| Six Sigma is not just a new term for Total Quality | | | | focuses on defect prevention, cycle time reduction, |
| Management (TQM) . They have many similarities and | | | | and cost savings. Six Sigma is about helping the |
| are compatible in many business environments. TQM | | | | organization make more money. Unlike cost-cutting |
| has brought great improvements and value to many | | | | programs that reduce value and quality, Six Sigma |
| companies. Six Sigma can do more. | | | | identifies and eliminates costs that provide no value to |
| TQM is the development, deployment, and | | | | customers: the costs incurred due to waste. |
| maintenance of systems related to quality-producing | | | | The focus of TQM initiatives differs from the focus of |
| business processes. TQM is a strategic approach that | | | | Six Sigma programs. One, TQM programs focus on |
| focuses on encouraging a continuous flow of | | | | improvement in individual operations with unrelated |
| incremental quality improvements. It encourages the | | | | processes. Six Sigma focuses on making |
| establishing of a culture of collaboration among | | | | improvements in all operations within a process. Two, |
| different departments within organization. TQM is | | | | Six Sigma involves dedicated, full-time resources--the |
| mainly a cultural initiative and a style of management | | | | "black belts" --versus TQM, which is usually a |
| toward increased quality. | | | | part-time activity of non-dedicated managers. |
| Six Sigma is not just another quality initiative or | | | | The breadth and depth and the precision of Six Sigma |
| process improvement program. It is more than that | | | | and TQM also differ. Six Sigma has a well-defined |
| because it is a robust continuous improvement | | | | project charter that outlines the scope of a project, |
| strategy and process that includes cultural | | | | financial targets, anticipated benefits, milestones, etc. It's |
| methodologies such as the various TQM approaches. | | | | based on hard financial data and savings. In TQM, |
| Six Sigma is complementary to TQM initiatives such as | | | | organizations go into a project without fully knowing |
| ISO 9000 registration, which is mainly procedural; Total | | | | what the financial gains might be. Six Sigma has a solid |
| Quality Management (TQM), which is mainly cultural, | | | | control phase (DMAIC - |
| and Statistical Process Control (SPC), which is primarily | | | | Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) that makes |
| statistical process control monitoring. All of these | | | | specific measurements, identifies specific problems, |
| initiatives attempt to improve quality levels but typically | | | | and provides specific solutions that can be measured. |
| reach a plateau. The Six Sigma approach goes to the | | | | How else is Six Sigma different? Six Sigma is: |
| next level. | | | | * Fact based and data driven |
| Six Sigma is not about quality in the strict traditional | | | | * Results-oriented, providing quantifiable and |
| sense. Quality, defined traditionally as conformance to | | | | measurable bottom-line results |
| internal requirements, is not the focus of Six Sigma. | | | | * A leader-sponsored top-down approach |
| True, Six Sigma focuses on improving quality by | | | | * Linked to strategy |
| helping organizations produce products and services | | | | * Thinking about customer requirements |
| better, faster and cheaper. However, it accomplishes | | | | * Applicable to all business processes - administrative, |
| that by reducing waste. In traditional terms, Six Sigma | | | | sales, marketing, R&D, etc. |