Six Sigma is not just a list of steps to be checked off while progressing from problem to solution. It is a methodology that can help us understand the world around us. Six Sigma principles can be exercised far beyond the factory floor or the corporate office. They can be used to give us a much richer understanding of any aspect of our lives.
For example, consider the beloved candy the Tootsie Pop.
Some of you may remember a commercial from your childhood where a boy asks a cartoon owl, “Mr. Owl. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” Now, decades later, the rigors of data collection used in Six Sigma methodology can help give us the answer.
How Did Six Sigma Methods Help Unlock the Mystery?
Several different studies have tackled the question of how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. The studies, conducted individually by Purdue University, University of Michigan and Swarthmore Junior High School, have made use of rigorous data collection methodology, candy-loving volunteers and even a drill-powered licking machine.
Something as subjective as consuming candy can become better understood when strict methodology is used to analyze it. The studies sought to formalize the lollipop licking process by:
- Setting clear rules for consumption – licking only, no biting like Mr. Owl
- Capturing data – each lick to be meticulously recorded
- Defining end of trial – licking must stop when Tootsie Roll is tasted
These clear data collection procedures have revealed unknown facts about the candy and how people consume it.
Rigorous Data Collection Helps Look Beneath the Surface
So how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Between the two studies it was determined that it takes an average of 394.7 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop. However, the number of licks required ranged from 142 to 882.
When researchers looked for an explanation for this wide range, they discovered something surprising. Long licks remove more candy coating and get the consumer to the center of the Tootsie Pop faster than short licks.
Rigorous data collection not only revealed the answer to the original question, it also shed light on how candy lovers actually consume Tootsie Pops. The data broke down these candy aficionados into three different groups:
- Lazy Lickers – This group savored the candy by taking longer, slower licks. They delayed the satisfaction of reaching the center to enjoy the hard candy covering.
- Eager Eaters – This group couldn’t wait to get to the Tootsie Pop center and took fewer licks before biting through the candy shell and being disqualified.
- Moderate Majority – Controlled enough not to bite, but not interested in savoring the hard candy shell, this group got to the center with fewer licks but without biting through the candy covering.
The Six Sigma Connection
What does a question about lollipops posed to a cartoon owl have to do with Six Sigma?
The Tootsie Pop studies show that rigorous data collection plans like the type used for Six Sigma projects reveal truths about a product and its consumers that are simply not visible on the surface.
You may have been able to guess the number of licks that it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, but without a carefully executed data collection plan, how would you really know the fastest way to get to the center, or three common approaches to getting there?
Rigorous data collection helps us understand a process far better than casual examination. Being a data-driven methodology, Six Sigma professionals must consistently develop and execute a comprehensive data collection plan to gather reliable and usable data.
So next time you find yourself in the candy aisle, pick up a Tootsie Pop and do a bit of your own Six Sigma data collection.
