Six Sigma Business Scorecard : Creating a Comprehensive Corporate Performance Measurement System (Hardcover)

~ (Author), A. William Wiggenhorn (Author) "To survive and grow, a business enterprise must meet its stated objectives..." (more)
Key Phrases: corporate sigma level, business scorecard, corporate performance measurement system, Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, Green Belt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

recommend…Gupta has thought long and hard…detailed discussions of many important and difficult issues…in performance management…valuable…inspire others to work on…important problems. -- Business Process Trends, June 2004

Review

Excerpts from review by Paul Harmon

Praveen Gupta was at Motorola in 1987 when Bill Smith first proposed what has become Six Sigma, and has been working to improve processes ever since. Somewhere along the line Mr. Gupta became focused on the problems of relating corporate goals and profits to process changes. Mr. Gupta describes the history and practices of Six Sigma in a few succinct chapters. He goes on to compare and contrast Six Sigma measures with ISO 9000 measures and the measures used by the US’s Baldrige award system. In the end he concludes that, while each contributes to improved processes, they do not tend to establish clear links to corporate goals, and ultimately, to corporate profits. Or, put slightly differently, there is no way to conclude, from lots of specific Six Sigma projects, whether the organization, as a whole is getting better.

Next, Gupta considers Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard system. Balanced Scorecard seeks to shift senior management's attention for financial measures to a more balanced set of measures which include: (1) Financial Measures, (2) Customer-Related Measures, (3) Internal Business Operations Measures, and (4) Learning and Growth Measures. Gupta describes the system and some of its successes. He proceeds, however, to argue that, as a generalization, the Balanced Scorecard has been more successful with senior managers than with operations managers.

In other words, Six Sigma focuses on processes, and rather narrowly defined processes at that, and doesn't reach up to link to strategies and goals. Balanced Scorecard starts with the strategies and goals of senior managers and doesn't reach downward to provide direction for managers and employees engaged with lower-level process improvement.

Gupta concludes that a better performance measurement system is required, and proposes it. Gupta's solution is the Six Sigma Business Scorecard. In a nutshell, he attempts to merge the best of the scorecard approach with some Six Sigma measurement concepts. Rather than rely on four sets of measures, Gupta proposes that companies rely on seven, including:

• Leadership and Profitability
• Management and Improvement
• Employees and Innovation
• Purchasing and Supplier Management
• Operational Execution
• Sales and Distribution
• Service and Growth

...I...recommend this book to those concerned with the measurement of corporate performance, with Balanced Scorecard programs, and with Six Sigma programs. Clearly Gupta has thought long and hard about these issues and he provides detailed discussions of many important and difficult issues that those involved in performance management must solve in the years ahead. A company may not adopt Gupta's entire approach, but this book is a valuable sourcebook that describes specific problems and suggests ways of dealing with the shortcomings of existing practices. It will probably inspire others to work on the important problems that Gupta pinpoints. (Business Process Trends )

Excerpts from article:

New Book Captures Keys to Short- and Long-Term Business Success

...Six Sigma Business Scorecard, published by McGraw-Hill, combines today's most powerful management concepts...The book starts with a comprehensive review of Six Sigma and its ability to generate significant returns by focusing on customer satisfaction and profitability. Gupta then describes the following seven highly critical areas to manage in any organization: 1) leadership and profitability; 2) management and improvement; 3) employees and innovation; 4) purchasing and supplier management; 5) operational execution; 6) sales and distribution; and 7) service and growth. Using these criteria, Gupta develops the Business Performance Index (BPIn), a comprehensive business guide that can judge the overall performance of any organization. The book also portrays how the BPIn can be used to determine a corporate sigma level that is missing in the Six Sigma methodology used today.

Additionally, The Six Sigma Business Scorecard includes an interview with Bob Galvin, former CEO of Motorola, in which he shares his views on leadership performance... (IPC Review )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (September 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071417303
• ISBN-13: 978-0071417303
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #464,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CEO'S DREAM BOOK FOR MANAGING BUSINESS PROCESSES, March 18, 2005

By	Billy L. Cooper "WORLDCLASSMETRICS" (West Bloomfield, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have read a few hundred "non-fictional" books over the years for my MBA, for quality, etc, but I have to tell you that this book about the use of balanced scorecards is the best business related book that I have ever read, and I feel that every CEO should completely absorb it to utilize its "pertinent" applications that are applicable to their business processes, thus institutionalizing the process metrics' continual improvement concepts of ISO/TS 16949:2002 and ISO 9001 in all types of firms, including those that are not automotive suppliers!- Bill Cooper, Global Quality Systems Senior Manager, Lear Corporation

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connects the six sigma dots with your own business sense, December 1, 2003

By	Garrett Swanson (Orlando FL US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book connected the dots between my undergrad, mba, six sigma training and 25 years of business sense. Your first reaction might be; why haven't I been tracking and measuring the critical links to growth/profitability more closely? Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down; it was like therapy for the business mind. It breaks through all the mystery and jargon of TQM, ISO 9000 and six sigma, in simple business terms.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Six Sigma Book I've Read, February 1, 2006

By	Ronan C. Rodrigues (Manaus, AM Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am writing to congratulate you for your outstanding work on the book you have written about the Six Sigma Business Scorecard. I have spent the past week reading it, and I've realized what a fantastic tool it is.

I am a Six Sigma Intern, and I work at Recofarma, a Concentrate Plant of the Coca Cola Company, located in Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil. I was trying to create a Massive Communication Plan for Six Sigma within the company and one of my ideas was to create a Scorecard for Six Sigma, then I looked for related material at Amazon.com and your book appeared on the top of the list. It surely was a great investment.