Big news for the Six Sigma consulting community. Accenture has agreed to acquire George Group. The news hit the PR wires yesterday:

The acquisition will expand and enhance Accenture’s ability to help clients become high-performance businesses through the addition of George Group’s specialized expertise in process improvement techniques including Lean Six Sigma, which combines process improvement methodology with efficient process discipline to reduce delivery times, lower costs and increase customer satisfaction.

I’ve been saying for years that the big guys are going to start snatching up the Six Sigma firms…looks like it’s a reality now. But what does it mean? I think it means that Six Sigma is here to stay. It means you’re going to be hearing a lot more about Six Sigma in the press. It also means that Accenture is hiring to keep up with the demand:

Accenture is also recruiting aggressively to meet rapidly growing client demand for process-improvement solutions leading to enhanced performance.

Process improvement solutions are still in demand and big consulting firms are getting in on a piece of the Six Sigma pie. They’ve been wanting to for years. Accenture has been dabbling in Six Sigma offerings for quite some time now, even partnering with otherSix Sigma consulting firms to deliver solutions to clients. They’ve finally sealed the deal with one of the largest and most prominent Lean Six Sigma firms.

What do you think about this shift in the status quo of the Six Sigma consulting business? Who’ll be next to come to the table looking for that sweet Six Sigma pie? Bain, Boston, Booz, McKinsey?