Introduction

The Six Sigma system for quality improvement in products, services, and processes is a business-based system of using statistical analysis and customer-focused methods. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that a company that moves from three sigma processes to six sigma processes increases its profitability by two to three orders of magnitude, and that companies that use the Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) process create products and services with much higher levels of customer satisfaction and technical quality than those that don't. ^[1], ^[2], ^[3], ^[4], ^[5], ^[6] Coupling TRIZ with Six Sigma produces these powerful results faster, because the breakthrough problem-solving aspects of TRIZ can be focused on the profit opportunities identified by Six Sigma and the technology-forecasting aspects of TRIZ can be focused on planning new products at the right time in the product life cycle.

The breakthrough strategy of Six Sigma is different in vocabulary, but not in concept, from the plan-do-check-act method, usually known as PDCA, that has been used in quality improvement for the past 70 years and in human learning throughout our evolution. ^[7], ^[8] The tools of TRIZ that are used in the improvement arena of Six Sigma are as shown in Table 14.1 as well as the relationship to the PDCA model. ^[9] The difference in emphasis between Six Sigma and conventional quality improvement methods is the focus at all levels of Six Sigma application on the business results of the proposed...