1. Do your projects require rework to incorporate last minute or undocumented customer expectations?
2. Are you losing money due to time and cost overruns because of inaccurate estimates?
3. Are you spending effort fixing defects which escaped the testing process and are detected by the end-user?
4. Does your testing process lead to a high defect leakage ratio resulting in cost escalation?

We are in trying times. The customers are becoming more demanding. There is increasing competition which is pushing companies to lower prices and is leading to lower margins. The time lines are becoming more aggressive and there is a continuous shortage of skilled people to add to the woes of the industry. This is leading to a new set of challenges for the industry.

Six Sigma is the new mantra for IT companies. Six Sigma helps you focus on customers, create process orientation and develop leadership based on metrics. It provides the tools for continuous improvement on existing processes thereby helping sustain the SEI-CMM Level 5 and CMMI certifications. While CMM/CMMI identifies what activities are expected (industry best practice), Six Sigma identifies how activities might be improved

Leading IT companies have benefited through the adoption of Six Sigma. The industry has taken to Six Sigma as a new radical approach that is focused more on delivering value than just documentation. More and more companies are adopting Six Sigma. The skepticism of yester years is giving way to success stories. Leading software development companies have embraced Six Sigma and have documented benefits. The IT biggies like TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Microsoft , IBM have benefited through Six Sigma implementation.

ECS has helped IT companies in successfully adopting and implementing Six Sigma. We have a holistic approach to develop Six Sigma capability and ensure company wide deployment. We build internal capability through employee training and have a Six Sigma program customized for the IT industry. We handhold the participants through the process of learning and successful implementation. We certify employees and create a structure of progressing from Green Belts to Black Belts to Master Black Belts.

Our approach builds alignment with corporate strategy; delivers financial value through improvement initiatives, internalizes Six Sigma through structural changes and focuses on building and sustaining a Six Sigma culture.

Our Six Sigma approach is a business strategy and not merely a quality program.

Our initiatives with software companies have led to improvement in the software development process. The projects done by various teams have contributed to:

1. Reduction in the requirements volatility
2. Identification of risks during design phase
3. Improvement in effectiveness of code review
4. Reduction in number of test cases required
5. Reduction in defect leakage ratio

Overall, the initiative has

1. Reinforced the improvement process through a structured review mechanism
2. Increased visibility through dashboards
3. Created top management buy in through quantification of benefits
4. Managed change
5. Improved bottom-line through sustained improvement
6. Created a quality culture of continuous improvement

For more information download our presentation.