Achieving Total
Customer Satisfaction
Through Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a concept for now and
well into the next century: focusing
on the customer, not the product
by Jane Erwin.
If
practice makes perfect
virtual perfection.
Six Sigma is a concept for now and well into the next century: It focuses on the
customer, not the product! And while philosophers debate and cynics doubt
whether anything can be truly flawless, the Six Sigma program developed by
Motorola Corp. is winning converts because it works. It brings about a cultural
change in a company, a paradigm shift toward expecting the highest quality, which
then drives a passion for continuous improvement by all players.
The Six Sigma concept matured during 1985 to 1986, growing out of various
quality initiatives at Motorola. The company's Land Mobile Products Sector first
established a single matrix for quality known as total defects per unit, which
dramatically changed the way management measured and compared quality
improvement rates for all divisions. Because all operations used the same
measurement, the goal for defect reduction could be uniformly applied to all
activities. For the first time, everyone spoke the same language.
"Sigma" is a statistical expression indicating how much variation there is in a
product. A performance level of Six Sigma equates to 3.4 defects per 1 million
opportunities--not perfect, but pretty close. A defect is defined as anything that
causes customer dissatisfaction. A unit is any unit of work--an hour of labor or a
circuit board, or even a keystroke.
Robert W. Galvin, chairman of the Motorola Management Board executive
committee, has said that Six Sigma signifies near perfection. The company, whose
education and training arm, Motorola University, teaches Six Sigma concepts and
courses, has saved billions of dollars for its worldwide corporation by practicing
what it preaches.
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"It's irrelevant whether perfection is possible," comments Howie Berg, a senior
MU consultant. "Companies have reduced defect rates by factors of 10 and 20
annually when unshackled by presuppositions that it's impossible. Improve, and
improve aggressively, is the vision. That's doable."
MU Managing Consultant Bruce Hayes points to Six Sigma's
ability to address the ultimate bottom
line: survival. "If a company's
managers were to have the attitude,
'Why bother,' I would ask them what
they would do if they woke up
tomorrow morning and their No. 1
competitor announced it had
improved efficiency 10 times,
improved quality 10 times and is
committed to delivering a better
product with better service in half the
time--all at the same price," declares
Hayes. "Sound familiar? It happened
to Motorola, General Motors and
others in the 1970s, courtesy of
Japan."
Mission: quality
Wipro Corp. is one organization that
decided to change its tolerance level.
A diversified conglomerate
headquartered in Bangalore, India,
the company reports that using the Six
Sigma methodology during the past
15 months eliminated unnecessary
steps and decreased rework, leading
to an eightfold gain over the
investments made.
It wasn't a difficult decision for the
organization, notes Subroto Bagchi,
corporate vice president of mission
quality. "Our international software
services' customers depend on us for
mission-critical applications, which
we run on their behalf from halfway
across the globe via satellite links," he
says. "In the Indian market, we make
soaps, computers, hydraulic cylinders
and computerized tomography
scanners. Which customer is willing
to live with a defect? There's no
question of delivering anything less
than perfect."
Wipro executives had heard about Six
Sigma via the company's partnerships
with General Electric Co., so Bagchi
attended a quality briefing at
Coming to Terms with Sigma
Six Sigma may sound arcane and
mystical, but in reality it's a mathematical
formula. "Sigma" is a statistical term
indicating to what extent a process varies
from perfection. The number of units
processed is multiplied by the number of
potential defects per unit; the answer is
divided into the number of defects
actually occurring and then is multiplied
by 1 million. The result is the number of
defects per million operations. A
conversion table translates that number
into sigma:
6 sigma
= 3.4 defects per million
5 sigma
= 230 defects per million
4 sigma
= 6,210 defects per million
3 sigma
= 66,800 defects per million
2 sigma
= 308,000 defects per million
1 sigma
= 690,000 defects per million
Six Sigma is achieved through a process,
which is tracked using simple tools such
as the Pareto chart. This bar chart is
widely used as a data display tool in Six
Sigma because it identifies which
problems occur with the greatest
frequency or incur the highest cost.
Hence, it provides direct evidence about
what should be corrected first. Italian
economist Vilfredo Pareto, for whom the
chart is named, theorized that 20 percent
of possible causes are responsible for
80 percent of any problem.
Another way to test variance is by
performing the Chi2 test. With this
analytical process, a table is used to test
the relationship between two possible
causes of variation to determine the
relationship's statistical importance.
Design of experiments methodically
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Motorola University in Chicago.
Afterward, in November 1996, an
MU team visited India to conduct a
business systems analysis.
