Six SIGMA for Dummies

Craig Gygi is Executive VP of Operations at MasterControl, a leading company providing software and services for best practices in automating and connecting every stage of quality/regulatory compliance, through the entire product life cycle.
 
Bruce Williams is the Senior Vice President & General Manager of Software AG, a global leader in business process excellence.

The fast and easy way to understand and implement Six Sigma
 
The world's largest and most profitable companies--including the likes of GE, Bank of America, Honeywell, DuPont, Samsung, Starwood Hotels, Bechtel, and Motorola--have used Six Sigma to achieve breathtaking improvements in business performance, in everything from products to processes to complex systems and even in work environments. Over the past decade, over $100 billion in bottom-line performance has been achieved through corporate Six Sigma programs. Yet, despite its astounding effectiveness, few outside of the community of Six Sigma practitioners know what Six Sigma is all about.
 
With this book, Six Sigma is revealed to everyone. You might be in a company that's already implemented Six Sigma, or your organization may be considering it. You may be a student who wants to learn how it works, or you might be a seasoned business professional who needs to get up to speed. In any case, this updated edition of Six Sigma For Dummies is the most straightforward, non-intimidating guide on the market.
* New and updated material, including real-world examples
* What Six Sigma is all about and how it works
* The benefits of Six Sigma in organizations and businesses
* The powerful "DMAIC" problem-solving roadmap
* Yellow, Green and Black--how the Six Sigma "belt" system works
* How to select and utilize the right tools and technologies
* Speaking the language of Six Sigma; knowing the roles and responsibilities; and mastering the statistics skills and analytical methods
 
Six Sigma For Dummies will become everyone's No. 1 resource for discovering and mastering the world's most famous and powerful improvement tool. Stephen Covey is spot-on when he says, "Six Sigma For Dummies is a book to be read by everyone."

Introduction 1
 
Part I: Getting Acquainted with Six Sigma Basics 7
 
Chapter 1: Better Business and Better Performance: Defining Six Sigma 9
 
Chapter 2: Linking Quality and Business 17
 
Chapter 3: Examining the Principles and Language of Six Sigma 31
 
Chapter 4: Organizing for Improvement 43
 
Part II: DMAIC: Defining and Measuring 61
 
Chapter 5: Identifying and Right-Sizing Projects 63
 
Chapter 6: Launching a Project 77
 
Chapter 7: Mapping to Identify Possible Factors 87
 
Chapter 8: Diagramming to Identify Possible Factors 101
 
Chapter 9: Describing Performance with Numbers 113
 
Part III: DMAIC: Analyzing 133
 
Chapter 10: Depicting and Analyzing Data through Charts and Graphs 135
 
Chapter 11: Analyzing for Value 155
 
Chapter 12: What's Normal? Recognizing Normally-Shaped Variation 165
 
Chapter 13: Assessing Capability: Comparing the Voices of the Customer and the Process 179
 
Chapter 14: Gauging Gauges: Measurement System Analysis (MSA) 199
 
Chapter 15: Mining Data and Processes for Insight 209
 
Chapter 16: Making Confident Decisions 227
 
Part IV: DMAIC: Improving and Controlling 241
 
Chapter 17: Forecasting Future Performance 243
 
Chapter 18: Designing, Conducting, and Analyzing Experiments (DOE) 259
 
Chapter 19: Standardizing on Improvement 281
 
Chapter 20: Maintaining Gains through Statistical Process Control 291
 
Part V: Looking at the Six Sigma Technology Tool Landscape 309
 
Chapter 21: Eyeing Process Characterization and Optimization Technologies 311
 
Chapter 22: Tools for Performing Six Sigma Analysis 323
 
Chapter 23: Managing Six Sigma 331
 
Part VI: The Part of Tens 343
 
Chapter 24: Ten Top Do's and Don'ts of Six Sigma 345
 
Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Gain Synergies with Lean and Six Sigma 349
 
Chapter 26: Ten Places to Go for Help 353
 
Index 357