3.4 defects per million ยท Quality management through statistics
What Six Sigma is
6ฯ = no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities
A statistical quality-management methodology that reduces process variation. If Lean removes waste, Six Sigma removes variation. Together they make Lean Six Sigma.
Sigma levels โ defects per million opportunities (DPMO)
Where do most companies stand? The average plant worldwide runs at 3โ4 Sigma (6,000โ67,000 DPMO). Aviation โ 6 Sigma. Surgery โ 5โ6 Sigma. The food industry โ usually 3โ4 Sigma.
Lean vs. Six Sigma โ Lean Six Sigma
๐ LEAN
โธRemoves waste (Muda)
โธSpeeds up flow
โธTools: 5S, SMED, Kanban, VSM
โธQuick to implement: weeks
โธ80% of problems โ Lean
+
Lean Six Sigma
๐ SIX SIGMA
โธRemoves variation
โธImproves quality
โธTools: DMAIC, SPC, MSA
โธTakes time: months
โธ20% of complex problems โ 6ฯ
The Lean Architectโs rule: Lean first (fast, no statistics). If the problem is still there after 2โ3 PDCA cycles, bring in Six Sigma with DMAIC and data.
The belt system โ Lean Six Sigma skill levels
โฌ
White Belt
Basic grasp of Lean concepts. Sees waste, knows the terms. A member of an improvement team.
Introductory
๐ก
Yellow Belt
Understands the core Lean tools (5S, PDCA, Pareto, Ishikawa). Takes part in Kaizen. This program covers the Yellow Belt level!
Basic
๐ข
Green Belt
Leads DMAIC projects within their own area. Knows statistics. Spends 25โ50% of their time on improvement projects.
Intermediate
โฌ
Black Belt
Works full time on Six Sigma projects. Mentors Green Belts. Advanced statistics, ANOVA, regression. Expected impact: $1M+/year.
Advanced
๐
Master Black Belt
Strategist for the whole Six Sigma program. Trains Black Belts. Sets company-level priorities. GE, Motorola, Toyota.
Master
From Motorola in 1987 to Lean Six Sigma
1
1980
Motorola โ Japanese competition becomes a threat
Japanese manufacturers (Hitachi, Sony) began taking over US markets thanks to higher quality and lower prices. Motorola was losing market share. CEO Bob Galvin set a goal: become 10 times better in 5 years. That forced the engineers to think differently.
2
1987
Bill Smith โ the birth of Six Sigma and DMAIC
Bill Smith, a Motorola engineer, developed the Six Sigma concept: 3.4 defects per million opportunities as the quality standard. DMAIC was born alongside it. Motorola rolled it out company-wide and saved $16 billion over 11 years. In 1988 it received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
3
1995
GE and Jack Welch โ the largest Six Sigma program in history
Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, launches a large-scale Six Sigma program: $12 billion in savings over 5 years. Every GE manager is required to earn a Green Belt. In 3 years GE trained 4,000 Black Belts and 60,000 Green Belts. GE stock grew fourfold. Six Sigma becomes a global trend.
4
2000s
Lean Six Sigma โ two approaches merge
Practitioners notice that pure Six Sigma solves quality problems but ignores speed and waste. Lean removes waste but canโt analyze variation in depth. Merging Lean + Six Sigma gave us Lean Six Sigma (LSS) โ the standard at 90% of the worldโs large companies today.
5
Today
Amazon, Boeing, J&J, Nestlรฉ โ LSS everywhere
Amazon applies Lean Six Sigma in logistics (Prime delivery). Boeing โ in aircraft manufacturing (6ฯ in critical joints). Johnson & Johnson โ in pharmaceuticals (3.4 DPMO for medical devices). Black Belt certification is one of the best-paid in industry: an average US salary of $100โ150K/year.
Mentor Serhii Tyshchenko โ Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, certified trainer. Experience in food manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and finance.
๐งฎ DPMO and Sigma level calculator
Enter your data โ the calculator works out DPMO and shows your processโs current Sigma level