The History of Six Sigma The term Six Sigma was coined by Bill Smith, an engineer of Motorola.

In late 1970, Motorola started experimenting with Six Sigma as a strategy for solving problems related to product design and only in 1987 it officially launched the new philosophy for its product design and development. In 1996, the philosophy was adopted by GE and both Motorola and GE reported instant success in solving design related quality problems. Honeywell, HP, Ford and Nissan quickly adopted the philosophy and reported quick dividends. Six Sigma is problem focused and tackles quality related problems as projects with target date for getting deliverables.

Figure 1. Six Sigma Time Line Six Sigma Roles and Responsibilities Enterprises with successful Six Sigma programs have found it useful to delineate roles and responsibilities for people involved in project activity. Although titles vary somewhat from company to company, the following list represents the general thinking regarding each role. Black Belts Black Belts work full time on Six Sigma projects. These projects are usually priori-tized on the basis of their potential financial impact on the enterprise. Individuals designated as Black Belts must be thoroughly trained in statistical methods and be proficient at working with teams to implement project success. Breyfogle (2003) suggests that the number of Black Belts equal about 1% of the number of employees in the organization. Black Belt 03WA Six Sigma role associated with an individual typically assigned full time to train and mentor Green Belts as well as lead improvement projects using specified methodologies such as DMA IC; define, pleasure, analyze, design, and verify (DMADV); and DFSS. Master Black Belts Master Black Belts have advanced knowledge in statistics and other fields and provide technical support to the Black Belts.

Master Black Belt (MBB)A Six Sigma role associated with an individual typically assigned full time to train and mentor Black Belts as well as lead the strategy to ensure improvement projects chartered are the right strategic projects for the organization. Master Black Belts are usually the authorizing body to cer-tify Green Belts and Black Belts. Green Belts A Green Belt works under the direction of a Black Belt, assisting with all phases of project operation. Green Belts typically are less adept at statistics and other problem-solving techniques. Green Belt (GB)A Six Sigma role associated with an individual who retains his or her regular position within the firm but is trained in the tools, methods, and skills necessary to conduct Six Sigma improvement projects either individually or as part of larger teams. Champion A Champion is typically a top-level manager who is familiar with the benefits of Six Sigma strategies and provides support for the program. ChampionA Six Sigma role associated with a senior manager who ensures his or her projects are aligned with the organization's strategic goals and priorities, provides the Six Sigma team with resources, removes organizational barriers for the team, participates in project tollgate reviews, and essentially serves as the team's backer. A Champion is also known as a sponsor. Executive Successful implementations of Six Sigma have unwavering support from the company-level executives. Executives demonstrate their support for Six Sigma through their communications and actions. Process Owner Process owners should be sufficiently high in the organization to make decisions regarding process changes. It is only natural that managers responsible for a par-ticular process frequently have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. They should be involved with any discussion of change. In most cases, they are willing to support changes but need to see evidence that recommended improvements are for the long-term good of the enterprise. A team member with a "show me" attitude can make a very positive contribution to the team. Process owners should be provided with opportunities for training at least to the Green Belt level. Process ownerA Six Sigma role associated with an individual who coordi-nates the various functions and work activities at all levels of a process, has the authority or ability to make changes in the process as required, and manages the entire process cycle so as to ensure performance effectiveness. Methodology Six Sigma has two key methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV. DMAIC is used to improve an existing business process. DNIADV is used to create new product designs or process designs in such a way

that it results in a more predictable, mature and defect free performance. Sometimes a DMAIC project may turn into a DFSS project because the process may require complete redesign to bring the desired degree of improvement. DMAIC Basic methodology consists of the following five steps: Define the process improvement goals that are consistent with customer demands and organisational strategy. Measure the current process and collect relevant data for future comparison. Analyze to verify relationship and causality of factors. Determine what the relationship is, and attempt to ensure that all factors have been considered. Improve or optimize the process based upon the analysis using techniques like Design of Experiments. Control to ensure that any variances are corrected before they result in defects. Set up pilot runs to establish process capability, transition to production and thereafter continuously measure the process and institute control mechanisms. DMADV This methodology consists of the following five steps: Define the goals of the design activity that are consistent with customer demands and organisational strategy. Measure and identify product capabilities, production process capability, and risk assessments. Analyze to develop and design alternatives, create high-level design and evaluate design capability to select the best design. Design details, optimize the design, and plan for design verification Verify the design, set up pilot runs, implement production process and handover to process owners. Some people have used DMAICR (Realize). Others contend that focusing on the financial gains realized through Six Sigma is counter-productive and that said financial gains are simply byproducts of a good process improvement. Another additional flavour of Design for Six Sigma is the DMEDI method. This process is almost exactly like the DMADV process, utilizing the same toolkit, but with a different acronym. DMEDI stands for Define, Measure, Explore, Develop and Implement. References - Mahapatra, P., Operations Management, 2010, 549-550

- Kaliym, I., Developing and Measuring Training the Six Sigma Way: A Business Approach to Training And Development, 2006, 17-18 - Kubiak, T., The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, 2009, 17-19 - Babu, T., High Performing Organisations, 2008, 118-119