In the early and mid-1980s with Chairman Bob Galvin at the helm, Motorola engineers decided that the traditional quality levels -- measuring defects in thousands of opportunities -- didn't provide enough granularity. Instead, they wanted to measure the defects per million opportunities. Motorola developed this new standard and created the methodology and needed cultural change associated with it. Six Sigma helped Motorola realize powerful bottom-line results in their organization - in fact, they documented more than $16 Billion in savings as a result of our Six Sigma efforts.
Since then, hundreds of companies around the world have adopted Six Sigma as a way of doing business. This is a direct result of many of America's leaders openly praising the benefits of Six Sigma. Leaders such as Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal (now Honeywell), and Jack Welch of General Electric Company. Rumor has it that Larry and Jack were playing golf one day and Jack bet Larry that he could implement Six Sigma faster and with greater results at GE than Larry did at Allied Signal. The results speak for themselves.
Six Sigma has evolved over time. It's more than just a quality system like TQM or ISO. It's a way of doing business. As Geoff Tennant describes in his book Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services: "Six Sigma is many things, and it would perhaps be easier to list all the things that Six Sigma quality is not. Six Sigma can be seen as: a vision; a philosophy; a symbol; a metric; a goal; a methodology."
We couldn't agree more.
The Six Sigma Models and Their Uses
By utilizing and understanding the Six Sigma methods, organizations can improve their quality management, job satisfaction among employees, customer service relations and shareholder relations. Often, businesses will find themselves in a bad situation and on the verge of ruin. This is when they are wise to call in the Six Sigma professionals.
The most common model used by Six Sigma professionals is the DMAIC model. This stands for define, measure, analyze, improve and control. Each phase has a significant purpose and the results will be faulty if each one is not done thoroughly and by trained and certified 6 Sigma Professionals. Often organizations choose to bring in consultants who are experts in the area. These consultants offer a fresh look and perspective that employees may not be able to see. Others choose to send their own employees for training andcertificationin order to headline the effort with the unique advantage of already knowing every in and out of the daily operations.
An organization needs to first find out what the basis of the problems are and can go from there. The first phase of this model, to define, is just what the organization needs to start with. TheSix Sigma Black Beltwill create a team of people who will analyze the company and its internal functioning, looking for areas to be improved, defects and faulty points. They will use the next phase of measuring to store data as it stands at the beginning of the project. This is so that when the project has been completed, the professionals will have something to compare the new results to. This way they can see if the plan worked to improve the quality management within the company.
They will also use this data for all statistical analysis that is necessary for evaluating the current systems and processes. The analyze phase is third and is when the professionals take all that information they have stored for later and go through each piece, looking for methods of improvement. The fourth phase, improve, is when those changes for improvement would be spelled out and detailed. Improvement is the whole goal of any Six Sigma project, so it is important that plenty of time and effort be put into this particular phase. Coming in last on this model, the control aspect is when the professionals will monitor the plan as it is implemented. They will watch for holes, snags and obstacles, reacting quickly to eliminate any delays or hardships.
The DMADV model is also used by Six Sigma professionals. The first, second and third portion of this model are the same as the DMAIC. Define, measure and analyze. These are as important during this model as the other. The last two for this model, however, is to design and verify the product or service. This model is used when a Six Sigma Team is designing a new product or service that has never had a process made for its creation. These two changes are used when a design for improvement that is detailed in the analyzing stage is gone over with a fine tooth comb and narrowed down to specific points and details. These specifics are verified for accuracy by the final phase of the model.
Lean / Six Sigma
Also called the "Lean Method" or "Lean Speed", Lean Six Sigmais a process of utilizing a specific series of tools. These tools were created to reduce any type of inefficiency correlated with the impediment of materials and data incorporated within a process from its establishment to its final result.
The Lean Process contains one of the basic Six Sigma strategies pertaining to the identification and elimination of extraneous and useless steps in a process. By adhering to principles of Lean, a business or organization will solve problems that hinder the streamlining of manufacturing methods, enhance quality, retain customers, and attract new customers to their existing base. Lean methods are implemented within the structure of the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) and supplemented with other valuable Six Sigma tools. The key to understanding Lean practices is to understand the overlaying goal of reducing waste in whatever form it exists within a business.
