How is Six Sigma Different From Other Quality Processes?
Six Sigma uses statistical tools to identify and remove sources of variations in a process, and optimise process performance. Although the process improvement principles used in Six Sigma are much the same as those used in other methodologies, Six Sigma focuses on measuring and managing the performance of components of the process during execution, to maintain delivery to the required standard, rather than measurement of the output to identify failures after the event. The Phases Of A Six Sigma Project (DMAIC) All Six Sigma process improvement projects are broken down into five phases, which are: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Define In this phase, the level of process improvement required is defined and, in most cases, an estimate of the current process capability is provided. Process capability and requirements must be defined in standard terms, the most common of these being ‘DPMO’ (Defects Per Million Opportunities), ‘Sigma’ (which is a measure of standard deviation
