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Which companies do design thinking the best? Design thinking is a relatively new approach to the likes of product delivery. While products are often drummed up with the customer in mind, few approaches consider the customer’s needs before even analyzing the problem and developing a solution. That said, some companies are embracing design thinking with […]

The gold rush of generative AI and autonomous agents is upon us. As such, we need to take a closer look at things like transparency and accountability, at least when considering who has ownership of the outputs of these digital tools. Corporations have realized that AI can speed up productivity, making for thousands of lines […]

What tools are needed to create business agility? An agile business can adapt and roll with the punches. I don’t mean a momentary setback but events that a business can easily adapt and overcome. In software development, this methodology is known as Agile and is one of the driving forces behind modern development teams. However, […]

When conducting process improvement, Root Cause Analysis is a physical, human-centric exercise. It involves stakeholders standing around a whiteboard, drawing Ishikawa diagrams, and asking the Five Whys until a human or mechanical point of failure is found. However, the nature of work has shifted as more industries are embracing automated workflows. Processes aren’t a string […]

Lean Six Sigma often evokes the image of a war room of sorts: a physical space with whiteboards, sticky notes, and a group of practitioners huddled over a Value Stream Map. There has been a shift of sorts in the workplace, and subsequently these sorts of spaces are falling out of fashion. Our workforces are […]

Big data vs. small data, which one are you choosing for your business? Data is a big market right now, something that it has held the distinction of for the last decade or more. Data drives business decisions, calls forecasts for future trends, and so much more. As such, it helps to have a plan […]

Is it easy to build a data-driven culture for your business? Data is a driving force in any modern organization. Even mom-and-pop stores are leaning on what they can glean from the digital revolution. As such, it is more important than ever to take the steps to create a data-driven culture to take your organization […]

What are the most common mistakes you can make with FMEA? As a framework, FMEA is aimed at creating lasting solutions to potential problems before they even arise. However, that doesn’t mean it’s completely foolproof. As we’ve seen with many of the tools of the trade, there is certainly a right and a wrong way […]

What’s the best process for conducting an FMEA? If you want to start implementing lasting changes into your production line, FMEA is one of the top ways to get things rolling. However, there is a certain procedure you’ll want to follow to make the most of your efforts. If you’re new to the concept, that’s […]

How can you use FMEA in product development? I’ve talked at length about using FMEA as a means of rectifying problems in production. However, you can apply the methodology to the design process of any product or service you’ve got in the works. It isn’t similar to DMAIC, as DMAIC is generally used to refine […]

The end of any Lean Six Sigma project is met with a collective sigh of relief from every member of your team. The DMAIC cycle reaches its final stage. Targets are met, and stakeholders sit satisfied with the ROI. That said, the most misunderstood phase of DMAIC, Control, is often the most under-executed portion of […]

What are the tools every Scrum team should use? Scrum is a popular way of conducting any Agile project, but you can maximize your results with some handy applications of modern technology. Now, these don’t change how you work, but they will make things much easier on the whole. So, with that in mind, let’s […]

Practitioners cannot wait to use their newly acquired knowledge after they have finished Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training. They want to immediately apply the framework to their real-life projects. But what if, for numerous reasons, it is not possible to “go by the book”? In such cases, there are ways to break LSS down into […]

When an organization or group is looking to roll out a Lean Six Sigma program, it’s a good reminder to consider that this combines two very powerful process improvement methodologies. No matter the industry, Lean will play its role as it looks to reduce overall waste, while Six Sigma focuses heavily on reducing variation.  Combining […]

What common myths about TQM muddy the waters on how it is utilized? Total quality management is a powerful framework, but without a keen understanding of the methodology, you fall victim to issues with how to best use it. That said, it isn’t a difficult methodology to get behind, as we’ll explore a little further. […]

Developing solid metrics and a good toolchain is instrumental for the success of any Scrum project. If you’re just flying by the seat of your pants, you’re likely not maximizing the potential of both your team and the outputs of a given project. Success in Scrum is about delivering value, not so much about the […]

Scrum is synonymous with software development, a practice going back decades at this point. It serves as Silicon Valley’s killer app, the engine behind rapid deliverables that let tech giants pivot on a dime. As the global economy grows increasingly more volatile and customer expectations shift toward instant gratification, Scrum isn’t just for software these […]