Courses Required for Certification
Five basic areas of knowledge are explored in a good Lean training course. These areas are: -Control Processes -Process Improvement -Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification -Measuring and Collecting Data -Defining and Prioritizing Problems
A subset of the data analysis/root cause identification subject, for example, would be with something called the "5-Why Analysis". This tool is utilized to ignore symptoms of the problem by getting to the true issue of a problem and its reason for existing. The 5-Why Analysis is called this because the Lean trainee is supposed to ask "Why" five consecutive times. The idea behind this considers the rational assumption that by the time someone is asking "why?" for the 4th or 5th time, they have methodically reached the real cause of the problem which, nine times out of ten, is related to the inability of management to understand the Lean principles regarding efficiency and quality control systems analysis.
Brainstorming Procedures
Along with a Lean, DFSS certification,Six Sigma Green Belttraining courses also emphasize the technique of brainstorming, or procedural creative thinking. As a team-oriented activity, brainstorming is meant to solve a problem by stating and writing it down before the start of the session. A Lean-qualified individual will know how to direct the meeting and its members in the most effective way using flipcharts, ensuring that everyone has a common understanding of the issue, and asking each small team what sort of ideas they have regarding the issue. No criticism is permitted during a brainstorming session and the leader is the only one who records ideas as they emerge from various teams. The concept behind this exercise is to allow any ideas, no matter how off-topic they may be, to flow naturally in order to promote "outside the box" thinking. Individuals interested in Lean Six Sigma training should be extremely productive and efficient, as well as enjoy analytics and other problem-solving fields of business management.
NCK offers our clients the opportunity to customize the content and structure of our Accelerated Six Sigma consulting services. We believe that Six Sigma can best be understood through hands-on experience in the application of the theory and practices of Six Sigma to real-world quality improvement opportunities; therefore, we utilize the workshop method of instruction to provide opportunities for hands-on learning experiences for our Six Sigma clients.We will work with your company leaders to develop customized workshop materials that provide your in-house personnel with expertise in the Six Sigma methods that meet your most urgent needs. We can develop customized education and consulting services in the following subjects:
DMAIC Process.
Project Leadership
Project Management
Team Leadership
Process Mapping
Kano Analysis
Pareto Analysis
Critical to Quality Analysis (CTQ)
Critical to Delivery Analysis (CTD)
Critical to Cost Analysis (CTC)
Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
Measurement Systems Analysis
Process Capability Analysis:
Sigma Levels
CPk
Cp
Yield
Gage Capability Analysis
Process Control Chart Development and Analysis:a. Variables Charting b. Attribute Charting
Design of Experiments - Planning and Analysis
One-factor designs
Factorial designs
Fractional-factorial designs
Optimization designs
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
Control Planning
Mistake-proofing
Continual Process Improvement
Benefits Driven by your markets and customers, NCK Consulting delivers: Substantial cost reductions Shareholder value Sustainable improvements Proactively embraces change in a systematic way Improved customer value Improved efficiency Reduced politics through "show me the data"' attitude Links activities of your organization to your improvement goals Change to an improvement culture
Our Approach We transfer knowledge to your people so they can sustain improvements in the face of changes in the marketplace.
NCK Consultant’s work with you to: -Identify the strategic direction of your organization to ensure outcomes meet your organization’s objectives -Understand the culture of your organization -Identify the appropriate method of delivery to develop the capabilities of your people -Implement fact-based decision making -Select Six Sigma Projects (areas that need change or improvement) -Work on 'real life' improvement projects whilst developing the capabilities of your peopleusing ‘DMAIC’ (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) -Link initiatives to Strategic Planning
As NCK’s research and experience shows, Six Sigma performance is possible not just in manufacturing and electronics, where the process originated, but in any business, including financial services, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, utilities and even the entertainment industry. Our unique methodology transfers Six Sigma knowledge and skills to your people, enabling your company to create ownership, generate results and sustain success.
NCK Consulting 2298 Comet circle NW, n. canton, oh 44720 | Phone 330.499.1340 | Fax 330.499.1340 If you have problems, questions, or comments please email or give us a call
