Citation
(2002), "Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services", Work Study, Vol. 51 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2002.07951cae.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services
Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services
Geoff TennantGowerISBN: 0 566 083744£47.50
This book explores one of the most successful quality and management programmes, upon which companies such as Motorola and GE base their success – six sigma. This has been clearly demonstrated in such organisations as being an excellent vehicle for developing corporate strategy in relation to customer quality.
In a normal statistical distribution, approximately 68 per cent of all measurements fall within one sigma either side of the mean. This is both mathematically proven and a practically experienced result. In fact, if you take all measurements that fall within three sigma of the mean – that is between ( sigma) to ( sigma), you will have 99.74 per cent of all outcomes. If we aim to have all of our product quality measurements within 3 sigma of the target measure, 99.74 per cent of our manufactured parts would meet the specification. Six sigma goes further – and suggests that six sigma should be the goal.
In this book, the author, who helped implement a program for GE Capital, investigates the relationships among six sigma, quality, customer satisfaction, business processes, organisational structure, statistics, analysis, and process improvement methodologies. After the statistical and conceptual bases of the program are outlined, practical steps for implementation are presented and explained.
The author was directly involved in implementing six sigma quality principles and practices into a European division of GE Capital. Drawing on his experience, Geoff Tennant develops a reasoned exploration of the benefits that six sigma offers to any organisation. He investigates the relationship between six sigma and quality, customer satisfaction, business processes and organisational structure, statistics and analysis and process improvement methodologies.