The Application of Six Sigma to Software Production - Part 2

Just what is the problem?

I would refer to the success of Motorola and GE with the Six Sigma
activities that not only address problem Definition, problem Measurement,
problem Analysis, Implementation of the solution, but putting in place
management Controls (DMAIC) so that the changes instituted as a result of
finding out what is wrong stay in place. Part of the issue here is the
metrics, of course. But in Six Sigma, one identifies the metrics that
characterize the problem and not vice versa.

In Six Sigma there are no best practices only better ones than the ones we
have now. And better ones than that. And when you have reached less than 3
undesirable events in 1,000,000 opportunities, your practices are "good
enough."

In the most generic sense, I suppose the problem is that mistakes cost
money, and if we can avoid the mistakes, we can save money. You can bet
that the cause of mistakes resides in the culture in which the mistakes were
made. Cultures are generally created by the founding fathers and
propagated by successive generations; in businesses, by generations of
management. Cultures have a lot of momentum; See NASA for example. Is
saying that we can have a better culture tantamount to saying that our
current culture is not good enough? Is it wrong? Is it not satisfying?



(This first occurred in substance in the Yahoo Testing-Software forum.)