Matthew Stangel

What is Six Sigma?  Engineering process Not specific to software  Designed to keep defects at a minimum  Named for the goal of minimum six standard deviations between mean and nearest specification limit Equates to 3.4 defects per million opportunities

Key Terms  Defect – any kind of undesired result, including failure to meet customer requirements  Opportunity – anywhere a defect could be produced  Standard Deviation – a measurement of spread for data Square root of the variance for a set of data

What is Six Sigma? – Why 6?

Other Sigmas

History  Created in the late 1980’s by Motorola Proposed by Bill Smith in 1986 Adopted by Motorola CEO in 1987  Soon adapted by other companies Introduced to General Electric in 1995 Introduced to Honeywell in 1998 Introduced to Ford in 2000

How Six Sigma is Used  Not a process Used to improve other processes  Two types DMAIC – Used to improve existing processes DMADV – Used to improve a process being created

DMAIC  “Solving a problem with an unknown solution” Define Measure Analyze Improve Control

DMAIC - Define  Identify the project based on objectives  Determine the aspects that are “critical to quality”  Define the scope of the project  Define what is considered a defect

DMAIC - Measure  Determine how to measure the problem Create metrics to measure defects  Input, output, and process are identified Determine how the inputs affect critical processes ○ Determine what would happen if things go wrong

DMAIC - Measure

DMAIC - Analyze  Determine the causes of the problem in the process that needs improvement Determine how to fix the problem in order to achieve the desired results ○ Done by determining what places are most likely to cause problems

DMAIC - Improve  Find ways to improve the process  Determine what happens if the improvements are not made or take too long

DMAIC - Control  Implement results of the last four phases  Monitor the changes made Ensure that the changes made had the desired impact

DMAIC Example  tml tml

DMADV  Also called DFSS (Design For Six Sigma)  Used when creating a new process Define Measure Analyze Design Verify

DMADV – Define, Measure, and Analyze  Define - Same as DMAIC Only step identical in both processes  Measure - similar to DMAIC Measure Instead of measuring the current process, measure customer specifications  Analyze – similar to DMAIC Analyze Analyze options rather than defects

DMADV – Design and Verify  Design – Design the process to meet customer needs  Verify – Verify that the process meets customer needs

Learning Six Sigma  “Belt” system of proficiency Yellow Belt – uses Six Sigma, but is not trained Green Belt – proficient with Six Sigma, has some training Black Belt – highly proficient with Six Sigma, has received extensive training Master Black Belt – devoted to Six Sigma work, trains other black belts

Learning Six Sigma - Costs  Green belt – approximately $3500 to certify  Black Belt – an additional approximately $4000 to certify  Master Black Belt – an additional approximately $5000 to certify

Benefits of Six Sigma  “It has been estimated that less than Six Sigma quality, i.e., the three-to-four Sigma levels that are average for most U.S. companies, can cost a company as much as 10-15% of its revenues.” GE annual report Estimated $ billion worth of savings for GE in 2001

Criticisms  Unoriginal New jargon for basic quality process  Arbitrary standards 3.4 defects per million opportunities ○ Always applicable? 1.5 sigma shift ○ After shift, still six sigma?

Criticisms

 “Belt” system Large investment - approximately $7500 per black belt, $3500 per green belt Belt training industry ○ Process hyped up by people who want money to train belts

Criticisms  Narrow application Can improve processes, but is not good at making new ones Can’t guarantee improvement ○ Ford showed no noticeable improvement

References  Adams, Cary W.; Gupta, Praveen (2003). “Six Sigma Deployment”. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann  Ideal Meadia LLC. i Six Sigma. Retrieved 1/17/

References  Peterka, Peter “The DMAIC Method in Six Sigma”. Retrieved 1/17/ asp  Huesing, Tina. “Six Sigma Through The Years”. Motorola, Retrieved 1/17/ /Six_Sigma_Through_the_Years.pdf

References  Peterka, Peter; Weed, Dr. Harrison; Wexler, Joseph; Jackson, Jeffery. Six Sigma us. Retrieved 1/17/