Using Six Sigma in your organization

So you've heard about Six Sigma and you think that your organization can benefit from what this implementation and operational process has to offer.but where do you start?Using Six Sigma in your organization for the first time is going to be a process.Fortunately, there are a good number of trained individuals who can serve as consultants and even full-time employees for you if that is what you anticipate as being the most productive way to implement these processes most effectively.

Using Six Sigma in your organization starts with having all executive members of the organization on board with the proposed implementation.The biggest challenge to using Six Sigma in your organization (when Six Sigma had not been previously used) is overcoming the roadblock of fear of change.When an organization has been operating for a long period of time with a relatively health amount of success, it can be trying to instigate a new and uncomfortable methodology.Once you have decided to commit to a change in mentality, the next step is to gather as much information as you can about your customer, their demands, what your company is doing to meet those demands, etc.You will want to obtain a good idea of where your company really stands and how much of a competitive threat your are in your industry.You can do this more accurately by gathering and analyzing information that you can quantify instead of simply making a guess regarding where you stand.All of this information gathering and analyzing requires the skills of a team of trained staff members.Black Belts and Green Belts, as these trained Six Sigma implementers are called, have the responsibility to design and improve processes and to assist process owners.Using Six Sigma in your organization is also going to be about fine-tuning your processes.Some implementations will be very successful with the exception of one area of production.The idea behind Six Sigma is that you would then take what was learned and compare that to the information that was obtained and measured to then come up with a new project aimed at perfecting any area of the process that still could use some work.

Six Sigma cannot be properly used in your organization without the help of some trained staff members who are familiar with Six Sigma because they have obtained task specific training and have become certified to carry out a specific Six Sigma implementation role.Six Sigma projects are highly personalized.No one Six Sigma expert will have all the answers that when applied to any business will yield the same results.In Six Sigma, specific terms are used to describe and rank a different kind of operational hierarchy of managers.The Six Sigma champions are responsible for the implementation across the entire organization and making it possible to integrate the ideas into the company.Champions also play the role as mentors to the Black Belts or coaches of Six Sigma.Black Belts are more run more specific projects and methods.Green Belts are typically employees of the company who fill roles of Six Sigma implementation part-time and only when their services are needed.Yellow Belts are also typically hired as employees and are generally the recipients of on the job training when it comes to certifying themselves to be able to use Six Sigma in their role.Even the assignment of roles within Six Sigma plays into the idea that the most efficient use of time and resources (while minimizing waste) is in the best interest of the profitability of the company.Employees are encouraged to continue with their traditional roles within the organization, only calling on their Six Sigma training when an appropriate project requires their attention.