Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a quality management method that helps organizations improve the way they work by identifying and reducing mistakes or defects in their processes. It’s a way to make sure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently, so that customers are happy and the organization can save time and money.

The goal of Six Sigma is to reduce the number of defects or mistakes in a process to as close to zero as possible. To do this, Six Sigma uses a systematic and data-driven approach to identify problems and find ways to fix them.

The Six Sigma approach has five main steps:

1. Define: Identify the problem and set a goal for improving it.
2. Measure: Collect data to understand the current performance of the process.
3. Analyze: Use statistics and other tools to figure out the root cause of the problem.
4. Improve: Develop and implement solutions to fix the problem.
5. Control: Put in place a system to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

For example, let’s say a restaurant is having trouble with long wait times for customers. Using the Six Sigma method, the restaurant would first define the problem as long wait times and set a goal to reduce them. They would then measure the wait times by collecting data on how long customers wait to be seated. Next, they would analyze the data to find out what’s causing the long wait times (maybe the kitchen is slow, or there aren’t enough servers). Then, they would come up with solutions to fix the problem, like hiring more staff or re-organizing the kitchen. Finally, they would put controls in place to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again, like regularly monitoring wait times and making adjustments as needed.

In summary, Six Sigma is a method that helps organizations improve by identifying and fixing problems in their processes. It’s a systematic and data-driven approach that involves five steps: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. It helps to make sure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently and it’s easy to understand by beginners.

Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement Blogs

• 5S Factory Makeover.
• Kanban explained in 60 seconds. 
• Lean Kaizen DMAIC Six Sigma.
• Lean Manufacturing – Lean Factory Tour.
• Mapping a Value Stream to a Kanban Board. 
• MIT 16.660 Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Methods. Hour video.
• Process Improvement: Six Sigma & Kaizen Methodologies.
• The Bullwhip Effect 101.
• The Toyota Way To Lean Leadership – Keynote talk by Jeffrey Liker. 60 min video.
• VIDEO: Toyota Kaizen

Continuous Improvement Quotes

• “Observing many companies in action, I am unable to point to a single instance in which stunning results were gotten without the active and personal leadership of the upper managers.” ~ Joseph M. Juran
• “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
• “Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change.” ~ Tom Peters
• “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” ~ Jack Welch, former CEO of GE.  
• “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” ~ Colin Powell
• “A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation.” ~ Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel.
• “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ~ Albert Einstein
• “Improvement usually means doing something that we have never done before.” ~ Shigeo Shingo
• “The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.” ~Michael Porter
• “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” ~ Bill Gates
• “The system is that there is no system. That doesn’t mean we don’t have process. Apple is a very disciplined company, and we have great processes. But that’s not what it’s about. Process makes you more efficient.” ~ Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple.
• “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” ~ Sam Walton, former CEO of Walmart.