Six Sigma is a program that helps implement plans within organizations to improve their quality of function, product manufacturing or service providing.  This system is used within many leading companies to decrease product or service defects and increase the bottom line.

When problems arise within a company, it is important that Six Sigma Professionals identify and eliminate those problems as quickly as possible, hopefully before they cause any real damage to the company itself.  They work with the people at the top of the organization to identify those problems and create projects to weed them out and eliminate them.  The project will also include implementing plans for the continued success of the company in the future.

The system works with individuals who hold colored belt levels depending on their function in the project and their knowledge of Six Sigma.  The Black belt will act as the leader for the team, delegating tasks to be performed and handling the implementation and monitoring.  They will work with the organizational leaders to make sure the project covers all their areas of concern.  The second in command, the Green belts, will work as assistants to the Black belt, having some extensive training, but not the thorough knowledge that the Black belt has.  They will have a focus in a certain area of their expertise and if a project is small, they will be able to lead a team successfully through.

The support staff on this team is a group of Yellow belt professionals, who will help to collect and analyze data to help the organization identify its problems.  They will also work with the rest of the team to develop plans of action.  These plans would need to be carried out if the company is to see any improvement in the areas it is having trouble in.  

All of the professionals on the project will use tools and methods set forth by Six Sigma to weed out problems and create plans to resolve or improve those problems to a tolerable level.  This can be used to create a better atmosphere for the employees, thereby cutting the nonattendance rate because the employees are happier coming to work.  With more people on the job, and working with a more positive attitude, the company sees an increase in productivity and the quality of those products or services.  Happy employees will make a company a lot more money than unhappy employees.

The quality of the products and services does not depend solely on the employees, however.  It is important that managers and supervisors realize their role in making quality changes; and also play a vital role in the Six Sigma Team.  They may need to take some extra training classes of their own in order to learn new management styles and tricks.  Six Sigma is a system that works from the top down, this is why it is so important that everyone is on the same page and is working together for success!