Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World's Top Corporations

by Mikel J. Harry, Richard Schroeder, Richard Harry, Mikel J.;Schroeder

Book Overview

The extraordinary breakthrough management program--heralded by GE, Motorola, and AlliedSignal--that is sweeping corporate America with its unprecedented ability to achieve superior financial results.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385494378
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Doubleday Business
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.5" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

The Original "Real" Six Sigma

In my opinion, people have lost track of what the Six Sigma methodology really is over the many years since it was first developed at Motorola. Maybe it was too hard for them to do the right way, so they tried simplifying it to suit their needs; maybe it was because they misunderstood the elements that precisely defined what Six Sigma is and implemented them incorrectly; or, as was the case with a previous employer of mine, maybe they just wanted to use the name Six Sigma, but continue using their old familiar approach towards process improvement, i.e., the name was good for business, but nothing more. Whatever the case, Six Sigma has changed a lot; in my opinion, for the worst. Take any seminar or read any new book on Six Sigma and you'll see they are focused on the tools and statistics, but only briefly examine the philosophy. Look at how many companies have tried Six Sigma only to abandon it later saying they tried it but it didn't work. Well, maybe they didn't to it right and that's why they failed. In particular, I know very few organizations who put a high priority on measuring the process steps in the Measure phase. Most just measure the input and output metrics, but leave the process steps as a black box. Or maybe they tried to apply Six Sigma as panacea for all their process woes, rather than carefully choosing projects suitable for Six Sigma Improvement. Many companies have turned to Lean Six Sigma as their salvation; but, as any early Six Sigma professional knows, Lean Six Sigma is just Six Sigma as it was originally intended by the inventors. Isn't value-stream mapping essentially the same thing as measuring the process steps? This book, written by two of the architects of the original Six Sigma, tells it like it really is. I have successfully implemented Six Sigma in two companies following the strategy described in Harry and Schroeder's book and our projects result in "Real," "Measurable" savings as a result of Six Sigma process improvement. The secret is in the philosophical approach to Six Sigma Process Improvement; not the tools, the statistical methods, or the name. I can't imagine how someone could go wrong if they followed this book to implement the Six Sigma methodology. The book is very well written, very easy to read, and have many, many great, and well documented, examples.

An Exquisite Explanation of the Value of Measurements

This is by far the best book that I have read on cost reduction management in business processes. The authors have been involved with Six Sigma methods since the initiative originally began at Motorola. In their role as trainers for those who apply Six Sigma methods, they have a bird's eye view of the implementation issues of the last few years. The book has a nice balance among explaining the concept, how to apply the concept, case examples of application, and comparisons to other ways of thinking about providing products and services. I found that perspective was unusually broad, but pretty specific for a business book.Three kinds of people will be disappointed in this book: (1) Those who already apply another quality improvement method and are pleased with the results they are getting. (2) People who have only a casual interest in cost reduction (3) People who would like to know the details of how to apply the analytical methods involved. If you fall into one of those camps, you should probably skim the book or skip it.On the other hand, if you are interested in improving your operations, profitability, performance and effectiveness, you should definitely read this book. It will give you a realistic sense of what the potential is for your enterprise to benefit from the Six Sigma process. If that potential interests you, it will also give you a variety of ways to investigate the opportunity. You can't ask for much more from one book.Separately, I should mention that some of the case studies cited here are ones that our firm has separately investigated for other purposes. In each case, the reports are identical to what we learned. The authors seem to have been scrupulously careful to get the details right -- something that seems very appropriate for people explaining Six Sigma (3.4 errors per million opportunities). Although I like this book very much, the Six Sigma concept does have some limitations. It may help you to be aware of some of them before reading this book. First, Six Sigma is usually focused on your own operations and those of your suppliers rather than the ecosystem that supports you. This limited focus causes some opportunities to be missed. Second, there may be trade-offs between time to market and Six Sigma in short-lived products that require separate consideration. Third, many people will make mistakes in how they measure performance for the customer and end user using this concept. The author warn against this, but the concept unfortunately lends itself to being weak in this area. Fourth, the concept tends to leave an organization too complacent after achieving Six Sigma. At such moments, there are probably still important areas where approach perfection will be incredibly valuable. But your organization may stop looking for them. The theory suggests limited benefits from pressing further at this point. The theory will turn out to be wrong in some critical ap

Very insightful

I enjoyed reading this book, especially the part which explains the paradox of how the highest quality products are also the least expensive to produce. Bravo!

Breakthrough explained

Finally, a management book written by two authors who have actually been there and done it! After nearly two decades of defining and refining the Six Sigma strategy and helping change the course of companies like GE and AlliedSignal, Mikel Harry and Richard Schroeder have complied that experience into a viable book. One of their most noteworthy point is that quality for quality sake's doesn't guarantee market share and profitability. Through the application of Six Sigma, companies focus on increasing profitability and shareholder value before they focus on improving quality. The results include increased market share, lower costs, and growing profit margins. As these authors aptly show in this concise and in-depth guide to applying Six Sigma, companies that learn to statistically measure and improve their processes are also companies able to deliver the highest-quality products, on time, at the lowest possible cost. This book took me past all the media attention surrounding Six Sigma and explained step-by-step how the Breakthrough Strategy can be applied to not just my company at the executive level, but to specific operations throughout the company.

Six Sigma: Quality = Profits

Managers willing to engage in vast efforts to improve their companies economics and long-term viability will do well to read this comprehensive management book on the Six Sigma strategy and process. This book presents Six Sigma in a way that is enlightening to the unindoctrinated and helpful to those in the midst of implementing this strategy. Clearly outlined and illustrated with numerous case studies from General Electric, Bombardier, AlliedSignal, and Polaroid, this book brings clarity to a much bantered about process. The authors give comprehensive definitions for terms such as DPMO (defects per million opportunities), "throughput yield," and "long-term vs. short-term capabilities." Not only do Harry and Schroeder take a thoughtful look at implementation options and outline a detailed road map called the "Breakthrough Strategy" that allows companies to achieve Six Sigma, they show that the strategy and process is more about profitability than quality. These authors have written a book that shows executives not only how they can custom design a Six Sigma strategy, but how to implement and employ the tactics that supports the accomplishment of their strategic objectives. Clearly, Six Sigma has applications not only for Fortune 500 companies, but small business, nonprofits, government and even the military.