Definition

A quality management methodology obsessed with eliminating defects and variation, worshipped by companies that think perfection is achievable through spreadsheets and process charts.

Example Usage

Our manufacturing plant achieved Six Sigma certification, reducing defects from 3.4 per million to nearly zero.

Source: Quality management and manufacturing terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

shipboard

Romance, friendships, or alliances formed aboard a vessel that are as temporary as the voyage itself—lasting only as long as the anchor stays up. Used colloquially to describe fleeting corporate relationships born at conferences.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

plan

A documented strategy or architectural drawing; what every project manager pretends to follow before reality sets in. The written record of intentions that gets abandoned by week two.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

flue

A pipe or duct that channels the gaseous byproducts of combustion away from your furnace before they decide to stay in your living room. Essential for keeping your indoor air quality up and your carbon monoxide levels down.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

evaluate

To assess the value, quality, or worth of something while pretending to be completely objective. In corporate settings, this usually means nitpicking other people's work in meetings. In tech, it means running an expression through a computer to get an actual answer instead of just arguing about it.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

benchmark

The corporate equivalent of a ruler that everyone uses to measure their inadequacy or superiority. It's either a standard against which everything else is evaluated, or a computer test that proves your new laptop is 0.3% faster than last year's model. Companies love benchmarks because they provide objective data to confirm subjective decisions they've already made.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

Lacquer

A hard, protective coating made from resin dissolved in a solvent, typically applied in thin layers and dried quickly by evaporation. It produces a glossy, durable finish commonly used on wood, metal, and automotive surfaces.

💼 Corporate / Business

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