The primary objective of this new book is to provide a comprehensive reference for those who work in a service industry setting. Unlike Design for Six Sigma a Roadmap for Product Development, this new book will address the 5 leading issues in the service industry, which are customer satisfaction, cost reduction, value improvement, change management and process performance measurements.

A roadmap to consistent, high-quality service for anyorganization A service is typically something created to serve a payingcustomer, whether internal or external. Some services consist ofseveral processes linked together while others consist of a singleprocess. This book introduces Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), aneasy-to-master, yet highly effective data-driven method thatprevents defects in any type of service process. The particularfocus of this publication is service DFSS, which leads to what theauthors term "a whole quality business," one that takes a proactivestance and gets things right the first time. Not only does thewhole quality business produce a high-quality product and offerhigh-quality services, but it also operates at lower cost andhigher efficiency, throughout the entire life cycle, than itscompetitors because all the links in the supply chain areoptimized. Following a detailed overview that sets forth the basic premise andkey concepts of service DFSS, the authors offer all the informationand tools needed to take advantage of service DFSS within their ownorganizations, including: * Clear and in-depth coverage of the philosophical, organizational,and technical aspects of service DFSS * Step-by-step roadmap of the entire service DFSS deployment andexecution process * Full discussions of all the key methods involved in service DFSS,including axiomatic design, design for X, the theory of inventiveproblem solving (TRIZ), transfer function, design scorecards, andTaguchi's method * Practical, illustrative examples that demonstrate how the theoryis put into practice * Assistance in developing the necessary skills in applying DFSS inorganizational settings Problems and their solutions are provided at the end of eachchapter to help readers grasp the key concepts they need to moveforward in the text. Acclaro DFSS Light(r), a Java-based softwarepackage that implements axiomatic design processes discussed inChapter Eight, is available for download from an accompanying Wileyftp site. Acclaro DFSS Light(r) is a software product of AxiomaticDesign Solutions, Inc. This book is ideal as a reference to service DFSS for corporateexecutives, quality control managers, and process engineers, or asa complete training manual for DFSS teams. It is also a superiortextbook for graduate students in management, operations, andquality assurance.

The following is a chapter from Kai Yang's Design for Six Sigma for Service. This comprehensive handbook aggressively tackles the difficulties involved in applying rigorous Six Sigma statistical methods to service environments. It delivers solid, effective solutions that can help your organization achieve measurable gains in customer satisfaction, cost reduction, value improvement, change management, and process performance. Featuring detailed design guidance and valuable tips, this book provides the specifics you need to create product value through improved service practices.

This book addresses many new topical areas for the development of 6 Sigma performance. The text is structured to demonstrate how 6 Sigma methods can be used as a very powerful tool within System Engineering and integration evaluations to help enable the process of Critical Parameter Management. The case studies and examples used throughout the book come from recent successful applications of the material developed in the text.

A company with effective cost reduction activities in place will be better positioned to adapt to shifting economic conditions. In fact, it can make the difference between organizations that thrive and those that simply survive during times of economic uncertainty. Reducing Process Costs with Lean, Six Sigma, and Value Engineering Techniques covers

Design for Six Sigma as Strategic Experimentation develops a practical, science-based methodology for guiding the product realization process for highly-competitive markets. Forecasts of cash flow, market share, and price are used to select the final design from among the alternatives considered. A single formalism is used to integrate the tasks and responsibilities of marketing research, product planning, finance, design, engineering, and manufacturing within the overall product realization process. The targeted audiences for this book are graduate engineers, statisticians, and scientists who are or who soon will be involved in planning, designing, manufacturing, and servicing products for highly-competitive markets. "This book is a significant contribution to statisticians, systems and industrial engineers interested in the big picture. It has the potential to increase the relevance of statistical analysis and improve the statistical ability of system engineers to deal with new product design using economic considerations. Teachers, students and practitioners will find the book a useful addition to their libraries." Ron S. Kenett PA Ranaana, Isrrael (from Quality Progress magazine) "The book is an important path-breaking contribution to the critical societal need to more closely link engineering with business and other broad societal issues...Employing the approaches has the clear potential for achieving competitive advantage for corporations that grow capacity to use these tools and insights as additions to existing Six Sigma and Product Development improvement initiatives." Chris Magee Professor of the Practice of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems and Director of the Center for Innovation in Product Development Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Organizations have to work continuously on the improvement of the quality of their products and services to secure future profit. They have also to develop and deliver timely new innovations and products. But the development of these new innovations and products is always both a challenging and a difficult process. Challenging because it enables us to exploit new ways, challenges and possibilities, and difficult because it requires choices to be made, which exclude other challenges and possibilities. Each choice or possibility in the design process also means financial consequences or a specific cost price and so impacts upon future profitability. Well designed products promise profit, whilst a poor design can even result in losses. So design as a profession is not only a challenging one but also a risky one. But no improvement means no future profits. Value creation will be the red line in this book. How to organize the right design process is the main topic. This will mean an integration of all stakeholders around the design and engineering processes of products and services. This process can deliver the right prospects for client satisfaction and value creation. Organizing the design processes of a design team around all the stakeholders is necessary and the quality of this team will be a main factor for success. Another important factor is to investigate and weight the right client needs, demands and wishes. And finally, the effective utilization of information technology as a knowledge tool around design and engineering processes is also a key factor. What lessons will you learn after reading and in particular applying this book: What is involved in setting up a design and engineering process that is client oriented and value driven for your organization. How to organize an improvement of existing products and services with all the stakeholders. How to implement the role of information technology over the whole life cycle of a product, including the reuse of proven knowledge. Exciting applications from the fields of designing products, of building services and of asset management.