Ren
@RenMember since March 25, 2003
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February 16, 2005 at 6:17 pm #114968
You need to contact dilbert.com to get a license for use, according to their terms.
0October 25, 2004 at 11:32 am #109631Do your research first. There’s no substitute: https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/six-sigma-newbie.asp
0October 25, 2004 at 11:31 am #109629Rav,
Your CTQs (requirements) are different from everyone else’s. Go do your research and determine your own CTQs, then select the most appropriate provider. If you’re only interested in online training, see this list: https://www.isixsigma.com/co/online_six_sigma_training/0August 18, 2004 at 12:40 am #105893Adam,
What is so interesting about the benchmark data that you have? Can you post it here for others to read and learn from? I enjoy this open community and hope that you can share openly also. It is much appreicated.
Ren0June 22, 2004 at 11:18 am #102084See this list…there are plenty:
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c030408a.asp0February 17, 2004 at 5:20 pm #95655Comoss,
Agreed. ASQ should be referring to their program as a “BB Knowledge Certificate”, not a “BB certification”.
If they want to label it a certification, then they need to break their paradigm (which is obvioulsy caused by their beaurocracy) and survey real practitioners from industry. Surveying their own “certified BB base that is in industry” is a bad data set.
Ren0November 24, 2003 at 2:16 pm #92880If you don’t see any listed on the event calendar (https://www.isixsigma.com/ne/events/), then visit some of the consultants from India to ask them if they are offering training. You can find them here (https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c030408a.asp).
Good luck,Ren0November 14, 2003 at 11:45 am #92515Yes, everyone must use tollgates. Here are sample questions to prepare yourself and your project: https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/six_sigma_dmaic_quickref_define.asp
Ren0November 13, 2003 at 5:36 pm #92493Go take a look at the software section (http://software.isixsigma.com). I think they have some case studies on applying SS to technology.
0November 13, 2003 at 5:01 am #92465Ced,
Does this answer your question?
https://www.isixsigma.com/dictionary/Degree_of_Freedom-430.htm
Ren0November 5, 2003 at 1:32 am #92078Ecole,
The first BB said to do a hypothesis test. This, I assume, s/he meant to be a test of averages, like a two sample t test. This type of test is for normally distributed data. A mood’s median test is similar, but is based on medians (not the average) and is used for non-normal (nonparametric) data. So I would say that both BBs are on the same thought process, but you need to understand your data to pick the correct test.
Ren0November 3, 2003 at 3:02 pm #91986I agree with Doc. Check out this URL of a previous post for a download of a paper helicopter.
https://www.isixsigma.com/forum/showmessage.asp?messageID=10296
Ren0October 31, 2003 at 5:53 am #63156Wow, Hemant! That is a very comprehesive summary. Thank you.
0October 29, 2003 at 4:08 pm #91772I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about your GB structure for motivation, but it sounds very complicated with 8 levels. What’s the motivation to go from level 4 to 5 or 6 to 7? Why designate a Master Green Belt title?
Why not just say that people are certified if they do training and get signoff on two completed projects with significant savings. Tie it to their performance appraisal process, so they are compensated and promoted if they do so. Simplicity is best in rewarding employees and driving the kind of behavior you desire.
Ren0October 29, 2003 at 4:03 pm #91770I thought that Yellow Belts only contributed to projects, and didn’t run projects on their own (https://www.isixsigma.com/dictionary/Yellow_Belt_-_YB-173.htm). How is your company defining Yellow Belts? Don’t they provide you the steps to complete to satisfy a “proper project”?
Here’s a DMAIC Roadmap:https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020617a.asp
Ren0October 29, 2003 at 3:59 pm #91769Tracey,
I tend to agree with Stan on his point of views, but not necessarily that your question was stupid. What you are asking is “is six sigma just hype, and if not, how can I integrate it with systems thinking (if at all).” I find it funny that you would come to a discussion forum for the answers to these questions, since forums are typically about people’s opinions on subjects. Some may say yes, others may say no, all probably have data to back up their opinions. The only data that matters is your data — go get some.
Training you in six sigma will cost your company a few thousand dollars and a few weeks of your time. If that is too much investment to determine if six sigma is hype or not (which it isn’t), and how it integrates with your systems thinking process, then you’ve got bigger fish to fry then trying to get your question answered.
You’re helping your organization make decisions about how it will run for years to come. Get trained, do a project so you see how the tools work, figure out if and how it integrates with whatever you’re currently doing, get the data to prove it, and move forward. It’s pretty plain and simple. Nothing worth having is handed to you on a silver platter.
