Six Sigma
History of Quality and Origins of Six Sigma
History of Quality
Walter Shewhart
- 1200: Craftsmen begin organizing into guilds
- 1750: Factory system started in Great Britain
- 1830: Industrial Revolution
- 1908: Henry Ford begins production of the Model T - institutes the assembly line and the start of mass production and lean manufacturing practices
- 1920's: Walter Shewhart suggests that at three sigma from the mean, process correction is required
- 1941: WWII - quality becomes critical component
- 1948: W. Edward Deming teaches in Japan
W. Edward Deming
- 1970: Total Quality Management
- 1980: Six Sigma, Quality Circles, Just-in-Time, Malcolm Baldridge, ISO 9000
The Origins of Six Sigma
- 1970's: Mr. Bill Smith, a staff engineer at Motorola's Government Electronics Group (GEG),introduces a statistical approach aimed at increasing profits by reducing process variability.
- 1990: Mikel Harry appointed head of Motorola Six Sigma Research Institute and becomes the driving force behind the development of "Six Sigma" business management. He coined the terms "Black Belt" and "Green Belt."
Mikel Harry
- 1990: Lean Enterprise
- 1994: Harry leaves Motorola to form the Six Sigma Academy.