Continuous Quality Improvement- The Concept Of Six Sigma

Continuous Quality Improvement- The Concept of Six Sigma

The concept of Six Sigma focuses on the improvement of quality and reduction of costs in the production process. Initially, the concept of Six Sigma was developed in response to the inconsistent quality of Motorola products in the 1980s. Due to its success in Motorola, the concept of Six Sigma was adopted widely in the manufacturing industry as an approach to improve organizational performance by improving the organization’s productivity and profitability (Kumar, 2022). The concept of Six Sigma has diffused from the manufacturing industries to find applications in other industries, including in health care.

Six Sigma in itself is a quality control methodology. It applies systematic approaches to improve production processes in efficiency and effectiveness. The concept of Six Sigma is established on the philosophy that all production work includes definable, measurable, analyzable, improvable, and controllable processes (Kumar, 2022). Based on this view, Six Sigma methodological approaches enable organizational managers to control the quality of inputs and the ability to control the quality of outputs. Therefore, the main focus of the concept of Six Sigma is to improve the quality of inputs to achieve quality outputs. It helps identify and eliminate inconsistencies in the processes that may result in low-quality products and services.

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Based on research and industrial observations, the main approach to cutting down on production costs and improving costs is ensuring efficiency in the production processes and reducing defects in products and services (Kavlak et al., 2018; Sjödin et al., 2018). Ideally, inefficiencies in the production process cause defects that not only cause a waste of resources but are costly to manage, leading to a waste of time. The concept of Six Sigma, when applied in production processes, eliminates errors and defects in the processes; it significantly reduces waste of production material and production time while improving time management (Ikumapayi et al., 2020). For instance, a study by Improta et al. (2020) focused on the application of Six Sigma methods in a pediatric public hospital pavilion. It concluded that the application of the Six Sigma model enabled the health managers to efficiently provide faster services to patients and improved the management of the facility’s resources.

The concept of Six Sigma improves quality and reduces costs by identifying existing problems and inefficiencies in processes and products and finding efficient and effective methods to solve the problems. The main Six Sigma methodologies for problem identification and solution include DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Validate) (Smętkowska & Mrugalska, 2018). The DMAIC method utilizes data to improve existing products and services for the benefit of both the organization and the satisfaction of the clients.

The DMADV is a method employed in quality management that focuses on improving the current products and services. The DMADV Six Sigma method is employed when the current processes do not produce services and products that meet the customers’ expectations (Kumar, 2022). Conclusively, the Six Sigma concept is adopted within organizational operations to improve the organization’s performance, improve the quality of products and services, and, most importantly, meet the customers’ needs and achieve customer satisfaction.

The Levels of Six Sigma

An organization’s staff needs to develop skills to effectively apply and utilize the methodologies of the concept of Six Sigma to improve their organizations and professional careers. The skills for the Six Sigma methodologies are gained through a five-level learning process. These levels include the White, Yellow, Green, Black, and Master Black Belt levels. These levels ensure that the staff gain the required knowledge and skills to efficiently initiate and manage the change of processes, services, and products to meet customer conditions and improve organizational performance.

The White Belt level is the basic Six Sigma level. It introduces the Six Sigma concepts to the learning agents. Essentially, this level focuses on quality management and reducing time wastage in the production process. The Six Sigma White Belt also helps understand the processes of change and change management. The staff work in teams to assist the teams in solving problems in various projects. The next is the Six Sigma Yellow Belt level. This level includes the participating staff being directly engaged in problem-solving as team members. They learn and understand the specific methodologies of Six Sigma, including DMAIC. The participants also learn to apply the various Six Sigma methodologies in process reviews, process improvements, and solving problems.

The third level is the Six Sigma Green Belt. The Green Belt level equips members with skills to collect data on processes and comprehensively analyze the data to identify problems and solve them. The members also learn how to utilize data for decisions and how to lead teams successfully through change. The fourth Six Sigma level is the Black Belt. The Black Belt level is designed to equip leaders with skills to lead diverse teams in managing complex and disruptive project processes that may lead to or need changes in the organizational systems (Escobar et al., 2021). The Six Sigma Black Belt certified leaders are able to utilize Six Sigma tools to develop efficient and productive processes focused concurrently on improving product and service quality and customer satisfaction. The fifth Six Sigma level is the Master Black Belt. This level consists of professionals equipped with leadership skills and capabilities to utilize and develop various strategies to solve problems and lead cross-sectional teams within large organizations (Escobar et al., 2021). The Six Sigma Master Black Belt certified leaders can train lower levels of Six Sigma.

Impact of Six Sigma on the TQM/CQI Process in the U.S. Healthcare System

The United States (U.S) healthcare system focuses on delivering high-quality care where and when needed. It has continuously applied various strategies to improve the quality of care, reduce disparities in healthcare, reduce medical errors, and eliminate wastage across the healthcare system. The healthcare system has been noted to be prone to various medical errors, health disparities that impact care affordability and accessibility, and the inability to efficiently respond to healthcare emergencies.