One of the most popular approaches to strategic planning, Hoshin Kanri has been helping companies like Toyota achieve their most important goals for decades. Focusing heavily on continuous improvement, the Hoshin Kanri methodology is pretty straightforward, but this doesn’t mean it’s always launched perfectly.  Launching Hoshin Kanri can be relatively problematic in many ways and […]

Applying Scrum to non-software industries is a lot easier than you think. The most recent edition of the Scrum Guide has even prepared the approach for integration into other business sectors. As such, there has never been a better time for adapting and ultimately using Scrum in a non-software setting. With that in mind, let’s […]

Originating from the Japanese term “Gembutsu,” “Gemba Walk” is essentially a lean management practice that has an organization’s leadership visiting the “actual place” where work is done. This might be a factory or an office, but the goal is to give company leadership an inside view of how things are going, as well as enabling […]

Today’s marketplace is increasingly competitive, with organizations facing mounting pressure to reduce time-to-market while maintaining current quality standards. For Six Sigma practitioners, the answer is relatively simple to reduce shipping times, and involves the integration of Agile teachings and techniques. By taking a systematic approach toward iterative development, defect prevention, and integrating continuous improvement, organizations […]

Going from Waterfall to Scrum is a tall order, but is easily achieved with the right mindset and approach. You can’t just drop and turn tail, you’ve got to ease into things to the best of your ability. Scrum is a flexible approach to project management, putting people well before any processes or technology. This […]

The Scrum Guide is something of a living document, undergoing frequent revisions and changes to better suit the changes of today’s business needs. The most recent edition of the guide is the 2020 one, authored by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Now, for the average person, this is a fairly dense document, in part thanks […]

One of the world’s most common and best-known quality improvement methodologies, Six Sigma, is seemingly everywhere. Developed in the mid-1980s, it reduces the likelihood of defects and ensures that organizations or businesses use quality management techniques that directly lead to bottom-line profit improvements.  As a result, there is always a question about how directly an […]

What major changes in BPR implementation is your organization struggling with? Like it or not, sometimes implementing something new can lead to some real hurdles to overcome. Often, these can be minor speed bumps in the road, and an adjustment can get things back on track. However, BPR is quite drastic by design, and this […]

What role does leadership play in your BPR efforts? BPR is a drastic and often massive change to business processes. The concept of a clean slate isn’t just touted about, but followed through on. As such, it has its own sort of demands to consider when undergoing a BPR initiative. Leadership plays a key role […]

No matter what total quality management or quality management system you want to implement, one truth is that leadership will be required for success. No matter why an organization wants to adopt a new process or methodology, if leadership isn’t fully on board, any attempts to change are dead on arrival.  This is no less […]

Process time vs. cycle time is a discussion that comes up often for newcomers to Six Sigma. Understanding these principles and how they apply to your time management is vital. Failing to grasp these concepts can negatively affect your bottom line . What is Process Time? Process time describes the interval required for a product […]

How do you calculate the overall standard deviation of multiple groups or samples? You can’t just add them up and divide by the number of groups, like you do with averages. Let’s see how we can do it correctly.

You’ve done the difficult task of conducting a business process reengineering effort, but how do you quantify the results? BPR is a very drastic practice, and can be somewhat more difficult to measure than you might think. When you consider the scope and depth of a BPR project, cleanly pointing out tangible benefits might seem […]

When you examine the various management philosophies that exist today, there truly is something for everyone. From Six Sigma to Lean to Kanban, there are numerous options for businesses to choose from. Among the choices is the Theory of Constraints, a system introduced in the 1980s by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt.  In this case, the […]

Kanban makes for a wonderful complementary tool in your Agile workflows. If you’re looking to optimize your software delivery workflow, then looking at a visual means of organization is a great way of keeping things centered on continuous flow. Further, it fits right into the somewhat looser principles around Agile, which focus primarily on results. […]

Agile isn’t supposed to be a state of permanent urgency. For many organizations, however, this proves to be the case. They undergo a relentless cycle of sprints, reviews, and backlog cleaning sessions that generate motion but don’t maintain any sort of long-term progress. Deliverables are shipped, processes are iterated upon, and the organization stays stagnant. […]

Leveraging the Theory of Constraints for software development is easier than you think. While we often think of ToC as an approach geared toward physical goods, like manufacturing, it is widely applicable to disparate industries like software. The principles behind the approach focus on increasing throughput, and that is an area where software development can […]

