This month let’s examine another common mistake that some people (not my loyal, intelligent, heretical and, let’s face it, downright attractive readers) make when they use Six Sigma.

I expect to seriously annoy some practitioners when I say that Six Sigma isn’t a method of continuous improvement—no matter how many times you’ve heard someone say exactly that.

Bold assertion, you say? Remember, Six Sigma heretics don’t accept arguments from authority, so keep an open mind and don’t take me at my word. Let’s take a more detailed look.

What’s continuous improvement?
Six Sigma was originally conceived as a way to eliminate defects. If you look at the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) method and history, you’ll see exactly what it does: It closes large gaps in performance or eliminates big problems. Within the Six Sigma context, projects are performed by Black Belts, who are highly trained in advanced tools for solving problems. How many times have we heard the tired phrases “quantum leap” or “breakthrough improvement” when referring to the results of a Black Belt project?

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