1. (5 points) How does Six Sigma differ from TQM (total quality management)? How
ID: 388008 • Letter: 1
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1. (5 points) How does Six Sigma differ from TQM (total quality management)? How is it similar? 2. (5 points) Distinguish among consumers, external customers, and internal customers. Illustrate how these concepts apply to a McDonald's restaurant, a Pizza Hut, or a similar franchise. 3. (4 points) What are the core concepts of the Six Sigma philosophy? 4. (5 points) Explain the difference between the terms "Six Sigma" and "six sigma. 95 5. (5 points) Is Six Sigma a Culture? Why or Why not? 6. (5 points) Describe the evolution of Six Sigma - Past and Presen with as much detail as needed to fully answer the questionExplanation / Answer
According to Bill Smith, Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques aimed at improving the process and quality of the output. TQM aims at meeting the desired standards of quality and cause a gradual improvement in the process quality. The similarity between the two is that both are aiming at improving the quality by reducing the defects. The difference lies in the approach with TQM improving the quality on process basis while Six Sigma aims at improving process and output quality. Hence Six Sigma is a more holistic approach. TQM approaches the issue in a collaborative and collective manner while Six Sigma uses statistical techniques to identify the defects. The ultimate focus of TQM is customer satisfaction while the main focus of Six Sigma is defect identification.
Consider Pizza Hut, an internal customer includes the employer, employees and distributors of the franchise. An external customer is the person coming to eat pizza in the Pizza Hut and pays for the ordered pizza and customer service. A consumer represents all people who consume the pizza at Pizza Hut. Hence a consumer includes both the internal and external customers.
According to Berger, the core concepts of the Six Sigma philosophy include a focus on strategic objectives as a whole, corporate sponsors, customer requirements and business processes. Quantifiable measures are applied to various organization parts. Adoption of metrics increasing accountability, providing adequate training to reduce cycle time and defects, the creation of high process improvement experts leading quality teams are other core concepts. Elimination of process variation to remove defects, continuous effort to achieve stable results through sustained improvement in quality and holding the workers responsible for reducing defects and the organization success as a whole are other concepts of Six Sigma.
Lean Six Sigma is an emerging doctrine from the traditional six sigma program. The difference between the two is that Six Sigma is both a philosophy and a program and six sigma is only a program. Six Sigma philosophy focuses on waste elimination and speeds up the process thereby improving the quality of the product but six sigma program hinders the high quality by focusing on the elimination of defects (3.4 defects per million products). Six Sigma focuses on the end product and customers while the six sigma program focuses only on waste or defect elimination.
According to Berger, Six Sigma is a philosophy and a business management strategy. Culture is an important aspect of philosophy and part of philosophy. Hence Six Sigma can be considered as a culture when viewed in this perspective.
Six Sigma started as a program or tool to identify the defects and improve the process at Motorola in 1986 by Engineer Bill Smith. Jack Welch made Six Sigma program popular in 1995 by adopting it as a business strategy at General Electric. Business across the world started implementing the Six Sigma program after the success at General Electric. Now, this Six Sigma program has evolved into a Lean Six Sigma philosophy and certifications are provided to companies on quality standards based on Six Sigma program as Green belts and Black Belts.
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