Getting To Know Six Sigma
You might already know or have heard about the Six Sigma Quality Management Methodology. It focuses on quality, which in turn should guarantee your company more money. Does this sound too good to be true? Let’s look a bit into the philosophy that is Six Sigma and see what it really has to offer.
Some believe that it is only through quick efficient work that things will fare well for your company. The Six Sigma Process is based on a different philosophy; that the right way to get things done is through quality, choosing what is only best for your business or company. The philosophy started off with a complaint to Motorola that their company wasn’t producing up to its standards. An evaluation of their processes revealed that there indeed was something wrong. They found that it was quality work, better management, and waste removal practices that actually made them more money. They came up with the term Six Sigma to describe their process, based upon the statistical terms, and the rest is history.
A quick definition would state that Six Sigma is a business strategy that strives for near perfection: 99.9997% accuracy is what you will be aiming towards for your business. This lofty goal is achieved by attempting to eliminate all errors (called defects in this context) and quality problems systematically as opposed to hastily. One method that is frequently used is the DMAIC process; this is an acronym that stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.
You ‘define’ by identifying just what is going wrong or needs to be improved upon in your business. You ‘measure’ by collecting everything that is verifiable and can be assembled into data; this is one of the most important phases of the DMAIC process. You ‘analyze’ by running statistical tests and using Six Sigma Tools on the data previously collected in order to find a solution that might be viable to fix the problem.,
You ‘improve’ by taking the previous processes (define, measure, and analyze) and turn the results into some kind of tangible effect that is meant to solve the problem you unearthed. You tweak the things that aren’t going well as needed. Finally, you ‘control’ by essentially keeping up the good work. It is important to ensure that during this phase the solution you came up with is doing its job. It is also important to ensure that the changes are maintained and the defect does not return. Make sure things are going smoothly and working efficiently. There is another commonly used and similar method called the DMADV Process; Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify. The DMAIC Process is used to perfect or fix existing processes, products, or services. The DMADV Process is mainly used to come up with a new or improved product or service.
Another thing to note about this methodology would be the levels or belts used to represent a professionals training and Certification, and to help keep things organized and functional within Six Sigma Teams. This belt designation lays out what certain people are in charge of, what they understand, and how they will relay that knowledge to your company.
From lowest to highest levels of training the belt levels include; Yellow Belts, Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts. Yellow Belts are the basic employees of a company. They have the most basic level of knowledge when it comes to Six Sigma Training, and they are responsible for assisting the more experienced Belt Levels. The Green Belts are the individuals who do most of the data collection and actual work and statistics within the team. Sometimes they lead smaller projects under the supervision of a Black Belt.
The Black Belts are known as the project managers. They are responsible for running various Six Sigma Projects and choosing team members to work on them. They are also known as change agents and mentors as they are responsible for helping lower level belts see the importance and significance of this quality movement within a company. Finally, the Master Black Belts are the individuals responsible for teaching everyone else about the methodology; in other words, they run the Six Sigma Training within an organization. They are also responsible for mentoring Black Belts if they have any trouble or issues with their own projects.
There is clearly a lot more to learn about Six Sigma and how it will improve your company’s production values; this article is meant to skim the surface when it comes to Six Sigma understanding. Implementing this process can be beneficial to your business and be that extra step that helps you reach the goals and successes that you have always wanted for your company. If you think this is something that can help your company, it is important to take the time to research the methodology in great depth so that you can use it to its full potential within your business framework.