The Secret Sauce Behind Six Sigma

Posted by on Apr 6, 2017 in Business Operations, Continuous Improvement, Problem Solving, Project Management, Six Sigma | 0 comments

A few years ago a popular fast food chain ran ads which included a list of components with which to build a hamburger.

One of the items in that list was what the company referred to as “secret sauce.” This was the ingredient that gave the hamburger its distinctive flavor and a great marketing concept.

Just as the fast food company had its “secret sauce,” all organizations do too – in their employees.

In the April issue of Quality Magazine, management expert and ASQ Fellow Jim Smith shares from his experience of more than 45 years in operations, engineering, research and development and quality management. Although Six Sigma tools can play a key role in an organization’s success, he says it’s really the human factor that makes the difference in a company’s ability to effectively manage its challenges and improve its operations.

Companies that champion quality improvement have committed, passionate teams that are focused on creating best practices. It’s the chemistry of these staff members in their drive for excellence that makes the difference.

Jim highlights several key elements of successful teams, including:

  • A team must be given the authority to generate results and attain its mission.
  • Team members should be selected for their knowledge of the process being reviewed, not for internal “political” reasons.
  • Team members are critical to every step of the process, from gathering and analyzing data, staying connected with front line staff and deciding the next steps for improving the process. Never underestimate the importance of teams.
  • Constantly emphasizing an improvement mindset must become the way an organization operates day to day.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Jim’s article. It’s a great reminder that quality improvement tools are important, but are useless without the dynamics of an effective team.

How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.