六西格玛(Six Sigma)就是阿拉伯数字6加上希腊字母6(西格玛),西格玛表示1个标准偏差值,“6”表示我们努力达到的西格玛完美程度。1西格玛意味着所做的工作只有30%是正确的;3.8西格玛表示有99%的正确性;6西格玛意味着百万机会只有3～4个失误(缺陷)。六西格玛的概念是在1987年由美国摩托罗拉公司通信业务部的乔治·费舍首先提出的。到了20世纪9O年代中后期,通用电气公司的总裁杰克·韦尔奇在全公司实施六西格玛管理法,将公司毛利率由1995年的约13.5%提升到1998年的16.7%,使得这一管理 Six Sigma is the Arabic numeral 6 plus the Greek letter 6 (sigma), Sigma represents a standard deviation, and “6” represents the perfection of the Sigma we strive to achieve. 1 sigma means that only 30% of the work done is correct; 3.8 sigma 99% correct; 6 sigma means only 3 to 4 errors (defects) in a million opportunities. The concept of Six Sigma was first proposed in 1987 by George Fischer, Motorola’s Communications Business Unit. By the mid-to-late 1990s, GE Welch, president of General Electric, implemented Six Sigma throughout the company, raising its gross margin to about 16.7% in 1998 from about 13.5% in 1995, making this management