There are a number of Six Sigma tools for assessing the quality of a product or service. Among those that are most widely used in Six Sigma are:
First is the Pareto Chart. Pareto charts are often used to determine the “vital few” causes that are responsible for the majority of defects or complaints regarding a product or service. Named after 19th century economist Vilfredo Pareto, the chart was first defined by JM Juran in 1950. The principle behind the vertical bar graph suggests that most effects come from relatively few causes; that is, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the possible causes.
Second is the Quality Function Deployment Matrix. It is used to help associate customer demands with design requirements.
Third is the Cost of Quality Trend Analysis. It examines changes in the cost of quality over time.
Fourth is the Cause-and-Effect Diagram that is used to help understand the factors that affect the quality of a process.
Fifth is the Process Map. It is used to chart the flow or interrelationships in a process.
And the last one is the Six Sigma Calculator that converts between DPM, Cpk, Z, SQL, and other quality metrics.
Achieving Six Sigma in your processes is like in building a house, where you need the right tools to make a sturdy structure.
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