Six Sigma Training - Why and How

Author: Gary Preston

Source: articleage.com



Although Six Sigma sounds like a distant star in a galaxy far, far away, the term is very easy to explain, once you, quality, quality control, control, know sigma is the character in the Greek alphabet that is used in mathematical statistics to identify a standard deviation. A standard deviation is defined by how tightly the various outputs of a process are clustered around the mean in a set of data. In other words, how divergent the outputs are from the statistical average. In statistical terms, Six Sigma means that if there were 1 million opportunities for a defect (defined as anything outside of customer specifications) to occur, no more than 3.4 defects would be permitted, so that the quality of the output is near perfect. As such Six Sigma is seen as the ultimate goal, quality control, in achieving almost immaculate processes through, quality control, continual improvement.
Six Sigma achieves this by implementing a disciplined, data driven methodology for eliminating defects in any process, from the manufacture of a product to after sale customer service. It focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects using the following two Six Sigma sub-methodologies:
The Six Sigma DMAIC process (define, measure, analyse, improve, control), the most common Six Sigma improvement tool, which focuses on ensuring the improvement is clearly defined and measured and is used for existing, quality control, processes that have fallen below customer specifications and require incremental, quality control, improvement. Data is analysed to identify problems and the improvement is consolidated through process controls.
The Six Sigma DMADV process (define, measure, analyse, design, verify), which is an improvement system used to develop new products or processes to Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if the current process needs more than just incremental improvement.
Both Six Sigma processes, which can be easily calculated using a Six Sigma calculator, are executed by Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts, and are overseen by Six Sigma Master Black Belts. Each Member of the Six Sigma team is given key responsibilities for analysing information that will have an impact on improving processes and customer satisfaction.
The question you'll be asking now is how much benefit Six Sigma training can give your company. Well, in classic Six Sigma style, just have a look at the data. General Electric, one of the most successful companies to implement Six Sigma training, estimated that it has benefited the company a staggering $10 billion in the five years after implementation. And the Six Sigma Academy estimates that the approximate saving Black Belts give companies is $230,000 per project, of which between four and six can be completed per year. Organisations, quality control, such as Motorola, who initiated Six Sigma training in 1987 and won the Malcolm Baldrige quality prize for it, ABB, Honeywell and Allied Signal will be happy to attest to this.
Perhaps one of the most critical reasons why Six Sigma has had such tremendous success lies in one of its, quality control, most distinctive differences from other quality management systems: the extent to which it is inextricably linked to business finances. No matter the project at hand, the financial benefits are quantified and used to help prioritise the various stages of improvement. These are then re-evaluated during the analysis phase to ensure, quality control, that the cost of the improvements will be supported by its overall benefit to the company. And the financial benefits are verified once again at the end of the project. Such a, quality control, rigorous procedure, quality control, also has the, quality control, benefit of including all sections, quality control, of the company in the Six Sigma training, because all are naturally linked to the company's finances.
Which Six Sigma Training Company is right for your you?
Now that you know what Six Sigma training involves and the reasons why your company should consider employing it, the final question is how to find the right consultant for your company, quality control, . Well, the first thing is to define what you want to achieve by implementing Six Sigma, and whether you want it implemented right across the company or only in selected areas. This decision should not be made by you alone, but in conference with other company employees, because implementation should be given the highest priority and support if it is to go ahead.
Once you have established the benefits of implementing Six Sigma and got approval for it from your colleagues,, quality control, you should seek references from your peers in other companies about how their Six Sigma training was handled, quality control, . Six Sigma is very much a people, quality control, business, so it is also important to speak to some of the Black Belts or managers, quality control, of any shortlisted Six Sigma companies to see if you click with them and they have the required level of experience. The level of experience they have of working in your field isn't necessarily that, quality control, relevant compared to the level of mutual understanding and their aptitude as trainers, because good training means your colleagues will have skills that are transferable to other industries. Also, consider the breadth of service being offered. Will the people who start out training you still be there at the end? Do they have their own training materials? Will there be a help desk for employees to call after the training has been completed to ask about any Six Sigma problems that may arise in the future?
Finally, once you have made sure you know the number of defects the process,, quality control, quality control, is currently producing and establish the number you will be satisfied with at the end of the project, you are in a position to start the process of finding the best Six Sigma trainer for your company. The best of luck!
This article has been provided the the UK's ApprovedIndex. Visit: http://www.approvedindex.co.uk

Six Sigma Tools For Process Control

Author: Chris Anderson

Source: isnare.com



Part 4 of a Four-Part Series
Part,, quality control, quality control, One: http://www.bizmanualz.com/articles/02-08-05_Process_Improvement.html?src=ART83

Part Two: http://www.bizmanualz.com/articles/02-14-05_Core_Processes, quality control, .html?src=ART84

Part Three: http://www.bizmanualz.com/articles/02-16-05_Process_Mapping.html?src=ART85


Aim for perfection.

