Six Sigma is a methodology that is embraced by many companies in hopes of tackling production defects and processes that waste time, money, and don’t meet customer expectations. After implementing a Six Sigma project, which can last months and involve a significant allocation of human and financial resources, there’s nothing worse than seeing that project fail.
Here are some of the main reasons why Six Sigma projects fail and what you can do to avoid them.
Lack of Quality Training
Insufficient training frequently leads to project failures. Many companies, in order to keep costs down, are forced to selectively train management, often focusing on training a few select people as Black Belts in hopes that these team members will be able to come back and train their colleagues.
This practice is a setup for failure. More often than not, the Black Belts are so busy training everyone else that they have little time to put into practice what they learned and complete the project successfully.
Another reason for a lack of quality training is that not all team leaders embrace the idea of “learning by doing” and they focus too much on the theory of the methodology without providing trainees with practical experience in applying that principle to an actual project.
Lack of Management Support
Perhaps the biggest reason for Six Sigma project failures is a general lack of support from management. Every other aspect of the project can be flawless, from training to budget allocation to team members working cohesively together, but if there isn’t management support or buy-in, there’s a good chance the project will fail.
For Six Sigma to be a success, management needs to lend their full support, as well as recognize individuals for their specific achievements during the project.
Solutions Aren’t Implemented
There are a few reasons why project solutions fail to be implemented. The most common reason is that the process owner is sometimes not involved in the project from the very beginning. Many quality improvement initiatives are structured with a separate quality improvement team that is actually responsible for completing and taking ownership of projects that take place all over the company. People get busy with their “regular jobs” and often have little time to devote to the Six Sigma project and see it through to the very end.
Oftentimes, solutions do not get implemented when management determines the new process is too complex, expensive, or simply not the solution they expected.
An Important Key to Launching a Failsafe Six Sigma Project
A thorough project charter, created at the outset of each project, is generally the best way to help ensure a Six Sigma project success. This document, which is generally created during the define phase, answers some basic questions about the project such as: Why is it important? What are the expected benefits? Who is responsible for each task? When should the benefits begin? How long are they expected to last and where are the improvement efforts being focused?
Understanding some of the most common pitfalls of Six Sigma projects can help you fine-tune your efforts and reach your project goals.
