Six Sigma is a process improvement approach.
In Juran's Trilogy, this falls in the third part, quality improvement.
It can also be part of quality planning,
since it should be strategic.
This approach is very focused and follows a five step model.
There is also a heavy reliance on statistical methods.
TQ stands for total quality.
It is reflective of Deming's ideas and embodied in the Malcolm Baldrige criteria.
Some differences between total quality and six sigma are pointed out here.
Although there are differences,
these two approaches work quite well together.
Total Quality tends to focus on culture change,
empowering workers and teams and much of
the improvement takes place within the departments or functions.
Six Sigma focuses on high level cross-functional processes,
with involvement from upper management and relies on experts to implement.
Total Quality generally uses simple tools for process improvement,
but these simple tools can be very powerful.
You do not need complex statistical methods for everything.
It is important to use the approach that fits the situation.
Six Sigma uses a five step model called DMAIC,
to shape improvement projects and focuses
on outcomes in terms of benefits for the company.
Six Sigma focuses on reducing variation,
measuring defects and improving quality of products, processes and services.
The beginnings of Six Sigma can be traced to Motorola.
In the early '80s in which later transformed into
an enterprise-wide strategy for business management and improvement.
Motorola introduced Six Sigma as a measure of quality in 1986.
Bill Smith with Mikel Harry developed the initial four step Six Sigma stages,
measure, analyze, improve and control to reduce defects.
Mikel Harry with Richard Schroeder went on to found Six Sigma Academy in 1994.
Mikel Harry is considered the main architect of the Six Sigma movement.
The foundations of a Six Sigma can be
traced to a group of highly knowledgeable individuals in quality.
Crosby's four absolutes for quality conformance and prevention,
are high level statements that help us define and
frame the idea of quality within the realm of our business.
Dr.Deming is another quality guru who has made
substantial contributions to the body of knowledge that we call quality.
These can be summed up as Deming's 14 points.
These include a constancy of purpose toward improving,
and an unwillingness to accept commonly occurring defects and errors.
Deming also strongly opposed inspecting quality in the product,
and focusing exclusively on price at the expense of quality.
There is no reason why we cannot have both. If we are strategic.
Deming was also a huge proponent of
continual improvement at a time when most industries looked to
sustain their position in the marketplace as opposed to seizing opportunities for growth.
This continual improvement also reflected in terms of training,
training on the job, cross-training and confirming that training is still valid.
Deming also points to the difference between supervision and leadership,
and the need to drive fear out of the organization.
If an organization is driven by fear,
it will never achieve and grow.
Dr.Deming also believed in keeping the message simple in the organization,
breaking down barriers and building
cross-functional teams from all areas of the business.
Deming was not very enthusiastic about
numerical quotas for the workforce or numerical goals for the management.
Even today, every organization has a difficult time moving away from
the need for numerical metrics as a means of tracking performance.
He also had little use for merit systems and annual ratings,
and instead felt that these mechanisms fed into
employee fear and created an environment of competitiveness instead of collaboration.
Finally, in line with his ideas of continuous improvement,
Deming envisioned an organization heavy
into the education and self-improvement of every employee.
Employees are the organization's most valuable asset.
They should be treated as such.
Once you have raised the level of knowledge of your employees,
utilize them and everyone to transform your business.
Too often, organizations have segments of
their employee population that go un-utilized or underutilized.
Taguchi was another quality guru who recognized the importance of
initiating the proper quality at the engineering and design levels of the process.
Feigenbaum had some similar yet distinct insights
into quality beyond the manufacturing floor.
By focusing our quality efforts in the design and delivery realms,
we can see gains in areas outside the scope found on the manufacturing floor.
In summation, Feigenbaum characterized
total quality control as an effective system for integrating the quality development,
quality maintenance, and quality improvement efforts at the most economical levels.
Other contributions found in various stages of the Six Sigma process come from Ishikawa,
who is known for the Fishbone diagram and the Five Whys.
Once we have established the causes,
Shewhart took things forward to identify assignable and chance causes.
These causes can be monitored through
statistical process control and confirmed through PDCA,
Plan, Do, Check, Act.
Another luminary in quality circles is Juran.
Juran's most significant contribution is known as Juran's Trilogy.
This includes quality planning,
quality control, and quality improvement.