Page 36 - Six Sigma Advanced Tools for Black Belts and Master Black Belts

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Six Sigma Features 21
is changed to give a better or optimized performance. Finally, the control phase then
ensures that the resulting gains are sustained beyond the completion of the project.
The use of statistical thinking 47 is a common thread through these phases, with
measured data providing an indispensable proxy for realities and facts. Thus, Harry
and Schroeder presented Six Sigma as ‘a disciplined method of using extremely rig-
orous data gathering and statistical analysis to pinpoint sources of errors and ways
of eliminating them’. 13 The levels of competence of personnel executing the projects
are classified or labeled as ‘Master Black Belts’, ‘Black Belts’, ‘Green Belts’ and so
on. Further Six Sigma training and implementation details are described in various
references. 4−6

2.3 SIX SIGMA FEATURES

There are several features that distinguish Six Sigma from other quality improvement
initiatives. First is the DMAIC framework, where techniques such as quality function
deployment, failure mode and effects analysis, design of experiments and statistical
process control (SPC) are integrated into a logical flow. Gone are the days when these
techniques learned and used in a disjointed manner or disconnected sequence.
The second feature is the approach advocated for Six Sigma. Implementation is
supposed to be ‘top-down’ from the CEO, rather than something promulgated by the
quality assurance people, human resources department, or at ground level by a quality
control circle. The experience of General Electric best exemplifies this approach.
Although Six Sigma has a substantial number of statistical techniques that are tradi-
tionally used in the manufacturing industry, its application is not limited to operations
in manufacturing. The use of Six Sigma in transactional or commercial situations is
actively promoted, rendering a new dimension to service sector quality in terms of
rigor of problem solving and performance improvement.
Associated with the wider scope of application is customer focus. This is empha-
sized repeatedly in Six Sigma in terms of issues that are critical to quality (CTQ);
improvements will make sense only if they are directly related to some CTQs. Thus,
in contrast to some of the inward-looking efforts of ISO or QS certification, Six Sigma
is much more sensitive to requirements for customer satisfaction.
In terms of organization, Six Sigma stresses the project-by-project feature of its
implementation; this is distinct from the valid but nebulous ‘quality is free’ concept
or ‘company-wide quality improvement’ efforts in the past. A project has a concrete
objective, a beginning and an end, and provides opportunities for planning, review
and learning. Indeed, projects are featured prominently in formal Six Sigma training
programs, something not often seen in quality-related training activities in the past.
The outcomes of Six Sigma projects are usually required to be expressed in financial
terms. This leads to a direct measure of achievement which most people understand --
not just the project members. Compared to exhortations to achieve zero defects or to do
it right the first time, in which the outcome has to be strictly black or white (success
or failure), financial bottom lines provide a much better measure of the impact of
improvements as well as a vivid calibration of progress.
Another important feature of Six Sigma is the elaborate training and certification
processes that result in Black Belts, Green Belts, and so on. This is in contrast to