Page 35 - Six Sigma Advanced Tools for Black Belts and Master Black Belts

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20 August 31, 2006 2:53 A Strategic Assessment of Six Sigma
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Figure 2.1 Growth of books (in English) on Six Sigma.

Apart from information in the print and audio-visual media, countless Web pages
also carry outlines, articles, forums and newsletters on Six Sigma. Six Sigma consulting
organizations have mushroomed, each advertising its own, albeit similar, version of
Six Sigma. In the face of what might be called the ‘Six Sigma phenomenon’, a balanced
perspective on the subject would be useful before a person or organization takes a
decision on whether ‘to Six Sigma, or not to Six Sigma’ -- that is, decides whether
to commit financial resources to the adoption of Six Sigma, and on what problems
should Six Sigma tools be used.
Six Sigma is unlikely to be a panacea for all quality ills; on the other hand, it must
possess sufficient merits for the Six Sigma phenomenon to take hold. In what follows,
the essential features of Six Sigma will be highlighted, followed by broad overviews
of the potential and limitations of Six Sigma. In particular, the relevance of Six Sigma
to a knowledge-based environment is discussed. Technical details of the subject will
not be elaborated as they are commonly available; emphasis will be placed instead on
strategic considerations.

2.2 SIX SIGMA FRAMEWORK

The practice of Six Sigma takes the form of projects conducted in phases generally
referred to recognized as define--measure--analyze--improve--control (DMAIC). After
the define phase of a project, key process characteristics are identified, studied and
benchmarked in the measure and analyze phases. Then in the improve phase a process