The Pointy-Haired Boss Adopts Six Sigma
Scott Adams takes on Six Sigma with the Sunday November 26th strip. I'll leave out the commentary for many reasons, including that we should not take comics too seriously (isn't that the point?). Enjoy and feel free to comment. Here's the link and the strip:
If the photo isn't available via Dilbert.com, at some point, here's the script via the Gemba Pantarei Blog.
by Jamie Flinchbaugh - Permalink
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As usual, "Dilbert" swipes at American "me too" management methods as the boss belatedly attempts to climb on the best practices expounded by the Six Sigma campaign that is relied upon by so many companies attempting to demonstrate good management. Dilbert quotes Fortune magazine as an example of editorial that has damaged the myth that Six Sigma methods alone will lead to excellent quality.
The methodology is excellent only when coupled with a pervasive belief and commitment to providing the best product the customer could want, supported at all levels of the corporation and constantly reinforced as the cornerstone of management policy. Too often, the CEO hires a BLACK BELT trained teacher, commits the funds, and goes on with the daily grind. That is when ego's are allowed to thrive, and butts are covered with permissible excuses like 'process capability' and 'design limitations', etc.
It is my experience that GE produces some of the worst products in the U.S. in spite of being accepted as the parent of Six Sigma (even though they are not the originators). As an example, I recently purchased a GE kettle made for WalMart that my wife dropped twice due to a stylish handle that could not be gripped easily as it had a vertical profile and no finger detents, and developed an electrical fault within 2 weeks. After modifying the handle in my garage, the 4th kettle is working well. I have had premature GE product failures with my dishwasher, lamps and microwave.
With proper use of Six Sigma, the electrical failure should have led to an investigation, and the damage from dropping should have led to a design upgrade (the solution is really quite obvious if a proper product 'beta' test had been done).
Unfortunately, here is where major deception is prevalent. Many companies professing to adhere to Six Sigma allow WalMart and other companies to dispose of customer returns without sending them for failure analysis. This makes it impossible to establish failure rates and complete root cause analysis, some of the real bases of the name Six Sigma. The name means one failure in about 2.3 million "opportunities". Any company that claims to operate a Six Sigma organization and does not explore failures is simply not being honest, and such behavior is proof positive of pure exploitation of the good label imbued in the quality mantle that is Six Sigma. It would nice if usage of the title were policed like the use of ORGANIC on product labels, and corporate America learned to understand what all is required to deliver real quality, as demonstrated by many Asian competitors.
Does this mean the end of the newsletter I edit - "Six Sigma Quality in Manufacturing"? It wouldn't break my heart. The use of "Six Sigma" was purposely to capitalize on a buzzword, but I added "Quality in Manufacturing" so I could include a broad range of data-supported quality analysis. Nothing will replace competently done statistical analysis of processes, so I've included the basics of SPC, metrology and automatic data collection at the source. Sadly, there are a lot of so-called green belts out there who sat through a week-long seminar without ever heard of statistics.
Karen
No it wont go away. The losers and slackers who glommed onto Sick-Sigmer would first have to find another corporate teat to leach themselves onto.
I think that many companies embrace Six Sigma and Lean as cost reduction initiatives. When cost reduction is your overriding goal, of course quality falls by the wayside. Stuff sold at Walmart is made to be as cheap as possible. As a reluctant customer, I know that quality is not in Walmart's criteria. Every time I buy something from that store, I am inevitably disappointed by how fast it breaks.
I'll bet that GE Medical uses the same Six Sigma processes with quality as a prime concern. In their case, they probably get an entirely different outcome. Whether it is Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management, or any other initiative, the fact that you are "doing Six Sigma" means nothing. Everything hinges on why you are doing it and what you are rewarded for doing.
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