Results were shared with top
management from Wipro's five
divisions, and they developed an 18-
month plan. The chairman and senior
management participated in a six-day
training retreat. Then 12 facilitators,
chosen from among successful line
managers, were trained. Together with MU personnel, these facilitators trained
nearly 800 people between May and November 1997. This year, about 1,000 more
employees will be trained.
"The entire scenario is like the fractal geometry exhibited in the petals of a
flower," observes Bagchi. "Certified trainers train people who, in turn, train
others, bringing a whole new change in the way we think and work."
Wipro's corporate goal is to reach Six Sigma in every process concerning
customer satisfaction by the year 2002.
Lofty, but not impossible.
Six Sigma is a stretch goal intended to spur continuous improvement. Success
doesn't come by radically restructuring a company or pumping new money into it;
Six Sigma is attainable through time and strong dedication.
Success doesn't come by radically restructuring a company or
pumping new money into it; Six Sigma is attainable through time
and strong dedication.
made better."
reduces process variation through a
sequence of experiments rather than
relying on a typical trial-by-error
approach. Following each experiment,
the combination of adjustments
becomes an equation that can either be
solved as a matrix or entered into a
computer for a solution. DOE users can
efficiently test a large number of variables
without the expense of manufacturing the
product totally.
New thought and manufacturing processes
Thinking outside the box also is important. "Before Six Sigma, we were interested
in continuous improvement, but we tended to accept quality levels that merely
mirrored our competitors'," notes Craig Erwin, quality engineering manager at
Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector in Phoenix, Arizona. "We were
somewhat internally focused and accepted the argument that things couldn't be
"When we started, many people, including me, thought Six Sigma was
unrealistic," he admits. "Once we understood that our management team was
serious about it, we accepted the challenge."
It's part of the SPS culture now. All new employees receive Six Sigma training
during their orientation. For those who went through training years ago, the
company also offers them an opportunity to recharge their commitment through a
combination of classes and a renewed emphasis by senior management. Various
customer satisfaction activities reward ideas and implementation.
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"One thing we looked at was changes in our thought and manufacturing proc-esses
to eliminate rework," reveals Erwin. "In the short term, we saw some increased
costs, but in the long run, we've improved our processes and applied more
effective controls. We continue to see improvements in product reliability,
manufacturing yields and internal quality metrics, despite increasing product
complexity and higher customer expectations."
Product complexity continues to grow exponentially. Future products such as
semiconductors and software undoubtedly will contain tens of millions, even
billions, of elements. Creating more robust designs and reducing opportunities to
introduce defects into the final product represents a one-time expense. If it's not
done, however, repair, rework, excessive scrap costs and unhappy customers will
continue through the product's life. Thus, it's imperative that companies reduce
defect rates to a few parts per billion.
"Although Motorola has made huge reductions in defect rates, we still haven't
achieved Six Sigma overall," reports Berg. "Motorola considers itself a 5.7 sigma
company now. Six Sigma remains a very noble goal, but it's the rate of
improvement that's important. Six Sigma has saved the company billions of
dollars in terms of scrap and rework, enabling greater customer satisfaction--our
ultimate goal."
Six Sigma successes
After examining how various financial companies pursue quality, Citibank, the
international financial division of Citicorp, undertook the Six Sigma method in the
spring of 1997. Its goal: to reduce defects within its various divisions by a factor
of 10 during the first three years. The corporation already has seen reductions
ranging from five to 10 times.
"Six Sigma appealed because it's pretty straightforward," comments James Bailey,
Citicorp's executive vice president and corporate quality officer. "It also seemed
like a program that would involve everyone."
Previously, various businesses and divisions within Citibank had tried different
quality programs, but the company had never instituted a universal quality
language or method.
"Continuous improvement is our goal," maintains Bailey. "We started training
senior management in April 1997, and so far we've trained about 2,000 people
around the world." Besides the defect reductions, the company has recorded a
decreased response time for credit card applications and fewer errors in customer
statements.
"We're on track," he declares. "We're more customer-focused. We know it's a
long road, but we've made a reasonable start, and we're pleased."
GE, which launched a Six Sigma initiative in late 1995, says the $300 million
invested in quality improvement in 1997 will deliver some $400 million to $500
million in savings. "Quality improvement, under the disciplined rubric of Six
Sigma methodology, will define the way we work," the company announced in its
1996 annual report.
A three- to four-sigma level, average for most U.S. companies, can cost a
company as much as 10 percent to 15 percent of its revenues. For GE, that would
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mean $8 billion to $12 billion.
"The methodologies of Six Sigma we learned from other companies, but the
cultural obsessiveness and all-encompassing passion for it is pure GE," states the
report. "The intensity level involved in our decade-long struggle to achieve a
boundary-less culture now seems 'laid-back' compared to the near monomania
with which we are approaching Six Sigma quality."
