Six Sigma Software

Just like other software programs and modules, the purpose of Six Sigma Software is to help enforce the Six Sigma culture throughout your enterprise. Six Sigma Software makes the six sigma approach easier to implement and helps to reduce variation in a process and improve the capability of the process. Decreasing defects and increasing customer satisfaction.

While many companies have just begun exploring the possibilities of Six Sigma, its benefits and its challenges, some companies have been working for years to improve their offerings to help others achieve the Six Sigma goal of 3.4 defects per million opportunities. As a result, a growing number of Six Sigma Software products are hitting the market. Offerings vary widely, from systems that help users during the product and process design phase of a project, to those that focus on improving existing processes. But all have the same goal--to help the customer achieve Six Sigma.

Portal technology incorporated in some Six Sigma Software solutions can be used to keep the entire company informed of the latest developments. Some Six Sigma Software tracks production lines in real-time and sends out alerts when a process begins to drift out of specification. Most of the Six Sigma Softwares available are essentially databases that allow Black Belts to enter information about current projects.

Leading Manufacturers and other service providers, which are totally committed to their customers and quality, have adopted the six sigma philosophy for their whole organization. Sigma is a statistical term used to measure how perfect a process is. The idea is that if you can measure the number of defects in a process you can figure out how to reduce or get rid of them altogether, zero defects being the ideal but with a maximum of 3.4 defects per million being a realistic goal.

The Six Sigma methodology has been around since the 1980`s but the value of applying the process centered approach has only recently been appreciated. Manufacturing processes are one of the key areas where improvements can be made when you are striving for perfection. In today’s high paced world where more and more automation is the key, Six Sigma Softwares are getting popular. These softwares are a result of years of hard work and well devised strategy of the development companies. Literally there are thousands of softwares available ranging from highly complex to highly simple to highly priced to freewares.

There can be many reasons behind using Six Sigma Softwares, but three main reasons you should use Six Sigma software:

• Ease of use: A great deal of Six Sigma programs get bogged down in the use of software. Six Sigma Softwares are designed to perform simply and easily so that your Black Belts and Green Belts can get down to the business of improvement. Generally, these softwares integrate into Microsoft Excel, which for many is a familiar environment. The results can be shared with anyone who has Excel 97 or later.
• Cost: Six Sigma Software comes at a price that makes it affordable to put into everyone's hands. For example: SPC XL, most popular product, retails for $199, with volume discounts available.
• Customization: If you have special requirements, company can adapt these packages to your needs. Microsoft, Raytheon, and Roche Diagnostics are examples of companies that have custom versions of Six Sigma Software.

Six Sigma Software Project Management provides a firm grasp of project management methods and techniques in the context of software development, but it also goes far beyond the typical PMBOK training class by providing specific detailed methods for managing the software development process’s cause and effect relations, from a Six Sigma Perspective, illustrating how to make effective use of the Six Sigma toolkit to managed project performance.  It is targeted for an organization that has a Six Sigma initiative, but can be of great value anywhere there is a focus on metrics and fact-based management.  It can be used to train project managers or as an elective in a Black Belt training program. Six Sigma Software Project Management is offered as part of the PMI's R.E.P. program.

Motorola Six Sigma software tool, which is capable of reducing scrap costs by as much as 50% within weeks of field deployment, is presented.