Six Sigma (DMAIC)

By: A Staff Writer

Updated on: Jul 19, 2024

What: A data-driven quality improvement methodology aiming to reduce defects to near zero. The DMAIC acronym stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.

Who: Pioneered by Motorola engineer Bill Smith, and popularized by GE’s Jack Welch.

Why: Helps entrepreneurs instill a mindset of continuous improvement, reduce costs, and boost customer satisfaction.

When: To tackle persistent quality problems, optimize established processes, or during product development to design quality in.

How:

1. 1. Define the problem & project goals.
   2. Measure the current process performance.
   3. Analyze data to find root causes of defects.
   4. Implement improvements targeted at those causes.
   5. Control the new process to sustain gains.