| Six Sigma Quality
Most organisations, and indeed most people, believe a performance standard of 95% right is excellent. Statistically, 95% accuracy (yield) equates to approximately three sigma performance. The following examples show a performance of even 95% good is in sufficient and a greater level of performance is required.
|
3σ
Yield – 93.32% |
4σ
Yield – 99.38% |
6σ
Yield – 99.997% |
Wrong drug prescriptions issued |
150
per day |
94
per week |
3
per year |
New born babies dropped by Doctors/Nurses during delivery |
112
per day |
10
per day |
2
per year |
Unsafe drinking water |
2 hours
per month |
1 hour
per week |
5 seconds
per year |
No television transmission |
27 minutes
per week |
10 minutes
per month |
4 seconds
per year |
Short landings at the busiest airport |
5
per day |
3
per week |
1
in 9 years |
Incorrect surgical procedures performed in hospitals |
1350
per week |
520
per month |
4
per year |
Lost mail articles |
66,000
per hour |
5910
per hour |
35
per day |
Although it is ideal, not all processes are required to be performing at six sigma quality. Higher performance has an associated cost and this cost increases exponentially. Organisations have to find a good balance between cost and performance in order to stay competitive in the marketplace. The following figure shows the sigma performance of some common processes we experience in our daily life.
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