Six Sigma is a powerful tool for driving incremental process improvement, but it’s not the silver bullet many organizations make it out to be.
That’s the word from The Hackett Group, which recently released research showing that too many executives try to implement Six Sigma to create transformational, fundamental changes to their businesses. This is a recipe for disaster.

“Six Sigma is a great tool, but it’s not right for creating transformational changes in organizations,” says Penny Weller, The Hackett Group senior business advisor and program lead for financial services. “When that’s the kind of change you need, you need a bigger hammer.... The company has to sit back and take in the broader picture and create a full project plan for making transformational changes.”

Weller observes that successful companies learn to combine process improvement methodologies—the ubiquitous pairing of lean and Six Sigma, for example—to fit the unique needs of their businesses.

 …