Power of Design for Six Sigma (Hardcover)

by Subir Chowdhury (Author) "I woke up this morning feeling flat..." (more)
Key Phrases: Six Sigma, American Pizza, American Coffee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Essentially a simple metaphor stretched to publishable length, this book of business strategy by automotive industry consultant Chowdhury follows the author's bestselling The Power of Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a management philosophy that strives to eliminate errors. But while Six Sigma "focuses on improving existing designs," the concept of Design for Six Sigma "concentrates its efforts on creating new and better ones." This slim book uses a dialogue between two colleagues, Joe and Larry, to dissect Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) into tasks that are easily digestible and endlessly acronymizable. These tasks include IDDOV ("Identify and Define the opportunity, Develop the concept, and Optimize the design and Verify it"), although "in some programs it's called DMADV or DMEDI... but it really doesn't matter. It's all DFSS, and it all revolves around a five-step program," Chowdhury asserts. The author's idea of designing a process right the first time (instead of going back to revamp it) is indeed appealing, and Joe and Larry's easygoing dialogue-they speak in sports metaphors and use common clich‚s-should please readers seeking straightforward, no-nonsense advice. That is, of course, if they can get past the seemingly never-ending acronyms.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
"Every new GE product and service in the future will be DFSS- Designed for Six Sigma."

-Jack Welch, 1998 GE Annual Report Even with the best Six Sigma implementation, most companies only attain a Four or Five Sigma level. To truly attain the level of Six Sigma, 3.4 defects per million, companies need to go back to the drawing board and create a product or process using Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). DFSS incorporates the voice of the customer (the need for quality products) and the voice of the company (the need for increased profits). As with any big initiative, the key to success is companywide understanding and acceptance. Readers raved about the simplicity of The Power of Six Sigma to explain this effective, though complex management process. Sure to be another bestseller, The Power of Design for Six Sigma, another fictionalized tale, starts where The Power of Six Sigma ended. In the same captivating style of its predecessor, The Power of Design for Six Sigma conveys the logic behind this extraordinary management process using a nonthreatening, easy-to-understand format. Through a conversation between "Joe" and "Larry," two typical business professionals, Chowdhury explains why DFSS is the only way to achieve Six Sigma. Readers will learn the five steps of DFSS: 1. Identify the opportunity. 2. Define the opportunity based on customer needs. 3. Develop the concepts, testing for potential failure. 4. Optimize the design. 5. Verify the design and process. In The Power of Design for Six Sigma, Chowdhury clearly communicates the only way to achieve Six Sigma.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business (October 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079316060X
• ISBN-13: 978-0793160600
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #725,220 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DFSS For Dummies, June 9, 2003

By	Mohit Kapur (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book explains the advantages of investing in DFSS; it emphasizes that stopping at Six Sigma is not good enough because one can not go beyond 5 Sigma. Subir Chowdhury narrates the DFSS process in a very refreshing and anecdotal way. If you like reading stories and upshots, this is the book for you. Prior knowledge of Six Sigma is not required. This book only gives a high-level overview of how DMADV or DMEDDI or IDDOV was applied by a restaurant chain. I would recommend buying another thick book to get all the nitty gritty details like QFD or Robust Design Optimization because the method is as important as the result

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book, borrow it., April 14, 2003

By	Bryan Lucas "bryus" (Parker, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book as an introduction to the concept of Design for Six Sigma. My motivation to do this was that my company has begun implementing the management technique. Like Mr. Chowdhury's preceding book The Power of Six Sigma, this book has some serious flaws.

First of all, despite being a better-written book than the previous "Power" book, it is still hampered by a jumble of unrelated examples and metaphors. In this installment the master has become the disillusioned student and his student has become the confident master.

This book does provide a basic overview of Design for Six Sigma, but once attain is a cleverly disguised attempt to make money by exploiting the latest management buzz.

This books is slightly longer that The Power of Six Sigma. However, the author's writing style continues to distract you from easily learning the information.

My recommendation is to check it out from the library if you really want to read the book for the basic introduction to Design for Six Sigma.

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Basic, December 18, 2008

By	Edward J. Barton (Mill Creek, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Written with "The Goal" in mind - this book on DFSS is a very general, very light overview of the DFSS approach using the story approach. It reads fast and like a novel, with the protagonist suffering career angst, and discovering DFSS as an elixr to reenergize him. If you are looking for a easy read and very introductory book on DFSS, this would be a decent choice. Don't expect to walk away an expert, but you may walk away a little smarter.