General Electric's Six Sigma Revolution: How General Electric and Others Turned Process Into Profits

I read the Six Sigma Revolution because of my facination with exploring ways to improve the quality of life, both as it relates to business as well as to relationships and life generally. Every now and then an author comes along who not only has technical expertise but also has both feet on the ground. George Eckes has painted a picture that illustrates not only mastery of Six Sigma content, he also exemplifies giftedness by communicating profoundly detailed concepts and principles with clarity and simplicity. And he paints his picture with splashes of fun and humor.I believe that anyone who is committed to improving effectiveness and efficiency in their world, whether in their business or in their personal lives, can benefit significantly by reading the Six Sigma Revolution. I'm looking forward to getting a copy of his next book, Making Six Sigma Last.

Having graduated from Jack Welch's School for Wayward Boys, I found George Eckes' "The Six Sigma Revolution" to be a revelation.I left GE some months ago quite frustrated with the company's application of Six Sigma. Even though all salaried employees were trained as Green Belts, even though all managers took great care to spout the proper nostrums at the proper times, nothing really changed much in how we operated.I worked on a new product program which served more as salve to the egos of engineers than to improve our product for our customer. I and a few others fought valiantly to ensure that the voice of the customer was injected into the process, and that the design capability was measured and reported through Six Sigma scorecards. This was all deemed to be unimportant in the rush to get the product to market.Eckes' book reveals why this was so.Early on, he had counseled Jack Welch that Six Sigma rests on two pillars: customer satisfaction and process capability. It's quite simple: ask the customer what he wants and fine tune your process to efficiently deliver it. Thus you both increase revenue (through customer loyalty and product quality) and decrease costs (by eliminating the hidden factory and focusing only on customer CTQs). Welch being Welch, he completely ignored the former and focused on the latter, to great effect.In 1999, Welch realized that this was a mistake, as customer after customer inquired why they didn't notice a change in GE's products and services after the Six Sigma introduction. While shareholders realized double-digit growth year after year, customers saw the same old mixed bag of products and services. Welch immediately launched a major initiative to reduce customer span and inject the voice of the customer into GE processes.Eckes, to his credit, indulges in a bit of well-deserved "I told you so." After all, it's not often one proves the most admired CEO in the world to be wrong.This is an excellent book covering the whys and wherefores of a Six Sigma introduction. For those of us in the trenches trying to effect lasting change in our companies, this is an indispensable resource. If you're looking for an in-depth guide to the tools employed in Six Sigma project execution, grab "Implementing Six Sigma" by Forrest Breyfogle instead.

This booh is more appropriate for managers who want to know what Six Sigma is. The main merit of the author is that he gives two examples: one in manufacturing ando other in service. For a first reading into the theme that is ok.

Excellent layperson's introduction to six sigma project management. The author leads you through the process in a very easy to understand way that, by the end of the book, has you ready to start tackling your projects in a systematic way.

The Six Sigma Revolution by Mr. George Eckes is an excellent road map to corporate tactical excellence.The book leads us to a clear understanding of exactly how to implement the mission of Six Sigma: a scientific method of strategic business management by fact and data to promulgate Excellence in corporate performance and corporate culture through continuous planned quality improvements in business process management.The Six Sigma Revolution is the best book that offers a complete process to achieve the key tactical component of Six Sigma: process management excellence!Making Six Sigma Last, another book by the author, successfully teaches us the way to achieve the cultural component of Six Sigma: corporate cultural excellence.The Six Sigma Revolution is an outstanding work that is enjoyable and very enlightening. It is an important contribution to Six Sigma practice that's very easy to read, comprehend, and implement.The Six Sigma Revolution is perfect for corporate executives, managers, employees, consultants, quality practitioners, teachers and students of best business practice.Thank you George, for the outstanding inspiration of The Six Sigma Revolution.Regards,Marc St.JamesNovember 24, 2001

Yes it is good

George Eckes' experience in quality control includes an instance where he had the temerity, just out of college, to ask W. Edwards Deming, then an octogenarian, to elaborate on his views about quality. "Those are the most stupid questions I have ever heard! Go read some of my books," the cantankerous quality czar responded. No one reading this volume can doubt that Eckes has done his homework ever since. His blend of experience, theoretical expertise and common sense make this a very effective Six Sigma manual, although it is a little light on case studies. One of the book's most valuable elements is Eckes' keen analysis of the pitfalls that can flush all your best Six Sigma intentions down the tubes, even as a row of consultants tell you it is a panacea for all your woes. We recommend this book to anyone who is about to call a consultant and venture into the Rasputin world of Six Sigma.