Can anyone define what Six Sigma really is?

[J Oliphant]

Our company is still very much into the mode of building enthusiasm for six sigma, and sometimes it leads to a lot of confusion on just what it is.

for example,
A coworker (he's quite involved with six sigma) and I were reviewing some process instructions, and we were thinking about some changes that may save time/and money in them. When we were done I joked that if we would have submitted them to six sigma we could have spent alot more time and resources finding a few obvious changes that reduced the process change. He then said with genuine seriousness that we had applied six sigma. and proved how it cost efficient it really is.

But that confusing, we had done no DOE, no statistical study, or FMEA. we didn't have a charter, or a champion. How could this be six sigma?
Six sigma, he said was about using the best tools to economically optimize a process.

To my curiousity he is always promoting the idea, that I don't need six sigma training. We always have been doing six sigma and that its more of an administrative way to calculate cost impovements and that the belts are more about the managerial responseability to coordinate significant cost savings.

Indeed, quoted in our own newletter is a story of a lady who used six sigma to plan her wedding. What she means as you understand when you read further is that she planned for things that might go wrong or cost a lot of wasted money. So now six sigma becomes the buzzword describing all brainstorming, analysis and statistics??

Even the very title seems a little arbitrary. Hopefully in a few days I will have the joy of explaning what a CQE is to my boss. But my 6 sigma friend predicts it will mean very little. 'You are not a 6 sigma belt and you merely showed you have learned a few more statistical tools then others.'
So I do six sigma everytime I analyze something for cost savings but fail to truly show mastery of the topic, even as I become a CQE.

If all projects that use six sigma techniques aren't 'Six sigma projects', Are all projects done by a black belt then 'Six sigma projects' even if they don't use the tools successfully (I saw this as well).

The overall impression becomes that six sigma is a stamp that management gives you when it feels you can manage projects. And its a buzz-word that they want everybody to use for improving things (even if they didn't do very much).

[J Oliphant]

ok. I figured there has been some lively discussion about the value of six sigma.

But what is new to me, is my friends assertion that a simple brainstorming/ problem-solving session is six sigma. those of you that think six sigma all is rubbish, probably would agree with him.

But to the six sigma loyals, Do you agree? Does six sigma all of the deserve the recognition of all process improvement? Is there a valid reason to promote this idea that six sigma is any problemsolving that leads to cost savings? What does six sigma uniquely offer (Advanced DOE for hard problem, management support, a management system for cost saving problems...)?

What makes a project A Six Sigma project? A charter, A black belt performing it, A team, A few documents concluding what could very well be obvious. Does (should) black belts neccesarily need to use tools or teams to truly complete a six sigma project? Or if my friend (instead of I) had done the same review of process changes that had lead to some savings, should the $$$ saved and recognition been credited to 'six sigma'?

Do you think people don't sometimes use the unique tools that is 'six sigma' because they are complex or difficult to explain? Understandably this could yet be a subjective question, but I am interested to know if its intentional to make six sigma seem simple, all inconclusive, and maybe a little non-value added. I wonder too what the six sigma champions are hoping for -employers praising six sigma's contributions to birthdays and retirements? Everybody doing 'six sigma' (read problem-solving/cost savings) in their job and a few belts managing them with martial skill? Just the attention and support of top management so that finally all the problems that wouldn't go away when TQM or ISO 9000 was the quality craze.

It all makes me wonder, whether SSBB would be truly added value as next training after the CQE (as some has implied on another thread).

[Govind]

J.Oliphant,
If you get a chance, read a book called " The power of Six sigma" by Subir Chowdhury. This is will answer most of your question in very basic terms. No lengthy formula, No huge table, No complex diagrams or anything. A story type narration of power of Six sigma. Slightly over 100 pages. You could just finish in a short air travel.
Answers to all your questions are already in various postings of this forum. But I would also strongly recommend reading this inexpensive book to get answer all your questions.
Regards,
Govind.