Wipro also reports successes in its first year. "First of all, we now have a common
language across our divisions," explains Bagchi. "People talk about the customer,
defects, sigma level and a plan for continuous improvement."
"In India, many people have difficulty giving up the old and embracing the new,
but the mind-set is changing. Six Sigma is making people look outward. We're
shifting from an organizational focus to a customer focus."
Wipro's trained teams have launched close to 30 projects, including three major
cross-functional undertakings. "Defects are steadily falling in cylinder
manufacturing," discloses Bagchi. "In the fixed deposits area of our Financial
Services division, we've established a process to eliminate nonvalue-added steps
and mistake-proof the system. We're also projecting a 30-percent cycle-time
reduction in our computer business. The estimated near-term gains will be six to
eight times the total investments we've made in Six Sigma."
The first step
Other reengineering programs often advocate tearing down an organization and
rebuilding from scratch. MU advises organizations to start where they are, build
on current successes and modify current processes. They must rely on the
interwoven concepts of defect reduction, which encourages employees to relate
more to each other, and cycle-time reduction, which eliminates unnecessary,
nonvalue-adding steps from processes.
Six Sigma requires more than a monetary investment, Erwin points out. "You
must have a plan, necessary resources, the commitment of everyone and
uncompromising matrixes," he says. "Then you set aggressive goals along the path
and hold people accountable."
The MU Six Sigma program emphasizes the following key components:
A goal of total customer satisfaction.
A common language throughout the organization.
Common, uniform quality measurement techniques for all business areas.
Goals with identical improvement rates, based on uniform matrixes.
Goal-directed incentives for both employees and management.
Coordinated training in "why" and "how" to achieve the goal.
No one set procedure will work when following the Six Sigma method. Every
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company is different and must account for its strengths and weaknesses, then
leverage them accordingly.
"A clear, quantitative understanding of customer satisfaction typically is
accomplished through surveys," notes Hayes. "Surveys should identify gaps
between customer needs and a company's current performance level. Then,
through benchmarking, a company's core processes are compared to another bestin-
class performer. This is useful in determining the first layer of needed goals."
Motorola SPS statistician Skip Weed has been involved with Six Sigma since the
program began. "The major impact, especially when it first started, was on our
culture--the people and systems required to produce high-quality products and
services," he recalls. "Previously, there was minimal effort in preventing defects
rather than inspecting them out. The directive for the program came from our
highly respected CEO, who was strongly behind it, and everyone then began to
buy in."
Management by fact, not emotion
Ron Randall, quality improvement manager at Raytheon TI Systems, says his
company is impressed with Six Sigma's quantitative methods. "We looked at our
products and compared them to similar ones from Motorola," he explains. "We
were less than four sigma, and Motorola was close to six. We couldn't believe
someone was 2,000 times better than us. It really got our attention.
"Six Sigma really will work for anybody. It's management by fact, not emotion."
MU consultant Paul Zaura concurs. "In a math sense, Six Sigma is a known
quantity," he asserts. "As improvements increase, expectations increase. Customer
perceptions will change, and they will drive you to places you never new existed.
"You also must look at the cultural aspects and changing behaviors. Many
corporate cultures are fear-based; mistakes aren't tolerated, and people learn to
hide defects. Six Sigma flourishes in an open and safe environment."
Six Sigma champions say there are plenty of things to count, measure and
benchmark regardless of the type of business, whether it's an attorney's office or a
car rental company. And within a company, you can look at all kinds of divisions-
-personnel policies, warehousing, security, how to run the cafeteria.
"If you're not improving, you're going down," warns Zaura. "Six Sigma is a
philosophy of continuous improvement and measurement to drive the direction of
goals. Its concepts aren't earthshaking: Talk to customers and find out what the
defects are. Work on big errors first. Try to decide how they happen and how to
correct them permanently.
"Whether it's handling paperwork, an idea, a customer call or a hard product,
there must be a process for it. That's probably one of the biggest concepts for
people to grasp. Then you track your process using simple tools like Pareto
charts, cause-and-effect diagrams and benchmarking. You compare what you have
to a similar industry or process."
Perhaps Six Sigma's biggest mandate is
never rest.
Companies that are content with their current quality levels simply don't
understand quality's true challenge. They need to determine not only the defect
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levels their customers experience but also internal defects that cause rework,
additional inspections and higher product costs. Once a company has fully assessed
itself, then improvement can really begin.
And no philosopher or cynic can quibble with improvement.
About the author
. .
Jane Erwin is a freelance writer and business media consultant from Houston,
Texas. For more information on Six Sigma and other quality programs, contact
Motorola University, Consulting and Training Services, at telephone (800) 446-
6744 or (847) 576-0096 Visit MU's Web site at
www.mot.com/mu
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