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Forrest W. Breyfogle III

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Project Selection That Benefits the Entire Business

Forrest W. Breyfogle III

To be competitive, organizations need continuous improvement efforts working internally and throughout their supply chains. How can this type of system be created so that it is both immediately beneficial and able to maintain its integrity through inevitable leadership and organizational changes? It is critically important to develop a clear mechanism for selecting improvement projects…

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Debunking Dubious Statistics from a Six Sigma Critic

Forrest W. Breyfogle III

“There are lies, damn lies and statistics,” we have all been warned since the 19th century. The warning is apt these days because of questions about the use of statistics that have been on exhibit in recent months. The principal and founder of a performance improvement consulting firm professes that businesses using Six Sigma are…

Measuring the Training Options for Lean Six Sigma

Forrest W. Breyfogle III

The advantages and disadvantages of training methods necessary to implement Lean Six Sigma and related methodologies vary widely, but the choice narrows when measured against the operational and corporate needs of an enterprise. To qualify and be certified to implement these methodologies, candidates and their management should consider the following requirements: Identifying and solving business…

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Resolving Common Issues with Performance Indices

Forrest W. Breyfogle III

Measurements affect behavior. Wrong behavior results when metrics are confusing or do not represent what is truly happening. Leaders of many respected companies are paying the price for creating an environment in which measurements did not reflect accurately what was occurring in their organization. In contrast, the wise selection of metrics and their tracking within…

Non-normal Data Needs Alternate Control Chart Approach

Forrest W. Breyfogle III

Some practitioners mistakenly believe that it is not necessary to transform data before creating an individuals control chart when the underlying process distribution response is not normal. An individuals control chart, however, is not robust to non-normally distributed data. Therefore, it is important to use an alternate control charting approach. Necessary Transformation Consider a hypothetical…

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