|
Author: Peter Peterka Article source: http://www.6sigma.us/. Used with author's permission.
Six Sigma is becoming a proven approach for businesses and organizations to
improve their performance. The spectrum of companies actively engaging in Six Sigma today is wide from industrials like Celanese, Caterpillar, GE, Honeywell, and 3M to service/retail organizations like Starwood Hotels, Sears, and Home Depot. Six Sigma has even started in the financial
industry with Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase initiating major deployments in the past two years. Probably the most exciting area is in the public and healthcare sectors with success stories emerging from city government and John Hopkins Medical.
So what is all this excitement about? Haven't these quality tools been around for
years? Is it
just the fact that people have strange names like Champion, Green Belt, Black Belt
and for
the chosen few, Master Black Belt? Okay, if it is not the names then what? Six
Sigma's
success revolves around the fundamental elements needed for any successful
organization.
Six Sigma starts with a vision of delivering products and services to customers with
no
defects from the eyes of the customers. For companies it is vital to deliver these
products
and services at a profit. Once the organization has created their own vision of Six
Sigma, the
business leaders need to define their organization's objectives in numerical terms.
These
"high-level metrics," often called big Y's in Six Sigma, are the foundation for
identifying
project y's that Six Sigma Belts will execute projects on. With big Y's in hand,
business
leaders called Six Sigma "Champions" breakdown these organizational level Y's into
smaller
y's a project leader called a Green Belt or Black Belt can work from.
So what's next, do business leaders take a hands-off management by objectives
(MBO)
approach of, "I don't care how you do it as long as you get results!"? For Six Sigma
organizations the answer is a loud "NO." Champions do care how projects are
executed and
have appointed highly trained Master Black Belts to assist and mentor project
leaders in
applying the Six Sigma method to manage their projects. I believe this is the key to
Six
Sigma's success. In a past life I participated in a high-level meeting with executives
from the
world leader in the production of a product we all know. The purpose of the
meeting and
visit was to evaluate a critical new product design. All of the high-tech executives
were
dressed in dark Italian business suits complemented with gold and diamonds. I
listened
closely to each question these executives asked. I never once heard "how much?",
"when?"
or even "why?" - every question was "by what method?." Methodology is what Six
Sigma is
about.
Six Sigma Methods
There have evolved two key methods for carrying out Six Sigma projects. The first
method
is the most well-defined and works best if you have a problem with an unknown
solution in
existing products, processes or services. This method is called DMAIC or Define,
Measure,
Analyze, Improve and Control. The newest method, which is in the developing
stages, is
called Design for Six Sigma or DFSS. The goal of DFSS is to develop a new product,
process or service that is defect-free in the eyes of the customer. A number of
consulting
companies have invented roadmaps for DFSS like IDOV (Identify, Design, Optimize
and
Validate) and DMADV (Design, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify).
Six Sigma and Design of Experiments
Once an organization has decided on the method and the project y's, Belts are
marched off
to training "waves" bringing management-approved projects to class. DMAIC Green
Belt
training is normally two one-week sessions separated by one month. Black Belt
training
waves are extended by two additional months with two more weeks of training. The
emphasis during the extended two weeks of Black Belt training is often on learning
more
details about advanced tools such as Design of Experiments (DOE).
So where does Design of Experiments fit into Six Sigma? Six Sigma is about
understanding
and controlling the variation of key process variables known as inputs or x's in
order to
obtain improved results on project outputs or y's. In Design of Experiment terms
these
inputs or x's are often referred to as factors and the outputs are referred to as
responses. In
nearly all Six Sigma projects the relationship of the project y's takes on the form of
y=f(x1,x2,...xn). Wait a minute, isn't this what Design of Experiments is all about?
Of course,
for almost 100 years Design of Experiments has been proven to be one of the best
known
methods for validating and discovering relationships between responses and
factors. In Six
Sigma terms it is discovering the relationship between outputs called y's and inputs
called x's.
Today's Six Sigma Belts are primarily taught to focus their use of Design of
Experiments in
the Improve phase of DMAIC and the Optimize phase of IDOV. For DMAIC Six Sigma
training the most common experimental designs taught are factorial and fractional
factorial
designs. Some curriculums introduce response surface designs and optimization
designs at a
high level. DFSS includes the experimental designs taught in all levels of DMAIC
training
and often expands to include the concept of robust designs. As an alternative to the
classical
approach, there are also a number of consulting companies teaching Taguchi
designs as the
preferred method for robust design.
