What is Six Sigma ? – A Tool to Conquer Variability
Definition of Six Sigma Six Sigma is not a mere methodology or a quality tool. It is a philosophy i.e. a systematic way of thinking to solve quality problems. Six sigma involves use of statistics to convert raw data into facts about how the processes of the organization are being run. The thrust is on […]
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) – A collaborative Supply Chain Concept
As the name suggests, VMI stands for Vendor Managed Inventory. VMI involves a collaborative and continuous inventory supply owned, managed and replenished by the Manufacturer right up to the last stocking point or point of sale to end customer. VMI concept is widely being used by companies both as procurement business model and FG supply […]
Information System for Decision Support
Introduction In the current globalized business environment, decision making is becoming more and more difficult. Some of the problems faced by business are as follows: There is large volume of internal organizational data on hand thanks to the modern data-storage system. However, not all data available would be useful for decision. The flow of information […]
Enterprise Marketing Automation
Introduction Enterprise marketing automation is part of customer relationship management module. Enterprise marketing automation can also be an independent software installed by the company. The main function of the enterprise marketing automation module is to run different marketing programs in the organization. The enterprise marketing automation module also helps the given organization develop a business […]
China vs. Taiwan: An Economic Comparison
China and Taiwan were once part of the same nation. After World War 2 ended, the Chinese political scene was split up between two major opponents. On one side, were the communist guerrillas led by Mao Zedong whereas, on the other side, there were people led by Chiang Kai Sheik, who believed in the market […]
The final step in the metrics is to measure the financial benefits that are accruing to the firm because of the Six Sigma project being undertaken. This is important and is also an area of concern. Most criticisms of Six Sigma say that the benefits that are presented in such analysis are incorrect and actually do not accrue to the firm. They claim that the true picture of the projects is often different.
However, to get the resources sanctioned from the finance department, it is essential that the Net Present Value (NPV) of the project be presented to them. The most common category of gains that accrue to an organization because of six sigma projects is as follows:
Increased Revenue: The most obvious benefits of the six sigma project would be an increase in revenue. This could be driven by many factors.
With more efficient processes, the firm may be able to produce goods more cheaply than others and hence sell more increasing revenues. Or with the help of six sigma projects, the firm could increase the quality of its products increasing customer loyalty and adding to revenues.
Avoided Costs: The firm can avoid many costs in the form of regulatory penalties, expansion costs etc, if its processes are efficient.
Let’s assume that a factory manufactures 100 cars. If by efficiently redesigning the processes, the factory can now manufacture 120 cars, then the fixed costs of manufacturing those 20 cars have been avoided. Governments sometimes penalise inefficient behaviour in companies.
For instance if the company does not pay its taxes on time, it has to pay penalties. Six sigma projects can make these processes efficient and avoid such costs for the management.
Reduced Costs: The operational costs of the firm can be drastically reduced with the help of six sigma projects. With the help of Six Sigma, Motorola was able to offer pagers which were much better in features than the competitors at a price which was much less than that of the competitors.
Non-Monetary Benefits: There are several non-monetary benefits that accrue to the firms as well. In many cases these translate into indirect monetary benefits. However since they cannot be precisely measured they must be called non-monetary. Common examples of such benefits are as follows:
Critics of six sigma say that analysts use fuzzy numbers and double counting to increase the NPV of the projects in question. However there is no doubt about the fact that efficiency has never harmed an organization.
Undertaking six sigma projects and completing them efficiently will only make the organization better off.
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