Six Sigma can be successfully deployed in any industry irrespective of size. 6 Sigma concepts are designed in accordance with the basic characteristics of a business and not the size of a business. Businesses that do not have adequate resources for deploying Six Sigma can get help from 6 Sigma professionals such as Black Belts or Master Black Belts who have plenty of experience in deploying Six Sigma. Businesses that do not want an organization-wide deployment can opt for a pilot project where 6 Sigma will be deployed only to a specific business process.
Scalability
The most interesting aspect of Six Sigma is that it is scalable, which means that 6 Sigma concepts can be applied to any business process irrespective of the size and complexity of the business process. Opting for a pilot project instead of overall deployment will help the business to concentrate its efforts and resources on deploying 6 Sigma in a specific area. Deploying 6 Sigma to a specific business process will help the business to achieve fast and accurate results. It will help in highlighting the efficacy of 6 Sigma to other functional departments within the organization. The concepts and resources used during the pilot project can then be used to deploy 6 Sigma in other departments.
Project Selection
For the successful deployment of 6 Sigma pilot projects, businesses need to select only those projects that are critical to the day-to-day functioning of the organization. Selecting a project that focuses on achieving one or more basic goals or objectives of the organization will prove beneficial for the project as well as for the organization. Businesses need to make sure that pilot projects are completed within the stipulated timeframe, preferably within three to four months depending on the complexity of the pilot project. Pilot projects will set the tone for future organization-wide deployments and as such, it is necessary to follow all the basic guidelines that will help in making the pilot project a success.
Training
Deploying 6 Sigma across the whole organization will require businesses to give proper six-sigma training to deployment teams, as well as employees who are related to a particular deployment project. Training will help employees in understanding the basic concepts of 6 Sigma and give them an idea of what they will be required to do or will be doing during the deployment period. This will help in eliminating deployment problems that often arise due to general unawareness about 6 Sigma concepts and methodologies. Training may be done onsite or offsite depending on the type of training. Training needs to be done in such a way that it does not affect the normal functioning of the organization. If employees are willing, businesses can also opt for online training that will enable employees to receive training when they have free time, in the comfort of their homes.
Businesses need to make sure that employees who receive training are the ones who will eventually work under a Six Sigma deployment team. Maintaining proper communication channels between deployment teams and senior management is also important when it comes to the successful completion of Six Sigma projects. Businesses need to maintain two-way communication channels for sharing information that might prove critical for a Six Sigma deployment project.
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By: john | 05-06-2008
why do six sigma continuous improvement concepts help business organisations to survive longer?
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What are some of the limitation of the Six-Sigma approach when there is subjectivity in the metrics used?
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