Ren0October 29, 2003 at 3:21 am #91755Happy,
Thanks for sharing your comments on the Bank. I’m pleased to see your enthusiasm for your Six Sigma program. It makes me feel good as a SS professional. Keep up the good work.
Ren0October 29, 2003 at 12:22 am #91741What does the “ADA” acronym stand for?
0October 22, 2003 at 8:04 pm #91362I went to one of their presentations about a year ago, but thought that they killed the line of their product supporting six sigma since then. Are you using it John? Are they actively supporting and developing it? Do they have anyone who actually knows six sigma working on it within their organization?
Thanks,Ren0October 15, 2003 at 3:35 pm #91068Yes, here’s my opinion: they’re doing it suboptimally. But that’s what happens in the real-world, tradeoffs need to occur. Are they getting all they can out of it, probably not. Is it the “rigorous” way to do six sigma, no. Is it sometimes required, yes. Would I recommend it, no.
Good luck.
0June 13, 2003 at 4:51 am #62956Think about the following for measurements:
severity of incidents
uptime
defects data
productivity metrics
budget versus actual
capacity utilization
process monitoring
Determine which are applicable and set your CTQs from there. You may want to benchmark multiple outsource companies and ask what performanc level they meet before setting your CTQ values.
Does that make sense?
Ren0June 13, 2003 at 3:38 am #86929KennethG:
Start with the “New To Six Sigma” section located at https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/six-sigma-newbie.asp. Then read some more on this site. You’ll find all your answers simply by exploring. Have fun.
Ren0June 8, 2003 at 11:18 pm #86754Read the assumptions that are associated with the calculator. It explains the whole short term and long term thing.
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020507a.asp0June 4, 2003 at 12:20 pm #86656You have made the classic Six Sigma mistake: coming up with a solution before you fully understand the problem. If you haven’t even defined your project, penned your charter or asked your customers what their CTQs are, how can you successfully improve the process? The reason Six Sigma is so successful over other methodologies is that it has a structure and methodology associated with it — when you break from the methodology, your project will suffer, you will not see the same magnitude of results, you risk alienating your business employees and you give Six Sigma a black eye. Stick to the methodology please.
0June 4, 2003 at 12:16 pm #86655There’s one on this site, you just have to do a simple search for it.
0June 3, 2003 at 5:16 am #86605There’s nothing different in a service company. They have processes also. In fact, all businesses have processes, whether they are service or manufacturing. Six Sigma will work.
Read this article for more information:
http://www.iSixSigma.com/library/content/c020701a.asp0June 2, 2003 at 6:36 pm #86595See https://www.isixsigma.com/dictionary/TRIZ-379.htm
http://www.triz-journal.com/ is also useful and see this book by G. Tennant: http://www.sixsigmatriz.com/TRIZ_ebook.htm
Ren
0June 2, 2003 at 4:37 pm #86590Yes, Six Sigma can most definitely be applied to the R&D areas.
GE uses Six Sigma DFSS almost exclusively in the CR&D research center. Go to http://www.crd.ge.com/ and type in “six sigma” into their search engine and you’ll see a lot of cool stuff.
Ren0June 2, 2003 at 1:29 pm #86576As a frequest visitor of this site, I can say that from my experience some (I would not say most) of the queries go unanswered because,
They are either not worded easily for others to understand them, or
They are so basic that a simple search of this site will turn up more than one instance of an answer.
I have posted many times and if you read what it says just before you post, you’ll find a secret to get many answers to your query:
“Tip: Thoughtful and carefully worded messages receive more helpful responses.”
Ren0May 30, 2003 at 1:31 am #86492If you’re looking for the depth that each (GB,BB,MBB) should know, try searching this site for “body of knowledge” and you’ll find what you’re looking for. We use it.
0May 28, 2003 at 2:27 pm #86423Fera,
Did you see this?
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010625a.asp
Ren0May 6, 2003 at 11:58 pm #85604See this: https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c030506a.asp for a previous discussion on the topic.
