jtucci

John,
Great post!  Our work involves getting those closest to the work engaged in process improvement and we are working with several compaines as part of their Six Sigma Deployment.  I would be very interested in scheduling a phone meeting with you purely for benchmarking purposes. 
Send me an email at [email protected] if you are interested.

Here are a few Hospitals I know of that are implmenting Six Sigma
Mount Carmel Health System — Columbus HO
Commonwealth Health System — Bowling Green KY
Luther Middlefort Hospital — Eau Claire WI
Fairview Health Systems — Minneapolis MN
I may be able to get you in contact with folks from some of these organizations.  I don’t have direct…[Read more]

Bob,
I can help as well, but difficult to describe in a short email.  email me or give me a call —  [email protected], 296 383 3400.  And in case you were wondering, no, I will not try and sell you something!

Tim,
Here is my .02. The innovation of creating dedicated, full-time black belts is a big differentiator between Six Sigma and TQM.  TQM assumed that with a little bit of training (typically 3 days) in problem solving tools everyone in the organization would begin to incorporate problem solving and data based decision-making into their daily w…[Read more]

Mike,
We have developed some models and tools for integrating Lean and Workout tools (particularly useful in transactional processes)  into Six Sigma Deployments.  Here are a couple of insights that are emerging.
1.  Do not introduce Lean as a separate intiative.  Use DMAIC as the framework for all improvement projects.  What flexes are the…[Read more]

Cheryl,
Glad you liked the “Paper Plane” exercise.  I dig up one or two more in the next week and post.
Ulisses,
Great idea on changing the spec to “flight time” lots of good/simple variations on this exercise are possible to illustrate different learning points.  The flight time variation would make a good one to demonstrate data gathering a…[Read more]

Steve,
You’re right not a Six Sigma Project, but it is tough to “fight city hall” especially when management is feeling bottom-line pain from an existing problem.  Here is a way to get a win/win on this one.
Step 1: Stop the Bleeding
Meet management where they are at by getting a “quick win” on finding a solution to getting the scrapped parts…[Read more]

Some hopefully helpful thoughts, but perhaps a bit controversial.
1.  Why is the organization embarking on Six Sigma?  Is it in the top 3 priorities on the CEO’s agenda — not just lip service, but a Jack Welch/Larry Bossidy type commitment?
The answer to this question should guide the development of your RFP and selection of potential v…[Read more]

Mark,
Here is a very simple but effective icebreaker for demonstrating the importance of effective process design:
Paper Plane Exercise: 10 – 15 minutes
1. Distribute an 8.5×11 sheet of paper to each participant and ask them to write their name on it.
2. Give them 1 minute to make a paper airplane with the objective of making a plane that…[Read more]

 Carrie,
Based on our experience with more than 4000 project teams.  We have found that you can more reliably increase the success rate of team leaders not by looking for a particular personality profile, but by developing a more robust, reliable process for team leaders to follow to manage team dynamics and project life-cycle.
By focusing on th…[Read more]

Hemanth,
Glad you liked it.  Reason I used system is that senior management is used to investing in “systems” which might impress upon them the seriousness of Six Sigma and the need for a systematic implemenentation strategy.
Sometimes the word “approach” can make it sound to “soft” or optional to Senior Management.

Hemanth,
How about this one:
Six Sigma is a powerful business improvement system that gives our people the time, tools and support they need to dramatically improve bottom line performance, customer satisfaction and increase our competitive advantage.
John Tucci

Linda,
Pay attention to team dynamics as you tackle this elephant.  If this is not a full time assignment for you and the team it is easy to get overwhelmed and burnt out.  Set very clear 30 – 45 day milestones for the project.  Also, you may need some long team meetings in the beginning to get traction on the project, but after that it ty…[Read more]