This is not a book for those who are interested in brushing up on six sigma, but more for those who want a deep understanding of the business as well as statistical aspects of the methodology. "The Six Sigma handbook: A Complete Guide for Green Belts, Black Belts, and Managers at All Levels," by Thomas Pyzdek is no handbook. With 800 plus (large) pages, there is no way to fit it in one hand, so I think calling it a handbook is way off. It is more of a shelf reference about the subject from someone with strong practical experience.
Six sigma is a continuous improvement technique that focuses on customer satisfaction by bringing a business process to a level of capability where it produces no more than 3.4 defects in a million opportunities, a defect being defined as any deviation from customer specifications.
The book is split into two parts. The first part deals with the business aspect and change management as related to six sigma implementation initiatives. It talks about the necessary infrastructure for six sigma to work at any organisation, what goals should be, and the metrics to measure achievements. It also discusses a very important aspect of six sigma, which is creating a customer driven organisation. It also addresses creating and training six sigma teams.
The second part of the book is a review of the complete methodology, tools and techniques. It walks the reader through the phases of six sigma, including define, measure, analyse, improve, and control. It also discusses other tools related to designing new products with six sigma and the concepts of lean manufacturing.
The best part of the book is that it is written by based on Pyzdek's personal experience. But while it provides the reader with a solid account from the trenches on how to implement six sigma, it leaves the reader confined only to the experience of the writer. So, this book should not be the only one you read on the subject; other references cover six sigma in a more structured and consistent fashion. However, one does not find in these the flavor of practical application as much as in the handbook.
If your objective is to read a book to study and prepare for six sigma certification, there are other references that might do a better job at that. While this book definitely can help, it seems to be geared more towards people who want to implement, more than people who want to take the exam.
Also, as six sigma depends heavily on statistics and sometimes advanced ones, this book might not be the best reference for that. However, on the business aspect, which is the most important success factor for change initiatives, it is rich and very solid. There is a lot of valuable information hidden inside that is hard to find from the index or the table of contents.
Pyzdek is a leading six sigma consultant and author. He is the recipient of the American Society for Quality "Edwards Medal" for outstanding contributions to the practice of quality management.
By Ammar W. Mango
© Jordan Times 2006
