Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Getting things done right 99 per cent of the time is the best anyone can do--right? A 1 per cent defect rate means: 20,000 articles of mail lost every hour; 5,000 botched surgeries per week; four or more accidents per day at major airports; 200,000 incorrectly dispensed drug prescriptions each year. Still think 99 per cent is good enough? The Power of Six Sigma will help everyone in the organization understand what Six Sigma is, how it can benefit your company, and most of all, how it can benefit you--as an employee of an organization implementing or thinking about implementing Six Sigma. The Power of Six Sigma is unlike any other book on Six Sigma. This fictionalized tale simplifies a complicated topic and, through dialogue between Joe and Larry, explains the way Six Sigma works in a nonthreatening, easy-to-understand way. Everyone in the organization will learn what Six Sigma is and how it works.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. XI)
• Moving Day (p. 1)
• Lunch is Served (p. 11)
• Swallowing Six Sigma (p. 19)
• The Crucial Differences (p. 37)
• People Power: Who Does What (p. 47)
• Putting People Power into Practice (p. 73)
• Process Power: The Five Steps of Six Sigma (p. 79)
• Putting Process Power into Practice (p. 95)
• We Deliver (p. 103)
• Acknowledgments (p. 119)
• About the Author (p. 123)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Using a format similar to that in Spenser Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese?, Chowdhury (Management 21C) has created a fictional story that exemplifies the benefits of the business philosophy called Six Sigma. In Chowdhury's rendering, Joe, a middle-aged manager unexpectedly laid off from his position at a fast-food franchise company, is depressed and uncertain about his next move. He calls Larry, an old friend and former co-worker whose career is thriving. Over lunch, Larry explains how he has practiced Six Sigma, both to advance his career and to increase profits for his employer, and he teaches the program's basics to an initially skeptical, then wildly enthusiastic Joe. At the crux of this strategic program, advanced by GE's Jack Welch and instituted at many other major corporations, is a renewed focus on eliminating mistakes, waste and rework. Six Sigma is based on designated teams ("people power") that focus solely on solving a specific problem ("process power"), which may lead to efficiencies that please consumers and, by saving the company money, enhance the bottom line. What distinguishes Six Sigma from other popular quality management techniques, such as Total Quality Management and ISO9000, is that each team has a clear goal; moreover, employees benefit because companies usually tie a financial incentive to a team's goal. While Chowdhury's is not the first book about Six Sigma, what makes his stand out is its engaging and simple approach intended for a broad audience, from the assembly line worker to middle managers and CEOs of smaller companies. (Apr.) Forecast: Given the attention paid to Six Sigma, and Dearborn's ambitious 50,000-copy announced first printing, this book has a reasonable chance of hitting business bestseller lists if Dearborn can jump-start word-of-mouth and find ways to encourage managers to make the book required reading for employees. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Subir Chowdhury is executive vice president of the American Supplier Institute.