Six Sigma is a quality management program that is designed to achieve a “six sigma” level of quality for products. In mid 1980s, Motorola pioneered Six Sigma and it has since been adopted by many other companies and manufacturers. Service companies also implement Six Sigma strategies to improve customer service and relations. The idea behind Six Sigma is that failures in quality and customer satisfaction occur after sixth sigma of likelihood in a normal distribution curve. Hence, idea is that there are less defects per product or customer service. Motorola defines success of six-sigma quality in terms of number of Defects Per Million Opportunities.

Why Use Six Sigma?

Many companies and critics of Six Sigma believed that achieving six levels of quality was impossible, but many companies have proved critics wrong. Some companies even go beyond six-sigma. An example of this is GE Aircraft Engines, which operate at Nine Sigma levels of quality. Six sigma is practical because it reduces amount of errors in customer service and products. This leads to increased customer satisfaction, increased revenue, more returning customers, and acquisition of new customers. Companies that can implement six-sigma successfully have higher standards of quality and usually produce better products and services.

Why is it only Six Sigma?

Problem Solving Techniques

1. Clarify what a successful solution is, and that will guide your efforts. In fact, sometimes just clarifying desired outcome will suggest immediate solutions.

2. Get opinions and/or advice from several people. They might have good ideas, and you'll be sure you're not overlooking obvious. Also, you clarify a problem when you explain it, and that may help in itself.

3. Challenge assumptions. Are you trying to solve wrong problem? Do you really need a vacation, or is your job problem? Don't let your assumptions limit your possible solutions.

4. Break it into parts, and solve parts individually. Many problems are really a collection of smaller, easier-to-solve problems.

5. Change perspectives. What would problem look like if you were rich, poor, or from another planet. Einstein imagined riding on a beam of light, which lead to his theory of relativity, so this technique has been known to work.