Power of Six Sigma

by Subir Chowdhury

Getting things done right 99 per cent of the time is the best anyone can do--right? A 1 per cent defect rate 20,000 articles of mail lost every hour; 5,000 botched surgeries per week; four or more accidents per day at major airports; 200,000 incorrectly dispensed drug prescriptions each year. Still think 99 per cent is good enough? The Power of Six Sigma will help everyone in the organization understand what Six Sigma is, how it can benefit your company, and most of all, how it can benefit you--as an employee of an organization implementing or thinking about implementing Six Sigma. The Power of Six Sigma is unlike any other book on Six Sigma. This fictionalized tale simplifies a complicated topic and, through dialogue between Joe and Larry, explains the way Six Sigma works in a nonthreatening, easy-to-understand way. Everyone in the organization will learn what Six Sigma is and how it works.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction, Self Help

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[ياسمين يوسف · Rating 3 out of 5]

If It was more detailed, it will be better, I like the last 4 chapters and some steps that can lead your steps in six sigma, but It is a good start to know about six sigma

[Mohammad Abokhalil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that would be enough if you read this summary:
http://sixsigma.pbworks.com/f/The+Pow...

[Patrick Birch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was easy to read and relatively short. I was able to read all in one sitting and while it is useful as a good introduction it felt like it over simplified the six sigma subject and tools used to deliver the projects. Personally I would recommend as a book to bring someone into the subject but don't expect it to give you all the answers.

[Rafe French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book from my boss at work. I’ve known a few black belts and lean six sigma certified people at my job so was curious to learn more about how it worked. Basically six sigma is all about reducing waste and errors in any kind of business endeavor to increase customer satisfaction and fatten the bottom line. You define where the problems are and eliminate them through process or product improvement. The steps are to measure where you are and where you want to go, analyze the data, improve the situation, and controlling the activity after you fix it to ensure it doesn’t backslide. Ill definitely be keeping my eye out for opportunities to become a green belt at work to assist some of the black belts I know. The story they gave was about a pizza place getting better but I understand its transferability across all businesses

[Matt Ohlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those looking for a detailed description of Six Sigma and its intricacies will be disappointed by this book. However, those looking for a macro-level introduction to Six Sigma will be blown away by how well this book delivers in just 117 pages. Subir Chowdhury delivers a masterful semi-fictional account of how Six Sigma changed American Pizza for the better. He uses fantastic applications of broad Six Sigma concepts that are easy to understand. This is a great introductory book for a business or economics major looking to enter the field of management or an experienced manager looking to up his or her game. At the very least, Chowdhury delivers a page-turning story that anyone interested in business management will enjoy.

[David Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. It put in story form the principles of Six Sigma. This book really opened up my eyes to the power of this process. I never even knew what Six Sigma stood for before reading this book. It' has changed the way I do business and has prompted me to do more research into this topic. This is transforming my business.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in the style of The Goal or The Phoenix Project. Would have been nice if they used the dialogue to relate Six Sigma to the theory of constraints. Seemed like a decent summary of the Six Sigma methods I could digest, even when approaching it with an impatient, skeptical mood. Wasn't a waste of time.

[Helen Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this approach of explaining what can be a complicated theory. Told as a story over a working lunch, the use of six sigma as an improvement programme for quality improvement and increasing customer satisfaction. After listening to a lecture I didn’t think this method had relevance but it has changed my mind.

Quick easy read.

[Brian Sheets · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those seeking a summary understanding of the Six Sigma process and its promised benefits to business, this is the book to get. However, bear in mind that most statistics show ~70% of Six Sigma implementation efforts fail, a representation of theory vs. reality.

[Cynara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Livro lido por causa da faculdade.

[Guardian1708 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for a theory overview of how the system works.
Definitely enjoyed it and would feel like I have a conceptual understanding if I go through the the program.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very basic and beginners guide to Six Sigma. Definitely not what I was expecting.