[KMAAA]

J Oli,

You do have quite a few questions, many of them very good. Rather than look to the board here to enlighten you perhaps you need to do some homework & self study on the topic. Quick sound-bite discussions pale in comparison to the physical act of study & reflection. One thing you can conclude from previous discussions is that you'll get primarily a one-sided response...and that's healthy as long as there is additional discussion to balance them out. There actually is another side, but they prefer to respond privately rather than voice their thoughts in threads.

Some of the nuts & bolts can be reviewed at http://www.isixsigma.com/me/

[Bill Pflanz]

Originally Posted by Govind

J.Oliphant,
If you get a chance, read a book called " The power of Six sigma" by Subir Chowdhury. This is will answer most of your question in very basic terms. No lengthy formula, No huge table, No complex diagrams or anything. A story type narration of power of Six sigma. Slightly over 100 pages. You could just finish in a short air travel.
Answers to all your questions are already in various postings of this forum. But I would also strongly recommend reading this inexpensive book to get answer all your questions.
Regards,
Govind.

Govind,

I happen to be reading Chowdhury's sequel book called Design for Six Sigma. It is entertaining but not necessarily useful if you are trying to learn implementation. This book uses the same major characters from his first book but has the central character in a new business where coffee is $4, all the help has their dream job, and all the customers are thrilled to spend the money because of Six Sigma.

Terms like brainstorming, FMEA, problem solving etc. are thrown in occasionally with no explanation of what they are or how to use them. I don't mean to be critical, I just wanted to note that Chowdhury's books are not meant to be used as a how-to manual. Mr. Oliphant seems to be looking for more detail rather than being sold on the concept.

I also spent a little time on the iSixSigma Forum. My random sample of the threads makes me realize how civilized the participants are in the Cove. In that forum you better have a thick skin.

Bill Pflanz

[Steve Prevette]

I don't want to invoke the displeasure of KMAAA, so I will stick to a literal response to "what is six sigma".

In the beginning . . . Motorola was making electronic components and was having failures. The question was - how much work was needed on improvement? When are you "good enough". The theory was, if you keep improving the process until the centerline of the data is six standard deviations away from the specifications for the part, then this is the optimal place to be. Basically a Cpk of 2. That's it.

[Wes Bucey]

Originally Posted by Bill Pflanz

Govind,

I happen to be reading Chowdhury's sequel book called Design for Six Sigma. It is entertaining but not necessarily useful if you are trying to learn implementation. This book uses the same major characters from his first book but has the central character in a new business where coffee is $4, all the help has their dream job, and all the customers are thrilled to spend the money because of Six Sigma.

Terms like brainstorming, FMEA, problem solving etc. are thrown in occasionally with no explanation of what they are or how to use them. I don't mean to be critical, I just wanted to note that Chowdhury's books are not meant to be used as a how-to manual. Mr. Oliphant seems to be looking for more detail rather than being sold on the concept.

I also spent a little time on the iSixSigma Forum. My random sample of the threads makes me realize how civilized the participants are in the Cove. In that forum you better have a thick skin.

Bill Pflanz

Just to show I'm not a complete churl - here's an interesting article about a trend toward divorcing BIG 6S (the kind Steve Prevette and I decry) from "common sense" 6S (which we both might willingly embrace) - The quote is just an excerpt; the complete article can be found at Inside Quality:

From Inside Quality:“The traditional Six Sigma Black Belt implementation approach can require millions of dollars in investment, dedication of a firm's best full-time resources and lengthy training. This top-down approach is a major obstacle for small and mid-sized companies, but it doesn't need to be. There is an alternative Six Sigma deployment model called the "Six Steps to Lean Six Sigma." Originally pioneered by Motorola, it allows small and mid-sized organizations to implement the methodology without the significant resource commitment and overhead structure of the Black Belt approach."

[Bill Pflanz]

I am considering writing a fictional account about a quality engineer who applies Six Sigma to the Placebo Effect Theory of Quality. Since any tool will work to show that the change may or may not have an effect, it should be easy to understand for any layman.

My working title is Sick Sigma Tools for Quality Hypochondriacs. Could be a best seller and I can finally retire.

Bill Pflanz