Six Sigma FAQs

Q. What is Six Sigma?

A. Six Sigma is a business-management process designed to achieve measurable, monetary results through focused improvements in productivity and quality. It's a quality management tool that can be used throughout a corporation to improve processes, not only in manufacturing, but also in areas such as Accounting, Human Resources, Purchasing and Sales. Six Sigma is financially focused and results oriented. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, which leads to better products and services and enhances a corporation's competitive position.

Q. What does Six Sigma mean?

A. The term "sigma", taken from the Greek alphabet, is used in statistics as a measure of deviation. If a company achieves a "six sigma" measurement in production, for example, that means that only 3.4 of 1 million products are defective. This represents a 99.9997 percent error-free performance. Not all Six Sigma projects reach that lofty goal but they aspire to it and set continuous improvement as a standard.

Q. Is Six Sigma a very specific process?

A. Yes, the Six Sigma process includes specific steps and methodologies. It is a structured, business-oriented process, which provides project-management tools. A problem is defined and then a Six Sigma team determines the expected improvement and the monetary gain that will result from the improvement. Six Sigma projects involve measurements, data and fact-based decisions. Six Sigma involves working on a project in a scientific way.

Q. How are Six Sigma projects selected?

A. Trained experts, called Six Sigma Black Belts or Green Belts, work with the businesses and organizations within a corporation to select critical projects. A Six Sigma team could be formed to examine a manufacturing process, for example, to determine how to make more of a product with existing capacity rather than investing in additional capacity. Six Sigma projects aren't limited to manufacturing, however. Six Sigma can be used everywhere and anywhere in a corporation to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Have a question for us? Use the form below, and we'll post the answer right here on this page.

Full name:
Email address:
Question: