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Six Sigma & Quality Article Archive
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Quality Spotlight Archive | Management Spotlight Archive | Tools Spotlight Archive Readers' Choice: View All Top-Rated Articles Archives by Year: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 - Sponsorship and Chartering Are Keys to Project Success
Strong sponsorship and chartering are key components for a successful Six Sigma project. Regardless of the Green Belt's or Black Belt's skills, there is a limited chance for project success unless these components are well conceived. Read the full article. December 26, 2006
- Bridging Functional Silos to Achieve 'Customer Impact'
Limiting the scope of the business process a Six Sigma project addresses may create problems when root causes outside the project scope are found. An approach using process mapping and risk analyses resolved this problem for one company. Read the full article. December 18, 2006
- Ten Key Technologies for Lean Process Improvement
Internet use has produced an order of magnitude improvement in many business processes. A number of other technologies are providing a similar effect. Here are 10 of those technologies and examples of how they are helping Lean process improvement. Read the full article. December 11, 2006
- Three Steps for Aligning Projects to Business Priorities
Project selection is one of the most critical and challenging activities faced by Six Sigma companies. To be successful, the project selection process take into account business priorities. A three-step approach can help assure that success. Read the full article. December 4, 2006
- Defining Primary Metric: Starting Off on the Right Path
After a rocky start developing the project's primary metric, the Six Sigma team was able to help increase the accuracy rate of dispenser maintenance calls, resulting in the potential savings for the company of more than a million dollars. Read the full article. November 27, 2006
- A Practical Approach to the Successful Practice of 5S
Too often in Six Sigma the 5S philosophy is confined to one training session or, at best, used as a one-time implementation then dies due to negligence. 5S has to be practiced daily to sustain it and ultimately make it a company-wide culture. Read the full article. November 20, 2006
- Applying Lean Six Sigma in an Automated IT Process
In the last several years, companies have had notable results using Lean Six Sigma in transactional and administrative processes. Recently Medtronic has successfully adapted Lean Six Sigma to apply to even a wholly automated electronic IT process. Read the full article. November 13, 2006
- Thought Process Map for Six Sigma: What, Why and How
For a Six Sigma project to have the greatest chance of success, it must begin with a solid foundation. One tool that can ensure a firm foundation is the thought process map, sometimes referred to as a TMAP or TPM. Read the full article. October 30, 2006
- Fueling Business Growth with Lean Six Sigma and ACFC
The objective of Lean Six Sigma is not reducing headcount, it is - among other things - increasing the opportunity for growth. And one of those growth opportunities can be found in General Electric's "At the Customer, For the Customer" idea. Read the full article. October 23, 2006
- Identifying High-Level Requirements Using SIPOC Diagram
By using a standard SIPOC diagram, a Six Sigma project team was able to document business requirements in a language understandable both by management and the IT group which had to develop and automate electronic workflow for the new process. Read the full article. October 16, 2006
- How to Explain Six Sigma by Using the Profit Triangle
The profit triangle, often used in marketing theory, can help people understand Six Sigma's role within the organization and focuses on two key elements of Six Sigma -- continuous business improvement and financial savings. Read the full article. October 9, 2006
- Problem Management: Coordinating ITIL and Six Sigma
Applying both the Information Technology Infrastructure Library and Six Sigma to the many requirements businesses are considering information technology (IT) functions can help IT units provide the best value to their companies and their customers. Read the full article. October 2, 2006
- Using Lean Six Sigma Measurement Tools in Maintenance
Lean Six Sigma is widely used in production, but it is just getting started in maintenance. Here is how to implement a measurement system using data to identify root causes, prioritize workloads and drive improvements in a maintenance operation. Read the full article. September 25, 2006
- Seeing Red: Integrating Balanced Scorecard and Six Sigma
The Balanced Scorecard enables an organization to maintain the perspective of various stakeholders while providing a complete assessment of organizational progress. It can help improve the performance in one area without harming another. Read the full article. September 18, 2006
- Maturity Model Describes Stages of Six Sigma Evolution
The Six Sigma Maturity Model™ provides a formal description of the evolution organizations go through as they deploy Six Sigma. The model can be used for benchmarking, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to communicate progress internally. Read the full article. September 11, 2006
- Success of Improvement Initiative Depends on People
Initiatives to improve business processes must be approved, understood and implemented by people. To be successful, a change initiative must not only advocate value-added processes, but also value workers for the ability to carry out these processes. Read the full article. September 4, 2006
