Process

            ISO 9000 for process mapping

            SEI CMM for software process improvement

            SEI CMMi for integrated software process

People

            PCMM for people involvement in quality initiatives  (Competencies & Talent)

People & Process (mix and match)

            Six-Sigma initiative for continuous improvement on existing processes

Other Quality Methodologies

            Bootstrap

            TRILLIUM

            Quality Improvement Paradigm

            Kaizen

Who chalked out these standards?

There are so many who are involved, but the main organization is SEI (Software engineering institute)

SEI is a federal research center whose mission is to advance the state of the practice of "software development life cycle or software engineering"

The SEI's core purpose is to help others make measured improvements in their software engineering capabilities.

SEI has outlined many Management and Engineering Practices

CMM

The Software CMM has become a de facto standard for assessing and improving software processes. Through the SW-CMM, the SEI and community have put in place an effective means for modeling, defining, and measuring the maturity of the processes used by software professionals

Level 1 - Initial

Level 2 - Repeatable

Level 3 - Defined

Level 4 - Managed

Level 5 – Optimizing

Except for Level 1, each maturity level is decomposed into several key process areas (KPA’s) that indicate the areas an organization should focus on to improve its software process.

PCMM

Strong emphasis on learning and professional development, both at the individual and organizational levels

Internal Assessment Centers that constantly measure performance and identify opportunities for improvement

Culture that empowers individuals and promotes a participatory environment

Effective professional mentoring programs

Emphasis on continuous improvement

Six-Sigma ? !

Six sigma is the structured application of tools and techniques
applied on project basis to achieve sustained strategic results.

Six sigma processes will produce less than 3.4 defects or mistakes per
million opportunities.

That is 99.999 % perfection (called five 9's)

Six sigma DETAIL

The first answer to what is six sigma is that it is a management
philosophy. Six sigma is a customer based approach realizing that
defects are expensive. Fewer defects mean lower costs and improved
customer loyalty. The lowest cost, high value producer is the most
competitive provider of goods and services. Six sigma is a way to
achieve strategic business results.

Another answer to what is six sigma is six sigma is a statistic. Six
sigma processes will produce less than 3.4 defects or mistakes per
million opportunities. Many successful six sigma projects do not
achieve a 3.4 ppm or less defect rate. That just indicates that there
is still opportunity.

A third answer to what is six sigma is that six sigma is a process. To
implement the six sigma management philosophy and achieve the six
sigma level of 3.4 defects per million opportunities or less there is
a process that is used. The six sigma process is define, measure,
analyze, improve and control DMAIC.

When answering the question what is six sigma understand that six
sigma is not a set of new or unknown tools. Six sigma tools and
techniques all are found in total quality management. Six sigma is the
application of the tools on selected important projects at the
appropriate time.

Six sigma is some thing like TQM - Total Quality Management

BENEFITS OF SIX SIGMA

There are numerous benefits of six sigma as a way to address issues
and problems. Among the benefits of six sigma is the decrease in
defects that are allowed to reach the customer. You can get some
sense of the benefits of six sigma by reviewing some six sigma
projects. Other benefits of six sigma include:

Focus on customers.
Improved customer loyalty.
Reduced cycle time.
Less waste.
Data based decisions.
Time management.
Sustained gains and improvements.
Systematic problem solving.
Employee motivation.
Data analysis before decision making.
Faster to market.
Team building.
Improved customer relations.
Assure strategic planning..
Reductions of incidents.
Measure value according to the customer.
Better safety performance.
Understanding of processes.
Effective supply chain management.
Design and redesign products/services.
Knowledge of competition, competitors .
Develop leadership skills.
Breakdown barriers between departments and functions.
Management training.
Improve presentation skills.
Integration of products, services and distribution.
Use of standard operating procedures.
Better decision making.
Improving project management skills.
Sustained improvements.
Alignment with strategy vision, and values.
Increased margins.
Greater market share.
Supervisor training.
Lower costs to provide goods and services.
Fewer customer complaints.

SIX SIGMA APPROACH

DMAIC is define measure analyze improve and control in the six sigma
approach to projects.

D - Define
M - Measure
A - Analyze
I - Improve
C - Control

DMAIC six sigma approach.

The six sigma approach for projects is DMAIC (define, measure,
analyze, improve and control). These steps are the most common six
sigma approach to project work. Some organizations omit the D in
DMAIC because it is really management work. With the D dropped from
DMAIC the Black Belt is charged with MAIC only in that six sigma
approach. We believe define is too important be left out and
sometimes management does not do an adequate job of defining a
project. Our six sigma approach is the full DMAIC.

Define (DMAIC).

Define is the first step in our six sigma approach of DMAIC. DMAIC
first asks leaders to define our core processes. It is important to
define the selected project scope, expectations, resources and
timelines. The definition step in the six sigma approach identifies
specifically what is part of the project and what is not, and explains
the scope of the project. Many times the first passes at process
documentation are at a general level. Additional work is often
required to adequately understand and correctly document the
processes. As the saying goes "The devil is in the details."

Measure (DMAIC).

Many think when they start a journey the most important thing to know
is where they are going. While we agree knowing where you want to go
is very important, we believe some of the first information you need
before starting any journey is your current location. The six sigma
approach asks the Black Belt project manager to quantify and benchmark
the process using actual data. At a minimum consider the mean or
average performance and some estimate of the dispersion or variation
(maybe even calculate the standard deviation). Trends and cycles can
also be very revealing. The two data points and extrapolate to
infinity is not a six sigma approach. Process capabilities can be
calculated once there is performance data,

Analyze (DMAIC).

Once the project is understood and the baseline performance documented
and verified that there is real opportunity, it is time with the six
sigma approach to do an analysis of the process. In this step, the six
sigma approach applies statistical tools to validate root causes of
problems. Any number of tools and tests can be used. The objective
is to understand the process at a level sufficient to be able to
formulate options for improvement. We should be able to compare the
various options with each other to determine the most promising
alternatives. As with many activities, balance must be achieved.
Superficial analysis and understanding will lead to unproductive
options being selected, forcing recycle through the process to make
improvements. At the other extreme is the paralysis of analysis.
Striking the appropriate balance is what makes the six sigma Black
Belt highly valuable.

Improve (DMAIC).

During the improve step of the six sigma approach ideas and solutions
are put to work. The six sigma Black Belt has discovered and validated
all known root causes for the existing opportunity. The six sigma
approach requires Black Belts to identify solutions. Few ideas or
opportunities are so good that all are an instant success. As part of
the six sigma approach there must be checks to assure that the desired
results are being achieved. Some experiments and trials may be
required in order to find the best solution. When making trials and
experiments it is important that all project associates understand
that these are trials and really are part of the six sigma approach.



Control (DMAIC)

Many people believe the best performance you can ever get from a
process is at the very beginning. Over time there is an expectancy
that slowly things will get a little worse until finally it is time
for another major effort towards improvement. Contrasted with this is
the Kaizen approach that seeks to make everything incrementally better
on a continuous basis. The sum of all these incremental improvements
can be quite large. As part of the six sigma approach performance
tracking mechanisms and measurements are in place to assure, at a
minimum, that the gains made in the project are not lost over a period
of time. As part of the control step we encourage sharing with others
in the organization. With this the six sigma approach really starts to
create phenomenal returns, ideas and projects in one part of the
organization are translated in a very rapid fashion to implementation
in another part of the organization.