Six Sigma is a disciplined process focused on reducing defects and achieving near-perfect quality. It was created by Bill Smith in the 1980s at Motorola to increase business performance. Total quality management aims to carefully design products/services and ensure the organization can consistently produce the design. Key Six Sigma concepts include the DMAIC cycle of define, measure, analyze, improve, control to identify and eliminate process variation. Poka-yokes are error-proofing mechanisms to prevent human errors.