Six Sigma is basically a data-driven approach that relies heavily on the use of statistical tools and techniques for making required changes in a given business process. As such, thinking statistically is what comes naturally to Six Sigma professionals such as Black Belts and all those associated with the implementations.

Six Sigma has certainly helped organizations to improve efficiency and quality, but just like any other quality-improvement concept, it is not completely free from limiting factors. For example, the biggest concern with Six Sigma is long project cycle times, which can reduce the overall value of benefits derived from the project or even completely nullify the derived benefits.

Any organization that wants to derive the full benefits of Six Sigma implementation projects first needs to provide the requisite coaching to its employees, especially to selected implementation team members, in order to make them aware about the basic concepts and methodologies of Six Sigma.

Six Sigma was originally devised as a quality improvement initiative for use in the manufacturing sector, but over the years it has proved so versatile and effective that even service sector industries are employing it. It is also quite effective in non-profit organizations such as the public school system.

Information Technology (IT) has certainly transformed the way businesses undertake, manage and measure their processes and work output. However, when it comes to aligning IT systems to suit the project requirements of Lean Six Sigma implementations, most businesses fail to achieve the desired results.

Charles Darwin, the renowned naturalist propounded that all living beings continuously keep evolving so as to increase their chances of survival. Now, Lean Six Sigma may not come close to being a living organism, but that has not hindered it's evolution or it's ability to adapt to new business processes and concepts.

Six Sigma as a quality improvement technique has managed to stand the test of time simply because it has helped many organizations to achieve near-perfect business processes. Its success is also because of the fact that it is quite compatible; it can be implemented in any organization, be it a manufacturing unit or a service provider.

The use of the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) has become quite commonplace in the IT sector, simply because it provides the necessary framework for achieving operational excellence.

Six Sigma professionals such as Black Belts and employees with Six Sigma project implementation experience will tell you that some of the most important factors that can affect a project's success include the existing work culture and the type of people on board the implementation team.

Contact centers the world over have tried a variety of quality initiatives in the past few years, but sadly most of them have failed to deliver the desired results. The only exception was Six Sigma -it proved to be successful once again by helping contact centers to streamline their operations, reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction.