1. Listen to the voice of customer before designing any product or establishing organizational processes to deliver the product or service for meeting customer needs and requirements. 2. Project Based Approach: Unlike traditional quality techniques, six sigma explicitly uses project management concepts, and applies project planning tools e.g. Gantt charts, PERT, planning trees. 3. Process Based Approach: Six sigma project helps to identify problems in organizational processes through detailed process maps identifying relationship and interdependencies between the processes. 4. Quantitative Approach: By using quantitative and statistical analysis, six sigma helps to align project goals with organizational goals by determining that which projects offer maximum benefits at lowest cost. 5. Commitment From All Organizational Levels: To create “Shared Ownership & Responsibility” and to ensure commitment from all levels, six sigma formalizes an organization structure for six sigma projects: Executive Management (also referred to as Deployment Champions) is responsible for sponsorship of six sigma project. Six Sigma Black Belts act as experts for providing guidance and coaching others about the six sigma philosophy. Six Sigma Green Belts serve as a liaison between the Black Belts and the project team. They perform the operations required for the six sigma project and work with the project team to ensure that appropriate deliverables are met. Project team executes the actual project work through guidance provided from six sigma Black belt & Green belt holders. 6. Comprehensiveness: Six Sigma is so comprehensive that it can be applied to companies of all sizes in varying business areas.
If we improve the capability of our processes even by one sigma, then it means at least 10% increase in profits which can translate to millions of dollars.
1. What customers want: This forms the basis for the QFD and shows what are the requirements of the customer. 2. How to accomplish: This is provided by the organization’s technical team, which highlights how the customer wants can be accomplished. 3. Correlation Matrix: This shows how the customers want correlate with the how to accomplish e.g. if customers want a “small BlackBerry”, how to accomplish shows how to accommodate various PCBs in a smaller dimensions. 4. Relationship: This shows the relationship of how to accomplish with what customers want (i.e. strong relationship, medium relationship, weak relationship or no relationship) 5. Planning (Competitive Evaluation): This shows the company’s products and those of the competitors. By comparing the products, the team would know how the company rates on each of the customer’s wants and helps the company in better understanding competition. 6. Target Values: This refers to the value of the product (or design target) as desired by the company 7. Cost to Accomplish: With the help of finance, the project team determines the cost which will be required to accomplish the target values in “6” above 8. Importance Weighting: This shows the importance of the particular feature (e.g. cost/benefit calculation).