Page 28 - Six Sigma Demystified

Chapter 1 d e p loy m e n t s t r at e g y 9

personnel are trained as green belts to assist in projects as process experts.
Master black belts serve as mentors to the black belts and deployment
experts to the managerial staff.
• Clear and consistent methodology. A somewhat standard methodology has
been developed for Six Sigma projects, abbreviated as DMAIC (pro-
nounced “dah- may- ck"), an acronym for the define, measure, analyze,
i
improve, and control stages of the project. This discipline ensures that Six
Sigma projects are clearly defined and implemented and prevents the
recurrence of issues.

• Top- down training. A properly structured deployment starts at the top,
with training of key management. Six Sigma champions, consisting of
executive- level decision makers and functional managers, are necessary to
align the Six Sigma program with the organization’s business objectives
through project sponsorship and to allocate resources to project teams.
Without committed champions supporting them, black belts lack the au-
thority, resources, and business integration necessary for project success.
The result of a properly implemented Six Sigma deployment is data- driven
decision making at all levels of the organization that is geared toward satisfying
critical needs of key stakeholders.
Six Sigma deployment doesn’t cost, it pays. With minimum savings of
$100,000 per project, the Six Sigma training projects will provide financial
returns that far exceed the cost of the training. This “reward as you go” deploy-
ment strategy has proven beneficial to organizations of all sizes.
If you’re still unsure whether a Six Sigma program is the right path for your
organization, consider the impact on market share if your closest competitor

implemented a Six Sigma program and you didn’t.

Six Sigma and Lean

A proper Six Sigma deployment includes use of the lean tools and methods. In
this regard, there is no difference between a properly developed Six Sigma
program and a lean Six Sigma program. Six Sigma (aka lean Six Sigma) is a
deployment strategy for implementing value- added improvement projects
aligned with an organization’s business needs. These focused projects target
critical- to- quality (CTQ), critical- to- schedule (CTS), and/or critical- to- cost
(CTC) opportunities within an organization. Six Sigma uses a variety of tools