| | |  | Six Sigma | Home » » » Rath & Strong's Six Sigma Pocket Guide: New Revised Edition | | | | | | | Description: | | A handy reference guide for Six Sigma which describes the DMAIC tools and how they can be applied. Perfect for those learning Six Sigma, or those who have already be trained and want a handy reference! This new, revised edition has improved graphics and updated material. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Rath & Strong | | Spiral-bound:
| 200 pages | | Publisher:
| Rath & Strong | | Publication Date:
| January 30, 2006 | | ISBN:
| 0974632872 | | Package Length:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 3.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 4 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 4 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Much Improved!!Mar 29, 2006
By Rick Tuttle
I have been a long time Rath & Strong pocket guide customer and was uneasy with the thought of a "new revised edition" of this handy Six Sigma reference tool. After receiving my new copy of the Six Sigma Pocket Guide I was happy to see both new an improved graphics and updated content from the original. I did not think it was possible, but Rath & Strong improved one of the best selling Six Sigma reference guides on the market for over 6 years.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
New, Revised, and ImprovedMay 29, 2006
By Robert Morris
What we have here in a single volume (in a new revised edition) is a focus on "the critical factors that can make or break the implementation of Six Sigma in an organization." The contributors identify, explain, and then support these principles with real-world experiences and examples. "By placing Six Sigma in this context, this book will, in fact, be useful for any executive, manager, or employee who wants to understand how Six Sigma can help address the particular challenges of their organization." This book was written with empathy for non-technicians (such as I) as it explains:
What Six Sigma is
What DMAIC is
What each of the five components of DMAIC involves
How to use each separate but interdependent component of the DMAIC process
My own rather extensive experience suggests that all organizations can improve HOW they conduct business. Some processes may involve development of new products or services, others production and/or distribution, and still others order processing. Whatever. Not all organizations, however, need a full-blown Six Sigma program. In fact, a majority of such programs either fail or fall far short of expectations.
Among the many substantial benefits of this book is the guidance it provides to decision-makers when they struggle to determine the nature and extent of process improvement initiatives needed. You don't need a full-blown Six Sigma program inorder to, for example, reduce cycle time while improving first-pass yield. Among the most valuable chapters in this book are the last two. With appropriate modification, the principles, strategies, and tactics in both Chapter 24 ("Measuring and Auditing Results") and in Chapter 25 ("Developing Change Leadership Capacity") are relevant to any organization, regardless of size of nature. In my opinion, each of these two chapters (all by itself) is worth far more than the cost of the book but the value of both is even greater, of course, when their material is absorbed and digested at the conclusion of the sequence of chapters. I also want to commend the remarkably informative Foreword, Preface, and Introductions well as are three appendices: "Basic Six Sigma Concepts," "Case Study: Six Sigma in Small and Medium Enterprises," and "DFSS Case Study."
Previously, I have reviewed and praised the works of Forrest Breyfogle, Subir Chowdhury, George Eckes, and Peter Pande, each of whom has written brilliantly and eloquently on the subject of Six Sigma. I continue to recommend their works without hesitation or qualification, as I shall now do also with Rath & Strong's Six Sigma Leadership Handbook as well as the three Rath & Strong Pocket Guides and the Six Sigma Road Map. Given the importance of process improvement, and given how many hours and dollars can be saved by even one improvement, it makes sense to obtain resources such as these and derive full benefit from each.
My own opinion (just an opinion) that this booklet's greatest value will result from frequent review of the key points it provides. It's size gives it almost unlimited "portability" and the precision with which its core concepts are presented adds another substantial benefit.
Everyone involved in an organization's process improvement initiatives (whatever their nature and extent) should have a copy readily available. Allowing for certain prudent modifications, the same core concepts can also be applied to the day-to-day needs of even the smallest company.
Well-done!
The quick reference Gold StandardSep 13, 2009
By da perfesser
I've been using this little pocket guide for years in my practice as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't necessary to know everything, but it is necessary to know where it's found. When I come across a situation that I think I could use a certain technique on, and I haven't used it in awhile, this is the one reference I turn to first. There are other pocket guides in the Rath & Strong series, and some are pretty good, too, but if I could only have one in my bag of tricks, this is it!!
I also teach a graduate-level Six Sigma course. This is the textbook I use. Inexpensive yet comprehensive. The students have already had math and statistics galore, so I don't need to show them how to find a standard deviation. This pocket guide is exactly what they need to learn a bit more about some of the techniques we use in class as we work our semester-long case study. I show them that there are a lot more standard works in the body of knowledge that go into great detail, and they work with those too, but unless they're going to go into the field, this pocket guide is all they need. I wish more managers understood the basics of Six Sigma at this level!
My only problem with this pocket guide is that my copy keeps walking out on me! There must be quite a few people out there with "souvenir" copies with my name on them!! At least by replacing them so often, I know I always I have a current copy!! ;)
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Good Book for Yellow BeltsJun 24, 2008
By Dumidu Ranaweera
"Dumidu Ranaweera"
If you are a collection freak of Rath n Strong books, i can only tell you is that buy only the advance tools on Six Sigma book and the book on Lean. This is just basic stuff that you can learn anywhere, if you are a Yellow Belt or you want to give something handy for your project team, please do purchase this, but if you really want to learn the real thing, by something like Thomas Pyzdeks Black Belts hand book, which is super!
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