Martin Guitar to Implement Lean

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We’ve all heard the stories of rock stars and their chemical dependencies…now it looks like The Martin Guitar Company has picked up the habit too. The world-class acoustic guitar company has recently become dependent on Air Products and Chemicals… to teach them their ways of Continuous Improvement. Dave Rosendale, the Global Director of Continuous Improvement at […]

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Project Rigor Versus Project Cycle Time

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For the Army deployment, this is ” the year of production.” We are in full swing of BB and GB training plus project completion for certification. The work in progress is pretty high. We have a full pipeline of newly trained belts itching to do projects. But with a constraint to complete x number by […]

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Durable and Great

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The following is theOpen Mike column from the July/August 2007 issue of iSixSigma Magazine, entitled “Durable and Great.” During the last 50 years, companies around the world have focused on operational excellence – the near-flawless execution of business processes. The pursuit of process excellence has evolved through various structured forms, from TQM to Six Sigma […]

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Research: How Companies Innovate

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The July/August issue of iSixSigma Magazine includes my latest research article that explores different aspects of innovation, including what people think of the relationship between Six Sigma and innovation. A press releasewas issued this morning that includes a few highlights from the data: With a vast majority of companies professing to want “innovation,” those that […]

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Take a Walk on the W.O.W. Side!

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Everyone is focused on What’s Needed. Done On Time is part of what must be heeded. Use Six Sigma to make it slick. Delivered With Value will seal the trick. She said hey babe, take a walk on the W.O.W. side. Said hey honey, take a walk on the W.O.W. side. And the Belts say […]

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A Study of Female Executives: A Scorecard Approach

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Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the largest fans of the modified balanced scorecard/business scorecard approach. I came across the following study results comparing gender differences at the executive level within organizations. There are those who claim men are more left-brained, thus, women = right dominance. Yet, there is a rise in […]

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iSixSigma Is Hiring! Sales Manager and Recruiter

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We’re looking for a sales manager to lead our sales effort for iSixSigma (including iSixSigma.com, iSixSigma Magazine), BPM Enterprise and Real Innovation.

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Benefit Pitfalls

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One of the foundations of Lean Six Sigma is its clear link to benefits. Take a look at some of the quoted benefits from the Lean Six Sigma behemoths: GE saved $12 billion over five years and added $1 to its earnings per share Honeywell (AlliedSignal) recorded more than $800 million in savings Six Sigma […]

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A Little Motivation

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When our organization started its Six Sigma deployment back in 2004, we designed a small round pin that was given to certified Change Agents, Yellow Belts, Green Belts, and Black Belts. The pins are gold-backed and have the appropriate color (blue for Change Agents) around the outer rim, with the appropriate certification title, and our […]

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Six Sigma at Ocean Spray

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Ever see the Ocean Spray commercials, Straight from the Bog, with character growers Justin and Henry? According to an Ocean Spray press release last year, the new ad campaign featuring the two character growers has boosted sales six percent year over year. Innovation around the cranberry is what Ocean Spray is all about. Here’s a […]

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Is Six Sigma Really the Baaaaaaad Boy?

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Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Six Sigma. Believers tout stories of business success, unprecedented customer satisfaction and countless dollars to the bottom line. Naysayers point to near business ruin and cultural impacts that stifle innovation and growth. Whether you are an avid believer or a practicing naysayer there is one thing […]

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Metrics for Service : Going Beyond Time Towards Performance

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Recommended Y (outputs) for a service / transactional project in call centers: Goal Metric Metric Type (CustSat,Cost) Decrease Cost of Sales Attendance Adherence Average Not Ready Time Average Talk Time Average Loss per Override Credit Average Fraud Loss   Cost Increase Customer Satisfaction Average ASA Customer-Directed Coaching Customer Satisfaction First Call Resolution Transfer Rate Peer […]

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In Control or Out: How Human Process Control Can Make a Difference

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Lately, I have written a lot on call center points of interest, as I have just rolled off three back to back projects in that space. These are some of the hardest six sigma project types, that is, when compared to manufacturing from the control perspective only. Now, I am not at all claiming that […]

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New Blog Alert!

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Dr. Phil is blogging! No, not that Dr. Phil, I’m talking about Dr. Phil Samuel, Chief Innovation Officer for BMG. The blog is called Chief Innovator Onlineand is the second blog written by BMG executives. David Silverstein, CEO of BMG, has been blogging for just over a year now and Leadership & Business. I know […]

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Six Sigma Bingo

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The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2007 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

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Six Sigma – A Whole New Language

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I recently stepped into the elevator at our corporate office with a newly trained Green Belt. It was lunch time and the elevator was crowded. As the doors closed the Green Belt, recognizing who I was, remarked with pride, “I just finished the SIPOC on my project!” A voice in the front immediately said, “SIPOC […]

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How Six Sigma Works in the Hotel Industry

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John Corr’s comment (9 March 2007) in Andrew Downard’s Six Sigma Sucks blog (1 August 2006) showed the lack of understanding of how Six Sigma is applied in the service industry. While preaching a certain methodology it’s good to do some research first. A great example of how Starwood does continuous improvement in its hotels: […]

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Agent Performance Management: How to Incent Without Raising a Cent

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Not all that glitters, is gold, and so is true in a call center. Most performance management and incentive programs focus heavily on the financial or monetary benefits to help incentivize agent performance. But, in a black belt project, you focus on ways to drive down costs, so I ask you, can it be done? […]

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Hold Time: the real hidden factory of waste

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Resolution, resolution, resolution…that’s what I always say…and so when I see black belts going after AHT (average handle time) as their key output (KPOV) variable, I cringe. Instead, why not break it down to the components of AHT: Talk Time, Hold Time and After-Call Wrap Time. Ok, some of you are saying , “what if […]

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ANOVA

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In my on-going journey to master the tools & techniques of Lean Sigma I have been reviewing the materials on ANOVA. How useful this has been, it has really moved me on a level. ANOVA comes across in training as a very useful tool and Tukey’s pairwise comparison really hits the spot. However in our […]

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The Spirit of the Archetype

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I have never personally sewn, but I’ve heard that one of the most difficult aspects of sewing is deciphering the pattern and following its directions. I learned this, and many more important lessons, from observing my mother, who made dresses for my sister when I was a child. Looking back, whoever created these patterns for […]

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Army Nears $2 Billion in Lean Six Sigma Savings

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From Army recruiting to the Bradley fighting vehicle (and everything in between -including meal scheduling), the US Army continues to improve processes and save dollars through Lean Six Sigma. “Lean Six Sigma techniques implemented throughout the Army continue to prove successful, and leaders anticipate reaching a $2 billion-savings mark this year.” Yesterday’s article on army.mil/news […]

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Is Six Sigma Kryptonite to the Superhuman Forces of Innovation?

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We have heard time and time again that Six Sigma “stifles innovation.” But where’s the data to prove it?

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