Overview

In our journey along the Six Sigma Way so far, we ve concentrated on those tools that drive much of the improvement in most organizations and processes. What Motorola discovered when it initiated Six Sigma, other businesses have learned since: Many problems and opportunities can be addressed with techniques that anyone can use. On the other hand, one of the keys to the success of the Six Sigma system has been the application by teams and by specially trained Black Belts of more sophisticated tools that bring more power to the Learning and Improvement efforts.

Our objective in this chapter is not to make you an expert in any of these advanced methods. We will try, though, to make you familiar with what some of the most common Six Sigma techniques are, why they can be helpful, and how they can be applied to Process Design, Management and Improvement. Each of the power tools we ll cover has one or more specific applications, and like any tool these can be misused or unproductive if not chosen and applied with care.

We ve sequenced the methods in this chapter based on their most common use in the Six Sigma improvement effort, as noted in italics:

• Statistical Process Control and Control Charts problem identification

• Tests of Statistical Significance (Chi-Square, t-tests and ANOVA) problem definition and root cause analysis

• Correlation and Regression root cause analysis and prediction of results

• Design of Experiments optimal solution analysis and results validation

• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis