Paper Example on Six Sigma: Making Better Management Decisions in Marketing & Sales

Management decisions are difficult to make because of the inherent risks associated with choosing the wrong choices. Business managers can use the Six Sigma model to avoid bad decisions. The strategy allows companies to raise their market share by identifying concrete performance targets for every process in an organization that are crafted by desired business outcomes (Jacobsen, 2016). The success of Six Sigma has led it to be successfully transplanted into improving marketing and sales strategies.

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In marketing, six sigma helps marketers to identify strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of members of a target demographic. In sales, it helps to understand a businesses' sales strategy, why some components of it are failing, and how to address these weaknesses. Hence six sigma can directly raise sales volumes. In summary, six sigma is a data driven strategy that improves customer experience, reduces costs, and ensures good management leadership.

Lean Tools Employed in the Case

The lean tools that the case employs for its upgrade include the need for key assessment, marketing templates, program directors for E-learning, achievement tools and necessary means for program delivery to reach their goals of building a sense of achievement, creating a sense of belonging and also encouraging relationships among participants in the day camp.

Situation

The YMCA engages with 22 million young people per year through its program. They can implement six sigma concepts to make decisions that improves operational efficiency.

Key Issues: Obstacles that were identified

Establishing obstacles towards the adoption of DCU by various YMCA branches.

Impact of Improvements for the Firm

Measure: use of data and operational facts with six sigma tools to determine what is not effective.

Analyze: fish-bone and process maps were used to identify underlying reasons why DCU was not adopted by YMCA branches. These tools were used to craft department goals and chart the way forward.

Impact of Improvement for Consumers

Training staff about Lean tools and Six Sigma programs in the organization to improve performance as well as achieve desired outcomes.

Define: The problems were there wasn't much involvement because the previous upgrades were just refurbished approaches of the previous method, but honestly nothing new and effective.

Improve: functions by training its staff to make decisions based on collected primary /qualitative data.

Control: YMCA staff was trained to train others within the organization about six sigma.

The improved program that implemented both Lean and Six Sigma methodology hit the initial target of 40% implementation by the summer of 2015. Thereafter, there was a growth of 60 % in 2016 and 75% in the year 2017 vindicating the data-based method as an effective way of getting better results (Jacobsen, 2016).

Lessons learnt that you might employ in your Future Work

The DMAIC process can be understood as an organized technique to organize organizational resources in a manner that secures better results. The YMCA is an example of a combination of lean and six sigma being extended to a non-profit organization.

Quality of the Case Overall

The case is essential in teaching individuals the importance of incorporating lean tools in their programs to ensure that their operations are aligned with the needs of the audience. Organizations aiming to reach their goals have to consider the need for strong leadership that guarantees the members commitment, learning and celebration.

Work Cited

Jacobsen, J. (2016). YMCA Upgrades Day Camps Using Six Sigma.