Ren0April 27, 2003 at 1:45 pm #85280You can use the site search engine to find what you are looking for. In this case, here is a list of consultants offering training and consulting in India:
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c030408a.asp0April 9, 2003 at 2:22 pm #84700See this article for more help on recalculating control limits:
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c021202a.asp0April 7, 2003 at 6:37 pm #84605There are lots of resources on this site. Just search using the box in the upper right:
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/zdistribution.asp
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/sigma_table.asp
https://www.isixsigma.com/sixsigma/six_sigma_calculator.asp
Good luck
Ren0April 5, 2003 at 11:58 pm #59837I’ve only heard of two companies that perform work and are compensated based on performance. One is Six Sigma Consultants and the other is Six Sigma Academy. The prior will do smaller as well as larger deployements, but the later tends (traditionally) to do only larger deployments. You may want to look at their websites in order to figure out how to price yourself for smaller companies like the one you’ve already started. Also, you probably don’t have the background, experience in prior deployments, materials, IP, etc. that these two companies do, so I doubt you would be able to charge a premium. It would still probably be a nice income nonetheless. Good luck.
0April 3, 2003 at 8:55 pm #84502Mike:
Never heard of it being done as an implementation. Yes, smaller companies are doing it because they want a couple of projects done here or there, but as you are well aware — you can change the culture of an organization unless everyone’s doing the same thing. Companies without Green Belts teeter on initiative failure when a key person leaves the company.
Ren0April 1, 2003 at 2:10 pm #84379Iswa,
Six Sigma implementations are basically the same everywhere. They’re not different in Australia from that done in Uganda or the US. I think you may want to think about attending a conference or training session to learn more about Six Sigma: https://www.isixsigma.com/ne/events/
Ren0April 1, 2003 at 4:48 am #84358Look at the Six Sigma Q&A under “Who”. Create a list of companies practiciing Six Sigma. Prioritize them based on your preferences (Fortune ranking, geographic location, pay, best places to work, etc.). Start networking with anyone who knows anyone at those companies. Send resumes. Talk to people. Beg, plead, grovel. :)
Good luck,Ren0March 31, 2003 at 5:18 am #84321Are you designing and developing new chemical processes, or are you working to improve the current processes you have? If it’s the prior, look to DFSS (design for six sigma — search this site); if it’s the latter, look to DMAIC.
0March 29, 2003 at 1:02 pm #62873Mayur,
Here is the definition of Six Sigma: http://software.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010101a.asp
For the definition of green belt, black belt and master black belt, please use the dictionary: http://software.isixsigma.com/dictionary/glossary.asp
Visit the homepage of this industry channel to read how Six Sigma can help software: http://software.isixsigma.com
Ren0March 27, 2003 at 3:08 pm #84234Radhia,
You’re doing a market study and you want us to do the work for you? Are you joking? If you have a specific question, then by all means we’d like to help. But don’t expect us to do your work for you! Why don’t you hire a consultant to do your work?
Ren0March 27, 2003 at 12:30 pm #84220This should shed light (and so does the search functionality on this site!): https://www.isixsigma.com/me/balanced_scorecard/
0March 25, 2003 at 7:23 pm #57817Pat,
Have you seen this one?
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010318a.asp
Ren0March 25, 2003 at 7:23 pm #84168Pat,
Have you seen this one?
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010318a.asp
Ren0March 25, 2003 at 5:15 am #84157Look here.
0March 21, 2003 at 7:59 pm #84106Workout is a methodology that is less structured that Six Sigma, typically can be completed faster, and involves getting all the right people in the same room for a specific time period to solve the issue. All decision makers and all people who feel the pain.
This differs greatly from brainstorming, which is just one tool used to generate ideas. Brainstorming may be used in a Workout, just as it is used in Six Sigma and other methodologies.0March 19, 2003 at 2:50 pm #84013Rabih,
Six Sigma can apply to any business, because businesses are nothing more than processes that produce a product (or in your case a service, or maybe product…). Six Sigma helps you identify the key drivers affecting business performance and systematially address and improve them. If your business hasn’t operated with with a “process thinking” perspective, it will be a radical shift from the way you do business and you need to evaluate if your culture can take it.
Six Sigma is rigorous; if it’s not, it becomes yet another TQM program (in my opinion). The benefits are tremendous for both small and large organizations. https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010325a.asp
Good luck and have fun,
Ren0March 19, 2003 at 11:57 am #84005Aparna,
If you’re looking for jobs, see https://www.isixsigma.com/job/
If you’re interested to know who is implementing six sigma, see https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010204a.asp and look under the Who section.
Ren0March 17, 2003 at 12:03 pm #83909Any project can be a completed project. But only projects that attain a defect reduction of 10X and a project benefit of $200,000 can be certified as a Black Belt project. Green Belt projects are more liberal as we are trying to get everyone into a project so we can change the culture.