- Improving Help Desk Functions by Using Lean Six Sigma
Value stream analysis can uncover activities that add waste to a typical help desk organization. Then that analysis can lead to the implementation of a Lean Six Sigma help desk design, along with the necessary tools to ensure success. Read the full article. August 28, 2006
- Learning to Think Lean: Six Steps with Review Points
Organizations can profit from learning to think in terms of Lean, a philosophy that aims to eliminate waste mainly by shortening the time between the customer order and shipment. Lean thinking can be outlined in six steps, and confirmed with review. Read the full article. August 21, 2006
- A Solution Template to Help in Hypothesis Testing
A difficult topic for those learning statistics is hypothesis testing. Solving several problems will convince new Six Sigma practitioners of the importance of this tool. And a solution template can ease the difficulties of the learning process. Read the full article. August 14, 2006
- Leveraging Company-wide Knowledge to Support Projects
Most Six Sigma teams know the methodology required for successful projects. But knowledge of the process being improved and the broad picture of the organization's goals and direction also need to be well understood by the team to assure success. Read the full article. August 7, 2006
- Applying Criteria-Based Matrix to Prioritize IT Projects
One of the common challenges for a company's information technology (IT) department is how to prioritize IT projects that can deliver the greatest benefits to the business. A criteria-based matrix can be an effective tool in prioritizing IT projects. Read the full article. July 31, 2006
- Practical Guide to Creating Better Looking Process Maps
Process mapping has become more important in recent times, given the complexities of processes and the need for visualizing the knowledge of others. Some basic ideas can be applied to creating process maps that make them easier to understand and use. Read the full article. July 24, 2006
- Seeking Reliable Six Sigma Project Data with Eight CTQs
Finding the most cost-effective way for Micropump to obtain the clean and reliable data needed to drive its Lean Six Sigma projects has helped the company accelerate innovations in its product line and consequently improved its bottom line. Read the full article. July 17, 2006
- Help for Project Leaders: ‘Advanced Data Door Worksheet’
At the Measure phase, improvement project leaders are confronted with the question: What is the most effective, efficient way to identify the data needed and to perform analysis of the data during the Measure and Analyze phases of the DMAIC method? Read the full article. July 10, 2006
- Value in Focusing Lean Six Sigma on Distribution System
Manufacturers risk falling into the trap of reductionism by solely focusing on the factory floor. Companies must expand their understanding of value creation and the delivery system, and let customer definitions of value drive their Lean initiatives. Read the full article. July 3, 2006
- Six Sigma in Data Warehousing Domain – IT Case Study
Six Sigma can be used in the information technology industry to improve processes and produce bottom line benefits. A case study shows how Six Sigma was used to reduce IT requests, issues and tickets initiated by end-users by 70 percent. Read the full article. June 26, 2006
- Process Entitlement Analysis: Using This Novel Approach
Many efforts to analyze a poor project selection process fall short of their overall objective. Process entitlement analysis is a concept that provides an effective and robust process to conduct a total improvement opportunity assessment. Read the full article. June 19, 2006
- Using Quadrant Plots to Improve Program Performance
When it comes to understanding discrete data, quadrant plots can provide visual clues for Six Sigma project team leaders as to where they should focus their efforts when measuring program performance. Read the full article. June 12, 2006
- Achieving Breakthroughs by Using Policy Deployment
How can a company properly plan and execute a strategy? Today's best model is a mechanism to align a company's resources to its most critical tasks. The model is Hoshin Kanri, known in the United States as policy deployment or strategy deployment. Read the full article. June 5, 2006
- Prioritization Matrix Is Made Easier with a Template
The prioritization matrix is a great tool, but it is not used much. The reason is probably because it takes a lot of time to do manually, and it can be confusing. To make it more usable, this article provides an automated template for using the tool. Read the full article. May 29, 2006
- Marketing Function Is Different in a Six Sigma World
Marketing managers must understand that they have a new set of internal partners for the services they provide. These partners are the Six Sigma Champions and Black Belts responsible for the identification and deployment of Six Sigma projects. Read the full article. May 22, 2006
- Making the Case for FMEA in Managing Software Projects
A well-documented failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) with robust action plans and implementation can help an organization avoid rework in software projects. FMEA can isolate weak steps, where things may go wrong and where to focus improvements. Read the full article. May 15, 2006
- Using Six Sigma for Assessing Employee Satisfaction
Satisfied employees can be a factor in the struggle to gain market share, to deliver customer delight, to innovate and to deliver a better bottom line. Using Six Sigma can not only improve morale, it can help assess employee satisfaction levels. Read the full article. May 8, 2006
- A Method for Picking Up the SLACK in a Team Project
