Six sigma is a methodology for continuous improvement and creating high quality products and processes. It uses statistical tools arranged in a unique way to measure process capability and reduce defects. The term "six sigma" refers to a process capable of producing only 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Motorola invented six sigma in the late 1970s and GE popularized it in the 1990s by making green belt certification a requirement for management promotions. Six sigma follows the DMAIC model of define, measure, analyze, improve, and control for process improvements using change management and statistical analysis techniques.

1. Six sigma
Orientation

2. expectations
• What is Quality?
• Know Six Sigma
• Awareness with respect to origin
and history of Six Sigma.
• The utility and benefits
• Introduction to Six Sigma as
methodology
• The Six Sigma organization

3. What is Quality?

4. Evolution of Quality
Historically
Proactive Quality
“Create process that will produce
less or no defects”
Contemporary
Reactive Quality
Quality Checks (QC) - Taking the
defectives out of what is produced

5. Segments in Quality
Methodologies Standards Capability Models
•Six Sigma
•Lean
•ISO 9000, ISO
14000 etc.
•COPC
•Malcolm Baldrige
•eSCM
•CMM
•CMMI
Scientific way
to improve
capability?
Sharing
Benchmarked
practices-
“Standardizing”
Best practices
to build
capability

6. What is Six Sigma?
• It is a methodology for continuous improvement
• It is a methodology for creating products/ processes that perform at high
standards
• It is a set of statistical and other quality tools arranged in unique way
• It is a way of knowing where you are and where you could be!
• It is a Quality Philosophy and a management technique
Six Sigma is not:
• A standard
• A certification
• Another metric like percentage

7. • The term “sigma” is used to designate the distribution or spread about the
mean (average) of any process or procedure.
• For a process, the sigma capability (z-value) is a metric that indicates how well
that process is performing. The higher the sigma capability, the better. Sigma
capability measures the capability of the process to produce defect-free
outputs. A defect is anything that results in customer dissatisfaction.
Two Meanings of Sigma

8. Path to Six Sigma
4 Sigma 6,210 Defects
2 Sigma 308,537 Defects
3 Sigma 66,807 Defects
5 Sigma 233 Defects
6 Sigma 3.4 Defects
Sigma levels and
Defects per million
opportunities
(DPMO)

9. What it means to be @ Six Sigma
Is 99% (3.8σ) good enough? 99.99966% Good – At 6σ
20,000 lost mails per hour 7 lost mails per hour
Unsafe drinking water almost 15
minutes each day
One minute of unsafe drinking
water every seven months
5,000 incorrect surgical
operations per week
1.7 incorrect surgical operations
per week
2 short or long landings at most
major airports daily
One short or long landing at major
airports every five years
200,000 wrong drug prescriptions
each year
68 wrong drug prescriptions each
year

10. • The term “Six Sigma” was coined by Bill Smith, an engineer with Motorola
• Late 1970s - Motorola started experimenting with problem solving through
statistical analysis
• 1987 - Motorola officially launched it’s Six Sigma program
Origin of Six Sigma
MotorolaMotorola
the company that invented Six Sigmathe company that invented Six Sigma
MotorolaMotorola
the company that invented Six Sigmathe company that invented Six Sigma

11. • Jack Welch launched Six Sigma at GE in Jan,1996
• 1998/99 - Green Belt exam certification became the criteria for management
promotions
• 2002/03 - Green Belt certification became the criteria for promotion to
management roles
The Growth of Six Sigma
GEGE
the company that perfected Six Sigmathe company that perfected Six Sigma
GEGE
the company that perfected Six Sigmathe company that perfected Six Sigma

12. The GE model for process improvements
The Growth of Six Sigma
DefineDefine MeasureMeasure AnalyzeAnalyze ImproveImprove ControlControl
Combination of change management & statistical analysis

13. The Growth of Six Sigma