What the heck is Six Sigma?

[mactbone]

From what I can tell it's just some buzz word for efficient. All the giant corporations which I have access to talk it up in employee communications. Does anyone else have to put up with this execuspeak?

In a related manner, I've seen ads for the new Six Sigma GI Joes. I wish they were CEOs and other executives, that would be much cooler than what they are.

[Japher]

From what I can tell it's just some buzz word for efficient.

yeah

6sigma actuall refers to a yeild of 99.99966%.

Six Sigma is a method, usually through a DMAIC process to help acheive this acceptance rate. In some cases it utilizes certain Toyota manufacturing processes like 5S.

In general, it's a statistical approach to process improvement and control.

(I was trained for SixSigma green belt, but never got the confirmation since my company stop making the product I did the project on)

[DanS]

I have a related question to this. Is there different manufacturing processes for aerospace? Like 7 or 8 sigma or something? Or do you just design your plane to degrade gracefully given 6 sigmas?

[mactbone]

See, all that you just wrote, it doesn't make sense.

DMAIC? Manufacturing process? I work in an office, as do all the people that this message is intended for.

What are all these belts and why use all of this newspeak for simple concepts that have been used in business for ages? It seems like it was all made up by some middle-aged men with hardons for military/agressive terminology.

[DanS]

mactbone: Another way of saying 6 sigma is that the acceptable failure rate is 6 standard deviations from the mean (on a normal distribution curve?).

The lower case sigma symbol -- σ -- is used in mathematical equations to mean standard deviation.

[Jon Miller]

I thought this would be about physicists..

JM

[Japher]

DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analysis, Improve, Control... each step has a bunch of statistical tools that help to best accomplish each phase.

Manufacturing process? I work in an office, as do all the people that this message is intended for.

It can be applied to any process. I'm sure there are inefficiencies in your office.

What are all these belts and why use all of this newspeak for simple concepts that have been used in business for ages?

The belts are just levels of mastery of the process, and yes it is a stupid way to grade them.

I have a related question to this. Is there different manufacturing processes for aerospace? Like 7 or 8 sigma or something? Or do you just design your plane to degrade gracefully given 6 sigmas?

For critical manufacturing process you would have quality procedures that would most likely involve 100% inspection and testing. 6sigma is more likely to be applied where 3 rejects per million is an acceptable liability.

You may still have 100% inspection/testing in facilities that claim sixsigma, but only use it as a scrap reduction mechanism.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Six sigma is a huge scam. I'm a green belt and it is simply code speak for proper problem solving. In other words its a big money making racket for quality gurus and consultants.

That plus what Japher said.

[DanS]

You may still have 100% inspection/testing in facilities that claim sixsigma, but only use it as a scrap reduction mechanism.

Got it. Thanks!

At least for orbital rocketry, I know that they have 100% inspection/testing. But I don't know for airplanes.

[Japher]

Six sigma is a huge scam. I'm a green belt and it is simply code speak for proper problem solving. In other words its a big money making racket for quality gurus and consultants.

That too.

I don't know for airplanes

For the critical components I know they do. They inspect them even after they are made, everytime the plane lands.

[Q Classic]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_sigma

What does that mean? I dunno. I haven't read the article yet.

I do know that the application of Six Sigma to the manufacturing process allowed the Japanese auto companies to far outperform their American counterparts early on; while the Japanese auto giants used them from the get go, the American companies didn't really start applying them until the 80s, by which point most of the damage to their marketshare was likely already done.

[Japher]

It means you can use the internet!

[Q Classic]

I've got a black belt in google-fu.

[Japher]

I've only got a yellow belt
but it allows me to find pics just as fast as Grandpa Troll

[DanS]

From the Wikipedia article, 6 sigma is really 4.5 standard deviations from the mean on a normal distribution curve.