Final Remarks
Six Sigma looks as though it is here to stay and even in today's slow economy one
of the few
areas where there still are a number of new positions. The Six Sigma process is a
great step
toward creating learning organizations with its well-defined roadmaps and
management
structure. As with most new methodologies Six Sigma will mature and grow as it
expands
into new areas such as DFSS. As Six Sigma professionals learn more about the power
of
properly planned experiments, Design of Experiments will be integrated into most
phases of
the Six Sigma roadmap and not just considered an advanced tool for the
improvement and
optimization phases. Experienced practitioners of statistical methods like Design of
Experiments should learn the language of Six Sigma and help integrate new
methods into
the Six Sigma process to improve its effectiveness. Peter Peterka is the leading consultant for 6sigma.us. Peter has eleven years of
experience performing as a Master Black Belt, working with numerous companies,
including 3M, Dell, Dow, GE, HP, Intel, Motorola, Seagate, and Xerox. You can signup
for Peter's Six Sigma Certification at 6sigma.us.
How to Get Rid of New Sobig.F Virus?
As you know, this time the virus under the name Sobig.F has
wreaked quite havoc! No doubt, many of us have suffered from
this recent virus outbreak.
Diets May Have Long Term Side Effects...Do You Know What They Are?
Okay, so we've put up with no taste, awful after-taste, poor color, and cardboard textured foods to lose weight and get healthy, but now there is a new way to l...
Tayberry Jam
The taste of Summer, bursting with flavour and anti-oxidant effects. Tayberries are a Raspberry / Blackberry cross that combines the best of both. Big, succulen...
One of The Main Reasons Why Relationships Fall Apart
If you think that your relationship with your friends, relatives, co-workers, family and spouse is important, you need to read this article.
Carly Patterson: What Makes A Champion?
Carly Patterson, 2004 Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medallist bio
How to Organize a Seminar or an Event
If you want to know how to organize a seminar or an event you'll learn the basics in this article. Such things as Establishing the theme of the event, Selecting...
Do You Mind If Someone Screams At You?
A headhunter was on the other end of the phone. He was looking for an assistant to a CEO/Owner for a small, but very successful business. Essentially, he wanted...
The Top 10 E-Commerce Ways to Follow up with Clients - Part 2
The biggest mistake we make is not following up with our clients regularly. We not only lose the chance to offer other services and products, we lose the chance...
5 Ways to Deal With ADHD
With an increasing number of our youths suffering ADHD, stress syndromes, unemployment, depression, drug use, crime and higher rates of youth suicide than ever ...
Where to Look for Quick Loans
Quick loans can be just the thing if you're looking for the money that you need as quickly as possible ....
3 Rules to Making TeensTechnology Work For You
Isn't the technology of today is amazing?! Between the speed of Instant Messengers~ or IM'ing, the convince of cell phones, parenting has come a long way from ...
Living In The Now
I hope you are sitting down as you read this! You cannot begin to work on this kind of subject without addressing the subject of time itself - and when was the...
Wholesale Customer Returns: How To Find The Best Wholesale Customer Returns Deals For EBay
Wholesale customer returns can offer very high profit margins for eBay sellers.
Eucalyptus Oil for Colds and Flu
Using eucalyptus oil for colds and chest congestion is quite effective. Use it just before you go to bed by itself or with other oils to get overnight relief.
Credit Establishment 101
There will come a day when you need credit. You may want to buy a home or a car and your credit rating will become very important to help make these dreams come...
Article Queries That Sell
Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they are specifically designed to sell your articles.
How to Develop Back Links
Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional traffic to your site. There are countless sites online that want your articles. It's a win win situati...
Turning Customer Mistakes Into Raving Fans
When you make a mistake with a customer, should you write them off as lost -- never to return again?
Breast Implants and Breast Augmentation Procedures Explained
There are various breast enlargement procedures available, but silicone breast implants are still the number one favorite. In the United States alone, over 200,...
What Does A Brassia Orchid Plant And A Spider Have In Common?
Halloween is coming along with goblins dracula and spiders. See what they have in common with Brassia orchid plant
Appreciation Attracts Prosperity
Did you know that appreciation is one of the most powerful forces in the Universe for manifesting and attracting prosperity? According to teachers like L. Ron H...
10 Tips For Creating Wealth From the Stock Market
1. Do not spread your money too thin. My friend has a little over $200,000 invested in the stock market through 27 different Mutual funds. In my opinion, 27 Mut...
Where Did We Get Clocks From Anyway?
A clock is simply a device that measures time. Typical clocks have faces and hands. The long hand measures time in minutes while the short hand in hours. Clocks...
Talk Your Child Clever
Most parents can hardly wait for their baby to say its first word. This usually happens between the nine months and a year. From about two years, the child shou...
|
Print this page