Key Points

• Six Sigma and Agile are popular methodologies for product development and process improvement.
• They aren’t necessarily in competition with one another but can benefit each other when used together.
• Agile allows for more creative thinking, while Six Sigma’s more rigid structure can improve efficiency across the board.

Six Sigma and Agile are two of the major methodologies behind businesses these days. While today’s article title might lead you to believe this is a shootout of sorts, I didn’t have that in mind. Instead, when it comes to the question of Six Sigma vs. Agile, I was wondering where these methodologies intersect and where they can compliment one another.

I believe that Agile principles can be used right alongside Six Sigma’s attention to quality and consistency. So, with that in mind, let’s take a deeper look into these approaches, where they complement one another, and how to account for the shortcomings in each.

What Is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a methodology developed by Motorola in the 1980s that focuses heavily on data to drive decisions. As a methodology Six Sigma draws itself apart from other approaches by emphasizing quality, consistency, and repeatability. Since its introduction, it has created major waves across the manufacturing industry, being one of the de facto standards right alongside Lean.

There are a few tools that are vital to the core functionality of Six Sigma. Components like the DMAIC framework, the QC tools we’ve focused on in the past, and DFSS are all unique to the methodology. These tools give the means to gather data, improve processes, and ultimately maintain that throughput of quality to the customer.

Recent developments have seen Six Sigma venturing out of the realm of manufacturing and into spaces like education and healthcare. The consistent delivery of output to customers makes for an enticing framework for any organization. Happy customers ultimately comes out to mean greater success for any organization leveraging the methodology.

What Is Agile?

Agile is a project management framework that got its start back in 2001, with the official publication of the Agile Manifesto. Agile puts people first, meaning both customers and employees alike. It is unique among other project management frameworks for its rather hands-off approach when it comes to processes.

When it comes to rigidity, standard operational procedures, and so forth, Agile isn’t truly concerned with all of that. Instead, it focuses on the ability to quickly pivot and adapt to changing parameters. It’s difficult to talk about Agile without mentioning Scrum, a complementary framework utilized alongside the methodology.

The key idea to keep in mind with Agile is that you’re focusing on small, obtainable goals. The work doesn’t necessarily have to be repeatable, but it is something that will be learned from in the aftermath of a project. Agile is also about iteration, building upon successes until you arrive at something that fully meets a customer’s expectations.

Six Sigma vs. Agile: Understanding the Differences

Having spent a little time providing a broader overview of these methodologies, let’s take a closer look at where these frameworks diverge. Understandably, these are not identical methodologies. Agile and Six Sigma have their origins in disparate industries, with completely different aims in their initial development.

One key thing to remember, however, is that Six Sigma vs. Agile isn’t a matter of what is best, but understanding the shortcomings of both of these approaches. Despite their differing origins, they focus heavily on quality and customer satisfaction. Further, where these methodologies differ allows any organization to accommodate those shortcomings and adapt as necessary.

So, think of this less as a head-to-head battle for business methodology supremacy and more as an opportunity to create your bespoke hybrid of Six Sigma and Agile alike. We’ve discussed this hybridization a few times in the past, but as both methodologies are becoming popular outside of their respective industries, it pays to know what you’re working with.

Core Tenets

Ultimately, when looking at Six Sigma vs. Agile, they are both customer-centric approaches. The how of the organization interacting is where things differ quite drastically. Six Sigma is about delivering defect-free quality outputs to your customers. We often talk about VoC, or Voice of the Customer, when considering how to adhere to customer expectations. This focus on quality and consistency is fundamental, especially in industries where reputations ride upon customer feedback and approval.

Agile, by comparison, is a little looser in how it approaches the customer. Rather than analyze what the customer is after through data analysis and post-mortems, it isn’t uncommon to just fire off an email or pick up the phone to see what they think of a current development. Agile isn’t necessarily concerned with nailing the landing right away with a deliverable.

Instead, there are frequent prototypes, tests, and iterative changes made to the output before final deliverables are scheduled. This helps to keep the customer in the loop and make sure the output is tailored to meet their exact specifications and desires.

Processes

The name of the game with Six Sigma is refining processes. If you’ve spent any amount of time reading over our site, you’ll know that understanding the how and why behind process performance is one of the most important data points you can gather. However, this is where the rubber meets the road when looking at the Six Sigma vs. Agile debate properly. These methodologies could not be more different in how they approach processes on the whole.

