Applying Six Sigma Concepts, Techniques and Method for Service Management: Business and IT Service Management (BSM & ITSM)

Six Sigma methods and techniques are applied in business & IT projects for product (Goods and Services) & process design (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify or DMADV) and improvements (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control or DMAIC). Six sigma methodologies have been applied within the IT Service Management disciplines primarily for Service and Process Improvement and Optimization. Six Sigma methods and techniques have a relatively rich history with the manufacturing industry and tangible products vis-à-vis intangible and perishable services. As the services industries look forward to the advent of productization of services or service products, there is an attempt to minimize variations in service quality via service design and service improvement projects. The focus of these projects range from service definition to service systems to service automation (i.e. making service less labour intensive). As such, six sigma methods and techniques have a major role to play in both design and improvement of services and service management processes. Even though Six Sigma concepts & techniques can be applied for most if not all IT Service management processes (see ITIL v3 for taxonomy of Service Management processes mapped to the Service Life Cycle), they will primarily relate to Service Quality Management processes such as:  Service Availability Management  Service Capacity Management  Service Performance Management  Service Continuity Management  Service Security Management  (Service) Event Management  (Service) Incident Management and  (Service) Problem Management This paper discusses six sigma methods (both DMAIDV and DMAIC) and techniques as they apply to the fives stages of Process Maturity (or Service Management Maturity)  Ad hoc  Defined  Measured