Question

While the philosophy of Six Sigma means different things to different people and is practiced differently in different companies, according to the textbook, two of the more important and agreed upon elements of Six Sigma are?

1) Minimizing inventories and increasing material flow
2) Focusing on the customer and workforce involvement
3) Rewarding employees and keeping defect rates below 2 percent
4) Minimizing inventories and keeping defect rates below 1 percent

Answer 1

The important elements of Six Sigma include (option 2) focusing on customer needs and involving the workforce in quality and process improvements, aiming for minimal waste and efficient production.

Step-by-step explanation:

The philosophy of Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success.

Six Sigma is uniquely driven by a close understanding of customer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes.

Two of the more important and agreed upon elements of Six Sigma are focusing on the customer and workforce involvement.

By concentrating on the customer's needs and involving the workforce, companies are more likely to identify areas where they can reduce waste, improve efficiency, and increase the value of the end product.

These practices help in creating products with minimal waste and designing safer, less hazardous chemical syntheses using renewable materials, as well as attempting to produce more at a lower cost through economies of scale.

Additionally, by gathering information from customers and conducting root cause analyses, businesses are able to continuously improve and address the real problems that impede quality and performance.