Quality beyond Six Sigma

Citation

Narasimhan, K. (2003), "Quality beyond Six Sigma", The TQM Magazine, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 424-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/09544780310502750

The authors of this book, Ron and Nevan, are both Associate Faculties at Henley Management College, and both have experience in multinational companies. Ron Basu is Director of Performance Excellence Limited and Intec (UK) Ltd., and Nevan is a Principal Lecturer in Management with the Auckland University of Technology. In this introductory book on Six Sigma, they show how the principles and practices of this method successfully used by large companies can be adapted to fit the needs of any organization. They term their approach “FIT SIGMA” to differentiate it from the rest.

The book comprises nine chapters and includes a list of references and a 6‐page glossary at the end of the book. The first half of the book is devoted to introducing the reader to the related concepts of Six Sigma and lean enterprise and the second half for explaining the methodology and implementation of FIT SIGMA^TM. In chapter 1, the authors briefly explain why this new approach FIT SIGMA^TM. They trace the evolution of Fit Sigma from the advent of industrial engineering through total quality management (TQM), Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, and Fit Sigma. They emphasize that Fit Sigma, a management philosophy and an improvement tool, helps to sustain the benefits accrued from implementing Six Sigma and Lean Sigma.

A brief history of the quality movement is given chapter 2. W.E. Deming's 14 points of quality are listed and the works of Dr Joseph M. Juran, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Phil Crosby, and are briefly mentioned. However, John Oakland's work gets a better treatment. It is surprising to note that the coverage of ISO 9000 is based on the information that is dated, as no reference is made to the 2000 revision.

In chapter 3, entitled “The enigma of Six Sigma”, the discuss the essence of Six Sigma; what it is and what it is not, why implement Six Sigma, and the challenges faced in implementing it. The basic calculations are explained in simple terms. In chapter 4, three brief case studies are provided outlining the organization's background, the programs, key benefits accrued and lessons learnt. The companies involved are General Electric, The Dow Chemical Company, and Seagate Technology. In chapter 5, the attention is turned to the concept of lean enterprise, its impact on Six Sigma, and the relation between the two. It is shown how the variation control of Six Sigma can be combined with the waste control of lean enterprise to form Lean Sigma.

In chapter 6, the authors explain with the aid of examples why Six Sigma efforts have failed to achieve and sustain results expected. Then they show how these efforts can be combined with balanced scorecard measures and quality award checklist to form a holistic approach of self‐analysis covering all aspects of the business. In chapter 7, attention is focussed on explaining how it can be applied to service organizations, where the needs of customers can be more diverse than in manufacturing organizations. It is emphasized that it is not enough to satisfy customers but it must be affordable to the organization and it must also be consistent and sustainable. In chapter 9, the authors provide brief guidelines for implementing FIT SIGMA^TM in nine steps that can be customized to the specific needs of any organization.

The book is very good introduction to the basics of Six Sigma and gives an overview of practical considerations required to make its introduction work by making it FIT for purpose by taking into account the organization's situation.