Page 34 - Six Sigma Advanced Tools for Black Belts and Master Black Belts

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2

A Strategic Assessment

of Six Sigma

T. N. Goh

Six Sigma as a quality improvement framework has been gaining considerable at-
tention in recent years. The hyperbole that often accompanies the presentation and
adoption of Six Sigma in industry can lead to unrealistic expectations as to what Six
Sigma is truly capable of achieving. In this chapter, some strategic perspectives on
the subject are presented, highlighting the potential and possible limitations of Six
Sigma applications particularly in a knowledge-based environment. Without delving
into the mechanics of the subject in detail, the points raised could be useful to those
deliberating on the appropriateness of Six Sigma to their respective organizations.

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Six Sigma as a systematic framework for quality improvement and business excellence
has been popular for more than a decade. With its high-profile adoption by compa-
nies such as General Electric in the mid-1990s, Six Sigma spread like wild fire in the
following years. Detailed accounts of the concepts and evolution of Six Sigma have ap-
peared in several recent issues of Quality Progress 1−3 and Quality Engineering. 4,5 More
recently, some comprehensive discussions on the training of Six Sigma professionals
6
have also been carried in the Journal of Quality Technology. Books (in English) on Six
Sigma multiplied rapidly, from a handful before 1999, 7−10 about four in 1999, 11−14 to
about a dozen in 2000, 15−25 and even more after that, 26−46 not counting the myriad of
variations in the form of training kits, instructor’s manuals, audio and visual tapes
and CDs. The exponential growth of the number of Six Sigma titles is depicted in
Figure 2.1.

Six Sigma: Advanced Tools for Black Belts and Master Black Belts L. C. Tang, T. N. Goh, H. S. Yam and T. Yoap
C 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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