Page 31 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

Six Sigma in Service Organizations 13

Fundamental
beliefs

Project
Organizational
infrastructure execution

Training Methods and
tools

Figure 1.4 The Five Aspects of Six Sigma

Fundamental Beliefs
Product, Process, and People
No matter what kind of business enterprise we look at, whether it is a
manufacturing-oriented company, for which the business operation model
illustrated by Fig. 1.1 will apply, or a service-oriented company, for which
the business operation model illustrated by Fig. 1.2 will apply, we can see
clearly that excellent products and excellent processes are the key to
business success. What is a process? Caulkin (1989) defines it as being a
“continuous and regular action or succession of actions, taking place or
carried on in a definite manner, and leading to the accomplishment of some
result; a continuous operation or series of operations.” Keller et al. (1999)
defines the process as “a combination of inputs, actions and outputs.” Figure 1.5
gives a general description for all kinds of processes.

Clearly, the process model shown in Fig. 1.5 can be used to characterize
almost all kinds of business operations, such as service processes, product
development, financial transactions, and customer billing. Of course, all
processes are designed and operated by people. Therefore, in order to
achieve business excellence, the only factors that really matter are excellent
products, processes, and people (3 Ps).

Do the Right Things, and Do Things Right
The sentence “Do the right things, and do things right” best captures the
essence of Six Sigma. Do the right things means that whether it is a product
or a process, it has to do the right thing for the customer. For a product, it