Six Sigma can be successfully deployed in any industry
irrespective of size. Six Sigma concepts are designed in accordance with the
basic characteristics of a business and not the size of a business. Businesses
that do not have adequate resources for deploying Six Sigma can get help from Six
Sigma professionals such as Black Belts or Master Black Belts who have plenty
of experience in deploying Six Sigma. Businesses that do not want an
organization-wide deployment can opt for a pilot project where Six Sigma will
be deployed only to a specific business process.
Scalability
The most interesting aspect of Six Sigma is that it is
scalable, which means that Six Sigma concepts can be applied to any business
process irrespective of the size and complexity of the business process. Opting
for a pilot project instead of overall deployment will help the business to
concentrate its efforts and resources on deploying Six Sigma in a specific
area. Deploying Six Sigma to a specific business process will help the business
to achieve fast and accurate results. It will help in highlighting the efficacy
of Six Sigma to other functional departments within the organization. The
concepts and resources used during the pilot project can then be used to deploy
Six Sigma in other departments.
Project
Selection
For the successful deployment of Six Sigma pilot projects,
businesses need to select only those projects that are critical to the
day-to-day functioning of the organization. Selecting a project that focuses on
achieving one or more basic goals or objectives of the organization will prove
beneficial for the project as well as for the organization. Businesses need to
make sure that pilot projects are completed within the stipulated timeframe,
preferably within three to four months depending on the complexity of the pilot
project. Pilot projects will set the tone for future organization-wide
deployments and as such, it is necessary to follow all the basic guidelines
that will help in making the pilot project a success.
Training
Deploying Six Sigma across the whole organization will
require businesses to give proper six-sigma training to deployment teams, as
well as employees who are related to a particular deployment project. Training
will help employees in understanding the basic concepts of Six Sigma and give
them an idea of what they will be required to do or will be doing during the
deployment period. This will help in eliminating deployment problems that often
arise due to general unawareness about Six Sigma concepts and methodologies.
Training may be done onsite or offsite depending on the type of training.
Training needs to be done in such a way that it does not affect the normal
functioning of the organization. If employees are willing, businesses can also
opt for online training that will enable employees to receive training when
they have free time, in the comfort of their homes.
Businesses need to make sure that employees who receive
training are the ones who will eventually work under a Six Sigma deployment
team. Maintaining proper communication channels between deployment teams and
senior management is also important when it comes to the successful completion
of Six Sigma projects. Businesses need to maintain two-way communication
channels for sharing information that might prove critical for a Six Sigma
deployment project.