Six sigma and business process management

Abstract

Business process management lacks an integrated set of analysis methods for removing unneeded process steps, identifying inefficient or ineffective process steps, or simply determining which process steps to focus on for improvement. Often, tools and techniques from Six Sigma, an orientation to error-proofing that originated in the quality movement of the 1980s, are borrowed for those tasks. This chapter defines several Six Sigma techniques and shows through a case study how they can be used to improve deficient processes. Six Sigma combined with lean waste removal techniques can add significant value to a process improvement project.