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Six Sigma

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From Total Quality Control to Lean Six Sigma

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Business ((BRIEFSBUSINESS))

Abstract

Six Sigma as a measurement standard in product variation can be traced back to the 1930s when Walter Shewart (1939) showed the correlation between levels of sigma from the mean and the defects produced in a process. When a range around a defined target is fixed it can be statistically demonstrated that the more the number of sigma stays inside the range, the less the probability that the outcome is a failure. Failure means that the outcome is outside the range and consequently the products or services are defective. Many measurement standards entered the scientific and management literature later but the term ‘Six Sigma’ was coined by a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith. Motorola is an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was divided in 2009 into two independent public companies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chiarini & Associates, Bologna, Italy

    Andrea Chiarini

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  1. Andrea Chiarini
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Correspondence to Andrea Chiarini .

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Chiarini, A. (2012). Six Sigma. In: From Total Quality Control to Lean Six Sigma. SpringerBriefs in Business. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2658-2_10

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