The Agile and Six Sigma Methodologies – Can They Be A Fruitful Blend?

The world is changing at a rapid pace, and the people’s demands are increasing accordingly. In today’s world, people prefer to have their desired products quickly – saying that they are not willing to compromise on the quality of the product – so companies need to keep up with agility to boost their sales. To meet the needs of arid trends, companies are using Agile strategies that bring effectiveness, efficiency, and optimization creating new opportunities for their service-based models.

The Agile strategy was developed by many practitioners and thinkers who pitched in their ideas from their experience and referred to a wide range of reports and analyses. Let’s look at Six Sigma tools and methods. It concentrates on cost-effective product creation, matching quality standards, and ensuring that these products are delivered to market faster than their competitors. It is observed that organizations that have implemented concepts of Six Sigma methods have been able to spot mistakes in the production process.

Agile and Six Sigma work well together because they have their unique functions. Agile works with an IT background whose primary focus is to cut waste. Meanwhile, Six Sigma is the original method for manufacturing sectors that continuously seek quality assurance. It also helps refine processes constantly. By customizing these two management methods, you can create a focused plan with higher output at a reduced cost as opposed to rounding guidelines all-around or overseeing every single part of your project.

Since the functionality is the same, it has sparked a new fusion that supports the inclusion of Six Sigma methodologies in an Agile environment. If we look at the Agile software methodologies, it hints towards a way to mold software development by creating a process framework. This framework acts as a guiding light for the software management team in facilitating their developmental efforts for building software using an agile process that repeats according to project need changes. This methodology opens new possibilities for incorporating quality tools such as Six Sigma.

Suppose you’re looking for different ways to apply top software engineering practices. In that case, you may find that the agile development process can use Six Sigma tools to enhance your quality and success. Agile development makes it easier for business-based quality standards to be implemented as it utilizes iterative production. DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) phases include measuring customer expectations and building a list of potential solutions.

With Six Sigma and Agile mergers, organizations can balance the needs of process and efficiency. However, business teams continue to struggle to find space for these practices.