It’s one of those typical mornings where you speed into the office, grab your notebook, quickly scan your calendar and rush to a conference room, hoping you will be on time or at least not the last one to arrive to the meeting.  Several of your colleagues are gathered around the table discussing "the project."  As the meeting starts, it becomes clear there are several different perceptions of the project’s purpose and scope.  Instead of clearly defining the project’s problem, the group debates the meaning of purpose, scope and asks if there is even funding for the project.  Time runs out, and the group adjourns to attend their next set of meetings.  You leave feeling frustrated, wishing people in every project in which you participated spoke the same language.  But you are on to your next meeting, and there is no time to think.

Most business professionals have heard of project management (PM) and Six Sigma concepts; however, it can be difficult to understand fully how these concepts can be applied in the real world.  Several questions often come up: What is the difference between the two?  How can you leverage time-tested methodologies to establish a common language and culture in your company?  What is the best way to combine the two methodologies to lead your organization to greater effectiveness? 

As a recently certified Six Sigma Green Belt with more than 10 years of experience in project management, I have seen Six Sigma methodology give DuPont teams a common language for powerful collaboration and communications.  However, we have tended to use Six Sigma methodologies more than project management methodology and program management offices (PMOs).  While we are in the beginning stages of establishing PM standards at DuPont, there are a wealth of opportunities ahead of us.

Six Sigma
Six Sigma "[was] invented by Motorola, Inc. in 1986 as a metric for measuring defects and improving quality.  Since then, it has evolved to a robust business improvement methodology that focuses an organization on customer requirements, process alignment, analytical rigor and timely execution."1  At DuPont, we know and understand Six Sigma methodology because it is valued and important to our culture.  Since 1998, with thousands of certified Green Belts, Black Belts and Master Black Belts working throughout DuPont, the company has realized over $2 billion dollars of hard savings.

Project Management
At the highest level, the Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as "a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result."2   Similar to Six Sigma, PM methodology enables teams to better collaborate on projects.  As DuPont experienced the growing pains of establishing a PMO, PM and Six Sigma mandatory deliverables were analyzed and aligned to streamline requirements for projects.  Now, if IT staff are working on a Six Sigma project under the direction of the PMO, they are not required to complete two separate project charters.  One boilerplate project charter has been established for all projects, and teams now have a universal starting point for a project.

The Similarities
Both complex methodologies are divided into categories.  PMI divides the PM body of knowledge into five Process Groups, containing nine Knowledge Areas, and 44 interrelated Processes.  In Six Sigma, methodology is broken into five phases, depending on the type of improvement being implemented:  Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC), or Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify (DMADV).  Each Six Sigma project must also produce 17 key deliverables.  At DuPont Legal, each Six Sigma project consistently completes all 17 deliverables.  Conversely, DuPont Legal project managers currently have full discretion over project deliverables and their content.  As the DuPont PMOs become more active, eight key deliverables will be required for projects under PMO direction.

The Differences
One main difference between PM and Six Sigma is the use of statistics.  You may cringe when you hear the term, but statistical analysis is the powerhouse behind what is called "hard savings" in Six Sigma methodology.  At DuPont Legal, Six Sigma is mainly utilized for process improvements.  As Lynn Simpson, DuPont Legal’s Knowledge Manager and Six Sigma Master Black Belt states, "The Six Sigma SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Customers) Process Map is the most powerful tool we have because it enables us to map out factors contributing to either positive or negative outcomes."  In Six Sigma, these factors are called "critical Xs" and the outcome or defect is called "Y."  Solid proof of process improvement is provided by a combination of detailed process review and statistical analyses.

A book could be written on the hundreds of similarities and differences between PM and Six Sigma, but practically speaking, there are some ways your organization can leverage a common methodology:

• If you have a PMO or are a Six Sigma-focused organization, become a champion for the processes and start applying the standards to your projects.  Become a certified Project Management Professional or Six Sigma Green Belt.
• If you do not have a PMO or Six Sigma organization in-house, pitch the ideas to your management team.  There are thousands of articles about the proven benefits of using common methodologies.
• If your organization is not headed towards a PMO or Six Sigma in the near future, buy the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and start applying the concepts and common language to your projects.
• Attend a PMI course or complete one online.
• Take your project team through an online course in PMI methodology.

Initiating one or both of these methodologies, or even applying some of their basic concepts, will help your organization improve collaboration, communication and overall efficiency.

1 Six Sigma Dictionary, Motorola University, 1994-2008, Motorola, Incorporated.
2 Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI, 2003, p.368.

About our author :: :: ::

Gabrielle A. Townsend is currently a member of DuPont’s dynamic and effective information technology department, focused on supporting an extensive legal department and its external partners.  She has spent the last 10 years focused on better ways to manage projects and involve clients in technical implementations.  As a project manager and Six Sigma Green Belt, her main areas of focus are supporting the use of DuPont’s Intellectual Property Enterprise Software and Interwoven’s WorkSite MP product named "The EDGE."  She can be reached at Gabrielle.A.Townsend@usa.dupont.com.