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                     Principles of Six Sigma
Six  Sigma  was  developed  by  Motorola  Inc  in  1986.  Objective
behind  developing  the  tool  was  to  make  the  manufacturing
processes efficient.
Six  Sigma was developed by Motorola Inc in 1986.  The objective
behind  developing  the  tool  was  to  make  the  manufacturing
processes efficient. It enabled the company to eliminate defects.
Eventually,  the  process  was  adopted  across  the  continents.  It
enabled thousands of many companies to attend higher efficiency
levels.
Six Sigma created an environment of excellence with continuous
improvements  in  business  processes.  It  enables  companies  to
supply  their  market  with  better  products  and  services.  Who
developed the concept? The concept was developed by Motorola.
It  was  later  adopted  by  GE  in  1995  on  a  very  large  scale.  Jack
Welch, the famous CEO of GE was an ardent user of Six Sigma. He
implemented  Six  Sigma  in  almost  every  process  of  the  GE
business.  It  ranged  from  accounting  to  manufacturing  to
recruitment. The Core Concept of Six Sigma: It is used to eliminate
defects in business processes. The concept came from the use of
the bell curve, a tool of statistics.
Six sigma indicates 3.4 defects per million opportunities. It means
that if  a task is performed 1 million times,  the accepted defects
does  not  exceed  3.  4  times.  It  shows  a  precision  of  99.99966%.
What  do  Six  Sigma  Critics  Point  Out?  In  certain  processes  like
flying an aircraft or cash disbursement in a trailer machine, only
'zero' defects can be tolerated. However, historically, most of the
companies  in  the  industry  function  at  the  three  to  four  sigma
level.  This allows the companies to achieve defect-free products
between 93 to 99.3%.
First Phase – Define:
Here, problem/s are defined. This is the key phase in the process.
The quality and customer needs are understood. Then the project
scoping is done.
Second Phase – Measure:
This  is  a  crucial  phase.  The  Measure  Process  Performance  is  a
crucial step in six sigma.
Tools  like  a  Pareto  chart  is  used  to  see  the  frequency  of  the
problem and its impact. The present capability of the system must
be assessed to check whether it meets the desired goals.   
Third Phase – Analyze:
Analysis of the problem leads to the identification of the cause. In
this stage, tools like Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Modes and
Effect Analysis (FMEA), and Multivariate Charts are used.    
Root cause analysis is used to detect the main cause of the defect.
FEMA is used in identifying failure rates of products and services.    
Multivariate  charts  enable  an  assessment  of  different  types  of
variations within a process. It shows most of the variations.  It also
breaks down the deviations to its components.
Fourth Phase – Improve:
In this phase, Improvement actions are initiated after carrying out
the  Root  Cause  Analysis.  Design  of  Experiments  (DOE)  is  used
when there are complex problems. In such a case, many factors
influence the outcome, and it is difficult to single out them. DOE
helps in this.    
Kaizen Events help in focusing on rapid transition. It narrows down
the project  and maintains  focus.     Kaizen or  DOE are  used in
conjunction while implementing Six Sigma.
Fifth Phase – Control:
Control is exercised with techniques like QCP, SPC and 5S. Quality
Control Plan (QCP) enables managers to decide the actions are
needed to be taken to ensure process improvement.    
Statistical Process Control (SPC) empowers the management to
monitor processes across the departments.    
5S is adopted for reducing waste and inefficiency. It enables the
maintenance of the workplace with visual controls.  
There are many examples of effective implementation of six sigma
in corporates.
Airbus:
This company could reduce the cycle time for repair, maintenance
and overhauling activities of their aircraft by applying Six Sigma.
The  cycle  time  of  Airbus  was  reduced  by  21  percent  by  visual
management and in-house software.
The company could gain USD 7,07,000 per year.
Cost-benefit and root cause analysis where the focus area in the
company to implement Six Sigma.
Ford Motor Company: 
This  company  could  determine  successfully  the  root  cause  for
defects.  
They  successfully  transitioned  from  petroleum-based  foam  to
castor oil foam which is more environment friendly.
Earlier the company had a scrap rate of 30 percent.
This got reduced to 0.1 percent as a result of the implementation
of the Six Sigma process.
Sigma is applied in diverse industries.
Its wide application is adopted in India too.
Several industries in India like automobiles, auto components, IT
and ITES are beneficiaries of  Six Sigma. The reduction in defect
and errors make six sigma process a desired one in the industry. 
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