ABSTRACT
The six sigma approach, which was originally introduced by Motorola’s Government Electronics Group, has caught on quickly in industry. Many major companies now embrace the approach as the key to high-quality industrial productivity. Six sigma means six standard deviations from a statistical performance average. The six sigma approach allows for no more than 3.4 defects per million parts in manufactured goods or 3.4 mistakes per million activities in a service operation. To appreciate the effect of the six sigma approach, consider a process that is 99% perfect. That process will produce 10,000 defects per million parts. With six sigma, the process will need to be 99.99966% perfect in order to produce only 3.4 defects per million. Thus, six sigma is an approach that pushes the limit of perfection.
