Process management tools

Process management tools

Introduction

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a management tool that measures the quality of processes and tries to achieve the perfection. It is an approach that wants to eliminate defects in any process starting from manufacturing to the end result of product or service. This management tool defect means anything outside the specification of a customer (isixsigma.com, 2012). The basic objective of this tool is the implementation of a measurement-based approach which aims at improving process by reducing variations. This is achieved through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects, two of which are the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) and DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design and verify). The DMAIC focuses on improving the existing processes that have difficulty in following specifications while DMADV is an improvement system which deals with developing of new processes or products which are according to Six Sigma quality levels.

Usage of Six Sigma in various companies

The Six Sigma procedure was used by Motorola and it was as if life came back in the company. Allied Signal was restarted with this system and then sold it to General Electric's Jack Welsh. Later, with the use of Six Sigma GE made great advances and success and money poured in the company. The numbers of companies that use Six Sigma appear to be quite less and perceptions differ in Six Sigma methodology greatly. The retail store Home Depot used Six Sigma to restructure the counter process and placedtactically the products in their displays.However, this program frustrated many at the retail stores who intended that constant data quantity exhausted time given to customers. So, although there were high returns after execution, employeedetermination wilted along with consumers. The ranking too dropped from first to worst amongst the major retailers in Customer Satisfaction Index of 2005 ...