Sigma concepts and might work on local problems. They are not allowed to be on a Six Sigma project team.
Yellow belts are one higher. This lets a person work on a project as a team member. Green belts help with collecting data and analyzing it for black belt projects. They can also lead green belt teams. Black belts lead projects involving problem solving and they train and coach teams as well. Master black belts act as in-house coaches for green and black belts and they are at the highest belt level.

What are the principal of six sigma?

The main principles of Six Sigma or Six Sigma Principles are:

• Customer must benefit in a way they understand and value
• Managers must direct and lead Six Sigma, they decide on targets and projects
• The targets must be significant and the payback should be clear - up-front
• The whole process should be based on measurable facts
• Six sigma based on improving the system not the people working within the system
  
  
  

What are the fundamental six sigma principles?

Fundamental Six Sigma Principles

• The fundamental principle of Six Sigma is to "satisfy customer requirements profitably".
• A fundamental principle of six sigma is reduction of variability. The tendency is to apply this principle to everything.
• The fundamental principle of Six Sigma methodology is to solve the right problem the right way. To do this, two important issues need to be addressed. One is to prioritize the selection of target processes for improvement; the other is to choose a proper solution strategy.
• The central principle of Six Sigma is that by measuring the defects a process produces, one can systematically identify and remove sources of error, so as to approach the ideal state of no defects at all.
• The fundamental principle of Six Sigma management is that if an organization can measure the defects in a process, its senior management can systematically determine ways to eliminate them, to approach quality levels of zero defects.
• The basic principle of Six Sigma is to use a set of methodologies and techniques that aim to achieve high levels of quality and reduce cost levels.

Six Sigma Definition

Six Sigma is a methodology developed by Motorola that describes how the management of product and service delivery should be implemented. The management processes emphasize setting extremely high objectives, collecting data, and analyzing results to a fine degree. Once you determine where the defects are in a process, you can work to reduce them. In order for a company to achieve Six Sigma, it cannot produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities.
The potential benefits of Six Sigma include up to 50% process cost reduction, cycle-time improvement, less waste of materials, a better understanding of customer requirements, increased customer satisfaction, and more reliable products and services. the largest drawback with Six Sigma is that it can be costly to implement and can take several years before results appear on a company's bottom-line.

Operational Definition

An exact description of how to derive a value for a characteristic you are measuring. It includes a precise definition of the characteristic and how, specifically, data collectors are to measure the characteristic.
Used to remove ambiguity and ensure all data collectors have the same understanding. Reduces chances of disparate results between collectors after Measurement System Analysis.

Statistical Six Sigma Definition

What does it mean to be "Six Sigma"? Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. But the statistical implications of a Six Sigma program go well beyond the qualitative eradication of customer-perceptible defects. It's a methodology that is well rooted in mathematics and statistics.
The objective of Six Sigma Quality is to reduce process output variation so that on a long term basis, which is the customer's aggregate experience with our process over time, this will result in no more than 3.4 defect Parts per Million (PPM) opportunities (or 3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities – DPMO). For a process with only one specification limit (Upper or Lower), this results in six process standard deviations between the mean of the process and the customer's specification limit (hence, 6 Sigma). For a process with two specification limits (Upper and Lower), this translates to slightly more than six process standard deviations between the mean and each specification limit such that the total defect rate corresponds to equivalent of six process standard deviations.

What does Six Sigma have to do with wine?

At Six Sigma Vineyards and Winery we combine the old-world art of making wine with the science of data-driven Six Sigma principles. To accomplish this, we have gathered a team of experts working with us towards a common goal: Making wine of an extraordinary quality at an affordable price.
The data-driven principles of Six Sigma are employed, not only in the winemaking process as such, but in all stages of the process, for example when we:

• Conduct extensive analyses of soil, water and climate to find the most favorable sites for our vineyards.
• Choose rootstocks that thrive best in the soil composition of a given vineyard.
• Meticulously prune vines to enhance the quality of grapes and to allow consistent ripening.
• Apply chemical and sensory analyses to pick the grapes at just the right time to produce optimal flavor in the wine.
• Listen to the voice of the customer - whether you are a sophisticated wine drinker with well-defined preferences, a social wine drinker who knows what you like and wants the security of consistency, or you just want a good place to start.

What are the Benefits?

By reaching Six Sigma quality you will develop a culture that thrives on the identification and elimination of waste in all forms.
You can expect:

• Significant improvement in customer satisfaction
• Reduced cycle times, defects and costs
• Improved productivity and efficiency
• Financially measurable results
• Increased product dependability

How Does Six Sigma Work?

Six Sigma has both management components and technical components. Using this dual approach allows for everyone to have a role in making the Six Sigma plan a success.
The management side focuses on using the management system to line up the right projects and match them with the right individuals. Management also focuses on getting the right goals and process metrics to insure that projects are successfully completed and that these gains can be sustained over time.
The technical side focuses on enhancing process performance using process data, statistical thinking, and methods. This focused process improvement methodology has five key stages: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Define is to define process improvement goals that are consistent with customer demands and company strategy. Next measure the key aspects of the current processes that your company is using and collect relevant data about these processes and current results. Then analyze the data to verify cause and affect relationships, be sure to consider all possible factors involved. Then improve or optimize the process based upon data analysis using techniques like Design of Experiments or observational study. The last step is to control to ensure that any deviations are corrected before they result in defects. During this step you will also set up pilot runs to establish process capability and will continuously monitor the process.

Why Six Sigma?

All businesses are under tremendous pressure to remain competitive. Six Sigma helps customers achieve this goal by delivering services better, faster and at a lower cost, whilst increasing levels of customer satisfaction. Six Sigma can be applicable to all industrial sectors making it attractive to both private and government. Due to extremely high cost savings and efficiency gains, Six Sigma is now seen as mandatory in many organisations. Six Sigma is designed to provide tangible business results and cost savings that are fully accountable, e.g.: Consistently delivering services quicker, cheaper, with less variation, less waste or increased reliability as dictated by the marketplace. It provides reduced; defects, failure costs, complaints, fault calls, higher process productivity, lower process costs, better response to process changes or requirements. e.g. order process, invoice and delivery. However, the success of the Six Sigma concept is significantly governed by the client.

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a unified approach to achieving improved performance. Correctly deployed, Six Sigma will drive continuous improvement or even dramatic step changes in performance.
The approach can be applied in many situations and is equally relevant within the private and public sectors. Many major organisations have already adopted the methodology of Six Sigma and are experiencing remarkable improvements as a result.
Using a rigorous data based approach, Six Sigma encompasses an extremely wide and comprehensive toolkit as well as a structured methodology for deploying these tools, to increase customer satisfaction, drive out errors and waste, reduce cycle times, reduce costs and improve delivery.