Remembering Bill Smith, Father of Six Sigma
Six Sigma was a revolutionary business tool, developed in the 1980's. The process tries to unify manufacturing standards so pieces are built the same way and there are fewer errors. Reducing errors helps improve the overall quality. This process was first helmed by Motorola, garnering them success and awards. Now, it is a practice used in many different industries. The ingenuity of one man created this process. Bill Smith developed the Six Sigma system and changed the way many companies did business.
Before Six Sigma, Motorola faced criticism for the quality of their
products. Many businesses at the time were concerned about making a
product that was cheap, not that was of high quality. However, it was
found that building a lasting product was cheaper over time. Products
that were cheaply made eventually ended up becoming costly because of
errors and repairs. Bill Smith developed the Six Sigma system as a way
to correct this problem.
Bill Smith's system helped improve Motorola's manufacturing process. It was not just an idea or a token mission statement, but a new way to operate. The Six Sigma system wanted to improve quality and decrease errors, but also had a formula for doing so. The Six Sigma system worked because of the adherence to observing the manufacturing process and analyzing the data. Six Sigma uses data to correct manufacturing errors and records progress. "Six Sigma" refers to a quality level that the products operate on. Being within this level mean they produce low errors. The system Bill Smith created helped set a standard, and Six Sigma helped to check and modify systems that were working under this standard.
Bill Smith created a management system that is highly sought after. He found a solid business philosophy and then found a measurable way to enact it. This clever thinking made him a pioneer, but his spirit was also novel. Bill Smith didn't keep his idea at Motorala, he taught other companies how to use the system too. He wasn't just looking for one company to make a profit, he wanted to make business better for everyone. He passed away in 1993 but his idea lives on today.
Categories: Six Sigma