Six Sigma and its Methodologies

Six-Sigma was originated in the 19th century through a mathematical theory and it found its mainstream business through the efforts of an engineer who worked in Motorola in the 1980s. Now it is considered as one of the most sorted practices to improve customer satisfaction, six-sigma has been refined and perfected in what we see today. Without any extra efforts to the setting, the goals remain the same, to improve the business by removing the causes of errors that lead to defects in the product or service. This can be accomplished by setting up a management system that automatically identifies the error and methods to eliminate them. Those who learn six sigma, they achieve designations according to each level of accomplishment which includes Green belt, Black Belt, Master Black belt, and Champion Black belt.

Major aspects of Six Sigma

In an effort to bring the operations to Six Sigma, there are 3.4 defects for every one million opportunities and this methodology calls for continuous efforts to get the process to the point where they produce stable and predictable results. While deconstructing the manufacturing process, Six Sigma defines and explains each step of the process while searching its way to improve efficiency in business structure to improve the quality of the process and increase the bottom line profit. While going towards the end, the methodology calls for the training of the individual’s expert in six- sigma which includes beginner Green Belts and black belts and other subordinates then master black belts. The ultimate goal of the six-sigma is to improve efficiency and Motorola reported to have saved $17billion using only six-sigma methods.

Six Sigma Methodologies

In total, there are two major methodologies of Six Sigma, which are composed of five sections. DMAIC: This method is used majorly for improving existing business processes. The letters stand for:

  • Define the problem and the project goals
  • Measure the minute details of every aspect
  • Analyze data to find the root cause
  • Improve the process
  • Control how the process is done in future

DMADV: This method is used to create the new process, product, and services

  • Define the project goals
  • Measure critical components
  • Analyze the data
  • Design and test details of the process
  • Verify the design by running simulations

Another method to measure the root cause of the problem is five Whys. The method is quite simple, by simply stating the problem like; the car wouldn’t start because of which I wasn’t able to go to office today. Ask yourself the question, why the car didn’t start, because I didn’t properly maintain the car, or I need to leave early to avoid any issues, this process was first originated by Toyota.