Top 5 Six Sigma Tools

Six Sigma is a collection of management methods and procedures that aim to improve corporate performance by lowering the risk of human error. It is a data-driven approach based on statistics to reduce defects and enhance efficiency. Short-term six sigma quality procedures aim to achieve long-term defect levels of 3.4 or fewer faults per million opportunities (DPMO).

However, with a plethora of six sigma tools available, it might be challenging to pick the best team of tools for your business. So, to help you out we have listed down the top 5 six sigma tools that will help you immensely. 

Top 5 Six Sigma Tools: 

Control Chart

There are variations everywhere, and nothing is constant. The Control Chart demonstrates how different parameters affect the process over time. Also, it will help you identify whether or not the process is under control or exceeds process limitations. One can use control charts to demonstrate this variation.

A control chart has a single central line, known as the mean line, followed by the Upper Control Limit (UCL) and Lower Control Limit (LCL). You can use a control chart to visualize a 'special cause variation.' If a 'special cause' triggers a process deviation, you can take steps to prevent it from happening again.

The 'special cause' is sometimes called the 'assignable cause' since you can avoid it. Moreover, a control chart distinguishes between assignable and non-assignable variance sources. Bing one of the best Six Sigma tools, you can use a control chart is to see if your process is stable. If found unstable, you may work on improvement. You can make a control chart on Minitab or Excel.

Pareto Chart

The Pareto Chart will help you determine the reasons behind an incorrect process. According to the Pareto Principle, or the 20-80 rule, minuscule factors are behind mammoth problems. By visually displaying a Pareto Chart, Six Sigma teams may better understand the devastation minute problems can inflict on a corporate process.

Creating a Pareto Chart will help you identify the flaws in a project at first sight. Also, it will help you recognize all elements hampering the process. Moreover, you can focus on the issues causing the most problems with this data. A graphical representation of a Pareto Chart shows and emphasizes the various types of challenges that affect the process. A Six Sigma project team can use a Pareto Chart to prioritize which issues to address first.

Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is a popular Six Sigma tool for developing a thorough perspective of the activities of a company. In other words, it displays the transportation of goods from third-party vendors to clients via your firm. Value Stream Mapping will help you track, assess, and optimize a corporation's flow of information or resources required to manufacture a product or service.

A value stream map analyzes the product's functionality and the control and information processes that support it. Value Stream Mapping depicts an organization's process flow processes and identifies inefficiencies and development opportunities. Inefficiencies can be in the form of a backlog, processing delays, frequency errors, etc.

Along with that Individuals and business teams should have proper knowledge about six sigma certification then only they will be able to provide actual value to the organization and develop a complete understanding of Value Stream Mapping.

Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese term that refers to lifelong development in all aspects. When used in the workplace, kaizen activities can enhance every part of a company, from manufacturing to marketing. Kaizen is an approach to reducing waste in an organization's processes by improving uniform operations and procedures.

Understanding the basics of Kaizen allows practitioners to use it across their whole Six Sigma project. The purpose of Kaizen is to improve quality rather than increase output. It eliminates undue workload and teaches employees how to identify and eliminate waste in corporate operations when carried out properly.

Cause and Effect Diagram

Six Sigma specialists use cause-and-effect diagrams to collect feedback from diverse project team members. A cause-and-effect diagram is a graphical tool used to brainstorm potential causes of a problem.

You can use this tool to reveal underlying reasons for an issue during the analysis stage or to detect prospective failure modes during the improvement stage. Because it looks like a fish skeleton, the cause-and-effect diagram is also known as the fishbone diagram.

A horizontal line that serves as the fish's spine begins at the head and stretches horizontally outward. Diagonal lines depicting objects that could be part of the problem branch out from the spine, and additional lines highlighting the problem's likely sources supplements it.

The cause-and-effect diagram provides a graphical representation of the problem and its potential causes when completed. More importantly, creating the diagram directs the project team's attention to the underlying problem and identifies the core causes, facilitating extensive data collection and analysis.

Read More: Lean Principles

Wrapping it Up

To sum up, Six Sigma itself is a collection of tools and practices that assist businesses in improving their processes. Organizations increase revenue through enhancing performance and decreasing product failure rates. The above-mentioned 6 Sigma Tools help organizations to increase output quality by identifying and eliminating the origins of problems.

One can master these tools by enrolling in our Six Sigma Green Belt Certification online. After completing this certification, you will become professionally well-versed with the fundamentals as well as advanced parts of the Lean Six Sigma Methodology. You would be able to lead improvement projects as a team member in more sophisticated improvement projects led by a Certified Black Belt.

As these above-mentioned 6 Sigma tools provide realistic methods for building a culture of continuous improvement within a company and will eventually help businesses meet their financial targets, ensuring total success.