Not many people would give this a second glance but Microsoft's Accelerator and marketing muscle just might give some extra impetus to Six Sigma, the pre-eminent statistical quality control system. Microsoft is now using Six Sigma and naturally the approach is based on using Microsoft software such as Office, Project and Visio, though it is working with established suppliers such as Apriso and SigmaPro. If you work for a manufacturing company then you ought to be very familiar with Six Sigma. If not, there's a quick run-down here. If you hadn't realised the statistical theory of errors had any significance in business management, start with Dr W Edwards Deming.