Is Six Sigma Dead? October 2011 Quality Progress Article Headline

[wmarhel]

Is Six Sigma dead? I would say, "No". Has it been greatly marginalized, "Absolutely". In my opinion, the cause for the marginalization has largely been due to the lack of rigor in many of the training opportunities out there. There was such a demand for people wanting to put "Six Sigma" on their resumes that we've seen the methodology go from a six non-consecutive week program with a strong emphasis on a statistically driven process; down to offering consisting of two- and three-week programs with some lean methods thrown in to be able to add more fluff with the "Lean Six Sigma" moniker. It is simple supply and demand. There was a demand, so some entities were willing to offer a "quick fix" without regard for the quality of the training.

It is a shame really since the methodology does work when applied in a diligent manner. However, some of the so claimed Black Belt projects I've seen today wouldn't have passed muster as a Green Belt project back in the 90's when I went through the training the first time. It is a shame really.

As I've conducted interviews on new hires for manufacturing/industrial engineering and even quality roles, and I talk about the candidates past projects, there seems to be little substance more often than not. I even had a candidate tell me that their Black Belt project revolved around setting up kanban for a work cell. Should a few hours worth of work really constitute a Black Belt level project? Not in my opinion.

Are there good Six Sigma practicioners out? Yes. Unfortunately, their ability to add value to a hiring organization has become hampered since they are surrounded by so many others claiming the same skills. Perhaps someone will create the "Six Sigma Grand Poobah" certification. Maybe even extend the Black Belt to include "Degrees of Freedom" (i.e. Black Belt 3rd DOF) in order to identify one's ability to the unwashed/untrained masses. Needless to say, I don't think I'd want the waistline necessary to hold up that belt.

One bet I am willing to take, is that someone will figure out how to re-package the methodology and create a whole new generation of people willing to jump on a bandwagon.

Wayne

 

[Jim Wynne]

Was SS ever really alive to begin with? I don't think so. There is absolutely no surprise in the fact that people are starting to slowly back away. The irony is that if American management had paid attention to Deming, et al in the first place, SS would never have existed at all.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. You can't take a complex set of "tools" and drop them in the middle of the production floor and walk away. A culture has to be established, and people need to be trained beyond learning how to enter data in Minitab. Pick 100 SS black belts at random from the population and see how many of them, given a calculator and 50 numbers, can calculate the standard deviation. This dearth of understanding of the numbers isn't necessarily the fault of the belted ones; they've been told, by and large, that they don't need to understand what's behind the curtain.

We've all heard the grandiose claims of millions of dollars saved by use of SS methodology, but no one ever seems to know where all that money actually is. When top managers at companies who've jumped on the SS bandwagon begin to realize that they're still losing money SS will become a convenient scapegoat, and that's when the big exodus will begin.

We have always been at war with Eurasia.

 

[Ka Pilo]

I think some quality folks are simply being politicians there.

Political claims are difficult to categorize as either being effective, ineffective, value-added, non-value-added, waste, usefull toll. They simply are political.

 

[Jim Wynne]

I think some quality folks are simply being politicians there.

Political claims are difficult to categorize as either being effective, ineffective, value-added, non-value-added, waste, usefull toll. They simply are political.

Two from George Orwell's Politics and the English Language:

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity.

Political language. . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

There you have American management in a nutshell and a clue as to the reasons for SS being stillborn.

 

[TShepherd]

In my humble opinion Six Sigma will never completely die a rational death, (and shouldn't - peoples livelyhood depends upon the empire that has been built) however I would expect that it will be Pruned (some things removed) & Fertilized (Some things added) and renamed afterwhich Gurus will appear to show the ignorant masses the light to better quality, higher through-put, on-time delivery and lower costs. Impires will be built and successes will be documented and time moves on.

I once took a arisol spray can and put a new label on it - on the label was every quality guru that I could think of at that time from Juran to Crosby to Deming to Shainin to Shainin's kid and so on and listed as many tools that I either knew or heard of - and Presented it to the Corporate Quality Council of an OEM and said all they needed now was this concoction - rid themselves of those pesky Quality people - that the Silver Bullet was in hand. Millions of dollars would be saved for the good of the organization and society in general.


The directions were simple (Spray lighty over organization for small problems and spray alot on the big problems).

This may sound jaded, and it is - I personaly believe that a little common sense, good engineering skills, and people with the desire to make things better - will. if they choose a process or develop a process based on the available knowledge - they will be successful.

Tom

 

[AdamP]

Nice thread to read as a (long term) lean and Six Sigma guy.

If you actually read the article in QP, it's about diagnosing your SS program and working to repair whatever is ailing so you and it do not fall by the wayside, as the headline would entice us.

So the headline has some relation to what I have seen in 3 separate industries and large programs. IMHO, six sigma and a number of other programs have fallen prey to the 'shiny object' syndrome, where management may not express it, but want a wand to wave at a problem - hence the comment about the tools dropped on the floor.

There is no magic wand. There is only smart thinking and hard, diligent work.

Six Sigma is not a quality system - it's an improvement methodology. But since consultants sell it, it has become branded as something else. And here I have to hypothesize: Job seekers and recruiters have also bent Six Sigma to suit their respective desires, so now my best pal who has a solid career in QM can't get an interview because he is not BB certified. Hooey.

It's not dead but it has been manipulated over the past bunch of years and has been marginalized to the point where selling the potential of a rigorous improvement approach is a real pain. The methods and tools work as most folks here already know. The *magic* is in building the culture that uses and demands improvement - tough stuff.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Geoff Withnell]

I dare not ask my top managers what works in their view. Some things are better left unsaid. It's enough that we've halved our QA department (along with the rest of the site's work force) and I can't get an answer when I wonder who is responsible for our SPC, MSA and FMEA programs now that our TS audit is coming up next week.

If I go farther I may say something ugly. But I want to end this day on a good note and a positive feeling; after all, I fixed my boss's Calibration web site today and installed a web form so in-house calibration records could be automatically sent to the calibration supplier - and he doesn't have to handle all that email traffic now that we have downsized out Calibration Technician. But oh, we're going to save so much money!

"You dare not ask..." What, do they live in some ivory tower, isolated from reality? Or I should say from the running of the company? They should be TELLING you what they think, so you know how they want things run. If you have good reason to disagree, you should be telling them. Of course, to accomplish any real communication we would have to drive out fear... On both sides!

Geoff Withnell

 

[Ninja]

... it has become branded as something else.

IMO, Adam has (as typical) put his finger right on it. From what I see, it is the 'brand name' dying, not the methodology. The tools and approach remain for those who know how or figure out how to use them effectively.

Concepts that work don't die...only the labels. Then the most useful parts of those concepts become repackaged with some other fluffy {shiny?} stuff under a different brand name.

 

[bobdoering]

Six Sigma is pretty much a set of tools. Most sets of tools don't die....they just rust away from lack of use.

 

[Bev D]

OK that was funny! I blew wine thru my nose...Bob you owe me a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir.