Managing Six Sigma:
A Practical Guide to Understanding,
Assessing, and Implementing the Strategy That Yields Bottom-Line Success
by Forrest W. Breyfogle III, James M. Cupello,
Becki Meadows
Hardcover - 300 pages (October 2000)
John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471396737
Buy the book Now
Six Sigma is a quality improvement approach that was initiated by Motorola in 1987. It is based on well-prepared trainers teaching and mentoring staff in statistical methods for the purpose of process improvement.
In this book "Managing Six Sigma", a practical approach to teaching and infusing Six Sigma thinking in staff members is recommended. A combination of teaching and actual usage of the material on current company projects makes it not dissimilar to an apprenticeship.
Statistical methods are required to become serious Six Sigma practitioners, but Six Sigma champions are rather selected for heart or passion for quality, and the statistical knowledge will follow.
The authors describe statistical tools and various plans for integrating these into different types of projects. It must be mentioned however that many of the detailed quality techniques are not spelt out in this book but are covered in a preceding book by one of the authors ("Implementing Six Sigma - Forrest W. Breyfogle").
The topics, thinking, mind-set and culture engendered by the Six Sigma techniques and approach recommended in "Managing Six Sigma" have certainly made me determined to buy and read the earlier book. Reading this book first is certainly not a problem, as enough information and insight is imparted to be of great value.
Don't be put off by the somewhat hefty price tag of around R700.00! Practicing Six Sigma experts in the United States are reported to typically save their companies in the order of one million US Dollars a year! If you manage to save your company a million rands a year, this will pay for the book...
The book is organised into four main sections that I have listed below with their related chapter headings:
Part 1: Why Six Sigma?
1: How Six
Sigma Compares to Other Quality Initiatives
2: Six Sigma Background and Fundamentals
3: Six Sigma Needs Assessment
Part 2: Six Sigma Metrics
4: Numbers
and Information
5: Crafting Insightful Metrics
6: Performance Measurement
Part 3: Six Sigma Business Strategy
7: Deployment
Alternatives
8: Creating a Successful Six Sigma Infrastructure
9: Training and Implementation
10: Project Selection, Sizing, and Other Techniques
Part 4: Applying Six Sigma
11: Manufacturing
Applications
12: Service/Transactional Applications
13: Development Applications
14: Need for Creativity, Invention and Innovation
If you wish to improve software quality in your company, then buy and follow the advice in the book. For maximum benefit from the book I would recommend that you have three or more years of experience in the IT industry.
Wayne Mallinson
What other reviewers say
Rave reviews and the highest ratings makes this book a "must read". Mr. Breyfogle, as a companion to his book Implementing Six Sigma has really created a useful consultive book that fills in the blanks for planning and deploying a six sigma program. This book clearly establishes it's objectives and nails them.