As companies and organizations implement strategies and methodologies to improve the bottom line. Six Sigma, a data-driven methodology, that helps companies and organizations alike, realize significant operational improvements, financial gains, by streamlining their operations and eliminating defects has gained significant traction within the past ten years. For a company or organization to be successful with Six Sigma, all levels of leadership must be involved in the process.
For the past ten years, Microsoft has been developing a software that will answer the call of Six Sigma professionals worldwide. One of the several reasons why Six Sigma initiatives fail with a new company, has been the inability of key stakeholders accessing a wealth of information and making sense of the information in a timely manner. Six Sigma quality improvement intiatives can only realize true operational and improvement gains for a company or organization, if all stakeholders are on the same page in terms of project management lifecycle, financial impact and best practices. This is where Microsoft Six Sigma software may differ from its’ competitors.
Microsoft software utilizes existing technologies such as, Project Server, Infopath, Enterprise Management Solution and Visio. The combined functionality of all these technologies afford users the opportunity to meet Six Sigma challenges head on with succinct reporting templates, portfolio management updates, and Microsoft follows the structured methodology, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC). This process is used to improve existing work flows or products. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), often utilized in manufacturing and engineering environments is a methodology to design a new product or work flow.
Microsoft Six Sigma offering is considerable compared with Instantis and Centrics Software products. That appear to lack the sophestication of Microsoft’s Enterprise project management, Project Server and Project Manager. In addition, the financial and project metrics function of Microsoft compared to it’s comptetitors, allows Six Sigma practioners additional flexibility, when alingning projects with business objectives or organizational mission statements. The cost may be considerable with Microsoft, but if a company or organization is serious about making a sound investment concerning quality improvement…it appears Microsoft may corner the market once again.
References
Centric. [Online]. Use Live Information in Dashboard Software to Coordinate Global Teams with Project Management Software Tools. Retrieved from http://www.centricsoftware.com/default.asp?url=products ON January 16, 2007.
Instantis. [Onine]. Enterprise Track. Retrieved from http://www.instantis.com/ on January 16, 2007.
Microsoft. (2006, 2007). Managing Six Sigma Projects Using the Microsoft Office System. Technical Discussion Guide. pp 1-17.
Microsoft. [Online]. Managing Six Sigma Projects Using the Microsoft Office System. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/office/showcase/sixsigma/default.mspx on January 16, 2007.
iSix Sigma. [Online]. Six Sigma – What is Six Sigma?
Retrieved from http://www.isixsigma.com/sixsigma/six_sigma.asp on January 16, 2007.
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