Where did the concept of Six Sigma come from?

Question

In a six sigma class, someone asked to know about the origin of Six Sigma concept.

Answer 1

Six Sigma is a methodology to manage process variations that cause defects and to systematically work towards managing variation to eliminate those defects. Defects are defined as unacceptable deviation from the mean or target. The objective of Six Sigma is to deliver high performance, reliability, and value to the end customer.

The roots of Six Sigma as a measurement standard can be traced back to Carl Frederick Gauss (1777-1855) who introduced the concept of the normal curve. Six Sigma as a measurement standard in product variation can be traced back to the 1920's when Walter Shewhart showed that three sigma from the mean is the point where a process requires correction. Many measurement standards (Cpk, Zero Defects, etc.) later came on the scene but credit for coining the term "Six Sigma" goes to a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith. (Incidentally, "Six Sigma" is a federally registered trademark of Motorola).

In the early and mid-1980s with Chairman Bob Galvin at the helm, Motorola engineers decided that the traditional quality levels -- measuring defects in thousands of opportunities -- didn't provide enough granularity. Instead, they wanted to measure the defects per million opportunities. The process was pioneered by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1986 and was originally defined as a metric for measuring defects and improving quality, and a methodology to reduce defect levels below 3.4 Defects Per (one) Million Opportunities (DPMO), or put another way, a methodology of controlling a process to the point of ± six sigma (standard deviations) from a centerline. Motorola developed this new standard and created the methodology and needed cultural change associated with it. Six Sigma helped Motorola realize powerful bottom-line results in their organization - in fact, they documented more than $16 Billion in savings as a result of Six Sigma efforts. Six Sigma has now grown beyond defect control and is a registered service mark and trademark of Motorola, Inc. Motorola has reported over US$17 billion in savings from Six Sigma to date.

In addition to the Motorola, companies which also adopted six sigma methodologies early-on and continue to practice it today, are Honeywell International (previously know as Allied Signal) and General Electric (introduced by Jack Welch). The two companies have reported to have saved literally billions of dollars thanks to the aggressive implementation and daily practice of six sigma methodologies.

Since then, hundreds of companies around the world have adopted Six Sigma as a way of doing business. This is a direct result of many of America's leaders openly praising the benefits of Six Sigma. Leaders such as Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal (now Honeywell), and Jack Welch of General Electric Company. Rumor has it that Larry and Jack were playing golf one day and Jack bet Larry that he could implement Six Sigma faster and with greater results at GE than Larry did at Allied Signal. The results speak for themselves.

Six Sigma has evolved over time. It's more than just a quality system like TQM or ISO. It's a way of doing business. As Geoff Tennant describes in his book Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services: "Six Sigma is many things, and it would perhaps be easier to list all the things that Six Sigma quality is not. Six Sigma can be seen as: a vision; a philosophy; a symbol; a metric; a goal; a methodology."

Answer 2

Six Sigma which is a process improvement methodology was introducted in Motorola way back in 1986. Since then this methodology has had a wider implication across the various industries. In the present world, Six Sigma is applicable to all the industries, sectors & domains. The statistical concepts which are used in Six Sigma were invented by various scientists and a few of the techniques are dated back to 15th century also. Most concepts which you learn in Six Sigma were started by Japanese housewives... continue reading...https://www.excelr.com/lean-six-sigma-certification-faqs/

Answer 3

Six Sigma is a methodology to manage process variations that cause defects and to systematically work towards managing variation to eliminate those defects[1]. Defects are defined as unacceptable deviation from the mean or target. The objective of Six Sigma is to deliver high performance, reliability, and value to the end customer. The process was pioneered by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1986[2] and was originally defined[3] as a metric for measuring defects and improving quality, and a methodology to reduce defect levels below 3.4 Defects Per (one) Million Opportunities (DPMO), or put another way, a methodology of controlling a process to the point of ± six sigma (standard deviations) from a centerline. Six Sigma has now grown beyond defect control.

Answer 4

Six Sigma in Education
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Explaining the Concept of Six Sigma
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Six Sigma
... off at this stage, but the concept of Six Sigma has little to worry anyone on that score. ... The six-sigma concept requires active cooperation and, ...www.managers-net.com/sixsigma.html

Answer 5

Six Sigma has many faces. It is a Metric, Management Philosophy and also as process improvement approach