The IASSC, Villanova, and ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt exams all require knowledge of the Founding Fathers of Six Sigma and the Quality Movement. These should be easy points that you pick up. What follows is a great Six Sigma history study guide for you to take with you to the test.
Six Sigma was originally developed by Motorola – first by Bill Smith, then by Mikel Harry as a general approach to measuring quality in business performance terms.
Over the years, especially in the 1990s, continuous improvement tools and methods were developed by Deming, Juran, Shewhart, Ishikawa, Shingo, and Taguchi.
Now it has evolved to be a project-driven approach to process improvement that follows the five-step process known as the DMAIC cycle. The world’s best companies have used this process to save and make billions of dollars.
History of Organizational Improvement and the Foundations of Six Sigma Videos
I would suggest studying this Sigma Six history study guide last after you’ve mastered the rest of the test. At least, it was easier for me to understand the impact of these historical figures after I already knew (and had used) the techniques they had invented. This is a studying technique known as anchoring – fixing new knowledge into your memory by ‘anchoring’ it to existing knowledge.
I’ve added links to the techniques that these men invented. If you are not familiar with them, study those, too!
