Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, And Total Quality Management

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1. Compare and contrast the following methodologies for improving business processes: Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, and Total Quality Management. Give examples where each methodology is preferred.

Six Sigma is defined as a business process that allows companies to drastically improve their essential point by designing and monitoring everyday business activities.
TQM is defined as a continuously evolving management system consisting of values, methodologies, and tools. The main goal is to increase external and internal customer satisfaction with a reduced amount of resources and through continuous improvement.
Lean is defined as a systematic approach to identify and eliminate waste through continuous improvement.
All three system have the same
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Six sigma helps organizations in reducing operational costs by reducing the defect and cycle time. Another difference between Six Sigma and TQM is that, certified professional are required to implement Six Sigma approach whereas TQM does not require any certified professional for the implementation. TQM is run by the quality control department and professionals who specialize on quality improvements. Similarly, TQM concentrates on individual departments and more specific quantitative goals, whereas Six Sigma focuses at continuous improvements and is self-propelled.
Sources:
Andersson, R., Eriksson, H., & Torstensson, H. (2015, May 26). Similarities and differences between TQM, six sigma and lean. In Research Gate. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241430331_Similarities_and_differences_between_TQM_six_sigma_and_lean

Ozyasar, H. (n.d.). The Differences Between TQM & Six Sigma. In Chron. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-tqm-six-sigma-41862.html

1. Describe the most common types of business processes that require business process improvement. Do you see processes in your organization, in an organization you are familiar with, or your university that need change?
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Authority ambiguity and role ambiguity, having more people provide approval as well as a lack of clarity about the expectations increases cycle time of the process. Bottlenecks can limit the performance of the entire system, and sometimes, it leads to delay in the process. Similarly, cycle time which is the time required to complete the entire process should be at the priority. Data duplication and paper records are major business processes that need to be improved to reduce the data redundancy and cybercrimes. Handoffs, the transfer of responsibility from one department of business to another should be handled carefully so that it will not create any confusions or mistakes. Manual steps and old ways of doing things always creates room for errors, therefore, they need business process improvements. Most importantly, quality control is a major business process which is a process of another person checking work so that the final product has no

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