What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is one of the most well-known quality improvement methodologies, and it represents the latest incarnation of the quality movement to date. It is a structured program for improving product and process quality by pinpointing and removing inconsistencies in the manufacture and delivery of products and services. Sigma ( σ ) is the mathematical symbol for standard deviation and is a measure of variability. Variation is the cause of unstable processes, which leads to poor quality and unsatisfied customers. Therefore, the goal of the Six Sigma process is to reduce variation such that performance up to 6 standard deviations from the mean will fall into the customer’s desired specification limits (i.e. tightly controlled process variation).

For Service Industry

For Manufacturing

Overview All work can be thought of in terms of a process and variation is present in all aspects of work processes. Unintended variation in work processes reduces performance, decreases customer satisfatcion and negatively impacts bottom-line performance. However, when viewing problems from the framework of a process with inputs, processing steps, and outputs, the Six Sigma approach can be applied to solve problems. Six Sigma attacks variation in two specific ways: Reduction of the variation around the process average Shifts the process average to the desired target value This approach results in quality improvement and virtually defect-free performance. Why use Six Sigma? A "service" is anything excluding "the making of goods." For this reason, all tasks within service organizations are non-physical and made up of processes; all processes vary. Thus, the key to improving business performance is the reduction of variation. In service organizations, typically 50% of daily operations involve performance applications, human dynamics, and customer relationships. This represents a significant potential for achieveing quality improvement, which can give organizations a strategic advantage over their competitors. Today more service organizations are deploying Six Sigma successfully in their organizations. This adoption has resulted in improved intermal processing time, customer satisfaction, and reduction of service costs. Objectives In service industries Six Sigma focuses on: Service Product: The service output attributes provided to the customers or the service items provided to the customers. Service Delivery Process: The process that delivers service products to customers or maintains the service products. Customer-Provider Interaction: Unique to service processes - qualtiy of this interaction influences customer satisfaction. Results In service industries Six Sigma results in: Reduced service costs Increased customer satisfaction Improved bottom-line performance Additionally, it has been found that stock performance of service companies with a 1% Black Belt population is on average 80% higher compared to S&P 500 performance.

Overview Six Sigma was originally developed to reduce defects in manufacturing. Today, it is used as a formal quality improvment strategy to improve the quality of products in order to better please customers and improve bottom-line performance. Why use Six Sigma? Six Sigma encompasses a structured problem solving methodology that utilizes scientific tools, data-driven decision making, and formal deployment strategies to guide quality improvement efforts towards perfection. Through this structured methodology, you can improve the quality of your products and processes in order to better please your customers and improve bottom-line performance. Objectives Six Sigma attacks variation in two specific ways: Reduction of the variation around the process average Shifts the process average to the desired target value This approach results in quality improvement and virtually defect-free performance. Results The goal of the Six Sigma process is to reduce variation such that performance up to 6 standard deviations from the mean will fall into the customer’s desired specification limits (i.e. tightly controlled process variation). Typical project savings range from $50,000 to $250,000.

The Clemson Difference

Clemson’s Six Sigma Training and Certification Program is designed to provide engineers and managers involved in quality improvement initiatives in both manufacturing and service sectors with the tools they need to implement Six Sigma in their organization, including the knowledge necessary to better understand manufacturing processes and a method for reducing process variability. Experience and location distinguish Clemson’s program from all the rest. Clemson’s instructors have extensive teaching, research, and consulting experiences in Six Sigma. Additionally, Clemson is located in the Upstate of South Carolina to conveniently meet all your Six Sigma training needs.

Certification

Upon completion of any course offered by the Center for Excellence in Quality, a certification test will be given. If participants pass this test with a grade of 70% or higher, they will become certified in that specific topic area. Official certificates from Clemson University's Center for Excellence in Quality will be mailed to the participants who pass the certification test within 4-6 weeks of the end of the course.

Please note: Some courses require projects to be completed as part of the certification process. For these cases, only participants who pass their certification test and complete a satisfactory project report will receive certification. Additionally, official certificates from Clemson University's Center for Excellence in Quality will be mailed to the participants receiving certification within 4-6 weeks after their final project report has been received. Please see the "Training Requirements" section under the information for each specific course to see if a project report is required.