Data collection is very important in a Six Sigma deployment. And many executives can attest to this.
Working as senior vice president of U.S. operations for Howmet International Corp., a $1.3 billion maker of investment castings used in jet aircraft and gas turbine engine components in Greenwich, Conn. is right about this observation. After all, data is the essence of comparing one process to an idealized standard to determine variation, which is the heart of Six Sigma improvements.
Jim Jubelirer, a senior consultant at Burke Customer Satisfaction Associates in Chapel Hill, N.C., has observed that many Six Sigma initiatives failed because of a faultyinformation technology (IT) structure. He said, “I have unlimited horror stories about companies’ lousy computer systems. Say all I need is customer records. Many companies don’t have those records. Or there is one system that keeps purchase and accounting data and another system for name and address, and you can’t merge the two.”
An effective IT structure is very crucial especially for big organizations and those that have merged. What happens is that each organization bring in their own computer platforms. Integrating disparate computer platfroms often causes technology failure. Another factor is the absence of a software program that goes across a variety of computing platforms to collect data for Six Sigma analysis.
Chuck Ellidge, Howmet CIO, apty puts it, “The IT infrastructure could make or break the Six Sigma effort. Data gathering is the key.”
