by: Peter Peterka

Six Sigma doesn't improve the customer experience. It may seem that
Six Sigma turns the focus away from the customer because it is
driven by data. In so many companies, quality improvement is driven
by the latest customer complaint, or some manager's latest issue.
This may seem like you are being responsive to the customers, but
such an ad hoc and scatter-shot approach is inefficient and
ultimately doomed to failure. The question you need to ask is what
data is presented to the organization in order to select improvement
projects? Without the right data, how can you succeed? Unless the
approach is systematic and the solution driven by measurement and
analysis, there is little hope for lasting quality improvement.

Six Sigma is oriented toward the solution of problems at their root
cause and the prevention of their recurrence, as opposed to
attempting to control potential causes of failure on a
project-by-project basis. Six Sigma inspired process redesign will
change the way a company thinks about how they do their work and
deliver their services. So many companies are focused on short-term
financial goals. The “show me the money” attitudes of shareholders
and the stock market shift focus away from the customer. Six Sigma,
on the other hand, is clearly focused on the customer. It
accomplishes this because it centers its attention on the end
results and long-term cultural change.

Six Sigma is not just about number crunching and finances. All of
the numbers are just data used to reach the real goal of Six Sigma:
helping increase quality and service for the customer. Companies
need to figure out what their customers want and need. One thing any
customer of any business in any industry wants is a better
experience. Quality and efficiency don't only help the financial
bottom line, they help the customer experience.

Companies need to remember that their first and final allegiance
should be to the customer. By embracing Six Sigma, a company can
achieve greater quality and efficiency in the flow of information
and interaction between people, especially interactions with
customers. Transforming the process of these flows will yield
quality results for the customer experience.

Six Sigma is just another fad. There have been so many quality
improvement fads over the years. It is not surprising that people
are now a little jaded. The weakness of many of these fads is that
they have the superficial appearance that something profound is
happening, yet the substance is not there. A whole bunch of numbers
and graphs on spreadsheets are not enough to bring about substantial
and lasting quality improvement in an organization. The fads sell
themselves as cheap and easy quick fixes. The reality is that there
are no quick fixes to significant process improvement. Six Sigma
understands that.

Six Sigma is neither a fad nor a quick fix. The data and descriptive
statistics that Six Sigma mines out of a project are real data and
meaningful data. You use data to create actionable goals, analyze
and determine the root cause(s) of defects, and then measure the
results to shows how those goals were achieved. The data determines
the causes of the problems that need improvement and how to
eliminate the gap between existing performance and the desired level
of performance. Tools are put in place to ensure that the key
variables remain within the acceptable ranges over time so that
process improvement gains are maintained. The changes brought about
through Six Sigma are real, significant, and long-lasting.

Also, Six Sigma is not a simple 1-2-3-you're done process. It is a
“way of life.” It is a multi-level, cyclical movement toward
continual process improvement. Six Sigma is a time-consuming and
high-energy process. Companies develop a long-term plan that
outlines the move from current performance levels to Six Sigma
performance levels, with tangible, short-term goals in between.

Successful Six Sigma programs are built on a solid organizational
foundation. The organizational structure and system needs to be
clearly identified and communicated to the entire organization to
successfully implement Six Sigma Quality. Becoming a Six Sigma
organization doesn't just happen. Planning and training goes into
setting up a successful Six Sigma organization. Employee roles and
responsibilities must be established and clearly communicated to
all.

The more Six Sigma projects your company completes, the more
involved you become with more mature and meaningful projects than
when you began. Six Sigma becomes part of the core of your business.
It isn't a quick knock-off program; it keeps growing and changing as
your business needs grow and evolve. The other fads didn't last at
your organization, but Six Sigma will.

About the author:
Peter Peterka is President of Six Sigma us. For additional
information on Six Sigma DMAIC or other Six Sigma Green Belt
Training project programs contact Peter Peterka.