Getting Started in Six Sigma [Paperback]

Michael C. Thomsett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Getting Started in | Publication Date: November 12, 2004

The basics behind the Six Sigma quality control technique
Six Sigma is designed to achieve excellence in customer service and measure deviation from the ideal. It provides a process for placing value on the intangible nature of quality control. The underlying theories of Six Sigma are highly technical and complex. This book is a basic guide to those who are new to the concept, and though this is a complex subject, the concepts involved are not too complex for readers to grasp. Getting Started in Six Sigma demonstrates how an employee or supervisor can implement Six Sigma successfully without having to become technically familiar with process-oriented models or statistical modeling.
Michael C. Thomsett (Pt. Townsend, WA) is a financial writer who has written more than 50 books on investing, real estate, business, and management topics. He is the author of several Wiley books including the successful Getting Started in Options (0-471-44493-6). Prior to his writing career, Thomsett was a professional accountant and systems consultant.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO STRIVING FOR PERFECTION IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD

Six Sigma in many organizations simply means defining and measuring quality; a working system designed to identify that elusive goal, perfection. Companies such as GE, Microsoft, and 3M have used this approach to eliminate product defects, reduce cycle time, and improve customer satisfaction. Six Sigma may sound intimidating, but the fact is that you don't have to be a high-level executive at a giant corporation to use—or understand—this concept. It is simply a way of improving quality.

Getting Started in Six Sigma is designed to show you, step by step, how Six Sigma works and how it can be used most effectively. Whether you're a manager trying to change your approach to problem solving or an employee in a corporation with a Six Sigma program, this book will clearly lead you through each step of the process. Definitions within the margins—placed at points of discussion—will help you to quickly master Six Sigma terminology as you read along.

In a straightforward and accessible style, Getting Started in Six Sigma will familiarize you with:

• The real meaning of Six Sigma—technical and philosophical
• The importance of both internal and external customers
• DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)—the tactical approach to Six Sigma projects
• Product and service defects and how to reduce them
• Effectively improving process systems
• Striving for consistency

Filled with numerous examples, checklists, and graphics, Getting Started in Six Sigma will help you gain a firm understanding of the topic and illustrate how this idea can make any organization function better.

About the Author

MICHAEL C. THOMSETT is a financial writer who has written more than sixty books on investing, real estate, business, and management topics. He is the author of several Wiley books including the successful Getting Started in Options, now in its sixth edition. Thomsett has written extensively on quality control and quality assurance topics, and has had over 500 articles published in business, trade, and professional journals. Prior to his writing career, Thomsett was a professional accountant and systems consultant.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471668117
• ISBN-13: 978-0471668114
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,263,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been writing professionally since 1978 and fulltime since 1984. Previously, I was an accountant.
From 1978 to 1984 I wrote part-time and also was a consultant in the financial services industry. Once I began writing fulltime, I began in the magazine journalism field as a freelancer. In 1985 and 1986 I wrote approximately 500 articles in business, trade and professional magazines. I then switched over to books exclusively and have written over 70 books. These include my own as well as ghost-written projects.
Today I like to work on multiple books at the same time, normally two or three projects. Being able to switch back and forth keeps the writing process fresh and interesting. I generally write from 7 a.m. until noon and spend afternoons on research.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, December 17, 2004

By 

Lady Manager "L.M." (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Started in Six Sigma (Paperback)

This book takes a simple, logical idea and present it simply and logically ... a refreshingly clear summary, practical and useful. Best book on the topic that I have found.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you always wanted to know about starting in Six Sigma, February 17, 2006

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting Started in Six Sigma (Paperback)

Books on Six Sigma often read like ancient testaments from which you must blow the dust before you crack them open. Full of half-explained jargon and abstruse terms, they tend to shed more confusion than illumination. Eventually, you throw up your hands and decide you'll just have to hire a consultant if you are ever to understand this stuff, even though most of those books are - surprise! - written by consultants. This offering by Michael C. Thomsett is a welcome exception. A champion financial writer, Thomsett ventures into heady consultant territory and emerges with an unnervingly comprehensible book about launching a straightforward Six Sigma quality control program. We advise you not to let this book's brevity fool you. It will tell you everything you always wanted to know about starting in Six Sigma, but were afraid to ask a consultant. Comprehensive as well as comprehensible, it lives up to the description on its cover: "A Practical Working Guide."

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Introduction, May 3, 2005

By 

Kasem M. Kharsa - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting Started in Six Sigma (Paperback)

This is by the far the best introduction to six sigma for the executive interested in implementing the philosophies or for a potential green-belt candidate. If you are serious about six-sigma and/or lean education check out moresteam.com