As you might expect, Agile has a completely different means of handling things. Essentially, you’re focusing less on process management, improvement, and so forth, and more on just getting the job done. If something isn’t performing correctly, you switch tactics and build from there. Adaptation, flexibility, and rapid responses to change are key skills in Agile.

Six Sigma can certainly be flexible in some regard, but the choices and decisions made throughout the process planning phase are far more deliberate. You can perhaps attribute that in part to its background in manufacturing, but you wouldn’t practice iteration of a process in the hopes that you’ll land on the right result in the framework.

Goals and Milestones

Six Sigma is very structured by design, as being able to repeat processes is simply a good notion if you’re doing something like building a toaster or car. As such, goals focus more on the performance of employees during processes, making sure that you’re making the most of the time and aren’t experiencing bottlenecks. Victories and accomplishment of milestones are a given, as that is how help to maintain employee morale.

On the other hand, there is more flexibility in Agile’s approach to goals and milestones. Rather than being a cohesive whole, these are usually split into smaller parts to create the larger goals intended for a project. In Agile, at least with Scrum, these are done with sprints. A sprint is a short deadline, intended to take a couple of days to accomplish something relatively simple compared to the grander scope of the project.

There isn’t necessarily a better way of handling milestones and goals when looking at Six Sigma vs. Agile. Both approaches are valid, depending on the complexity and parameters of a given project. Instead, it is more about deciding which methodology is going to give timely results.

Decision-Making

Data is the throughline to any decision-making within Six Sigma. You’re looking at recent data, historical data, and so forth when aiming to make decisions. Further, you’ve got a slew of statistical analysis tools in the proverbial toolbox to accomplish these goals. Data is the lifeblood of any Six Sigma project, and it is the guiding force behind any process improvement efforts.

This is a solid foundation for making any decisions. Having empirical, actionable measurements of what’s been done and how it’s performing is a fantastic measure of things. However, this is ultimately a timesink, which is to be expected given its efficacy.

Agile is a different beast when making decisions during a project. It focuses primarily on recent data, with plans meant to be adapted on the fly as necessary. This has some benefits, as you’ve got the means to quickly pivot when needed. However, you aren’t making long-term decisions in Agile, at least not centered around the sort of data you’re gathering.

Improvement Cycles

Improvement is the name of the game when it comes to Six Sigma. If you’re not improving some aspect of your processes, performance, and so forth, you’re stagnating. Essentially, most of the efforts beyond design and the like are going to be focused on refining processes until they’ve got minimal waste, ideal performance, and a significant lack of defects on the whole.

Agile is an approach that incorporates the improvement cycle into the very process as the project is occurring. It is an iterative approach, meaning you’ll test code, determine if it’s effective, and go back to the drawing board if your quality assurance team says it isn’t performing ideally.

The iterative approach also leads to retrospectives on the performance of the team throughout the development cycle. Shortcomings are highlighted, and then the team can subsequently adjust to make the necessary changes to get the desired quality level.

How Projects Are Managed

This is perhaps the biggest difference when looking at Six Sigma vs. Agile. The project management style of both approaches couldn’t be more fundamentally different. Six Sigma aims for consistent, repeatable actions, allowing for predictable, proven outputs. That doesn’t factor in any external changes, material variances, and so forth.

Compare that to Agile, which emphasizes that every single project is different. Despite potentially similar outcomes, you’re going to meet the needs of that specific project’s customer, adapting in-place processes to accommodate said requirements.

Can Six Sigma and Agile Co-exist?

They certainly can, and it’s encouraged to leverage both for your needs. Six Sigma can be somewhat rigid, not lending itself well to design work. However, it is a tried and tested methodology for refining and improving processes.

Conversely, Agile is a fantastic means of approaching design work, as the iterative means of creation allows for multiple rapid prototypes before landing on something that works. When combined, you’ve got approaches that cover the shortcomings of either methodology.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for a little more to get your business going? You might want to take a closer look at how Six Sigma for remote work functions. Remote work is a growing trend, and Six Sigma is a perfect fit for maintaining quality output throughout the transition.

Additionally, you might want to consider the common mistakes in implementing Lean Six Sigma. With a methodology as complex and demanding as LSS, there are some areas where you can stumble, but we’ll make the swap an easy one for you.

Conclusion

Six Sigma vs. Agile is a fascinating debate, but there’s not a competition to discuss. These are disparate methodologies that complement each other more than they conflict with one another. If you have the means, implementing both is a powerful combination, especially if you start incorporating Lean practices alongside it.

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