Measure Archive

CMMI or Six Sigma: Does It Matter Which Comes First?

An organization is getting into process improvement. Should it look at the Software Engineering Institute’s capability maturity model integration (CMMI) first? Six Sigma first? The answer seems to be Six Sigma first…at least a little bit first.

Connecting Six Sigma to CMMI Measurement and Analysis

Six Sigma makes a strong connection to the management and analysis support process area of CMMI. It supplies a specific and proven answer to the “how” question – a methodology for applying measurement and analysis to problem solving.

Data Management Plans Can Improve Collection/Validation

Understanding data and defining process paramaters (input) or product characteristics (output) is the beginning of data-based decision-making.

Five Ways to Measure Six Sigma Financial Benefits

By Jeffry J. Smith How can practitioners create a rigorous accounting method for measuring the financial benefits from their Six Sigma projects? The key here is being able to translate measured operational benefits into dollars, either in the form of…

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?

Measurement System Redesign and Innovative Data Management

A multi-national paper company wanted to reduce its cost of poor quality. The company recognized an opportunity to use Six Sigma concepts to minimize variability in its processes.

Measuring and Improving Service Processes with Six Sigma

Service processes can consume a large portion of a company's operating margin, so it is not surprising that Six Sigma efforts are often directed at these processes. Sensible measures of such service processes are a key to managing and improving them.

PR and Six Sigma: Beyond Time Sheets and Line Items

It is as important for PR agencies or departments to apply rigorous measurement standards and best practices to internal processes and operations as it is to apply them to its public relations campaigns. Six Sigma can help achieve those improvements.

Preparing to Measure Process Work with a Time Study

Without basic time study measures, it is impossible to know whether work has improved or whether there are differences in performance in a unit. But before the study can take place, practitioners must determine what they want to measure and how.

Selecting Appropriate Metrics

Process metrics need to serve a purpose, be understood, and not be too cumbersome or complex to use. Fashioning appropriate metrics requires knowledge, experience and a lot of common sense. These examples are intended to help the inexperienced Six Sigma practitioner recognize the issues involved and the criticality of ensuring that the metrics selected and used at all levels of the organization are the appropriate ones.

Six Sigma Aids in IT Employee Resource Planning

Effective resource planning is an important part of any process improvement program, including those in IT. Formalizing processes and developing measurement systems helps to determine the value of internal projects from a human capital perspective.

Six Sigma Critical Success Factors

Measuring and managing Six Sigma critical success factors is required for organizational alignment and optimization. View this checklist to ensure your company is measuring, aligning and closing gaps in management performance and behavior.

The Art of Measuring What Matters

To keep measurement systems up to date, managers should conduct annual reviews to ensure they are tracking the right metrics.

Time-based Metrics: Accounting for the Differences

Green and Black Belts produce time series plots of the primary Y metric during the measure phase of projects. The time dimension is either start-based or end-based, and the difference can be substantial. It is important to understand this difference.

Tips for Avoiding Common Metrics Challenges

Metrics programs face some unique challenges that need to be tackled successfully in order to derive real benefits. This piece reviews some of those potential roadblocks, as well as recommendations that metrics teams can use to avoid such problems.

U.S. Postal Service IT Project Slashes Costs Via Performance Management

A challenge facing many new CIOs, CTOs and other technology leaders is the need to change their organization’s culture and reputation. Fairly or not, technology leaders are often saddled with the perceptions (or misperceptions) that their team can’t deliver projects on time or on budget.

What Gets Measured Gets Done

Ever heard the phrase “What gets measured gets done?” It sounds good, doesn’t it? If we can measure X, then we will achieve the performance we want.

Posts Tagged ‘Measure’