Bill Ross is the founder and CEO of Sigma Science Inc. His work focuses on helping engineers and scientists apply scientific method and statistical thinking to understand and improve processes and products by identifying their underlying causal structure.
Early in his career he worked as an engineer supporting supplier improvement initiatives at StorageTek, working with suppliers ranging from Fortune 500 manufacturers to small specialty producers across both low- and high-technology industries. Although his academic training was in geochemistry at the University of Colorado, Ross developed his statistical expertise primarily through self-study and extensive practical application.
Over more than forty years he has applied statistical and scientific methods in over 15,000 sampling plans and designed experiments across research and development, manufacturing, and business processes.
Ross has studied with and worked alongside several recognized leaders in industrial statistics, including George Box, Robert Hogg, Søren Bisgaard, Robert McLean, and Genichi Taguchi, with whom he co-taught seminars in Japan. He also completed advanced coursework in analytical statistics at the University of Tennessee and the University of Wisconsin.
Ross has contributed to national and international standards development, including work with EIA, IPC, ISO, and IEC technical committees focused on quality and reliability engineering.
In 1992, following the recommendation of Mikel Harry, Ross founded Six Sigma Associates, becoming one of the earliest consultants dedicated to the emerging Six Sigma methodology.
Through Sigma Science Inc., Ross continues to develop and apply the Sigma Science framework to help organizations investigate complex problems and improve technical and business systems. He is the architect for operational excellence initiatives in several major corporations, including Whirlpool.
Ross’s role in these efforts has been as teacher, mentor, protagonist, and facilitator, guiding engineers and managers in the disciplined use of reasoning, experimentation, and data.