Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Six Sigma and Five Why's

By Craig Calvin

Six Sigma is taking the corporate world by storm. The reason for its huge success is the way the program pin points the root problem by using a process called the Five Why's. the five Why's are a process of discovering the root cause of a problem by following a process that will result in revealing a single changeable root cause.

Maybe it is easiest to describe the Five Why's by this example: Imagine your kid is getting bad grades. the first question you ask is why, and you immediately think the child is not performing well. If the thought process ends here, you do not have enough to form a solid conclusion. But, if you keep asking, you will come up with a root cause, like this:

Problem: Child receives poor grades. Why? He is not achieving. Why? He is not studying enough. Why? He doesn't have enough time. Why? His schedule is too full. Why? He has too many extra curriculars.

As you can see, the Five Why's taught in Six Sigma training have reduced a problem that is abstract and difficult to solve to a single root cause that can be corrected for maximum results. The parent in question can now take steps to reduce the extra curricular activities, which, if these are truly the root cause of the low grades, will correct the problem. If immediate and quantifiable results are not achieved, the parent can go back to the drawing board and find the true culprit in their child's difficulties. Imagine the difference when this type of creative analysis is adapted to the business world!

Six Sigma teaches this as well as other techniques that will help your business become more efficient. You will become a quality assurance minded person as well as creating a corporate edge for your company. Six Sigma creates a competitive edge in a way that no other training compares to. it only takes a few weeks to learn these strategies that can turn your company and life around. - 16928

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