That's a pretty lofty concept. It's definitely not easy - especially when speaking of core business processes. Moving toward perfection requires measurement, analysis and documentation. And if you really want perfection, then you need more sophisticated, quality control, tools. But is driving toward that ideal of perfection worth the effort?

If you want to increase quality and dramatically save costs in production, then, yes, the road to perfection is definitely worth the driving time.

Forward Steps, Quality and Processes

Last time, we discussed process mapping, quality control, to increase communication and understanding within an organization and to effectively develop a system of procedures. Now, let's take a forward step, and look at how, quality control, Six Sigma tools can decrease variability and increase, quality control, quality in your processes.

Six Sigma, Pyramids and Systems

The Six Sigma methodology is an advanced set of tools designed for problem-solving and quality improvement. A 'sigma' refers to the standard deviation from the mean of a population. Standard deviation indicates the likelihood that your next data point will deviate from the mean of the, quality control, data set.

At the bottom of the Six Sigma pyramid begins a system's current process capability, quality control, . Usually at 1 or 2 Sigma levels is "tribal" knowledge based, quality control, on first-time experiences. An organization moves up the pyramid to 3 Sigma as systems are put in place., quality control, To hit 4 Sigma, statistics and modeling tools are used for significant process improvement. And, finally, to aim for that near perfection, organizations apply DFSS, or Design for Six Sigma.

Why?

Measurement, Analysis and Documentation

Why do (and should) organizations, quality control, use these concepts to move up the pyramid and toward quality improvement? Why is it necessary to measure, analyze and document processes - and, if needed, make those desired, quality control, changes? Why drive toward perfection, and what does it mean in real terms?

If your current process capability runs at 1 Sigma, then that effectively means you have two defects (unusable products) out of every 3 parts. That means 67% of your costs simply become waste, with no return on your investment. At 2 Sigma, quality improves with 1 out of 3 parts as defects. But that still has an error rate of 33%. Not until 3 and then 4 Sigma levels will you see dramatic improvements. Put in these terms, you quickly see how such errors keep you from realizing a greater potential.

Transactions, Multiple Steps and Tolerance

Organizations most effectively utilize Six Sigma methodology in two situations. One, if a business works with a very high volume of transactions per year, then they can not tolerate low sigma levels. For example, a 99% effective rate for 1 billion transactions per year still yields 10 million defects. In any industry, that is not acceptable.

Another situation that calls for Six Sigma methodology is when an organization (i.e. manufacturing) has processes with multiple steps. Here total error rate is critical. For example, the effective rate is 99% for each step; however, that does NOT give the total error rate as 1%, quality control, . You must take the 99% for the first step and multiply it by 99% for the second step, the third step, and so on. With a great number of steps, your total effective rate could significantly decrease. So, to avoid high volatility, this organization can not tolerate low sigma levels.

Organizations can also determine error rate by effectively reversing the typical process of Six Sigma. You can calculate the mean and variance in your process to define the error, quality control, rate. This tells you where you are currently on the Six Sigma curve. For example, if your calculation tells you that you're on a 1 or 2 sigma level, then this is an area, quality control, in need of improvement. This gives you an opportunity to look at the data more carefully, take the mean and variance of each step of the process, and determine in which step the process is having problems. Or it could tell if you there are many steps causing the problems and, thus, the cumulative increase in error rate.

Processes, Procedures and Control

Organizations use the Six Sigma methodology, because you can't get any higher than 2 Sigma ("tribal" or basic knowledge), quality control, without putting strong processes and procedures in place. And without strong processes and procedures, you can not move toward higher quality and system optimization - toward perfection. Are you really satisfied with 67% of your product lost as waste? Are you, quality control, satisfied with such high variability in your system?

Problems, Resources and Results

If needed, you can change your process to reduce or eliminate this variability or error. Six Sigma methodology tells you when to take action to solve a problem. It moves an organization, quality control, to consistently meet the requirements and minimize the resources used in its management system. And it creates the desired results for which the system, quality control, was designed.

Systems, Control and Perfection

Remember, though, you can only get to 3 or 4 sigma by developing a system of policies and procedures of measurement, analysis and documentation. And with this you will easily see that reducing your error rate and moving toward perfection with Six Sigma tools is well worth the driving time - and, more, crucial to your system's control.