Welcome to Quality Digest's first-ever regular issue Six Sigma Software and Services Guide. What follows is a list of product and service providers who returned our requests for information about their Six Sigma-related products. You can download this PDF file by clicking here.

Six Sigma is arguably the hottest contemporary topic in quality. After all, what company wouldn't be interested in reducing defects to a nearly nonexistent level? As a result, the number of software companies, trainers and consultants offering Six Sigma-related offerings is continuously growing. Our guide is designed as a resource for our readers looking to determine exactly who's offering what.

 If any companies you're looking for aren't listed in the guide, they either failed to respond to our requests for information or we simply didn't know they existed (or offered related products or services). As with all Quality Digest guides, the companies and products listed in the 2002 Six Sigma Software and Services Guide have neither been evaluated nor endorsed by Quality Digest. Nevertheless, if you're looking for such a solution, our directory of more than 50 software companies and nearly 90 service providers is a good place to start.

 For your convenience, this guide is divided into two directories. Below you'll find a directory of companies offering Six Sigma-related software. The second directory, which begins on page 60, lists Six Sigma service (e.g., consulting and training) providers. Companies that told us they offer both related services and software are listed in both directories. If provided, we've included each company's name, address, phone number, fax number and Web site address, along with a brief description of their offerings.

 Comments or questions referring to the guide can be e-mailed to sixsigmaguide@qualitydigest.com .