The Motorola Company developed the six sigma business management strategy in the 1980s and experienced tremendous growth and development within a short time. This led to the adoption of this strategy by many other companies in many different industry sectors. To achieve the desired objectives from this strategy, it is important for the company to train its staff. This training is intensive and includes learning about various Six Sigma tools and how and when to use them for the best possible results.

The objective of the Six Sigma management strategy is to improve quality of output processes. A Six Sigma Team starts by identifying what causes defects and errors in order to be able to get rid of them. Any variability found in the processes of manufacturing and business should also be minimized as much as possible. For this strategy to succeed, a number of quality management techniques are used including the following tools learned within the training and certification process for this quality improvement methodology.

Organizations that adopt this strategy usually develop a special group of people within the organization to specialize in this area. They are classified into a hierarchy of different levels of knowledge and training such as Black Belts, Green Belts, and Yellow Belts, depending on their level of qualification. These specialists use different theories, tools, and statistical tests to achieve the objectives outlined above.

Most of these tools are now incorporated into Six Sigma Software so that the computer can perform the underlying calculations.  This is mostly true for the statistical tests and analyses. These are usually classified into 2 categories. There are the process optimization tools that enable the team to design more efficient workflows. There are also statistical analysis tools that enable the team to analyze data more effectively.

One of them is the quality function deployment tool (QFD) which is used to understand the requirements of the customer. It identifies the requirements of the client and rates them using a numerical scale. The higher numbers correspond to must-haves and lower numbers correspond to nice-to-have attributes for a product or service. Different design options are then listed and rated to determine whether they can address the needs of the customer. Every option is given a score and the ones with highest scores are deemed the best solutions to pursue for optimum value and cost efficiency for the business.

There are also fish-bone diagrams which help in identifying the input variables that should be studied further. The final diagrams look like fish skeleton, hence the name. After all the input variables have been listed and grouped, the diagram is analyzed by a team of experts. They then identify two or three input variables which are likely to be the problem source.  These are then statistically analyzed for further improvement.

The next Six Sigma Tool discussed here is the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) tool which identifies ways in which a new service, process, or product might fail. It first lists all the possible failure scenarios, and rates them by importance before coming up with a list of solutions. This process enables the team to prioritize anything that could go wrong and fix the issues before they arise in production. They then develop some preventive measures which are targeted at the failure scenarios.

The organizations that use these and other Six Sigma tools appropriately achieve significant benefits; both in monetary reward and personal reward. The organization is able to improve its services or products. This leads to customer loyalty, which then translates to higher profits. Such organizations and their employees are eventually able to reach world class standards. It is now possible to acquire Six Sigma Skills and Certification for employees online at an affordable cost from various training providers.  This ease of training makes the process even more worthwhile and beneficial to companies and businesses around the world!