Lean Six Sigma And Benchmarking

While looking to enhance quality levels, a group of Motorola engineers designed a set of quality management tools that utilized statistical data as an approach toward the reduction of defects, and the improved maintenance of quality (Reddy & Hutton, 2013). Focusing on process improvement and variation reduction, Six Sigma uses a measurement-based strategy to improve quality, based on a systematic methodology known by its acronym - DMAIC (iSixSigma, 2012). Once problematic issues are recognized, the DMAIC model strives toward finding a long-term solution through the five phases of defining systems. By measuring key aspects of the current process for data collection, analyzing the collected data and verifying cause and effect relationships, improving current processes from data analysis, and controlling operations to prevent impact in any future process disruptions (Wallace & Webber,

1. Six Sigma is a management philosophy that sets objectives, collects data and analyzes results as a way to remove wasted expenses from its processes and help reduce the number of defective products produced. Six Sigma uses quality measures to strive for near perfection by eliminating errors and variables.

Six Sigma is a business instrument for the betterment of a process. It is a controlled approach and methodology for obviating defects in any process such as manufacturing, businesses and any product or service. Six Sigma has been gaining tremendous popularity in industry today. However, academics have conducted limited research on this rising phenomenon. Interpreting Six Sigma primarily requires giving out a conceptual definition and describing an underlying theory. This topic uses Grounded theory approach and meager literature available to suggest an initial definition and theory of Six Sigma. This paper indicates that although tools and techniques on the topic are similar to earlier approaches of quality management, it provides a structure which is more detailed. This emerging structure for quality management attempts to improve the quality of the yield of a process by identifying and obviating the defects and causes lowering variability in business processes. Also one of the important areas touched upon is the conceptual understanding of Six Sigma. Each Six Sigma project executed inside an

As the health care industry continues to evolve, providers are impacted by more factors than at any other time in history. Technological advances are presenting myriad challenges and the need for new systems, reporting methods, and diagnostic codes.

Now a day's global market in the world and all companies are looking up making new improvements that drive bottom line results. In that process all originations and companies are turning to process improvement methodologies such as lean six sigma. Continual improvement, as one of the objectives of a quality management system is achieved by the improvement of all processes and activities at a particular stage of the production cycle. Continual process improvement is also the only way how to survive and succeed among competitors. The management of the company will always be looking for opportunities that will enhance the effectiveness of the company’s processes. Lean Six Sigma is one of the significant methodologies of quality management, this seeks to increase productivity and improve quality of process outputs. As a customer oriented managerial strategy, it emphasizes that imperfection is an opportunity for improvement. The Lean Six Sigma system helps to effectively reduce any defective process; it improves the quality of the provided services and makes the

As the company is currently in the habit of making changes to its service provision, it is quite clear that the company has accepted that its business model is not infallible and is willing to seek other ideas to innovate. This willingness to change surpasses the preliminary step of the benchmarking process, by admitting that the company may not be the best. The four phases the company must complete to have a successful benchmarking study are: (1) internal preparation, (2) benchmarking performance, (3) implementing improvements in the organization, and (4) maturity or continuous

Identify your problem areas - Because benchmarking can be applied to any business process or function, a range of research techniques may be required. They include: informal conversations with customers, employees, or suppliers; exploratory research techniques such as focus groups; or in-depth marketing research, quantitative research, surveys, questionnaires, re-engineering analysis, process mapping, quality control variance reports, or financial ratio analysis. Before embarking on comparison with other organizations it is essential that you know your own organization's function, processes; base lining performance provides a point against which improvement effort can be measured.

