Meanings of Six Sigma

Question 1

What does quality equal?

Answer 1

Products/services that meet the customer requirements

Question 2

Customers usually require something that is what, from our products and services. Give examples.

Answer 2

Measurable. Dimension, durability, cost, time

Question 3

What is a specification?

Answer 3

Upper and lower limits in terms of what the customer can accept in terms of measurability.

Question 4

We need to measure what to determine if it meets the customer requirements?

Answer 4

Output of our processes

Question 5

What can we see if we measure the output multiple times?

Answer 5

The level of variation in the processes.

Question 6

How do we determine how much variation there is in our products or services?

Answer 6

By the level of variation in our processes.

Question 7

What is one measure of the variation in output processes?

Answer 7

Sigma / standard variation.

Question 8

What is sigma?

Answer 8

The average distance of the data points away from the centre of the data or, the distance from the centre of the data to the point where the shape of the graph starts to flatten out.

Question 9

What is a sigma level?

Answer 9

A measure of how well our product/service meets the customer requirements. Amount of variation in process output compared to amount of variation the customer can accept.

Question 10

What does a higher sigma level mean?

Answer 10

More products or services fall within customer specified limits.

Question 11

How do we calculate the sigma level?

Answer 11

The number of times that one sigma (standard deviation) fits between the average output of our process and the closest customer specification limit.

Question 12

What does the Greek letter mu stand for?

Answer 12

Average (mean) of our process output data.

Question 13

Over time, what tends to happen. To process performance?

Answer 13

Tends to deteriorate and long term sources of variation creep in.

Question 14

How do we estimate the impact of deterioration of process performance? In six sigma, what value do we give this?

Answer 14

Assuming a shift in the process mean. Six sigma gives this value as 1.5 standard deviations.

Question 15

What does the shift in process mean over time show?

Answer 15

The long-term performance of the process after this shift.

Question 16

Sigma level 1-2: requirements to achieve?

Answer 16

Containment and inspection.

Question 17

Sigma level 3: requirements to achieve?

Answer 17

Problem solving, root cause analysis, permanent corrective action.

Question 18

Sigma level 4-5: requirements to achieve?

Answer 18

Process optimization.

Question 19

Sigma level 6: requirements to achieve?

Answer 19

Design for six sigma (process/product redesign).

Question 20

Give examples of internal customers?

Answer 20

The next person in the process in the chain, employees/management - the internal users of the product.

Question 21

Give examples of external customers.

Answer 21

Users of our products/services, regulatory agencies (e.g. Department of Health, Tax Office), Auditors (e.g. quality, financial), third parties (e.g. local community).

Question 22

What makes six sigma different?

Answer 22

1) focuses on processes not people,
2) decision making based on data and statistical methods3) clear focus on achieving measurable & quantifiable business returns.

Question 23

What is the aim of six sigma and how do we do this?

Answer 23

Ensure that our products and services meet customer requirements every time (quality). Do this by DMAIC to find the CTQs in our processes and improve and control them.

Question 24

What are we aiming to do by analyzing and improving business processes?

Answer 24

Reduce variation in their output, making them stable and predictable.

Question 25

Who defines quality?

Answer 25

The customer.