Strong points

• Six Sigma puts a lot of attention on the financial aspect of quality improvement. Projects are judged on their impact on the bottom line. That is one of the main reasons why it has become so popular in a short period of time.
  
  
• Sound project management and a structured and scientific approach make Six Sigma a very effective method for breakthrough improvement. Linking the various quality tools to the specific step of the DMAIC project management cycle adds value to the method, even if the tools are not new and the DMAIC cycle a modernized version of the Shewhart  Plan – Do –Check – Act cycle.
  
  
• Because of the impact of Six Sigma on the bottom line, it is heavily supported by top management. This means that enough money and time is invested in solving structural problems.

Comments

• In the beginning Six Sigma was aimed at big size companies. To implement it in smaller organizations an appropriate implementation method is needed.
  
  
• Six Sigma is an American product with an American view on leadership and people management. Black Belts get sometimes high individual rewards and opportunities for promotion. This "Hero culture" is a lot less popular in Europe.
  
  
• As with all new management tools Six Sigma is presented as good for everything and a guarantee for success. If only life were that simple!

Tips when implementing Six Sigma

• Don't just take over a standardized program. Evaluate what Six Sigma can do for your organization and what means you have available for implementation. Investigate how Six Sigma can be integrated with other improvement systems.
  
  
• There is a rule saying that about 1% of the personnel should be trained to Black Belt level. QS Consult finds this way too high because you need to have sufficient projects of this level to keep them busy in a productive way.
  
  
• With 20% of the tools, 80 % of problems can be tackled. Do you really need a Black Belt for the type of problems / projects you are having? For the same amount of money you can train four Green Belts that can start projects in four different areas of the organization.
  
  
• Project selection is the most critical step in the entire approach. Generally projects are scoped too wide at the start.
  
  
• Six Sigma projects must support the overall strategy of the company. Make sure there is a good integration between project selection and company targets.

Publication

At the IOQ'05 (International Conference on Quality) in September 2005 in Tokyo, QS Consult made a presentation titled:

"Implementing Six Sigma in Small and Medium sized European Companies" (Pdf).