Six Sigma Process Map Technique: How Effective Is It?

The six sigma process map technique is a must-have tool for organizations that are looking towards the improvement of their business processes. This would allow the people comprising the organization to have a bird’s eye view as well as a detailed view of the company processes.

Six sigma process mapping used to be exclusive to the manufacturing sector but a lot of businesses in a variety of areas have discovered that organizations like theirs can benefit from the unique six sigma approach to achieving greater quality in their products and services.

Varied corporations now use six sigma process mapping to determine the exact processes their organizations adhere to. In so doing, they discover the inherent defects of the current processes and are then able to correct these defects, thus improving their productivity.

The manufacturing sector, which has been following the six sigma strategy for years, has such a tendency towards perfection that they can only tolerate a maximum of 3.4 defects for every million opportunities. Again, these companies are using six sigma process mapping to discover the defects of their processes and then finding ways to correct those defects.

Even law firms are using six sigma process mapping to make their processes more efficient. Take the case of one law firm that requires its lawyers to quantify the time and effort that would be required to interview a client, draft a complaint and all the succeeding documents, prepare for a trial and the trial itself. By doing this, the firm is able to process map the company workflow and it is able to point out which part of the work flow takes so much time.

Some companies like Brecker Associates have opted to use Six Sigma together with QS9000 techniques and value analysis, to improve their business processes.

The goal of the whole six sigma process is to decrease company waste by focusing on the solution to the problem. A company should spend time and effort looking through their processes rather than continuously perform customer support for defective products. Using Six Sigma is really just a matter of being proactive, which means discovering holes in the system rather than doing damage control.

The Six Sigma process map allows the organization to take note of how their processes are veering away from perfection. The S4 or Smart Six Sigma Solutions approach is expected to utilize information technology to improve the organization’s business processes. As proof of the effectiveness of Six Sigma it should be noted that Motorola (the same company that owns the service mark) has saved more than $17 billion through the use of the method.

The end goal of most companies is to get more sales and income flow. Six Sigma provides a system or a standard that should be followed by the organization to ensure zero waste, maximizing output. Using a six sigma process map brings this goal within reach.