Reduced variability in service performance, leading to more predictable and consistent level of service.

Improved cross-functional teamwork across the entire organisation.

Most important of all, Six Sigma is a means for process improvement. It is a business strategy along with a systematic approach, which helps in financial benefits, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

Drawbacks

Like any other technique developed in past, Six Sigma also has some drawbacks which have created opportunities for further research in this field: -

The challenge of having quality data available, especially in processes where no data is available to begin with.

Sometimes there is frustration as the solutions driven by the data are expensive and only a small part of the solution is implemented at the end.

The prioritisation of projects in many service-oriented companies is still based on pure subjective judgment because of availability of very few tools for prioritising projects. Although selecting the right projects is one of the critical success factors of six sigma implementation.

In service processes, a defect may be defined as anything which does not meet customer needs or expectations. It would be illogical to assume that all defects are equally good when we calculate the sigma capability level of a process. For instance, a defect in a hospital could be a wrong admission procedure, lack of training required by a staff member, misbehaviour of staff members, unwillingness to help patients when they have specific queries, etc.

Non-standardisation procedures in the certification process of black belts, green belts, etc. This means not all black belts or green belts are equally capable. The capabilities of black belts or green belts vary enormously across the service organisations, depending a great deal on the certification body.

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* Contributed by: -
Ankur Gupta & Sumit Roshan,
IMT, Ghaziabad.