China is blessed with an abundance of hard-working, conscientious, and low-paid laborers who are driven to improve their living conditions. The result of their efforts has been a rapid and steady increase in production capabilities and demand for China-built products. Contrary to the approach Japan used to build its economy, which relied on building brand recognition, the Chinese have focused on product production. That has allowed them to progress much faster in the international market than Japan because China’s customers are retailers, not consumers.

With the onset of Six Sigma methodology, many organizations have spent large sums of money to make all of their products and processes as close to six sigma as they can. I agree that the higher the level of sigma value, the better the quality of the output is if it’s not screened. But is that the best point in the operating curve for the organization?

In Miguel de Cervantes' The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha, Don Quixote dreams of being a brave knight who rides a great steed to fight for what is right. That dream turned into a vision where he and his squire, Sancho Panza, were fighting dragons and saving fair damsels in distress. The vision spurred him into action. Although his dragon may have been a windmill, with its sails whirling, he mistakes it for a four-armed giant and his fair-haired damsel turns out to be a roadside inn's serving wench and part-time prostitute, Aldonza.