Six Sigma is a quality improvement method after statistical process control (SPC) and quality management (TQM), supplemented by other methods, such as quality improvement (QI) storyboard and lean manufacturing, which is based on the famous Toyota production system. These methods have important similarities and differences. Which method should enterprises adopt?
Take a kitchen knife as a metaphor to explain. A cook knows when to use which kitchen knife, and he knows what effect these kitchen knives will have. Chefs also know that in some cases, it doesn't matter which knife to choose. However, even people who are satisfied with different quality methods may never understand their similarities and differences, or know their practicability in specific situations. Therefore, in a company, the choice of quality methods ultimately depends on faith, even if Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing seems to be close to religious dogma, rather than a systematic and rational method based on data and facts. If different people in the company support different methods, the result may be a sacred war. However, just as a good chef will choose a kitchen knife according to his own needs, an enterprise should be able to use different applicable methods with an open mind.
Even in some companies, people have recognized the Six Sigma method. According to the company's own experience, non-manufacturing groups will curse Six Sigma management training as a "weak praise" manufacturing tool. In other words, these people would rather leave six horses in the factory. When we put forward the idea that the goal is to improve the process, whether it happens in the factory or on the tenth floor of the company headquarters building, we sometimes arouse people's reaction. There is no process here-there is no need for improvement methods. Ironically, such a reaction usually indicates that there is a serious problem: the definition and understanding of the process are not clear, which further highlights the necessity of six sigma.
There is also a confusion about six sigma, which involves the meaning of words, and it is only the confusion of the meaning of words, that is, there is confusion about the understanding of "3.4 parts per million defects" or 0.00034 percent. Pricing or financial personnel or other non-manufacturing teams will not understand the meaning of "millions of samples". For example, if the defect refers to the failure to fulfill the service level agreement in an IT-supported environment, it is hard to imagine that there will be "millions" of service requirements. In an environment where more than 50% of service requests may not be met, the product defect rate of 3.4 parts per million seems incredible. Six Sigma is regarded as a continuous improvement process, in which the defect rate is reduced from 55% to 45%, and then to 35%, instead of being reduced to 0.00034% at once.
People are not clear about the benefits of six horse management training. We should separate two types of benefits, some of which are related to the six eligible horses as a process, and others are related to the results of the six eligible horses that lead to the reduction of the defect rate. The former includes the benefits of establishing a culture that cannot tolerate defects and strictly operating all processes; The latter includes saving money and so on.
Zhang Chi Consulting Group believes that Six Sigma still has room for improvement if there is a shadow of the process.
In manufacturing, people always focus on optimizing product quality; In the service industry, people pay attention to customer relationship. The application of Six Sigma to enterprises can be summarized as follows: (reducing costs, improving productivity, increasing market share, retaining customers, shortening cycle time, reducing defects, changing corporate culture, improving products/services, and enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of enterprises. )
Zhang Chi Consulting Co., Ltd. provided six open training courses and project consultation. (Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, design for six sigma)