Six Sigma is a rigorous and disciplined methodology that uses data and statistical analysis to measure and improve a company's operational performance by identifying and eliminating "defects" in manufacturing and service-related processes. This increase in performance and decrease in process variation leads to defect reduction and vast improvement in profits, employee morale and quality of product / service. Commonly defined as 3.4 defects per million opportunities, Six Sigma can be defined and understood at three distinct levels: metric, methodology and philosophy.
- It is a metric that gives employees the tools to measure quality consistently, regardless of what kind of work they do
- It is a name for the project methodology we use to improve existing processes and build new ones that strengthen client relationships
- It is a business approach to managing your business - enhancing financial performance by focusing on clients, facts, measurement and getting it right the first time
Sigma is the Greek letter that is a statistical unit of measurement used to define the standard deviation of a population. It measures the variability or spread of the data. Sigma, is a statistical measurement (Six Sigma = 3.4 defects per million opportunities).
How PricewaterhouseCoopers uses Six Sigma to assist our clients:
We provide project management and / or coaching and training utilising the Six Sigma Toolkit to enable client resources materially improve delivery of projects, as outlined below:
Project Management
- Standardised approach
- Share Best Practice
- Use tool-kit to drive change
Coaching / Mentoring
- Implement methodology
- On-the-job coaching
Structured Training and Methodology
- Formal training of executives and project managers
- Adapt programme management methodology for client specific requirements
