Six Sigma

Examples of Six Sigma in the following topics:

• Operations-Management Tools

  • Six Sigma and Lean are two popular operations-management theories that help managers improve the efficiency of their production processes.
  • In order to accomplish this task, managers utilize various tools, two of the most influential being Six Sigma and Lean.
  • Six Sigma is a strategy designed to improve the quality of process outputs.
  • In many ways, Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma is reminiscent of Henry Ford and systematic process improvements.
  • Lean and Six Sigma are the two main tools for managers in operations management.

• Six Sigma and Lean

  • Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing are production processes that help produce minimal errors and generate the most value for the customer.
  • Six Sigma is a set of tools and strategies for process improvement originally developed by Motorola in 1986.
  • Six Sigma became well known after Jack Welch made it a central focus of his business strategy at General Electric in 1995.
  • Jack Welch implemented the Six Sigma practices at General Electric in 1995.
  • Explain how Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing optimize the manufacturing process

• Total Quality Management Techniques

  • Six sigma, JIT, Pareto analysis, and the Five Whys technique are all approaches that can be used to improve overall quality.
  • Six Sigma drew inspiration from the quality improvement methodologies of preceding decades, including quality control, TQM, and Zero Defects.
  • It focuses on improving the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects while minimizing the variability in manufacturing and business processes Like TQM, the Six Sigma philosophy asserts that achieving sustained quality improvement requires commitment from the entire organization, particularly top-level management.
  • It is now used within Kaizen (continuous improvement), lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma.
  • The Six Sigma management philosophy drew inspiration from the quality improvement methodologies of preceding decades, including TQM.

• Strategy

  • These include Six Sigma , which aims to drive variation out of a process; Lean, which acts to drive out waste; and traditional project management and phased development systems (including the popular Phase–gate model, discussed next), which encourage upfront planning and following the plan.

• Lean-thinking weaknesses

  • The values of the business are not in sync with lean-thinking concepts. ( Nave, Dave, ‘How To Compare Six Sigma: Lean and the Theory of Constraints: A Framework for Choosing What's Best for Your Organization", Quality Progress)

• Covalent Bonds

  • Covalent bonding interactions include sigma-bonding (σ) and pi-bonding (π).
  • Sigma bonds are the strongest type of covalent interaction and are formed via the overlap of atomic orbitals along the orbital axis.
  • Single bonds occur when two electrons are shared and are composed of one sigma bond between the two atoms.
  • Double bonds occur when four electrons are shared between the two atoms and consist of one sigma bond and one pi bond.
  • Triple bonds occur when six electrons are shared between the two atoms and consist of one sigma bond and two pi bonds (see later concept for more info about pi and sigma bonds).

• Double and Triple Covalent Bonds

  • Double and triple bonds, comprised of sigma and pi bonds, increase the stability and restrict the geometry of a compound.
  • Double and triple covalent bonds occur when four or six electrons are shared between two atoms, and they are indicated in Lewis structures by drawing two or three lines connecting one atom to another.
  • Multiple bonds between atoms always consist of a sigma bond, with any additional bonds being of the π type.
  • The double bond between the two carbon atoms consists of a sigma bond and a π bond.
  • A triple bond involves the sharing of six electrons, with a sigma bond and two $\pi$ bonds.

• Regulation of Sigma Factor Activity

  • Sigma factors are proteins that function in transcription initiation .
  • The activity of sigma factors within a cell is controlled in numerous ways.
  • However, if transcription of genes is not required, sigma factors will not be active.
  • The anti-sigma factors will bind to the RNA polymerase and prevent its binding to sigma factors present at the promoter site.
  • The anti-sigma factors are responsible for regulating inhibition of transcriptional activity in organisms that require sigma factor for proper transcription initiation.

• Atomic and Molecular Orbitals

  • In this case, the valence shell would have six electrons- two shy of an octet.
  • For example, the sigma molecular orbital that serves to bond two fluorine atoms together is generated by the overlap of p-orbitals (part A below), and two sp3 hybrid orbitals of carbon may combine to give a similar sigma orbital.
  • When these bonding orbitals are occupied by a pair of electrons, a covalent bond, the sigma bond results.
  • Since bonds consisting of occupied π-orbitals (pi-bonds) are weaker than sigma bonds, pi-bonding between two atoms occurs only when a sigma bond has already been established.
  • Two sp2 hybridized carbon atoms are then joined together by sigma and pi-bonds (a double bond), as shown in part B.

• Regulation of Sigma Factor Translation

  • Sigma factor expression is often associated with environmental changes that cause changes in gene expression .
  • Sigma factors include numerous types of factors.
  • The most commonly studied sigma factors are often referred to as a RpoS proteins as the rpoS genes encode for sigma proteins of various sizes.
  • Specifically, the translational control of the sigma factor is a major level of control.
  • The translational control of sigma factors involves the presence and function of small noncoding RNAs.