Rating: 
Summary: Close but no cigar
Review: Yes, we all know about the high profile cases, ala GE, but the key issues where the book falls short, as most panacea books do, are examples of how 6 Sig works or doesn't work in knowledge based functions where low volume and high judgment prevail, and a step-by-step,amply annotated plan for applying 6 Sig to these types of processes. In the end, how TRULY different/better is it than standard process analysis and cost reduction methods? I suggest interested parties start with a review of the basic principles laid out in The Process Edge by Peter Keen. Follow that with Rummer and Bache on Improving Performance and you will be ahead of the game.
Rating: 
Summary: Very insightful
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, especially the part which explains the paradox of how the highest quality products are also the least expensive to produce. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Good start, but where's the beef
Review: This is six sigma 101. Does a nice job of getting you 'in the game' but is really lacking depth. Good only for the novice. Goes a little to far in praise of Jack Welch. I wanted a book on Six Sigma, if I wanted a book on GE, I would have bought one on GE.
Rating: 
Summary: A commercial book
Review: Reading this book is like watching the author doing a long TV commercial advertising his Six Sigma Academy. The conclusion I reached, however, is that Six Sigma is just another expression of taking special project(s). The very concept of being a Six Sigma company doesn't make much sense: A company may have many 6-sigma processes but may never eliminate those low sigma processes in which "the inherent capability is poor" (p.133). Moreover, one can just simply move USL up and LSL down to increase the sigma reading (p.185). No wonder some companies can schedule to claim their Six Sigma titles on a given date. So what? A cleaning has a greater effect on a messier room! There are about 100,000 words in this book about flawless processes. At 6-sigma level, one would expect to find 0.34 error. Naturally, I was quite disappointed to pick up over a dozen of them. Example 1: according to the formula on p.211, a company with $1 billion in annual revenues would need 1,000 Black Belts and 100 Master BBs, not 100 and 10, respectively. Example 2: line 6 from bottom of p.142, 1.5/4.5 should equal 0.33, not ".375". So, even the master of Six Sigma failed to reach 6-sigma! Summary: All quality programs have their unique merits, so is Six Sigma. However, the impact of the Six Sigma is way over-blown by the author. It is a story that Wall Street loves to play with (p.182).
Rating:
Summary: P. T. Barnum would be proud...
Review: How many times, and in how many ways, can we "discover" or "invent" the radical concept that doing well what you do every day tends to produce success? For people who go to sleep at night with phrases like "market share" and "profit margin" dancing about in their heads, this book may seem helpful. One cannot help but wonder, however, what would happen to quality and productivity if the time, money, effort, and energy devoted to ingesting this sort of thing were instead pumped into attending to the job at hand. One saving grace: There are people who still don't get it, and this book just might make a dent in their thick skulls.
Rating: 
Summary: Six sigma or Six histories ?
Review: It seemed interesting in the beginning, but my interest was not to read a pile of ideas that they have gained (the companies like Ge, etc), but like really implementing it and really disillusioned me.
Rating:
Summary: Six Sigma: Quality = Profits
Review: Managers willing to engage in vast efforts to improve their companies economics and long-term viability will do well to read this comprehensive management book on the Six Sigma strategy and process. This book presents Six Sigma in a way that is enlightening to the unindoctrinated and helpful to those in the midst of implementing this strategy. Clearly outlined and illustrated with numerous case studies from General Electric, Bombardier, AlliedSignal, and Polaroid, this book brings clarity to a much bantered about process. The authors give comprehensive definitions for terms such as DPMO (defects per million opportunities), "throughput yield," and "long-term vs. short-term capabilities." Not only do Harry and Schroeder take a thoughtful look at implementation options and outline a detailed road map called the "Breakthrough Strategy" that allows companies to achieve Six Sigma, they show that the strategy and process is more about profitability than quality. These authors have written a book that shows executives not only how they can custom design a Six Sigma strategy, but how to implement and employ the tactics that supports the accomplishment of their strategic objectives. Clearly, Six Sigma has applications not only for Fortune 500 companies, but small business, nonprofits, government and even the military.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Having heard bits and pieces about Six Sigma over the years, I found this book finally explained what all the hoopla is about. Without getting too technical, it shows how massive amounts of money can be saved by companies, thus increasing profitability. Great stories, well-written. As Reengineering the Corporation was the must-read business book of the '90's, this will be the must read business book of the '00's.
Rating:
Summary: Six Sigma continues to drive the herd
Review: In this latest installment, Master Chefs Schroeder and Harry have offered up a heapin' serving of Six Sigma pie that spells it out in simple language that belies the brilliance of these Arizona cowboys who have redefined the target for performance excellence. A must-read and a must-do for today's business leaders and visionaries who are preparing to do battle in the rapidly changing and rewired global marketplace of the 21st century. Knowledge-based management and leadership has truly arrived and Six Sigma capability supplemented with a growing understanding of complexity, self-organization, and adaptive systems will undoubtedly describe tomorrow's leaders and innovators.
Rating:
Summary: Six Sigma or Six Figures?
Review: The book sounds fine in principle, but I read it with interest having lived through a Six Sigma project or two.. Just as Marx's philosophy's were twisted by Lenin and Stalin, so is Six Sigma by the leaders of today's business. It becomes a fancy name for cost cutting and bureaucratic nightmares.
|
