Though the benefits of implementing the Six Sigma strategy to a business's processes can lead to far greater successes that could ever have been achieved without it. However, this is only the case when the implementation of Six Sigma has been done properly. Unfortunately, this is not always what happens. Mis-implementing Six Sigma can be extremely damaging to a business.



Because Six Sigma often leads to an entire overhaul of every single process and function within a business, its implementation impacts all levels and employees. When done properly, this means that every employee and process will be used to its fullest potential, creating the highest level of quality, and leading to the most successful bottom line. On the other hand, when implemented improperly, the changes that are made on every level of an organization's functioning can be detrimental, if not fatal.

This is what makes it so important for companies that are willing to take on wall-to-wall changes that are required by Six Sigma to make sure that they have the correct help in applying the strategies. This is the only way to ensure that it has been done properly.

Unfortunately, this is not the path taken by 80 percent of companies that are attempting Six Sigma implementation. Only 20 percent, therefore, truly benefit from what Six Sigma strategies have to offer.

By making incorrect wall-to-wall changes, they experience the struggle of the transition, and never reap the rewards that are supposed to come afterwards in the vastly improved business processes. Customers are no more satisfied, product and service quality is no higher, and resources are not used any better. Even if the business was able to achieve a similar success level to what it was experiencing before going through the faulty Six Sigma change, it will rarely be able to compensate for the period of struggle throughout the implementation, when dramatic spending occurred, and profits were greatly reduced.

When you make the decision to take advantage of what Six Sigma has to offer your organization, make certain that the necessary employees receive the correct and complete training required. Then, be certain that implementation begins within seventy two hours of the completion of that training, while the motivation and the understanding is still extremely fresh. By waiting too long after the training, details blur, and it becomes too easy to implement the wrong processes.