The Six Sigma movement attempts to insert the science of hard-nosed statistics into the foggy philosophy of quality. Rather than just striving to, say, make a better cup of coffee, Six Sigma requires testing thousands of variables such as the temperature of the water and the strength of the grounds to find out why some pots are good, others sour, says AlliedSignal quality expert Carl Berry. It halts guesses and gut instincts about what makes good coffee. That might not seem much worse than six sigma. But think of the savings for an automaker that has to repair 6,210 cars for every 1 million it made at four sigma, but at six sigma it would repair 3.4.
Solutions vary depending on the product and problem.
Unsafe drinking water almost 15 minutes each day. 5,000 incorrect surgical operations per week. Two short or long landings per day at each major airport. 200,000 wrong drug prescriptions each year. No electricity for almost seven hours each month.