Statistics are at the heart of Six Sigma's powerful methodology for quality improvement. It pays to get to know some of the most important of the Six Sigma statistical tools.
Laptop Battery Control Charts
The control chart is the fundamental tool of statistical process control; a proven technique for improving productivity. It monitors the variation of key characteristics and indicates the range of variability that is built into a system. Control charts provide diagnostic information about process capability that can be used to analyze variation in process data to demonstrate whether a process is operating consistently. The bounds of the control chart are marked by upper and lower control limits that are calculated by applying statistical formulas to data from the process. Data points that fall outside these bounds represent variations due to irregular causes, which can then be identified and eliminated. Control charts are effective in defect prevention and will help ensure that your process performs consistently. From them, you can, in a precise manner, monitor, control, and improve on process performance over time. This will allow you to be able to predict fluctuations, lower costs and ensure the process has a higher effective capacity.
Not every officer of the peace needs to be trained as an elite Special Forces commando. Likewise, not everyone doing Six Sigma needs to know the details of every advanced statistical tool and method. The amount of information in Six Sigma courses has ratcheted up, as consultants and trainers have competed against each other in their marketing efforts. But the use of the tools tells the real story. Only a handful of the taught Six Sigma tools are used regularly.
Thinkpad Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a powerful structured approach that helps you to identify and counter weak points in the early conception phase of products and processes. Using FMEA allows you to analyze any system or subsystem in manufacturing or service industries in the early stages of the process. This systematic methodology identifies potential failure modes in a system caused by either design or process deficiencies. It also identifies critical or significant design or process characteristics that require special controls to prevent or detect failure modes. FMEA improves the quality of products and services and processes by preventing problems from occurring. It documents and tracks action taken to reduce risk while it integrates with the DMAIC methodology.
Biography Product Cover What Is Six SIGMA by Peter S. Pande; Rath & Strong; Pete Pande ( Paperback) Save $6.61 ! Six Sigma has gained an avid following among executives and managers for its ability to reduce cycle time, eliminate product defects, and dramatically increase customer involvement and satisfaction. But Six Sigma can't work without widespread employee involvement and commitment. "What Is Six Sigma "explains, for "employees, "the core ideas behind Six Sigma, the crucial roles and responsibilities employees have in a Six Sigma initiative, and how Six Sigma can benefit them.
Microsoft Histogram
A histogram is used to graphically summarize the distribution of a data set. A histogram is constructed by dividing the range of data into equally sized segments. This data tool enables you to quickly and easily answer several important questions: what distribution does the data have? What is the most common system response? Is the data symmetric or does it contain outliers?
Six Sigma became the global standard of quality business practice, embraced by the American Society for Quality. Universities worldwide now offer courses. Dozens of consulting and software companies have brought products and tools to market. By the end of 2004, over 200 books on Six Sigma were in print, and entering the term "Six Sigma" into Google returned some 2, 320, 000 hits.
Laptop Computers Pareto Chart
A pareto chart is used to graphically summarize the relative importance of the differences between groups of data. A pareto chart is constructed by dividing the range of data into groups. The vertical axis of the pareto chart is the cumulative percentage, and the horizontal axis of the pareto chart is the groups of response variables. Unlike the histogram, the pareto chart is ordered in descending frequency magnitude. The Pareto Chart allows you to focus your efforts to achieve the greatest improvements by identifying the largest issues facing the process. It identifies the 20% of sources that are causing 80% of the problems.
Some organizations have tried to deploy Six Sigma without a designated, empowered deployment leader. They train people, they assign projects, they infuse tools, they track results. They believe breakthrough change will occur by the sum of the individual, independent efforts. But a Six Sigma deployment without a leader is like a ship without a captain — individual crewmembers may know what to do in their own areas, but there is no direction or overall progress.
Laptop Computer Peter Peterka is President of Six Sigma us. For additional information on Six Sigma Black Belt or Minitab programs contact Peter Peterka http://www.6sigma.us
While Six Sigma has its many definitions, the managerial and the technical. At the managerial level, a Six Sigma initiative includes many units, people, technologies, projects, schedules, and details to be managed and coordinated. There are also many plans to develop, actions to take, and specialized work to complete. For all of this to work in concert, and for the technical elements of Six Sigma to be effective, you have to set the proper management orientation.
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Peter Peterka is the Principal Consultant in practice areas of DMAIC and DFSS. Peter has eleven years of experience performing as a Master Black Belt, and has over 15 years experience in industry as an improvement specialist and engineer working with numerous companies, including 3M, Dell, Dow, GE, HP, Intel, Motorola, Seagate, Xerox and even the US Men's Olympic Team. For partial list look here. Peter is a certified a Master Black Belt and holds an MS degree in Statistics from Iowa State and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue. Peter worked for 3M over 10 years where he gained extensive experience applying Sigma Methodologies to a variety of processes.
