Six Sigma Basics are Designed to Improve Manufacturing
Six Sigma basics are designed to improve manufacturing. This is a type of quality control that was originally developed for large scale manufacturers. It was intended to enhance processes and eliminate the amount of defects found within them. It has since been extended to other processes as well in many different sized companies around the world.
The Six Sigma Methodology originated at Motorola during the 1980s. During this period, the firm recognized that there was a correlation between increased quality and a decrease in production costs. Many managers used to believe that a higher quality would inherently cost more money. But this was shown to be untrue.
The basics of this doctrine maintain that a continuous strive to achieve stable processes is vital to any firm’s success. It is also vital to statistically measure the processes’ factors so that they can be analyzed and improved. Improvement also requires a commitment from all of the members in the organization and is especially true of the top level managers; the Six Sigma Methodology is highly team-based.
Some of the unique features about this method include the fact that there is a clear focus on measuring and quantifying the financial returns on any project. There is also a commitment for the managers to be passionate about their leadership and support for the firm. An infrastructure or hierarchy of professionals is also created that is similar to the levels that are used in the martial arts. This allows every individual to know their role within the team and clearly delineates responsibilities.
The primary goals of this system are to ensure there are minimal defects during the processes. The ultimate goal is to ensure that there are less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. This is the final goal, and most firms generally achieve quality at this level when they embrace this technique, although it seems to be an insurmountable task.
Motorola has registered Six Sigma as a service mark, and they have reported some astounding facts about the benefits it has offered their organization. Up to the year end 2006, this company has stated that they have saved more than $ 17 billion with the help of this particular quality improvement process. By the end of the twentieth century, nearly half of all of the Fortune 500 companies have embraced this process for their organizations.
Another hallmark of this system is that there are various levels of training and certification in the process. Management is often certified similar to the way that the martial arts label practitioners. There are different levels of training and certification organized into ‘belt’ levels. These levels (from least training and experience to most) include; Yellow Belts, Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts. Training programs are often held or enrolled in so that employees are able to complete the training necessary in order to become Six Sigma Certified and to get busy saving the company money with this particular methodology.
When the Six Sigma goals are met in practice, there are virtually no errors that occur during the production of certain products or services. This type of program has been shown to be most effective at large organizations there is an extensive management infrastructure and clear communication channels.
Six Sigma basics are designed to improve manufacturing. Many of the largest firms have embraced this type of quality control for their organizations, and have reached great success with its help. These firms have often commented on the amount of money that they have saved by embracing Six Sigma quality control. However, there are several experts who question the success of this process. It is important for you to do your own due research on the subject if it is something that you are considering to increase the success of your company.