The main objectives of Six Sigma can be gathered under six headings.
- Minimizing error rate
- Standardizing the process
- Reducing costs
- Increasing employee participation
- Increasing customer satisfaction
- Ensuring sustainable growth
Minimize error rate
The fundamental goal of Six Sigma is to minimize error rates. Using analysis and available data, errors and their root causes are identified and eliminated. This makes the process more reliable and improves product or service quality.
Standardize the process
To ensure that every successful step can be repeated, specific standards must be established and incorporated into the production process. Six Sigma reduces variability in production by ensuring that every employee in production follows the same methods and procedures. When production is standardized, consistency and quality are maintained at every stage, from production to delivery.
Reduce costs
Inefficient production lines and high error rates are directly linked to high costs. The Six Sigma approach eliminates the problems that cause errors, preventing waste and therefore unnecessary expenditure and enables more efficient use of limited resources. This supports both short- and long-term savings in the production phase.
Increasing employee participation
Six Sigma projects encourage the active participation of employees across different departments within the same company in the quality management process. This encouragement ensures that employee ideas and contributions are valued at various stages, such as teamwork, data analysis, and problem-solving.
Active employee participation is a good way to increase motivation and strengthen commitment.
Increasing customer satisfaction
Accurately understanding customer expectations and delivering error-free products or services that meet these expectations is a key goal at the heart of Six Sigma. Improving the production process increases product quality. Customers receive higher-quality products that meet their expectations on time. This, in turn, increases customer satisfaction and strengthens customer loyalty to the brand.
Ensuring sustainable growth
The principles of Six Sigma are not just about correcting and improving existing processes; ensuring the continuity and sustainability of the entire managed process is also among the objectives. Six Sigma enables the production of more products or services using fewer resources, maintaining competitiveness, and achieving stable growth targets.
These approaches form the solid foundation for lasting success in the business world.
This article covers the following topics. Click on the title you are interested in to access the article.
- The main objectives of Six Sigma
- Six Sigma methodology with the DMAIC approach
- The most common Six Sigma tools and methods
- Roles in Six Sigma
- Application areas of Six Sigma
- Possible difficulties in Six Sigma projects
Further reading and referances
- History of Six Sigma: Exploring the Roots
- Motorola’s Second Generation [PDF]
- What Is Six Sigma? Concept, Steps, Examples, and Certification
- asq.org – DMAIC
- DMAIC – The 5 Phases of Lean Six Sigma
Main photo by Zoha Gohar on Unsplash
