This leads to waste of time and efforts taken to bring about the improvements. The mistakes made may be from wrong project selection to indifference on the part of the top management, faulty deployment strategy and over-stressing training and certification.

Wrong Project Selection

If the team does not undertake a proper study of the underlying problems facing the organization, they will not be able to find the proper areas for improvement. If the selection of the project is in itself incorrectly done, then any amount of effort spent on it will be wasted and no relevant improvements will be visible.

There would be no benefits of a project if the project team members do not focus on the areas that need urgent improvements. Additionally, if the scope of the project is limited, then the project benefits will be seen quickly - and that can mean a lot for the success of the entire process.

Improvement projects have to be data-based, aimed at achieving the business goals and aligned to the objectives of the business. Once the project is undertaken, the teams should monitor the progress regularly and make appropriate modifications to the goal wherever necessary.

Indifferent Management and Leadership

The support of top leadership and management is necessary for the Six Sigma initiative to succeed. It is leadership that has to mobilize their efforts to support such an improvement initiative.

If resistance comes from the leadership, then the team will not be able to overcome the roadblocks in the project. There are barriers that can be handled only by top management. All resources, such as finance, process changes and guidance in the various project levels should have the support of the organization’s leadership.

A top-down approach the initiative is necessary to overcome resistance from the lower levels of the organization.

Faulty Deployment Strategy

The lack of alignment of the deployment strategy to the goals of the organization is a major mistake, which leads to the stakeholders being confused with the outcome and the value of the initiative.

The team has to ensure that the project is perfectly aligned to the business’ objectives. As the project progresses, monitoring it is necessary, so that the project remains on track as per the strategy.

Any changes that are needed should be done on a timely basis.

Too Much Six Sigma Training and Certification

Six Sigma training and certification are important to project success. However, if teams concentrate more on training and certifications rather than executing the project, it will mean lack of support of these members.

Teams should include Six Sigma trainings as part of the plan of deployment. This will help in managing project activities and targets, along with the training and development.

There are many other reasons why Six Sigma deployments fail. All the members of the Six Sigma team have to contribute towards the success of the project and ensure that other members also participate. The problems cannot be denied, but they can be avoided to yield the benefits of a Six Sigma initiative.