0March 11, 2003 at 2:31 pm #83685What do you mean? Did you look here: https://www.isixsigma.com/books/default.asp?field-keywords=six+sigma
0March 10, 2003 at 3:37 am #83631Have you done a pareto chart of your repairs? What does it tell you when you stratify and segment your data?
0March 7, 2003 at 3:10 pm #83587I have two responses:
1. Have you looked around this site? I live on this site and have improved the materials of my organization 1000X due to what I read on the forum and in articles. For instance, the orginal poster in this thread says “I want an outline for yellow belts”. First of all, I have no idea how you define yellow belts, but look at https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020617a.asp — it walks you through the dmaic process. There’s also an article on what a Champion, MBB, BB and GB should know (try looking under Certs>BB for info). You just have to look.
2. My local ASQ section sucks (to be blundt). It’s full of TQMers who don’t know the first thing about SS. I went to meetings two years ago and felt frustrated every time. I don’t know about you, but I need some other way to network with SS professionals, and this site is the best I’ve found.
My 2 cents.0March 3, 2003 at 4:21 pm #83488Curious,
Would you pay for a Bachelors degree if you could get an accelerated version in 2 years instead of 4?
How about a PhD in 1 year instead of 3 to 6?
I find it humorous that “accelerated versions” are available. Actually, I find it sad that there are people who will probably sign up for them and then talk badly about Six Sigma when their culture doesn’t change and their projects sit unfinished.
Four weeks includes all the training necessary to get the job done, but doesn’t include any project management and leadership courses that you may need to bring your skills up to par. (The typical 4 week wave courses expect you to be a leader/change agent and have prior project management experience.) You will still need a mentor/coach of some sort to help guide you through some tricky parts of Six Sigma. I find this forum to server as that coach sometimes, but wish I had my own dedicated MBB at other times.
Ren0March 1, 2003 at 11:33 am #83450That’s a loaded question. There are many reputable consulting companies, and each probably has “better” parts. I would say that it is probably a function of what your CTQs are. For instance, if you are in a particular industry there may be a consulting company with more experience in that industry.
From what I’ve seen, most BB training is 4 weeks long (separated by a few weeks in between each week when you can complete parts of your project), and costs anywhere from $10-30,000. You can do it online for less, but you should be aware of the benefits and pitfalls if you decide to go that path.
Ren0February 28, 2003 at 12:45 pm #83429Take a look at the “New To Six Sigma?” link on the left. After doing some reading, let us know if you still have questions.
0February 27, 2003 at 3:59 pm #83392The Black Belt runs projects full time from beginning to end. They may or may not help scope the project, and may or may not help identify the project. Once it’s identified, it’s usually their role to take it from Define through Control, then hand off to the process owner when it’s in control and benefits have been documented.
See https://www.isixsigma.com/ca/mbb_bb/ for more info.0February 27, 2003 at 3:15 am #83368February 27, 2003 at 3:15 am #83367Alan- Look at the Six Sigma Q&A on the left under Who.
0February 26, 2003 at 8:04 pm #83359Did you really…:)
Try searching the forum, as well as the site. I did (https://www.isixsigma.com/forum/default.asp?mode=titleormessage&q=kwsearch&SearchString=introduction+to+six+sigma) and found the first result of the forum to have something you might be interested in.
Have fun.0February 26, 2003 at 6:42 pm #83350Tom,
Look at the Quality Directory to the left. In there is a section called “Tools & Templates” — click that and go to the pareto section.
Have fun.0February 26, 2003 at 6:41 pm #83349Yes, of course, Six Sigma can apply to [fill in your industry here].
A complete beginner begins with training (https://www.isixsigma.com/ne/events/) or books (https://www.isixsigma.com/books/).
Good luck.0February 23, 2003 at 12:20 pm #83221Take an in-person training course and solve a problem for your business. Reading books is not going to solve any problem, and really won’t give you what you need to learn to become a change agent.https://www.isixsigma.com/ne/events/
Find training from a reputable company — one that is established and has been around a while, as they’ll have better materials, trainers and programs.
Ren0February 23, 2003 at 12:18 pm #83220MN,
You are asking whether to take Black Belt training or attain a PMP certificate? The first will train your how to be a change agent by giving your tools for business leadership, and the second will certify you in project management methodologies. I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. You should really spend more time investigating why you want additional training/certification (only you can answer that question), and then look at the merits of both and determine which satisfies your needs. Good luck.
