The Hindu Business Line : `As in cricket matches, projects too count'

Does it not sound strange to hear that Six Sigma, a tool for perfection, has relevance to the game of cricket, particularly Indian cricket whose players are inconsistent in performance and often falter in a crunch and do not live up to the expectations and satisfactions of the cricket lovers? But Mr R. Shekar, Principal Consultant, Goldratt India, says it does have relevance.

He was speaking to students at Anna Adarsh College for Women, which organised a one-day national seminar on `Excellence in Management through Six Sigma' after inaugurating the Business Line Club.

He said projects are the same as matches and every match counts. In the team structure, competencies are everything. The conscience-keeper in cricket is the umpire whereas in business, it is the quality head. The rewards in cricket are global ranking, prize money and endorsements; in the case of an organisation, they are professional equity (global ranking), premium rates (prize money) and customer referrals. The techniques, teamwork and hunger for global excellence - refined through disciplined daily practice and temperament - are the same in both the cases.

Actually nobody manages changes, one only ignites movements, he said. "Six Sigma is beyond mere statistics, it is life."

He added that 95 per cent of the decisions and 95 per cent of the budget are with the top management and therefore, if the top management does not have the conviction, then it is difficult to introduce Six Sigma.

In Six Sigma, the winners are the ones who are able to satisfy the customer. It is not just technical. Ms Padma Shankar, Principal, Anna Adarsh College for Women, welcomed the gathering which comprised more than 700 students including students from other colleges. Ms C. Lakshmi, Head of the Department of Corporate Secretaryship, introduced the Six Sigma.

The other resource persons for the event are Mr K. Sethu Bhaskaran, Manager - Quality Input, Ford India, Dr Hari Prasad Reddy, Manager, Wipro Technologies, Ms Subadra Kundari, President, Daily Life Retail and Trading, Mr N. Anbu Chezian, Manager - Six Sigma Deployment, Wheels India, and Dr L. Prakash Sai, Visiting Associate Professor, IIT-Chennai.

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