Total Quality Management (TQM) and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) are two major management frameworks and processes applied in the healthcare systems to help achieve, maintain and continuously improve the quality of care while lowering the costs of care. TQM ensures that quality is integrated into all care delivery processes and procedures. It is founded on the principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI), customer focus, and teamwork. CQI, as a continuous process, ensures that the actions within the healthcare system meet the community’s health needs and focus on improving the population’s health. CQI aims to continuously achieve measurable improvements in the healthcare system’s effectiveness, efficiency, performance, accountability, health outcomes, and quality of care.

Adopting and implementing the Six Sigma management tools and techniques can significantly impact the TQM/CQI process and help achieve healthcare quality and safety goals. Basically, Six Sigma helps measure the quality of healthcare processes. The tools and techniques of the concept of Six Sigma provide evidence-based approaches to problem identification and problem-solving. For example, Six Sigma tools and techniques such as brainstorming can be adopted in TQM/CQI processes to improve coordination in primary and acute care settings. Research data in the U.S. related to care coordination has shown that care coordination improves healthcare utilization, reduces healthcare costs, and improves patients’ quality of life and health outcomes (Singer & Porta, 2022; Weaver et al., 2018). Root-cause analysis is another Six Sigma technique that can be adopted with a significant impact on the TQM/CQI processes. Root-cause analysis helps identify the main causes of issues that affect the delivery of quality and safe healthcare services, such as medication errors. Root-cause analyses help to better identify and understand errors, creating an opportunity to develop a corrective action (Okes, 2019). The Six Sigma concept also ensures that healthcare providers possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality and safe care through rigorous training. Based on research, continuous professional development improves employee satisfaction and enhances staff confidence with an impact on the quality and safety of care (Luconi et al., 2019).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Six Sigma is a data-driven method utilized in management to improve business processes. It uses data evidence to identify errors and defects in organizational processes and eradicate them, ensuring quality products and services and at the same time, meeting the consumers’ expectations. If properly adopted, the concept of Six Sigma can complement the TQM/CQI processes in the healthcare system; it can significantly improve the efficiency within the U.S. healthcare system and assist in the delivery of quality and safe care services and products.

References

Escobar, C. A., Chakraborty, D., McGovern, M., Macias, D., & Morales-Menendez, R. (2021). Quality 4.0 — Green, Black, and Master Black Belt Curricula. Procedia Manufacturing, 53, 748–759. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PROMFG.2021.06.085

Ikumapayi, O. M., Akinlabi, E. T., Mwema, F. M., & Ogbonna, O. S. (2020). Six Sigma versus lean manufacturing – An overview. Materials Today: Proceedings, 26, 3275–3281. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATPR.2020.02.986

Improta, G., Guizzi, G., Ricciardi, C., Giordano, V., Ponsiglione, A. M., Converso, G., & Triassi, M. (2020). Agile Six Sigma in Healthcare: Case Study at Santobono Pediatric Hospital. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, Vol. 17, Page 1052, 17(3), 1052. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17031052

Kavlak, G., McNerney, J., & Trancik, J. E. (2018). Evaluating the causes of cost reduction in photovoltaic modules. Energy Policy, 123, 700–710. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENPOL.2018.08.015

Kumar, P. (2022, June 23). What is Six Sigma: Everything You Need to Know About It? https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-six-sigma-a-complete-overview-article

Luconi, F., Boillat, M., Mak, S., Chartrand, D., Korah, N., Daly, M., Teferra, M., & Gutberg, J. (2019). Patient Safety and Quality of Care are Everybody’s Business: Evaluating the Impact of a Continuing Professional Development Program Beyond Satisfaction. MedEdPublish, 8, 46. https://doi.org/10.15694/MEP.2019.000046.1

Okes, D. (2019). Root Cause Analysis : The Core of Problem Solving and Corrective Action. (2nd ed.). ASQ Quality Press. https://books.google.com/books/about/Root_Cause_Analysis_Second_Edition.html?id=remPDwAAQBAJ

Singer, C., & Porta, C. (2022). Improving patient well-being in the United States through care coordination interventions informed by social determinants of health. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/HSC.13776

Sjödin, D. R., Parida, V., Leksell, M., & Petrovic, A. (2018). Smart Factory Implementation and Process Innovation. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/08956308.2018.1471277, 61(5), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2018.1471277

Smętkowska, M., & Mrugalska, B. (2018). Using Six Sigma DMAIC to Improve the Quality of the Production Process: A Case Study. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 238, 590–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2018.04.039

Weaver, S. J., Che, X. X., Petersen, L. A., & Hysong, S. J. (2018). Unpacking Care Coordination Through a Multiteam System Lens. Medical Care, 56(3), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000874

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