A method exists for quality professionals who would like to obtain the benefits of a corrective and preventive action (CAPA) system, but do not have the time or resources to dedicate to deployment of the full initiative. Read the full article. April 24, 2006
- Calculating Sigma Level for Project Planning Process Area
An organization's sigma level in terms of key CMMI process areas can be measured via metrics related to that process area. Organizations not using Six Sigma also can use this technique to measure their sigma level in terms of project planning process area. Read the full article. April 17, 2006
- US Fuels Improves Invoicing Accuracy Using Work-Out
When US Fuels' 96.9-percent invoice accuracy was not meeting customer expectations, and the accuracy problem in some strategic segments was impeding sales growth, it was time to act. BP's US Fuels used Six Sigma and Work-Out to solve the problem. Read the full article. April 10, 2006
- Six Sigma Project Charter as a Vital Control Document
The project charter is the first step and one of the most important parts of any Six Sigma project. An example of what a charter should contain is found in 11 elements, what each element is for and what questions that element is expected to answer. Read the full article. April 3, 2006
- Lean Manufacturing: Adapting as Important as Adopting
Lean manufacturing is wonderful when deployed properly and a nightmare when it is not. Well-deployed, Lean can increase efficiency and have other desirable outcomes. Improperly applied, Lean can cause quality problems and troubles for top management. Read the full article. March 27, 2006
- Using Weighted-DPMO to Calculate an Overall Sigma Level
An organization can have difficulty telling its overall sigma level because some of its critical processes are more important to its operations than others. One approach is to weight each of the critical processes when calculating overall sigma level. Read the full article. March 20, 2006
- To Use DMEDI or to Use DMAIC? That Is the Question
As Six Sigma organizations mature they begin to question when a process will benefit from improvement (DMAIC) versus one that offers a new design (DMEDI). There is a decision-making process a business can use to select the best roadmap. Read the full article. March 13, 2006
- Zero Defects: What Does It Achieve? What Does It Mean?
The use by business strategists of slogans such as zero defects to spur quality in an organization may lead to a de-emphasis of the tried-and-true tools and culture associated with successful continuous improvement programs such as Six Sigma. Read the full article. March 6, 2006
- A Roadmap for Using Time-Weighted Control Charts
Selecting the correct type of control chart is vital. And with the wide range of options available, the selection of a chart to suit a particular process and data set can be difficult, especially when using time-weighted control charts. Read the full article. February 27, 2006
- Six Sigma Proves Its Value in Mutual Funds Management
Six Sigma is a systematic data-driven approach that works across most processes, products and industries. While some organizations think Six Sigma cannot work for them, others like a company's funds management department proves that it can. Read the full article. February 20, 2006
- Why a Quality Management System in Service Industries?
Everyone tends to resist change, but companies that delay in establishing a quality management system will find they increasingly become less competitive and less effective in markets where customers demand trouble-free products and services. Read the full article. February 13, 2006
- Ensuring Successful New Products and Services with QFD
A relatively simple process can bring structure, organization, weights and measures to the decision-making process for product and service development. Quality function deployment (QFD) is employed by many companies to guide their planning process. Read the full article. February 6, 2006
- Deployment Focus: Certifications or Project Benefits?
Which is more important in a Six Sigma deployment - training or benefits? Six Sigma training, which leads to certifications, is just a means to an end. Certifications are the Xs, or the causes, and benefits are the big Y, or the effect. Read the full article. January 30, 2006
- Leveraging Kano and QFD for Requirements Management
Used in combination, the Kano survey and quality function deployment (QFD) tools provide companies with the ability to maximize customer satisfaction (positive quality) measured by metrics such as repeat business and market share. Read the full article. January 23, 2006
- What Small Business CEOs Must Know to Start Six Sigma
Six Sigma can help grow any company by giving it the all-important competitive edge. For the majority of small business CEOs, the only thing that holds them back from seriously exploring Six Sigma is not knowing how to get started. Read the full article. January 16, 2006
- Putting Six Sigma to Work in Business-to-Business Sales
The starting point for increasing sales is not the salespeople, it is the customers. In sales, Six Sigma can be used to uncover the best ways to build and grow relationships with customers. Great relationships are the key to increasing sales. Read the full article. January 9, 2006
- Better Project Management Performance with Six Sigma
By applying Lean Six Sigma in a multi-generational model, a strong project management process can be developed. A successful metrics model can be developed using the Design for Six Sigma's DMEDI (Define, Measure, Explore, Develop, Implement) roadmap. Read the full article. January 2, 2006
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