An Overview of Six Sigma

What exactly is Six Sigma, and how can it benefit you? Whilst the term ‘Six Sigma’ is known by many in the industry, and its advantages remain obvious, the inner mechanics often remain a mystery. Let’s discuss the ins and outs of Six Sigma and look at the possibilities that it can introduce into your business.

What is Six Sigma?

Starting with the basics… Six Sigma is a data-focused methodology that identifies and aims to eliminate defects and reduce process variation. Equipping organisations with the tools required to take control over their processes.

Originating in the 1980s, Six Sigma gained traction when Motorola needed a quality management tool to increase business performance, fine-tuning its key production and organisation procedures. The result of this fine-tuning saw incredibly high levels of process capability, the elimination of business and process costs, and the trigger of a remarkable boost to profitability.

Coined by Motorola, ‘Six Sigma’ has since revolutionised how companies operate, showcasing its impact on business performance.

What About DMAIC?

Six Sigma needs a systematic and structured approach to problem-solving… known as DMAIC. This is an acronym standing for, define, measure, analyse, improve, and control.

• Define – the problem and the project goals. Only when you know the scope of the issue can you start to understand what exactly the project should solve.
• Measure – the gap in performance and the process. This step includes deciding what needs to be measured, and how you will measure it.
• Analyse – the process effectively so you can pinpoint the root cause. You can use various analytical tools to analyse the data you measure, gaining valuable insights into the factors influencing process performance.
• Improve – along the way, then measure the outcomes so you can learn from them. This is when strategies for process enhancements are developed, and the improvements are implemented. The main goal is to address the identified issues from the ‘define’ stage.
• Control – the process to achieve higher performance (process capability). This allows sustainability over time. Implement monitoring systems to track the performance of the process, and corrective actions need to be decided if deviations happen from the desired outcome.

What Are the Benefits of Six Sigma?

There are many advantages to adopting the Six Sigma methodology:

• Improves the processes in your business.
• Improves problem-solving capabilities.
• Reduces variation, leading to enhanced quality and productivity.
• Reduces the costs.
• Introduces data-driven decision-making.
• Giving you a competitive advantage.
• The standardisation of processes.
• Linking new and existing tools to a methodology that brings results.
• Learning how to choose the most appropriate tools for the job at hand.
• Gaining invaluable knowledge of how your products and processes work.
• Building sustainable results and enabling continuous improvement.

What Are the Levels of Six Sigma Training?

At The Manufacturing Institute, we offer three levels of Six Sigma training courses: Yellow Belt, Green Belt and Black Belt – each designed to equip delegates with the knowledge and skills required to maximise their contribution to Six Sigma projects, giving you practical application to bring about real change.

Yellow Belt

This is the introduction to Six Sigma. Suitable for any team member regardless of seniority, looking to understand the basic language of Six Sigma. This will give an overview of the DMAIC methodology, and an introduction to Lean Six Sigma tools such as process mapping, cause and effect, basic problem-solving tools, and much more.

Green Belt

The Green Belt Programme is a step further, designed for those ready to step up into team leader roles. This will go into detail on the DMAIC methodology and introduce the relationship between Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing. Dive deeper into Lean Six Sigma tools and gain confidence in problem-solving to transform your business performance using data-driven decision-making.

Black Belt

Our Black Belt Programme provides robust and practical delivery of tried and tested advanced improvement tools. Aimed at high-potential and high-ability individuals who are passionate about improvements and want to enhance their capabilities in problem-solving and influencing change. This introduces various tools inside your Black Belt Toolbox including, Minitab, multi-vari analysis, introduction to the design of experiences, and more.

Directly following all Green and Black Belt Programmes, delegates can extend their classroom-based learning with a Manufacturing Institute fellowship, which is a value-added recognition scheme around the successful implementation of a work-based improvement project. This work-based project is supervised by a Manufacturing Institute Practitioner and allows you to put your findings into action.

If you want to learn more about Six Sigma, problem-solving, the DMAIC framework, or what it takes to create a more efficient operation that creates competitive advantage… check our upcoming Six Sigma courses here or simply get in touch, we are always happy to help!

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