In the 1980s, amidst the turmoil of an era of change, a group of technicians and engineers at Motorola was faced with a crucial challenge: to improve product quality and reduce costs at the same time. In that group, Bill Smith emerged as a particularly brilliant and methodical engineer, recognised by many as 'the numbers detective'. A nickname earned for his investigative approach to business processes.

The Discovery of the Power of Numbers
Bill Smith, began experimenting with various statistical techniques he had learnt during his university studies, rumour had it that he would spend entire nights staring at the statistical curves of collected data, looking for that one detail that could make the difference. At a neighbourhood café, the barista often recalled how Bill would order endless cups of coffee while sinking into his calculations.

Experimentation and Analysis
Initially, many of his colleagues were sceptical. There was an anecdote of a colleague who, with a mixture of curiosity and doubt, played at hiding a coin in Bill's hat as a symbol of the luck he would need in his experiments.

From Doubt to Certainty
The turning point came at a meeting with senior management. Bill gave a daring practical demonstration, presenting the outline of a procedure that, when applied to his calculations, was significantly improved over the traditional one. Bill, with an unexpected dose of wit, did a role-play, involving those present and making the potential of statistical analysis clear.

The Birth of a Methodology
Thus, Six Sigma was born, a new method that, during meetings, executives called 'the quiet revolution' because of the subtle and scientific way in which it improved every aspect of the organisation.