On its way to disrupting the historical business continuum and changing its performance trajectory, an organization passes through a number of milestones.  Assuming a “typical” business, our discussion begins at time T1.  This is when the organization is functioning reasonably well — a stable force in its industry, capable of maintaining itself reasonably well. The […]

As you likely know, equipment uptime (as well as downtime) is very much akin to product reliability engineering.  Many of the same concepts, equations, and methods are commonly shared.  Given this, it should be interesting to note that Six Sigma found its genetic roots in the field of reliability engineering.  As some of the more […]

You should reference the article submitted by Anonymous on 17 July 2003.  Truly, it is this form of reasoning (coupled with this example) that should “get you thinking in the right direction.”  Listed are some simple examples for Human Resource projects: 1) Employee turnover rate.2) Job satisfaction issues (surveys).3) Management satisfaction.4) Cafeteria food quality.5) Policy […]

Generally speaking, the Six Sigma curriculum (i.e., Black Belt, Green Belt, and so on) for just about any type of service or support activity can be easily found these days – everybody has their idea of what such curriculum should consist of.  Perhaps of more concern, is the idea of “curriculum integrity,” as it is […]

Lean Sigma might be an anorexic standard deviation. If this is true, then Lean Six Sigma is probably the linear sum of six anorexic sigmas. I would imagine that a healthy diet, mental exercise, and less greed would improve the current trend. That’s the funny thing about people with anorexia – they truly believe “skinnier […]

There is a clear tendency among many new comers to Six Sigma.  That tendency is to artificially and unwittingly limit the scope of Design-For-Six-Sigma (DFSS) to the configuration of hardware-based products and processes.  As a result, it is currently common to equate DFSS with such fields of practice as engineering and manufacturing, which have their […]

Success factors such as business goal setting, global deployment planning, black belt project selection criteria and Six Sigma curriculum design are just a few of the key components that must be riveted together to form a common and uniform structure.  If the guiding blueprint cannot properly specify how the components fit together, it is likely […]

I am not aware of a “standardized” exit document (in template form) that is related to the closeout of deliverables.  Of course, corporations often create such devices to serve their own internal needs, but are not usually postured to publicly share the resulting intellectual property.  I would suggest that you post this question on the […]

Same as a big factory, but in a small way.

Based on the nature of your question, I would assume you are referencing the “Capability Maturity Model Integration” system and “Capability Maturity Model”, or CMMI and CMM, respectively.  My understanding is that CMM is a generalized model for judging or otherwise assessing the maturity of software processes.  In addition, it is a means for identifying […]

At the onset of this discussion, it is vital that we establish the basic nature and character of a “Management Information System.”  According to G. Davis and M. Olson in the publication “Management Information Systems” (1984, p. 5-6):  “There is no consensus of the definition of the term ‘management information system’…” In fact, these highly […]

You apply Six Sigma in the same way as any other business enterprise.  In general, this means you must implement Six Sigma on a project-by-project basis.  Generically speaking, Y=f(X) and the only thing that changes from situation-to-situation is the variable labels, transfer function, rate of replication, cost-per-transaction,  and faces of the players.  Other than that,  […]

As many corporations have experienced and attested, Six Sigma is a dynamic and evolutionary initiative that can produce phenomenal change in business performance.  However, the process of change must be carefully designed, managed and governed if it is to realize its aim.  Such factors as business goal setting, global deployment planning, black belt project selection […]

Today, many business leaders would agree that the “culture of an organization” is not a fixed quantity or preordained destiny.  Rather, it results from the unique blending of values (at the business, operations, process, and individual stratums).  In this context, the idea of a “value” is akin to that of a belief or truth.  For […]

As we consider the DMAIC process, it is important to bear in mind the fundamental principle of determinism: Y = f (X).  Of course, Y is the outcome variable and X is the many variables that induce Y to exist.  For any given problem-solving situation, we are behooved to recognize how DMAIC relates to Y […]

Where the engineering of quality is concerned, Dr. G. Taguchi popularized the idea of “robustness” in the mid 80’s.  As one might suspect, the underlying definition of this term is fairly simple – per the dictionary, it is the ability to recover from unexpected [and expected] conditions during operation.   In this sense, the idea of […]

On the general discussion forum of this website (www.iSixSigma.com), you will find a “thread” that provides a foundational answer to your question.  The built-in search engine should help you with this task.

Please recognize that the “art and science” of process mapping is quite generic by nature.  You should apply the mapping tools, techniques, and procedures in the given situation just as you would in any other type of situation.  Granted, the variable labels will change – but that’s about it.  Simply stated, you must define what […]

Thanks to modern technology, we have before us a virtual mountain of information.  On the Internet, we can find many case studies on the subject of DOE (design-of-experiments).  For a wide area success stories and general discussion, you may want to visit the following websites: 1) http://www.statease.com/articles.html2) https://www.isixsigma.com/tt/doe/3) http://class.et.byu.edu/mfg340/lessons/designofexperiment/4) http://members.cox.net/asqsd/kn/publications.htm In addition to these sources, […]

This is much like asking if you have ever been caught in a lie.  No matter how you answer, the resulting conclusion will certainly not enhance your reputation – but will most assuredly harm it (perhaps even more so than currently exists).  If you were to contend that your project should be garbed in the […]

Generally speaking, we use DFSS to close value-based gaps during the design phase of a product, service, business deal, or just about anything that adds value. Of course, this is accomplished in such a way that another gap is not propagated somewhere else in time and space.  In other words, we leverage the ideas and […]

To begin, we must consider the idea of “organizational culture.” In the book “Organizational Behavior” by Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki, the culture of an organization is defined as: “The set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about, and reacts to its various environments.” Based […]