Dr. Project: Six Sigma

 

Not sure what the big hype is with the Six Sigma process that has been around for many years. My upper management acts as if they have just now heard of it and it's the next best thing to apple pie. My question: Is this becoming popular again and something we should be considering as a tool for productivity gains? Should we be investing money to training some of our employees to be black belts? I will admit it is getting harder to come up with productivity improvements that equate to any number of dollers. Low lying fruit and the overall business has been harvested for many years. It's getting harder and harder to come up with ways to identify new areas to save money; can Six Sigma help?

Thanks, I look forward to your opinion.

Dan

Dear Dan,

Hiiyaaa! Although this is not an article on Six Sigma, before I dive into your question, I want to review the Six Sigma Methodology for the general patient in the waiting room. According to http://www.isixsigma.com/, "Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects." Statistically speaking, a Six Sigma quality process represents no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. An opportunity is defined as a chance for non-conformance, or not meeting the required specifications. The Six Sigma DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is used for existing …

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