Basics Archive

101 Things a Green Belt Should Know

Green Belts are employees of an organization who have been trained on the Six Sigma improvement methodology and will lead a process improvement team as part of their full time job. While Green Belts don't need to know as much as Black Belts or Master Black Belts, there are many things a Green Belt should know. This list will help.

An Introduction to ISO 9000, 9001, 9002, ISO 9000:2000

As geographic barriers between countries deteriorate with the continued evolution of the Internet, ISO 9000 may be one of the largest differentiators between you and your competitors. Already, ISO 9000 plays a key role in winning new customers, maintaining satisfied current customers, accessing foreign countries and dealing with the government.

Ask the Expert: The Topic – Large and Small Deployments

Joe De Feo, President and Executive Coach at Juran Institute, offers his views on deploying Six Sigma in large and small companies alike.

Customer CTQs – Defining Defect, Unit and Opportunity

In order for any process capability to accurately be calculated, one must properly define and quantify the process defect, unit and opportunity of a customer CTQ. This article defines the three terms, as well as provides examples.

Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) Versus DMAIC

Troubled with the acronyms of Six Sigma? We'll help you figure out new product design (DFSS) from existing process improvement (DMAIC).

Is Six Sigma for Real? Question Deserves Solid Answers

Many quality improvement methods talk about measuring and improving, but what specifically makes Six Sigma more valuable than the others and then, in this case, applicable to IT? Success with Six Sigma requires solid answers.

Is This a Six Sigma, Lean or Kaizen Project?

Executives who develop a working knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean, and Kaizen are much better prepared to build the right infrastructure and lead their organizations to both financial and human success.

Should You Calculate Your Process Sigma?

Practitioners must learn when and how to calculate the sigma level of a process.

Sigma Performance Levels – One to Six Sigma

When learning about Six Sigma, it may help to consider these charts, which detail how sigma level relates to defects per million opportunities (DPMO), and some real-world examples.

Six Sigma Basics: DMAIC Like Normal Problem Solving

Six Sigma problem solving is similar to day-to-day problem solving, except in Six Sigma, nobody knows what is really causing the problem at the beginning of the project.

Six Sigma DMAIC Quick Reference

A reference guide to each tollgate in a DMAIC project.

Six Sigma Q&A

Get answers to all your Six Sigma questions with this list of frequently asked questions.

Six Sigma Versus Lean

In this excerpt from the iSixSigma Discussion Forum, posters debate the differences between Lean and Six Sigma, and how the two can be used together.

Six Sigma Versus TQM

In this excerpt from the iSixSigma Discussion Forum, posters compare and contrast Six Sigma and its predecessor, TQM.

The Importance of Implementing Effective Metrics

You can’t control what you don’t measure. That’s why one of the basic tenets of Six Sigma is to develop process metrics.

What Is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process -- from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service.

What Makes Six Sigma Work?

Consultants are earning seven figure salaries, CEOs are claiming billions of dollars saved, conferences are popping up everywhere, and yet one can argue that Six Sigma is not much different than TQM. Is Six Sigma just the latest management buzzword or is Six Sigma a Quality Management program that really works? What makes Six Sigma work?

What Small Business CEOs Must Know to Start Six Sigma

Six Sigma can help grow any company by giving it the all-important competitive edge. For the majority of small business CEOs, the only thing that holds them back from seriously exploring Six Sigma is not knowing how to get started.

Why Choose Six Sigma Over Kaizen?

In this excerpt from the iSixSigma Discussion Forum, posters discuss the benefits of Six Sigma and Kazien, and how to integrate the two.

Posts Tagged ‘Basics’