Six Sigma vs. Total Quality Management

Six Sigma is a relatively new concept as compared toSigma helps organizations in reducing operational costs
Total Quality Management (TQM). However, when itby focusing on defect reduction, cycle time reduction,
was conceptualized, it was not intended to be aand cost savings. It is different from conventional cost
replacement for TQM. Both 6 Sigma and TQM havecutting measures that may reduce value and quality. It
many similarities and are compatible in varied businessfocuses on identifying and eliminating costs that
environments, including manufacturing and serviceprovide no value to customers such as costs incurred
industries. While TQM has helped many companies indue to waste.
improving the quality of manufactured goods orTQM initiatives focus on improving individual operations
services rendered, 6 Sigma has the potential ofwithin unrelated business processes whereas Six
delivering even sharper results.Sigma programs focus on improving all the operations
Total Quality Managementwithin a single business process. Six Sigma projects
Total Quality Management is often associated with therequire the skills of professionals that are certified as
development, deployment, and maintenance of'black belts' whereas TQM initiatives are usually a
organizational systems that are required for variouspart-time activity that can be managed by
business processes. It is based on a strategicnon-dedicated managers.
approach that focuses on maintaining existing qualityApplications Where Six Sigma Is Better
standards as well as making incremental qualitySix Sigma initiatives are based on a preplanned project
improvements. It can also be described as a culturalcharter that outlines the scale of a project, financial
initiative as the focus is on establishing a culture oftargets, anticipated benefits and milestones. In
collaboration among various functional departmentscomparison, organizations that have implemented
within an organization for improving overall quality.TQM, work without fully knowing what the financial
Comparison To 6 Sigmagains might be. Six Sigma is based on DMAIC
In comparison, 6 Sigma is more than just a process(Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) that helps
improvement program as it is based on concepts thatin making precise measurements, identifying exact
focus on continuous quality improvements forproblems, and providing solutions that can be
achieving near perfection by restricting the number ofmeasured.
possible defects to less than 3.4 defects per million. It isConclusion
complementary to Statistical Process Control (SPC),Six sigma is also different from TQM in that it is fact
which uses statistical methods for monitoring andbased and data driven, result oriented, providing
controlling business processes. Although both SPC andquantifiable and measurable bottom-line results, linked
TQM help in improving quality, they often reach ato strategy and related to customer requirements. It is
stage after which no further quality improvements canapplicable to all common business processes such as
be made. 6 Sigma, on the other hand, is different as itadministration, sales, marketing and R & D.
focuses on taking quality improvement processes toAlthough many tools and techniques used in Six Sigma
the next level.may appear similar to TQM, they are often distinct as
The basic difference between 6 Sigma and TQM isin Six Sigma, the focus is on the strategic and
the approach. While TQM views quality assystematic application of the tools on targeted
conformance to internal requirements, 6 Sigmaprojects at the appropriate time. It is predicted that Six
focuses on improving quality by reducing the numberSigma will outlast TQM as it has the potential of
of defects. The end result may be the same in bothachieving more than TQM.
the concepts (i.e. producing better quality products). 6