“Performance benchmarking involves comparing the performance levels of organizations for a specific process, this information can then be used for identifying opportunities for improvement and/or setting performance targets” (Business Performance Improvement Resources, 2011). “Performance levels of other organizations are normally called benchmarks and the ideal benchmark is one that originates from an organization recognized as being a leader in the related area” (Business Performance Improvement Resources, 2011). “[Performance benchmarking may involve the comparison of financial measures (such as expenditure, cost of labor, cost of

The concept of Six Sigma was developed in the early 1980’s at Motorola Corporation (Harry and Schroeder, 2000). Six Sigma can be defined as a statistical measure of the performance of a process or product (Kumi et. al., 2006). It is used as a quality control mechanism, which seeks to reduce defects or variations in a process to 3.4 per million opportunities thereby optimizing output and increasing customer satisfaction (Sambhe, 2012). Sigma is representing the standard deviation, a unit of measurement that designates the distribution or spread about the mean of a process (Six Sigma Academy, 2002). In addition, the Six Sigma uniquely driven by close understanding of customer needs, disciplined use of fact, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing improving, and reinventing business processes (Pande, P., et. al. 2000). The Six Sigma methodology uses statistical tools to identify the factors that matter most for improving the quality of processes and generating bottom-line results. The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure,

Benchmarking encompasses evaluation of other company’s business processes and embracing them to improve performance, search for innovative ideas, and gain a competitive advantage. Benchmarking establishes a rational method for setting performance goals, and gaining market leadership and a broader, more accurate organizational management perspective. The process is according on what they best are doing; it take the emotion out of arguments about the need to change. Also, the process contributes vastly to the proper and efficient functioning of organizational and business information needs. Therefore,

In order to accomplish this vision, Ford decided it would be in their best interest to use Six Sigma. According to google, “Lean six sigma can be defined as a management methodology that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste.” Six sigma was originally created by Bill Smith and Bob Galvin of Motorola in 1986. The idea is to improve quality so that the number of total defects is reduced to the point where they are statistically insignificant; and means that an error will occur only 3.4 times per million observations.

benchmarking was a useful tool in evaluating the annual performance of non-academic units because it gave the administration a tangible, unbiased standard against which those units could be evaluated. Benchmarking was also useful at Northlake because it encouraged employees to adhere to the underlying notion of benchmarking, which was to strive for continuous improvement by looking externally to what competitors were doing. Benchmarking is typically performed using data collected from organizations in a similar industry. For example, Ford Motor Company would likely begin the benchmarking process by comparing its performance against other U.S. automobile manufacturers such as General Motors and Chrysler. To reach for greater standards of excellence, Ford would likely consider foreign automobile manufacturers that have been well known for high efficiency and quality, such as Toyota, the current world-wide leader in

Before benchmarking your company against another to discover how they achieve high levels of business performance, you must understand your own performance. An initial self-assessment should include questions to determine if the process has been flowcharted; if the process owners have been correctly identified; where key handoffs exist within and outside of the process; if automated and manual activities have been identified; and finally, if redundancies or inefficiencies have been targeted.

The 6-Sigma methodology first originated in 1986 in Motorola. It all began when a sales manager called Art Sundry, told the CEO, Bob Galvin that the quality of their products stinks. Galvin then visited manufacturing plants throughout the country and realised that what Art Sundry said was in fact very true. The company looked to develop a methodology that could help them measure and identify detects, thus reducing the number of defects and the 6-Sigma methodology was created. Once they introduced the 6-Sigma methodology it increased the levels of

Now a day's global market in the world and all companies are looking up making new improvements that drive bottom line results. In that process all organizations and companies are turning to process improvement methodologies such as Lean six sigma (LSS). Continual improvement, as one of the objectives of a quality management system is achieved by the improvement of all processes and activities at a particular stage of the production cycle. Continual process improvement is also the only way how to survive and succeed among competitors. The management of the company will always be looking for opportunities that will enhance the effectiveness of the company’s processes. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the significant methodologies of quality management, this seeks to increase productivity and improve quality of process outputs. As a customer oriented managerial strategy, it emphasizes that imperfection is an opportunity for improvement. The Lean Six Sigma (LSS) system helps to effectively reduce any defective process, it improves the quality of the provided services