Process Performance and Quality at Starwood Hotels & Resorts

884 Words4 Pages
Question 1: Starwood introduced a team of Six Sigma experts, also known as black belts, to make the processes in the hotel more efficient and even more satisfying for the customers. The Six Sigma team used the DMAIC process, which consists of defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling. First the DMAIC process will be explained. After this the top down commitment, measurement systems, goal setting, education, communication and customer priorities will be described. * Define – in order to fulfill the customers satisfaction (or the Sheraton Service Promise), three key features were identified i.e. speed, empathy, and efficiency. * Measure - call logs were established to track speed, empathy of associate handling the call, and efficiency of the staff charged with fixing the problem. * Analyze - Pareto charts and other techniques were used for the analysis. * Improve – since there is always space for improvement, the committee is looking for ways how to make the parts of the process (such as: telephone operators’ handling of requests, procedures for determining who to call, engineering workloads) faster, more emphatic and more efficient in order to increase customers’ satisfaction. * Control and monitoring – there will be 12 to 18 months tracking, with monthly feedback to the manager or department head responsible for the improvement of the Sheraton Service Promise program. Top-Down Commitment: Top-level management commitment is crucial when implementing new quality standards and policies. In this case, high-level managers recognized the need for quality improvement and decided to start counter measures. It also plays in important role when monitoring the result, since they give the feedback to the department managers and are responsible for the new policies being integrated in the corporate culture. Measurement Systems:
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