Richard Weissman “shamelessly promotes” his article “The Pitfalls of Six Sigma” on the SCM Wire blog.The article appears in the May 2005 edition of The Manufacturer.

The title of the article is deceptive and lead me to believe it was written from a negative bias, but the opposite is true.The article discusses some of the struggles that small companies can have implementing Six Sigma such as the resource commitment of full-time Black Belts and support personnel.Many positive aspects of Six Sigma are shown through various quotes from Six Sigma leaders and practitioners.

One of the major conclusions is that senior management support is critical to success.

“Senior management understanding, support, and buy-in are the key elements to a successful six sigma implementation and continued success in any sized organization,” says David Boghossian, cofounder and senior vice president for strategy and business development for Cambridge, MA-based PowerSteering Software, a provider of enterprise-wide software platforms used to manage large scale strategic programs like six sigma. “Senior management also needs to have access to fact based and straight forward reporting. Timely communication of that information is critical.”