Skip to main content

Six Sigma and Business Process Management

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook on Business Process Management 1

Part of the book series: International Handbooks on Information Systems ((INFOSYS))

Abstract

Business Process Management has no set methods of analysis 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 how they can be used to improve deficient processes. The application of Six Sigma techniques is illustrated through a case study. Six Sigma can add to BPM efforts, however, it has few guidelines on how to choose techniques or redesign processes, thus requiring special skills and experience to add value to a process improvement project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 279.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersen B (1999) Business process improvement toolbox. ASQ Quality Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Antony J (2006) Six Sigma for service processes. Bus Process Manage J 12(2):234–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antony J (2008) What is the role of academic institutions for the future development of Six Sigma? Int J Prod Perform Manage 57(1):107–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brassard M, Field C, Oddo F, Page B, Ritter D, Smith L (2000) The problem solving memory jogger. GOAL/QPC, Salem, NH

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya A, Bijan S, Sanat M (2007) Distance-based consensus method for ABC analysis. Int J Prod Res 45(15):3405–3420

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canen A, Galvio RD (1980) An application of ABC analysis to control imported material. Interfaces 10(4):22–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casey JJ (2008) Strategic error-proofing: achieving success every time with smarter FMEAs. Florence, Ky: Productivity Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen L (1995) Quality function deployment: how to make QFD work for you. Prentice Hall PTP Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

    Google Scholar 

  • Conger S, Landry B (2009) Problem analysis: when established techniques don’t work. In: Proceedings of the 2nd annual conf-IRM conference, Dubai, May 19–24, 2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorgan SJ, Dowdy JJ (2004) When IT lifts productivity, The McKinsey Quarterly, Boston, MA: Mckinsey Company 4, pp 9–11

    Google Scholar 

  • genba-kanri.com (2009) Genba-Kanri introduction. http://www.genba-kanri.com/gkweb/Briefweb.htm

  • Hammer M (2010) What is business process management? In: vom Brocke J, Rosemann M (eds) Handbook on business process management, vol 1. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmon P (2010) The scope and evolution of business process management. In: vom Brocke J, Rosemann M (eds) Handbook on business process management, vol 1. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison-Broninski K (2010) Dealing with human-driven process. In: vom Brocke J, Rosemann M (eds) Handbook on business process management, vol 2. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Herremans IM, Isaac RG (2004) The intellectual capital realization process (ICRP): an application of the resource-based view of the firm. J Manag Issues 16(2):217–231

    Google Scholar 

  • iSixSigma staff, Sigma performance levels – One to Six Sigma. iSixSigma.com. http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020813a.asp. Accessed 16 Aug 2002

  • Johannsen F, Leist S, Zellner G (2010) Implementing six sigma for improving business processes at an automotive bank. In: vom Brocke J, Rosemann M (eds) Handbook on business process management, vol 1. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan RS, Norton DP (2001) The strategy focused organization. Harvard Business School Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz N (2007) The weakest link: understanding and detecting supply-chain fraud. Fraud Magazine

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Nottestad DA, Macklin JF (2007) A profit and loss analysis for make-to-order versus make-to-stock policy – a supply chain case study. Eng Econ 52(2), pp 141–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Motorola (2009) About Motorola University: the inventors of Six Sigma, Motorola Corporation. http://www.motorola.com/content.jsp?globalObjectId=3079

  • Rasmusson D (2006) The SIPOC picture book: a visual guide to the SIPOC/DMAIC relationship. Oriel Incorporated, Madison, WI

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudd C, Loyd V (2007) ITIL v3 book 2: service design. The Stationery Office of the Office of General Commerce, London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • vom Brocke J, Recker J, Mendling J (2010) Value-oriented Process Modeling: Integrating Financial Perspectives into Business Process Re-design. Business Process Management Journal (BPMJ), 16(2):333–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson PF, Dell LD, Anderson GF (1993) Root cause analysis: a tool for total quality management. ASQ Quality Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I thank the reviewers, my students, colleagues, and process clients at University of Dallas.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sue Conger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Conger, S. (2010). Six Sigma and Business Process Management. In: Brocke, J.v., Rosemann, M. (eds) Handbook on Business Process Management 1. International Handbooks on Information Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00416-2_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics