Like any other project, Six Sigma implementation is also vulnerable to bottlenecks, especially in small organizations. I know many companies right now may be hesitant to go into Six Sigma, considering the global crisis.But for those who are willing to take the risk to enjoy the benefits and savings later, let me share with you some of the identified bottlenecks so that you can try to avoid them.
- Lack of adequate resources, both human and financial – this can lead to increased employee dissatisfaction, as they have to work extra hours all throughout the implementation stage.
- Small organizations may also face difficulties in hiring Six Sigma professionals, who are vital for the success of any implementation – this may be caused by financial constraints or the failure of management to buy the idea.
- Poor project selection – the team fails to clearly define the real objectives of the implementation project, which can lead to this:
In the “Define†phase, the organization may fail to clearly define the real objectives of the implementation project, which in turn can create problems during the actual implementation. In the “Measure†phase, bottlenecks may arise due to lack of proper measurement systems and due to time lost in data collection. In the “Design†phase, problems may arise due to lack of innovative design improvement ideas. In the “Control†phase, bottlenecks may occur due to non-adherence to VOC (voice of customer), which is vital for the success of any Six Sigma implementation project.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
