Six main errors in the implementation of Six Sigma

In recent years, we can see that the Six Sigma methodology or program has shown a great increase and relevance in the market in general. And it looks like she won't stop growing anymore!

The number of companies and organizations that today adhere to this methodology as part of their organizational culture is large and also observed in other sectors, such as in the media and digital relationship.

From this, we will understand a little more of the information that will be addressed throughout your reading, check out:

• What is Six Sigma?
• How did Six Sigma come about?
• Why deploy Six Sigma?
• The 6 mistakes in the deployment of Six Sigma!

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a management philosophy that aims to solve problems and reduce process variability, significantly reducing costs for the company and thus increasing its profitability.

Unlike what many think, Six Sigma is not only a tool that seeks to adapt companies to quality standards, the focus of this methodology is directly linked to customer satisfaction.

That's why Six Sigma operates in process optimization, to improve quality in the organizational environment and result in more standardized and stable products and services, developed within the acceptance limits imposed both by the process itself and by customers.

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How did Six Sigma come about?

The first records of Six Sigma were observed in 1987, when Bill Smith, an engineer at Motorola company presented the concept of a methodology that presents a tolerance for processes within organizations, seeking to find six standard deviations from the normal curve, which led to the name 6 Sigma.

Failures within the process can be classified as those that present some type or lack of compliance, in activities and functions, influencing the deliveries of products or services, in general.

Thus, it is possible to see how the implementation of the Six Sigma methodology can be extremely beneficial for conducting business, offering better and better results.

For companies, the deployment of Six Sigma offers the opportunity to generate profit and increase their results.

There is no doubt that the use of the Six Sigma methodology can be used to attract new business or retain customers, due to its good results already proven around the world.

Why deploy six sigma?

Several positive points justify the implementation of the Six Sigma methodology, and one of them is the ability to increase the performance, results, and quality processes of organizations.

Many of these benefits occur from the pragmatic and functional structure of the methodology, along with other methodologies, such as DMAIC, which offers the possibility of competitive differentials, for example.

However, with all this spread of adoption benefits, many organizations still end up sinning when implementing the program in their own operations.

Therefore, let's now check what are the six main and most committed mistakes during this process. In addition, in this article you will be able to understand how the phases of Six Sigma deployment occur.

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How to deploy Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a methodology that provides very high results in a short timeof, developing continuous improvements in processes and especially when analyzing the most strategic sectors of organizations.

This entire program is executed in a systemic and objective way, so that the daily life of the inherent activities is constantly improved.

One of the first steps towards the implementation of Six Sigma is to seek the training of its employees, since they are a key point within organizations.

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is one of the tools that can help during this process and also to understand which are the main sectors that need improvement.

During, or even before starting this collective training, hiring a consulting company can assist in the implementation and management of the Six Sigma program. With this support, the occurrence of implementation failures tends to be much lower.

After the training, these employees should be encouraged to develop their first Lean Six Sigma projects. Here, it is worth directing these projects according to the strategic plan and the subsequent deployment of goals by area and critical process of the company.

There is no point in improving the performance of a sector or process if it is not interfering with the final result.

Once the execution and delivery of these initial projects has been carried out, the cycle of generating new performance improvement projects must be constantly challenged to deliver increasingly ambitious results.

Over time, new areas and demands arise and the program becomes increasingly solid and cultural in the organization.

The 6 mistakes in the deployment of Six Sigma!

Now, we will check what are the 6 failures observed during the Six Sigma deployment process.

1. Restrict changes only to the administrative sector

It is essential that during the implementation of Six Sigma other sectors are included, such as operational sectors, since understanding is very important the presence of those who manage the project, who execute it and keep it in continuous operation.

1. Do not provide a reliable KPI system

There is no point in obtaining the information that the productivity of a particular critical operation is at a high level if the performance indicator emission system used in this process is not reliable.

The Measurement System Analysis (MSA) tool is a great solution to validate this system and prevent this error from occurring.

1. Do not establish strategies

Using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) can be a great option, because it provides direction in the execution of activities, in addition to contributing to operational processes being carried out with quality and performance.

One of the main reasons for the successful implementation of Six Sigma is due to its accuracy in acting in key processes and sectors of a business.

1.  Fast training and charging for high results

Six Sigma methodologies offer the possibility of developing fast and effective training, so that the results generated from changes after the implementation of the methodology can be observed quickly.

1. Stop contemplating issues related to safety and the environment

Another common mistake, mainly linked to companies beginning in the methodology, is to cover only projects that deliver immediate financial results, not involving for example other areas such as safety and the environment.

1. Do not promote a system of maintenance of the improvements achieved

Just as it is important to have a KPI system, it is also very important to control the new performance acquired with the completion of each project. For this, Statistical Process Control (CEP) is an effective tool that ensures that the results achieved remain the same.

Ready to learn more about Six Sigma?

When we talk about continuous improvement projects, we have several stages that are susceptible to errors. Thinking about it, we developed the Ebook The most common errors in the Six Sigma Implementation, so you know how to prevent and avoid failures at every step of your project!

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