The Ultimate Six SIGMA: Beyond Quality Excellence

I'm sure no expert in the Six Sigma area, but I've read five or six books in the space and particularly liked this book. I'm a business person who has some responsibility for process efficiency and effectiveness and this book gave me more useful information about process measurement, process change and necessary culture change than any of the other books I've read. I particulary liked Chapter 14, which extends the quality movement to knowledge workers in service processes - the kind of processes that dominate US businesses today, even in manufacturing firms. Mr. Bhote's analysis of the problems with these processes and his prescription to make them faster, better and cheaper is extensive and works in my business. Unlike the reviewer above, I think his description of Next Operation As Customer (NOAC) is both complete and addresses a VERY large problem for workplaces in all advanced economies - how to measure and improve business processes that are driven by the inventive, innovative work of white collar people. After all, the largest cost element, in aggregate, for US business is the direct labor cost of knowledge workers. His book is the only one I know that systematically addresses ways to get measurable productivity gains from this big corporate expense. I can't speak to the efficacy of this book for Six Sigma green belts, black belts and master black belts. I am none of those. However, if you are a business person responsible for getting the most from your most expensive element of production, you won't be disappointed with this book.