Many companies claim that they’re into Six Sigma and that they have been benefitted by this quality management strategy. I was just too happy to praise these companies, only to find out later that they are not what we can brand as true Six Sigma companies.
Over at Manufacturer.com, an Aberdeen Research survey (The Lean Six Sigma Benchmark), which was published in Manufacturing News, said that only 16 percent of Six Sigma adherents hold true to the Six Sigma principles. Yet those who do, even if imperfectly, produce on average 40 percent higher savings to date and 65 percent more savings per project.
Cindy Jutras, Vice President, Manufacturing & ERP Research at Aberdeen, recommends the following Six Sigma strategies:
- Apply metrics of DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) across all business processes in all industries, not just manufactured products and parts.
- Identify and prioritize business impact projects according to anticipated savings and improved throughput. Look first for low-hanging fruit and act now for immediate benefit.
- Integrate data collection with analysis - connect disparate sources of data and alert users.
*Photo credit: MorgueFile.com
