What is the primary goal of Six Sigma methodology?

The primary goal of Six Sigma methodology is to improve the quality of a process by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. This is achieved through a set of quality management methods, including statistical analysis, which leads to reduced defect rates and improved efficiency.

While reducing costs and increasing profit is a significant outcome of implementing Six Sigma — since a decrease in defects often correlates with lower costs associated with waste, rework, and lost opportunity — the overarching aim is to enhance quality and processes leading to greater customer satisfaction.

This focus on quality improvement can lead indirectly to reduction in costs and increases in profit, but explicitly, Six Sigma's foundational objective is to elevate the process's reliability and performance, which translates into a better product or service for the customer. Hence, the emphasis on improving processes aligns closely with the notion of enhancing customer satisfaction, illustrating that while option C highlights an important result of the methodology, it is customer satisfaction that should be viewed as the guiding principle behind Six Sigma’s framework.