Six Sigma and the Baldrige model
	The Baldrige National Quality Program of the United States recognizes achievement of businesses and educational and health care organizations on the Criteria for Performance Excellence. The criteria are the most widely known and adopted framework for quality and performance management. Six Sigma is an improvement and business management methodology that may be implemented within the Baldrige model to great benefit in achieving the criteria for performance excellence. Six Sigma quality is most often defined as 3.4 defects per million opportunities, the complete elimination of errors for practical purposes. Six Sigma projects to improve to this level follow one of two processes: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) or Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify (DMADV).
The Baldrige model	The Baldrige criteria booklet includes a model depicting the criteria categories and their relationships. Many organizations draw their own models based on the diagram in the criteria booklet. Typically these models have multiple bi-directional arrows, suggesting everything is related to everything. That may be true, but it is not helpful in deciding how to start implementing the model. The following diagram of a quality model represents the Baldrige criteria categories and associated activities. This model is based on the 1992 to 1996 model in the criteria booklet, and adopts the block-diagram style of the Xerox Management Model. I have used this model for several years. It suggests a way to start implementation of the Baldrige framework—with leadership by management. The model emphasizes development and satisfaction of people and process management as keys to establishing a quality system based on the Baldrige framework. The model also provides a roadmap for implementing Six Sigma within the Baldrige framework, and shows how the implementation can work effectively.
Relationships between Baldrige categories and Six Sigma	The following identifies the categories in the quality model shown, the corresponding Baldrige criteria categories and concepts or core values, and key relationships with Six Sigma.
Leadership	Baldrige category: 1. Leadership Baldrige concepts or core values: Visionary leadership AND Public responsibility and citizenship Key relationships with Six Sigma: Leadership is required for the success of Six Sigma. The expectations and support of management yield rapid deployment. Six Sigma results must be reviewed at daily or regular intervals as part of routine reporting to management. Six Sigma practices and resulting improvements can be expected to foster good citizenship.
Skills and satisfaction of people	Baldrige category: 5. Human resource focus Baldrige concepts or core values: Organizational and personal learning AND Valuing employees and partners Key relationships with Six Sigma: Six Sigma involves everyone in a coordinated effort. Everyone contributes both output and improvements. Six Sigma is a structured method for gathering best practices, learning from experience, and improving based on both. Examination and modification of processes is performed, including who, what, where, when, why, and how. Thus Six Sigma helps improve work systems and the work environment.
Information and analysis	Baldrige category: 4. Information and analysis Baldrige concepts or core values: Management by fact Key relationships with Six Sigma: Six Sigma relies on measurement to identify improvement opportunities, verify improvement, and demonstrate results. This includes reduction in variation and in defects.
Improvement planning and management	Baldrige category: 2. Strategic planning. The quality model presented has a narrower planning category than the criteria. Baldrige concepts or core values: Focus on the future Key relationships with Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a methodology for improvement planning toward future goals.
Process management	Baldrige category: 6. Process management Baldrige concepts or core values: Agility AND Managing for innovation AND Systems perspective Key relationships with Six Sigma: Six Sigma depends on and nurtures process management and timely action to achieve improvement. The DMAIC and DMADV processes are implemented universally, bringing process management to the organization. Six Sigma improvements are both incremental and breakthrough innovations. Six Sigma applies to the entire organization. Process improvements are evaluated in the aggregate for their benefit to the customer.
Customer focus	Baldrige category: 3. Customer and market focus Baldrige concepts or core values: Customer-driven excellence Key relationships with Six Sigma: Implementing Six Sigma is a path to increasing focus on the customer. Customer requirements determine which Six Sigma projects to undertake. Customer focus is the foundation of the Define phase. Items that are Critical to Quality (CTQs) are determined and improved.
Customer satisfaction and Business results	Baldrige category: 7. Business results Baldrige concepts or core values: Focus on results and creating value Key relationships with Six Sigma: Six Sigma improvements are quantified. This may be in terms of customer satisfaction or improved process measures such as cycle time. The benefits are also stated in financial terms.
Six Sigma and Baldrige—a good fit	Application of Six Sigma contributes to almost 80 percent of the possible points in the score on a Baldrige assessment. The assessment may tell the story of how Six Sigma was implemented and the results. One practitioner suggests that Six Sigma fosters change while following the Baldrige model sustains the improvements (Evans and Pipke, 2002). These two popular approaches to quality and performance management may be implemented together to the benefit of the enterprise in improving quality and performance.
References	Collier, D.A., S.M. Goldstein, and D.D. Wilson. “A thing of the past?” Quality Progress, October 2002, 97–104. This is an analysis of the 1992 and 1997 Baldrige models. The model in this article is based on the 1992 (through 1996) Baldrige model. Evans, J.R. and K. Pipke. “Six Sigma & Baldrige—a synergistic team.” The Quality Management Forum, Fall 2002, 1, 13–14. Leo, Richard J. “Xerox 2000: From survival to opportunity.” Quality Progress, March, 1996, 65–71.
	About the Author: Ann L. Wiley, STC Associate Fellow from the Rochester Chapter, specializes in design, development, and evaluation of processes and the communications needed to deploy them. Share your thoughts on the future of quality models and systems by writing Ann at ann@annlwiley.com. Back to top