The Six Sigma Way

The Six Sigma Way
How GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Performance
The Six Sigma Way outlines the roadmap for implementing Six Sigma in your manufacturing or
service organization.The authors - who have worked with some of the most visible Six Sigma
companies including GE - provide step-by-step guidance and practical implementation tips.

Six Sigma is a data-driven management system with near-perfect-performance objectives that
has been employed to acclaim at leading corporations like General Electric. Its name is
derived from the eye-catching statistical target of operating with no more than 3.4 defects
per one million chances, but Peter Pande, Robert Neuman, and Roland Cavanagh--associates in
a firm providing Six Sigma implementation, training, and management services--contend its
principles can be applied in businesses of all types to routinely reduce costs, improve productivity,
increase market share, and achieve other positive results. The Six Sigma Way is their
comprehensive self-help guide to adapting and using the system under various conditions.
Its first two parts cover fundamentals and provide specific suggestions for aligning
the process with individual needs and goals. (These include sections on balancing potential
costs and benefits, clarifying objectives, and defining time frames.) The final part, which
accounts for more than half the book, focuses on implementation through a detailed yet flexible
five-step "road map" tied to a company's core processes, key customers, current performance,
"high-potential improvement opportunities," and future practices. While the procedure is quite
complex, diligent managers should be able to bring at least basic components to their organization with the tools and techniques provided. link