Six Sigma is a powerful tool for effecting change within an organization. Since its development in the late 1980s, it’s helped companies dramatically improve business processes, increase customer satisfaction to new levels and save hundreds of millions of dollars.

The maintenance problem

Six Sigma, the statistical approach focused on increasing profitability by improving efficiency, has been part of the enginee

Many organizations need answers to some key questions about lean and quality management: Is there a difference between quality and value? Should we have two teams, one for continuous improvement and one for lean? What roles would each have?

I’m a huge proponent of both Six Sigma and lean manufacturing. I’ve been teaching the tools used in Six Sigma for more than 15 years, and I make a portion of my living from consulting and training in these areas.

Six Sigma is an expensive initiative with a huge potential for return on investment. However, there are risks associated with it. False starts, lack of commitment or lack of planning may lead to unsatisfactory results.

Six Sigma. Lean. What do these initiatives have to do with the supply chain? The short answer is everything.

Using Six Sigma initiatives to focus on improving the performance of business and manufacturing processes isn’t a new concept.

From its inception, Six Sigma was considered revolutionary.