Managing Six Sigma: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Assessing, and Implementing the Strategy That Yields Bottom-Line Success

"The purpose of this book is to build awareness of the wise application of Six Sigma tools and how they can be important to the `big picture.'" The authors achieve that purpose. The material is carefully organized within four Parts: Why Six Sigma (How Six Sigma Compares to Other Quality Initiatives, Six Sigma Background and Fundamentals, and Six Sigma Needs Assessment); Six Sigma Metrics (Numbers and Information, Crafting insightful Metrics, and Performance Measurement); Six Sigma Business Strategy (deployment Alternatives, Creating a Successful Six Sigma Infrastructure, Training and Implementation, and finally, Project Selection, Sizing, and Other Techniques; and Applying Six Sigma (manufacturing Applications, Service/Transactional Applications, Development Applications, and finally, Need for Creativity, Invention, and Innovation). The Glossary and References sections follow and are first-rate.

Because I am a non-technician, I found the concepts and applications discussed in this book easier to grasp than those explained in its predecessor, Implementing Six Sigma. My guess (only a guess) is that the same would be true of senior-level executives who are also non-technicians. The authors quite carefully help their reader to understand how Six Sigma differs from other quality initiatives while correctly noting that Six Sigma should not replace other initiatives. Rather, it is and should be perceived as "a tactical methodology to determine the best approach to a given situation/process." In Chapter 1, they go on to observe that the success of Six Sigma "is linked to qa set of cross-functional metrics that lead to significant improvements in customer satisfaction and bottom-line benefits. Organizations do not necessarily need to use all of the measurements listed (often within typical Six Sigma programs). It is most important to choose the best set of services for a situation metrics that yield insight into a situation or process." I provide these brief excerpts to indicate the precision and clarity of the authors' writing style as well as to attract attention to several key points they emphasize.

One of the book's greatest value-added benefits is provided from a series of Tables. They range from "The Ten Myths of Six Sigma" (Table 1.1) and "Deming's Fourteen Points" (Table 1.2) through "The 21-Set Integration of the Tools" (Table 1.5) and "Six Sigma Needs Checklist" (Table 3.2) to "Personality Traits of Creative Individuals" identified by Sternberg and Lubart (Table 14.3). The authors end their book as follows: "As global competition increases and the rate of technological change accelerates, there will be tremendous social turmoil; as the uneducated and unprepared secede from the expanding economy. Those with the capability and desire to keep pace with radical change will find virtually limitless opportunity, growth, and prosperity." Frankly, I was surprised when reading these concluding remarks because, at so many points throughout the book's narrative, the authors seem almost wholly preoccupied with explaining strategies which leverage various technologies to maximize ROI. Then I reviewed what I had read and what I had learned, realizing that even a system as cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective as S4 is certain to fail without sufficient "human capital." That is, those to whom the authors refer. People who are advocates, indeed evangelists.

Heaven knows, the authors of this book are highly analytical but they are also passionate about the difference they can help to make in organizations which need "a practical guide to understanding, assessing, and implementing the strategy that yields bottom-line success." I commend them on what they achieve in this book...also, and of greater importance, on what their book can help others to achieve.


One of the Best Six Sigma Deployment References!   January 19, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Having read a number of the latest and greatest Six Sigma books, I keep going back to this one whenever I have questions around the deployment of Six Sigma within our organization. Easy to follow and compact to boot!


THE Six Sigma Text for Executives and Business Leaders   April 20, 2001
Bill Dean (Allen, TX USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I expected greatness from this book based on the other text, "Implementing Six Sigma" (by the same author). I am asked all of the time if there is a book that Executives and Business Leaders can read to understand what Six Sigma is all about and to help determine if it is right for their organizations. Until now, I had to give them a list of books that would come close if they read them all. This is THE one. This book clearly establishes it's objectives and nails them. This book is also useful to companies that have already deployed Six Sigma. The audience will soon wish they had read this book prior to launching their own program, but can establish a roadmap to getting back on track. The book also emphasizes the selection of deployment providers and addresses trying to create and deploy a "home grown" program.


Bringing together Quality and Strategic Management   February 12, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I thought this book did an excellent job of putting the Quality Initiatives many companies are attempting to implement in perspective with the total Business Strategies of a company.
The authors continually point out that it is important to understand what quality initiatives are meant to bring about, and they focus the intent of the intiatives on bringing better quality to the customer, and an improved bottom line to the company.
Thought the book did a great job in pointing out implementing Six Sigma wisely is a "good thing", but attempting it for the wrong reasons, and with the wrong focus, simply isn't.