Category: Organization & Strategy

Time value mapping helps to eliminate areas of waste and improve the efficiency of a work item process. Read on to learn what it is and how it works.

When individuals take ownership, they are more likely to be invested in its success and to work tirelessly to ensure that it runs efficiently, meets its goals, and continuously improves over time. So how can this concept be used in process improvement? Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology used to improve processes and […]

Sometimes we need the input of others in order to make a process easier. We also often could use someone who can bring a group together when working toward a goal. When this is done, that person is someone who facilitates. In a meeting, it can be easy for a group to lose direction. Having […]

Documentation can feel like a drag, but it is an important part of making sure your organization is successful. Without proper documentation, there is no record of how to reliably implement processes, and a complete lack of consistency could occur. Documentation is also necessary for important guidelines and policies to be referenced once they are […]

If you look at the dashboard of your car, you will see a display of the current real-time status of important metrics. You can do the same thing with your business metrics.

In my deployment and implementation experience, Black Belts should not be pooled into a central organization and then farmed out like a bunch of “rented experts.”  To my knowledge, only a few organizations have successfully implemented this type of approach.  When executed in a large-scale corporation, there is a certain amount of “up-front management appeal.”  […]

I assume you mean “sustainability of project results.”  In other words, the resulting benefits are not to be enjoyed just one time – they are recurrent in nature.  The best way to ensure that recurrent benefits are continually realized is to monitor the situation.  This would normally involve a proactive accounting system and someone to […]

The following references will provide a very nice overview of the field – from general theory to in-depth case studies: 1) Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s Top Corporations by Mikel J. Harry, Ph.D. and Richard Schroeder, Doubleday 2000. 2) Six SIGMA Leadership Handbook by Rath and Strong Staff, John Wiley & […]

To me, the ideology of Six Sigma will evolve in two distinct by complementary directions.  The first will be a focus on value creation, not just cost reduction and quality improvement.  The second will be an implosion of Six Sigma to the personal level.  I have been working with these two perspectives for quite some […]

The following is a list of some “big dos.”  Just flip things around to answer your question. 1) The project targets only one CTQ (for purposes of improvement).2) The target CTQ should be measurable – conveniently and economically so.3) The CTQ should have a well-defined set of performance standards.4) The CTQ should not involve destructive […]

The main difficulties can be extracted from the following assertions: 1) Everyone is a “decision maker,” but every decision requires consensus. 2) The purse strings are many, and so are the knots. 3) The phrase “just around the corner” means there are more corners. 4) The words “yes” and “no” are fully interchangeable — and […]

As most of the world already knows, nothing sells better than sex, money, and hope.  Since sex would appear to have little to do with Six Sigma, we should focus on the merits of money and hope.  Most generally, top management gains “hope” when it smells “money.”  This principle seems to hold true regardless of […]

We must always remember that the power brokers within and external to a corporation are the ones who render judgment about the success or failure of some initiative. Simply stated, the power brokers are only concerned with one matter – demonstrated results that are overtly visible and economically aligned with larger aims, not hidden somewhere […]

The idea of a not-for-profit organization is eloquently simple – it does not operate for a profit.  Some people falsely believe that the very nature of such organizations necessarily implies some type of complexity that prohibits or otherwise precludes its involvement in the world of Six Sigma.  When it comes to implementing improvements in not-for-profit […]

In terms of a Six Sigma Deployment and Implementation (SSDI), it is a natural tendency for newcomers to infer huge differences between a small and large business.  However, it is quite often the case that several “small businesses” defines a larger corporation.  From this perspective, the process for installing Six Sigma does not change (in […]

Simply stated, the deployment of Six Sigma in a single functional area (to the permanent exclusion of others) will most likely not succeed.  Generally speaking, Six Sigma is an “all or nothing” proposition.  However, if the overall deployment and implementation plan (for the total organization) calls for a staggered but comprehensive rollout over time, then […]

During the period extending from 1985 to 1995, many executives in the United States said the same thing about Six Sigma – its just a fad and will “blow over” in a couple of years.  Well, its still alive and growing – even in Europe and Asia.  My personal take on this subject is quite […]

A really good way to begin your journey is to sell top management on the need for a “due diligence” investigation of Six Sigma.  Do not try to directly sell Six Sigma – only the “need” for conducting an investigation into the merits of Six Sigma, as well as the supporting practices.  Uncovering the various […]

Personally, I believe the potential for “learning at home” is awesome these days.  I like the look and feel of it because all of the knowledge, information, communication, and analytical resources I need are within arms reach — right in my office.  This level of augmentation would be very difficult to consistently provide for in […]

I find it most interesting that you experienced “typical” success in several other areas of the organization, but not within the sales function.  Were hard goals not established for this area?  Was this area not emphasized during the course of deployment planning?  Does this area lack leadership?  Should the sales personnel work on improving their […]

The first step to authenticating the legitimacy of a Six Sigma consultant is a thorough investigation of their published credentials.  In terms of today’s consultants, so many on the “lower end of the pile” use “upper end spin” to more favorably posture themselves in the eyes of prospective clients, as well as those of the […]

It sounds to me like you’ve been “trapped in a barrel and tossed overboard,” so to speak.  Where is your champion?  He or she is supposed to prevent things like this from happening (i.e., sound project selection criteria).  Your project champion’s main purpose in life is to guard his or her flock of Black Belts. […]

Extensive benchmarking has revealed the “average company” to be about 4 sigma capable.  Compared to Six Sigma the difference is about 1,800X.  Obviously, if one aspires to such a plateau, change is certain.  If change is certain, it is prudent to manage that change.  After all, it is doubtful that one can achieve a 1,800X […]

Seems you already have a pretty good idea of what to do.  To quote your words, “… such as in buying power, billing for energy consumption etc and which will save money for the company.”  Life is fairly simple partner: Y = f (X ).  Of course, the Ys of corporate life are constituted by; […]