Six Sigma Deployment In Smaller Organizations
Peter Peterka

Six Sigma is not just for large multinational corporations.
While there are difficulties inherent in implementing Six Sigma
in a small company rather than a large business they can be
overcome. Six Sigma can work in any size business because the
nature of Six Sigma is dependent upon characteristics inherent
in any business, not on the size of a business. Smaller
organizations frequently are short on resources and expertise
in change initiatives. However, they also have more flexible
process flows, a shorter decision-making chain, and higher
visibility of senior management. Smaller organizations can
actually effectively establish Six Sigma faster than large
businesses if deployment scope is correctly managed.

Scope of Deployment

Six Sigma is designed for all-inclusive deployment across an
organization. However, s maller organizations do have
constraints that limit their ability to initiate a large scale
Six Sigma implementation. If your organization does not have
the resources to create an infrastructure for organization-wide
Six Sigma deployment then start with a pilot program.

One of the beauties of Six Sigma is that its central
methodology is scalable. Six Sigma, emphasizes intensive
training and extensive analysis—qualitative characteristics
that work regardless of the size of the organization. Likewise,
Six Sigma DMAIC (design, measure, analyze, improve, and control)
discipline s work no matter the size of the organization or even
the size of the Six Sigma project. Even a small Six Sigma
project can yield significant results. Breakthrough
improvements in processes and bottom-line profitability come
not from quantity of resources, but the quality and the
intelligence with which they are employed.

Small and medium-sized organizations may not have the resources
of larger companies; however, in most cases, smaller
organizations can be more nimble, flexible, and focused on
results. Approaching initial implementation of Six Sigma
through a pilot program will yield tangible results without
overwhelming your resources from a small "quick-hit" project.
These results can then be replicated throughout the
organization, in many cases even faster than in a large
organization.

Issues Critical to Smaller Organizations

When deploying a pilot Six Sigma project there are several
important issues to consider inherent to smaller organizations.
First, the choice of a project is critical. The pilot project
will set the tone for Six Sigma deployment, so it should be a
good one that can show significant and visible results in a
reasonably short period of time. The project must clearly
address one or more business goals thereby contributing to one
or more core enterprise measures. Each project must also be
completable within three to four months, so careful upfront
scoping is essential. Projects must be continually tracked and
updated for line management during existing business reviews.

Another issue is training. In smaller organizations, training
budgets and especially time available to devote personnel for
training is limited. Thus, it is not always practical for
personnel to be absent from their day-to-day duties to attend
months of training. Fortunately, there are some Six Sigma
consultants who can deliver required Six Sigma training in an
accelerated format and even onsite. Thus, smaller organizations
can give their people the needed training with less disruption
to their normal business, improving internal synergy while
providing greater organizational flexibility.

Six Sigma implementation teams can encounter critical resource
restrictions, often due to a personnel limitation where people
are available for project functions only on a part-time basis.
It is essential at project inception that the right people are
involved, doing the right things. A small but committed force
of the right people with proper training, given the proper
authority will go far in getting things started. Good and fluid
communication is also critical.

Upon successful completion of the Six Sigma pilot, the scale of
the deployment is then expanded to other areas of the
organization, incorporating the lessons learned from the pilot
project. Just as it is much harder for a large ship to turn
than a small ship, smaller organizations can change and adapt
more quickly than large organizations. That does not mean that
small organizations will automatically be successful when
deploying Six Sigma, but making change take place and getting
buy in to the changes are easier.


About The Author: http://www.6sigma.us Peter Peterka is the
Principal Consultant in practice areas of DMAIC and DFSS. Peter
has eleven years of experience performing as a Master Black
Belt, and has over 15 years experience in industry as an
improvement specialist and engineer working with numerous
companies.