Ren0February 18, 2003 at 10:22 pm #83083“Seek and ye shall find.”
Six Sigma DMAIC Roadmaphttps://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020617a.asp0February 18, 2003 at 5:14 am #83057Anoop,
No disrespect intended, but you need to do a little searching to find the information. This site has soooo much, you’ll spend the next few months reading.
For organizations that can instruct you: https://www.isixsigma.com/co/six_sigma/
For books (rated by Amazon.com): https://www.isixsigma.com/books/default.asp?field-keywords=six+sigma
Good luck on your knowledge quest. Six Sigma is very exciting in the right hands — it can revolutionlize an organization! I’ve seen it firsthand.0February 15, 2003 at 11:51 am #83021Neha,
Have you thought about hiring a consultant to help with the implementation, training and materials? I just joined a company implementing Six Sigma and cannot imaging it done without a consultant (or I can, but it wouldn’t be done very well).
Ren0February 15, 2003 at 11:45 am #83020Hi Doug,
Please look at this thread on the same topic. I found it by searching the forum archive.
https://www.isixsigma.com/forum/showmessage.asp?messageID=22260
Ren0February 10, 2003 at 4:02 pm #82886You are right. The logic would say keep the black belts because they are the ones that are impacting the business by reducing costs, increasing productivity and increasing sales. By the leadership (and I use that word loosly) eliminating the Six Sigma belts, they are essentially shooting themselves in the foot. How can they make a concerted effort to improve? If the economy continues as it is heading for a while, your company will go out of business.
0February 10, 2003 at 12:34 pm #82864Try searching the forums. There have been a good deal of discussions around e-learning. You will find what you are looking for if you look.
Regarding certification. Yes, you need a project before you can get certified by most (two projects by some, more stringent, companies). I guess I don’t really understand your question — work with your boss to define a project that would be well solved using DMAIC.
Ren0January 20, 2003 at 2:21 am #82305Check out the Methodologies > Financial Analysis section. There’s an article there labeled “Six Sigma Costs and Savings” (https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c020729a.asp) that does a good job identifying what some other companies have spent in the past, and what their ROI was.
0January 20, 2003 at 2:09 am #82304Well, I hear in the news that cruise line after cruise line is making their customers sick. I haven’t heard a root cause yet, but I can assure you that I won’t be taking a cruise until I hear one! :)
0January 9, 2003 at 1:50 pm #82029You can find almost every definition you’ll need in the Dictionary on this site. It’s terrific :-).
0January 7, 2003 at 3:19 pm #81943Yeah, I think I understand what you are saying, but it doesn’t make sense.
For example, when you start a DMAIC project you Define on a piece of paper a charter. It’s written down (https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010218a.asp) what the problem is, who’s involved, how long it’s going to take, what goals you are striving for, what the defect is, etc. All of that is quantifiable.
When you get to the Control phase, you have documented savings, what the process should look like, what should happen when the process goes out of control, etc. Your PMO team can verify if the project is in control from the control plan and if savings have and are truly being realized.
Does that make sense, or am I misinterpretting your need? (Which wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to me :( ).
Ren0January 7, 2003 at 3:14 pm #81942We are using Six Sigma, but we are NOT a Six Sigma company/organization. The difficulty with using tollgate is that the project manager (Project Management Office) will also use this “effectiveness check”. Any ideas?
0January 7, 2003 at 2:34 pm #81939It sounds like you want a tollgate process, but it also sounds like you’re not using six sigma. Is this true?
If you are using six sigma, you may want to search this site for “tollgate”. I use a template that I found on this site and it’s fantastic.0January 6, 2003 at 5:35 pm #81910Look at the iSixSigma Jobs Board.
Try monster.com or hotjobs.com also.
Join the local association of ASQ or other professions and network with other people.
Contact a head-hunter (https://www.isixsigma.com/co/recruiters).
I find that 99% of all jobs I’ve had have been through someone I knew. I don’t believe in “cold calling” for jobs; it’s just never worked for me.
Good luck.0December 29, 2002 at 12:26 pm #81755Looks at the related links on the calculator page…you will find an assumptions page with the calculator’s formulae.
0December 27, 2002 at 4:36 am #81723You need to look at this situation separately from that of the JP Morgan business. Who is the hiring manager and the GM of the business you’re going to support. Do they embrace SS or are they going to give you one off projects? Do people talk about SS in the business, or is it just for internal purposes (no customer touch)?
0November 15, 2002 at 5:11 pm #80761 -
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