RE: Six Sigma & Deming Philosophies!

["Richard E. Zultner" <Richard@zultner.com>]

Prevette, Steven S [mailto:Steven_S_Prevette@rl.gov] 
raised some questions:

1.  Six Sigma looks only at measurable dollar costs, and tends to focus only
on short term costs.  
2.  Six Sigma relies upon numerical targets. 
3.  Six Sigma knowledge is focused in "belts", who tend to be "fair haired"
up and coming managers.  Training (and very expensive training at that) is
concentrated in an elite few individuals. 
4.  The "1.5 sigma shift" is not statistically meaningful, and completely
undermines the principles of SPC.

REZ> I think first it is important to specify WHICH Six Sigma program you
are addressing, as "Six Sigma" can vary dramatically depending on which
company implementation you look at. [For example, the method from Question 4
above is not found in all Six Sigma efforts.]

Question 2: In many Six Sigma efforts, the numerical targets are targets for
improvement chosen by those who will try to make the improvement (and in
many cases is not tied to any compensation increase). I am not aware of any
problem with such numerical targets from a Deming perspective. Is there
anyone who feels Dr. Deming opposed ANY numerical targets under ALL
circumstances?


REZ> Questions 1 & 3: In the 1980's, the Total Quality Management movement
began based on an American understanding of Japanese Quality Control
methods, often derived from a study of Deming Prize winning companies. This
was a time when Dr. Deming was active and vocal in propounding his
philosophy. Yet today there is virtually no presence of Deming methods --
except for a handful of "Deming Disciples" (usually people who had personal
contact with Dr. Deming). The Deming/TQM wave passed, leaving small
vestiges, such as this list.

Yet companies, facing perennial competition, must improve -- and seek some
way to do so. If you were a senior manager, facing pressure to improve, what
kind of method would you look for? A method that is popular, used by leading
companies, and is well packaged, well documented, and well supported? That's
Six Sigma. In the marketplace of ideas, Six Sigma wins the hearts and minds
of the masses -- and it's implement-able, now. 

Lot's of people buy cookbooks that tell them exactly what to do, to prepare
meals, today. Six Sigma is an improvement cookbook for the masses.

Only people who are really serious about cooking read "philosophical
classics" by great chefs of the past. [These are also the people most likely
to become great chefs themselves.] Deming is for those who are truly serious
about improvement. And who can somehow find adequate mentoring (it is so
easy to get key points of Dr. Deming's teachings wrong... as the involved
discussions on this list often demonstrate... ).

Comments?

Richard Zultner, CQE, CSQE, CQA, Jonah
Consultant and "Deming Disciple" to software organizations