[Chowdhury Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Mike Phung · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good overview about 6Sigma, for beginner is easy to understand and have something to start

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Six Sigma for the beginner.

[Michelle Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conversational style introduction to the concepts of Six Sigma. It’s good for an introduction but does not go in depth with actual methodology.

[Larilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very straightforward and informative. Great intro to 6 Sigma. The dialogue was a little elementary sometimes.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story version of explaining six sigma using a pizza company/restaurant chain.

[Sreelekha Nama · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who wants to improve processes and reduce errors improving efficiency.

[zangmei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mình đọc bản tiếng việt, sách viết khá lòng vòng ko trọng tâm lắm

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little hokey but did a good job of explain Six Sigma in simple terms with examples. Easy read.

[Kristoffer Selberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a very quick read (~2-3 hours) that explained Six SIGMA to me as someone with no knowledge on it. I could not stand the formatting that the information was provided in. The narrative of meeting with an old friend and the acquired information "changing his life" seemed very fake and disingenuous.

[Ryan]

I read this at the request of the QA Director as a possible option for the next book club at work. The management ideas of Six Sigma are valid - actually they are DUH, like eating less and exercising more to lose weight. Imagine someone coming up with the idea that knowing what your customers want fixed and then fixing that is important and may even save you money. Unfortunately, if its too obvious, anyone can do it and consultants can't charge big fees so no one wants it.

I found the approach interesting and it fall in line with my belief that infrastructure IS sexy. Someday I will figure out how to convince folks how amazingly hot infrastructure maintenance is.

The book itself is horrible - basically an infomercial. But wait, there's more. The story is contrived so you "connect" with the material but its not true. The approach is just insulting. The reading level MAY be 2nd grade. You're better off reading wikipedia.

[Debra Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is small in size and number of pages, but big in content. Written in a fictional way, it shows what Six Sigma is all about, by explaining the basic concepts in an easy understandable language. Very entertaining and detailed enough to get all the basics of Six Sigma across. Good finish with examples of the process implementation. It introduces concepts and organizational structure to those unfamiliar with the process. Good reinforcement for those who are learning.

It is written as a lunchroom dialogue between friends that have been working in the same company for a long time. One friend is very successful, and the other is not. The successful friend explains a Six Sigma project and the unsuccessful friend is asking questions. This is a great book to start with if you want to know more about Six Sigma.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading prior to my Six Sigma project at work, this was a very clear and informative book. The story is cheesy, and the writing is simplistic, but that's a good thing, since the text is intended as a brief primer on the subject. The Six Sigma process is explained with regards to a pizza company attempting to improve customer service and its bottom line, and it can be easily understood by any reader. It is an excellent overview for someone with little to no knowledge of the concept of Six Sigma and its benefits. This is a short and extremely fast read that can be finished in under an hour.

[Melody]

If you can allow yourself to get past the corny fictional storyline, then there is some merit to reading this book. I am not an engineer, but I wanted to gain a better understanding of Six Sigma. (We all know how well it worked for Jack Welch.) Subir obviously worked very hard to simplify and illustrate six sigma in terms that everyone, even I , could understand.

[Doni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished the book in one sitting, needless to say, a very fast read.

It did exactly what it was supposed to do, taught me what Six Sigma is, but with the length of the book being as short as it is it failed to go in depth of how to implement it.

Still a great read if your interested in the concept, but be prepared to have more questions at the end of it.

[Edrees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book because I was interested in possibly getting certified. The book is dumbed down and a lame "story" is used to explain the various six sigma processes. I guess I was expecting more from this book but it did not deliver.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is cheesy, but it definitely gets the point across and was an enjoyable and easy read. This book is good for those people who don't know anything about Six Sigma. Those who already understand the basic concepts may read this as a refresher.

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on how to achieve greater return on work output, it shares a story of how to reduce confusion and how to grow employee efficiency with a return on investment -- IE more profit, happier employees and more team involvement. Great starter book for understanding 6Sigma.