Understand the Six Sigma principle
Six Sigma is one of the major buzzwords in the corporate world and the implementation of Six Sigma in the respective organizations has become the priority for quality controllers and QADs (Quality Assurance Departments) in these organizations. What exactly does Six Sigma mean and what are the benefits that its implementation brings? In statistical terminology, Six Sigma refers to “six” standard deviations from the mean and indicates the margin of error when inspecting the goods or services produced by an organization.
What this principle means is that there can be a tolerance of around two defects per billion samples. In simple language, this means that a manufacturing process cannot go beyond producing more than two defects per billion products manufactured. While this may seem impossible to achieve in practice, it is a feat that many organizations have accomplished. The reason why this principle has captured the imagination of quality controllers is because if this principle is successfully implemented, it is the closest the organization can get to perfection in its processes.
As the debate continues over whether there can be error-free manufacturing or error-free software, many organizations look to this principle to help them in their efforts to make their processes error-free. This is a concept that was originally developed by Motorola in 1987 and has since been applied to almost all types of manufacturing and service industries. As a quality concept, this principle points to the highest standards of excellence in processes.
People who implement Six Sigma are classified as Black Belts, Green Belts, and Master Black Belts. Let’s see what each of these terms means. The green belt is a person or player who is a member of the Six Sigma process improvement team and is trained in the Six Sigma methodology. This is the basic level to which all potential Six Sigma practitioners aspire.
The Black Belt is a leader in the implementation methodology for process improvement and is someone who can act as a guide for process improvement teams. These Black Belts also advise management on how to implement the Six Sigma methodology. This is the intermediate level you get after earning the Green Belt and it is not uncommon to find people certified as Black Belts in management positions.
Finally, the highest level is the Master Black Belt. The person who has achieved this status acts as a Program Manager or Director and leads the Six Sigma implementation effort in the organization. He or she verifies compliance with all processes and is the one Black Belts turn to for advice and guidance in implementing the Six Sigma effort.
A Six Sigma certification is indeed a crowning achievement for companies that want to be leaders in their industries and set higher benchmarks for process excellence. It is with this vision that the Six Sigma methodology has been adopted in the business world.