By Sanjaya Kumar Saxena - All customers value consistent and predictable services and products with near zero defects. The trick for providers is figuring out precisely what this means in terms of everyday processes and performance levels. People often view Six Sigma as a rigorous statistical quality control mechanism that reduces defects to 3.4 in a million opportunities. Rather, it can more broadly be thought of as a way of using statistics to understand customer needs better and to manage business processes to meet those needs. ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 84 )

By General Electric - To achieve Six Sigma quality, a process must produce no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. An "opportunity" is defined as a chance for nonconformance, or not meeting the required specifications. This means we need to be nearly flawless in executing our key processes. Six Sigma is a vision we strive toward and a philosophy that is part of our business culture. ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 70 )

By Regina M. Clark - Most Six Sigma trainers are technical experts that have been asked to deliver training. Before facilitating a training program, there are some fundamentals that every trainer needs to master. The following tips will get you moving in the right direction... PDF file ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 163 )

By na - Want some background on the history of six sigma methods? Here's a great place to start. ^new (Added: 18-Jan-2006 Hits: 82 )

By Lynda M. Finn and Sue Reynard - Six Sigma has been adopted by some of the world's leading companies as a mechanism to improve bottom line results and delight customers. But though the companies have made spectacular gains in some areas – millions of dollars in increased revenue or reduced costs – success has not been uniform. Deploying Six Sigma in areas of high workforce mobility or dispersion, such as field sales and service, has proven challenging. This is ironic in that mobile workforces are often people who spend most of their time dealing with customers face-to-face, in the customer's workplace. And one of Six Sigma's strengths is its focus on delivering what customers really care about (the key outcomes, or "critical Ys"). ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 81 )

By Tzippy Shochat - Surveys surround us. The questions come via the mail, face to face in shopping malls, on the telephone, and increasingly over the Internet -- a multitude of surveys, but many of them fail to achieve their goals. The fault often lies with those who design and administer the surveys with good intentions, but without the necessary professional background or survey experience. A few tips may provide some help. And the real-life examples of survey mistakes cited here are caution lights for those involved in gathering information by survey for Six Sigma projects. ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 88 )

By John Kessler - For many Black Belts, the biggest challenge of their new position is not learning the data tools – it is learning the managerial skills needed to run an effective team. And one of the most difficult of the managerial skills is dealing with commitment conflicts that team members face. Here is a parable based on a number of real-life exchanges with Black Belts. ^new (Added: 19-Jan-2006 Hits: 80 )