TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter introduces the Six Sigma concept, philosophy, and approach and includes a beginning discussion of phases of the Six Sigma process. Sections include:
| 1.1 | History | |||||
| 1.2 | Business Markets and Expectations | |||||
| 1.3 | What Is Sigma? | |||||
| 1.4 | The Six Sigma Approach | |||||
| 1.5 | Roadmap for the Six Sigma Process | |||||
| 1.6 | Six Sigma Implementation Structure | |||||
| 1.7 | Project Selection
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| 1.8 | Project Team Selection | |||||
| 1.9 | Project Planning and Management
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| 1.10 | Project Charter | |||||
| 1.11 | Summary |
References
Additional Reading
Following World War II, Japan's economy had almost been destroyed. For world market competition, very few natural resources remained except for Japan's people. Yet, top business leaders in Japan fully supported the concept of quality improvement. They realized that quality improvement would open world markets and that this was critical for their nation's survival.
During the 1950s and 1960s, while the Japanese were improving the quality of their products and services at a rapid pace, quality levels in Western nations had changed very little. Among Western nations, the U.S. was the only source for most types of consumer products, which caused U.S. business leaders to concentrate their efforts on production and financial performance, not quality and customer needs.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese manufacturers had significantly improved product quality. The Japanese had become a significant competitor in the world marketplace. As a...
