Information Guides-- Six Sigma
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps to focus on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services. Why "Sigma"? The word is a statistical term that measures how far a given process deviates from perfect. The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many "defects" you have in a process, you can systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to "zero defects" as possible.
There are many definitions for Six Sigma - some say it's based on metrics, some say tools and others say it's based on project management. A recent term used in this arena is lean sigma which combines the principles of six sigma with lean manufacturing techniques.
History
In the early 1980s Motorola engineers decided that the traditional quality levels -- measuring defects in thousands of opportunities -- didn't provide enough granularity. They wanted to measure the defects per million opportunities. Motorola developed this new standard and created the methodology and needed cultural change associated with it. They documented more than $16 Billion in savings as a result of their Six Sigma efforts.
Sections in this Information Guide include:
- Is it just a fad?
- Books, Journals & Web sites
- Case Studies & Associations
