Benchmark Sigma

Purpose
Sigma Benchmarking is the process by which products or processes are compared, or benchmarked against each other using a Sigma scale of measure. This ensures a fair, baselined comparison, eliminating the possibility of confusion brought about by using product or process specific metrics.

Anatomy

The Sigma Benchmark

Sigma Sigma
5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0
Winding Paint Copper Conductor Fabrication Engineering Lapped Conductor Insulation Goods In Planning

Data Courtesy of Asea Brown Boveri

Sigma Sigma
6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91

Commodity Commodity

101

111

Device Type Device Type Six Sigma - Tools & Concepts

BenchSig_001

Reference:

Terminology
A. Sigma - The Sigma, or Z, scale of measure B. Benchmark Commodity - The item (product, process, etc.) being compared via the benchmark chart.

Major Considerations

Application Cookbook
1. The Sigma Benchmark is best applied in the form of a graph. The first step is to identify the metric which is to be plotted, or benchmarked.

2. The next step is to collect the necessary data for the metric, and convert this data to a Sigma scale of measure. This will entail conversion of the defect data (defects per million opportunities, rolled yield, etc.) to the Sigma scale using tools such as MS Excel or Minitab. Formulas to use include: Yield = exp(-DPU); Sigma = NORMSINV(Yield).

3. It is important to remember to apply the 1.5 Sigma shift, if it is desired to represent long-term capability, rather than instantaneous performance.