Quality Management
Programs
November 19 2013
It is hard to clearly define Six Sigma because it is a lot of different things and it has had many different meanings over time. Six Sigma is a data-driven method for achieving near perfect quality which focuses on any element of production or service, and has a strong emphasis on statistical analysis in design, manufacturing and customer-oriented activities. Six sigma states that a process cannot produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities, according to six sigma a defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications.
The objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurementbased strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction. a business process that allows companies to drastically improve their bottom line by designing and monitoring everyday business activities in ways that minimize waste and resources while increasing customer satisfaction." This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV.
(1) DMAIC process is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement. DMAIC, which is pronounced "de-may-ick," is a tool for improving an existing process. The steps can be summarized as follows.
Define: State the problem, specify the customer set, identify the goals, and outline the target process.
Measure: Decide what parameters need to be quantified, work out the best way to measure them, collect the necessary data, and carry out the measurements by experiment.
Analyze: Identify gaps between actual and goal performance, determine causes of those gaps, determine how process inputs affect outputs, and rank improvement opportunities.
Improve: Devise potential solutions, identify solutions that are easiest to implement, test hypothetical solutions, and implement actual improvements. Control: Generate a detailed