We don't often associate claims management and claims handling with hard manufacturing processes like steel production and electronics manufacturing. But maybe we should.

These two industries, though seemingly entirely different from the world of insurance claims, serve as great case studies for improving processes toward delivering a better product more efficiently, a goal that is obviously not unique to manufacturing. One of the most popular strategies toward achieving this goal is "six sigma."  

The term six sigma itself originates from statistical analysis of manufacturing processes. In plain English, a "six sigma" manufacturing process would produce fewer than four defective parts per million produced. It is important to note that six sigma, in its most literal sense, does strive for statistical perfection; however, in the context of management and non-manufacturing environments where quantifying your results and outcomes is practically impossible or unrealistic, the goal of statistical perfection has taken a back seat to the process improvement strategies themselves. In the modern non-manufacturing six sigma world, the journey is almost more important than the destination.