Why We Love Six Sigma (And You Should, Too!)

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Why We Love Six Sigma And You Should Too!

Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology which works consistently towards providing results with a reduced error rate of 3.14 defects per million opportunities. This evergreen methodology is a rigorous and effective approach towards quality assurance in order to have an increased revenue.

That’s all about Six Sigma, but how does it provide benefits to various industries?

Before we delve into Six Sigma’s applicability in various industries, let’s list some of the common advantages of it:

  1. Waste and defect elimination
  2. Improved and sustained processes
  3. Cost reduction
  4. Queueing
  5. A substantial saving of time and resources

Now, why do we love Six Sigma?

The dynamic nature and efficacy of Six Sigma allow it to be implemented in almost every sector and that’s why we love it. Here are some of the industries where this methodology can be applied to achieve near perfect results:

1. Manufacturing

This is not new. In fact, Six Sigma was first introduced with its implementation in the manufacturing industry. Toyota and General Electric were one of the first companies to take the leadership of Six Sigma in their own hands. It took them a while to receive the output they had desired but they certainly did achieve phenomenal results. The Gemba walk is a good example of this methodology’s implementation. The walk is performed on the shop floor in a manufacturing company to discover defects that are non-measurable in a standardized manner. Gemba walk is an excellent way to observe and differentiate between the processes that work and the ones that don’t.

2. Healthcare

Unlike other industries, healthcare deals with the care of the individual as human life is pretty much dependent on the healthcare industry. For instance, one of the Lean principles called Pull allows hospitals to order and acquire only required items. This is extremely effective in case of extra inventory (items and machines that stay immovable even after surpassing the expiration dates). What is the result, you ask? Smart use of resources.

3. Service

Any industry like hospitality, finance, public services, etc. falls under the category of the service industry. One common goal of Six Sigma is to bring quality improvement. Since the results of this industry are pretty much intangible, the focus is always on providing quality services. A Six Sigma tool called VOC (Voice of the customer) can always come in handy in the service industry. The purpose of this tool is to understand the needs and wants of a customer to be able to give the best services and extraordinary customer satisfaction.

Of course, there are several other industries where Six Sigma functions well with sustainable solutions for the future. This not only leaves us with a brilliant methodology but also ensures our success.

 

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