Six Sigma: A project management methodology used to ensure quality and lowest possible costs.
The more I look into Six Sigma, the more I like it. Like all project management methodologies, it does have some heavy-handed aspects. But, the basic philosophy is sound.
Here’s a link and a quote from Microsoft’s web site (article by John Knutsen):
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA011233361033.aspx
The “hidden office” (from Microsoft’s web site)
The difference between 99.99966% efficiency (Six Sigma) and 99% efficiency can be thought of as the “hidden office.” The hidden office represents all activity that results in defects (not meeting customer expectations) or not doing things right at the first attempt. Customers don’t pay for the hidden office.For example, say a company bills 8 million customers on a monthly basis. If the process were performing at a 99% success rate, 80,000 customers would be incorrectly billed each month. The hidden office represents the costs and resources required to find and fix incorrect billings, and to address customer dissatisfaction.
The basic philosophy of Six Sigma is that poor quality costs your company money. Doing things wrong the first time costs money. The best way to lower costs is to reduce defects. In other words, do things right the first time. That’s the driving force behind Six Sigma.
–ray