Integration of Hoshin Kanri into an Agile workplace can seem somewhat daunting at first glance, given how disparate both approaches are. However, teams on the hunt for a hybrid approach that emphasizes strategic planning might find this combination to be just what the doctor ordered. It does take a deft hand when it comes to […]

Sometimes, a business process simply isn’t tenable. No matter what you try to do with improvements and initiatives, it won’t respond how you want. In scenarios like this, it can be difficult to think of a solid method of recourse. Business process reengineering is a drastic means of completely redesigning a business process from the […]

When most people stop and think about what the Lean methodology is doing in the real world, it’s often viewed as a step-by-step approach to a problem. This means that a company is taking incremental steps toward a fix that is usually the result of identifying a wasteful aspect of its business operations or manufacturing. […]

How do you tailor Six Sigma for software? When it comes to modern businesses, things are all about the speed of delivery. The faster you’re able to deliver upon your customer’s demands, the faster you’re able to move on to the next project. That doesn’t focus on quality necessarily, but rather the reality of your […]

In the world of Lean Six Sigma, no term may be as familiar and associated with this process methodology as that of a “black belt.” Anyone who is even remotely aware of what Lean Six Sigma is knows that individuals who achieve “black belt” status are change agents and problem solvers who can look at […]

Are you making use of legal Lean at your law firm? It might seem counterintuitive at first glance, but there is some serious potential when it comes to using the methodology for streamlining your legal processes. It takes some adaptation, sure, but like any methodology, you’re going to be tailoring it to better suit the […]

In Six Sigma, we’re often taught that variation is the enemy. We apply a deeply analytical lens toward complex projects to seek out wastes, excesses, and bring them back under heel. When applied to a complex workload like software development, the most feared and hated sort of variation you’ll come across is scope creep. It […]

Any instance in which Lean and Six Sigma are matched, like in areas like healthcare, you know there is going to be some major changes taking place. With the Six Sigma methodology already capable of making sweeping changes across different industries like healthcare, it was only a matter of time before Lean Six Sigma began […]

When processes are fundamentally broken, you aren’t left with many choices. You can try to tweak and improve them incrementally. However, this only serves to spin the wheels, wasting resources and manhours. If a process isn’t working, you have to make the change, and that often means leaning on BPR to make things work. Business […]

When you think about Business Process Reengineering, you might be thinking about a strategy to organize a business or organization’s workflows better. The goal is that if you are able to reengineer business processes, you are going to find a clearer path toward eliminating waste, which in turn leads to increased profits. Rest assured that […]

A defect in Six Sigma is defined by the tangible. These are your marred surfaces, late deliveries, bugs in the code, or measurements that fall outside the Upper or Lower Control Limits. Black Belts hunting variances make use of the DMAIC roadmap, fairly standard practice for regular readers of our site. As we venture further […]

In the world of business methodologies and project management, Lean has quickly become one of the most focused and popular. Based on the history of Japanese manufacturing techniques, Lean thinking is a concept that can be applied to various industries worldwide with outstanding success. The best part is that Lean thinking is a proven system […]

For many organizations, service operations are growing steadily out of control. Increasingly complex and verging on inefficiency, these processes often start with the best of intentions behind them. However, over time, process improvement measures, compliance mandates, and hacky ad-hoc solutions can turn fairly straightforward workflows into a convoluted nightmare. When service operations reach this point, […]

Streamlining and optimizing processes lead businesses to adopt known, trusted methodologies for continuous improvement, such as Six Sigma, Lean, and Kaizen. Over time, teams root out waste, guarantee consistency, and climb closer toward process excellence and overall stability. However, when margins begin tightening, you might see those gains start to plateau, and those incremental changes […]

In Lean Six Sigma, hard, actionable data is king. We obsess over capability indices, take stock in p-values, and make use of structured improvement cycles under the likes of DMAIC. If you follow the data, so we are told, then the solution will be self-evident. However, that isn’t the whole of the story when it […]

If you’re not keeping up with the latest threats, your overall security posture is at risk. Cybersecurity is a central concern for any organization’s operational strategy. Managing security initiatives is inherently complex, owing to the sheer scale and scope of even minor networks. Further, threat landscapes are constantly changing, along with shifting compliance requirements. Teams […]