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Understanding X: The Key to Optimizing Your Business Processes

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In business, it is necessary to have a solid understanding of what, exactly, is going into your processes. After all, if you do not know your inputs, how can you expect to be able to keep your output outcome desirable, repeatable, and consistent? Your X’s play a massive role in the outcomes you achieve. In […]

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Yellow Belt (YB)

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Have you seen the Lean Six Sigma rainbow of Belt colors? There is White, Yellow, Green, and Black. Let’s explore Yellow.

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Z

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A Z value is a data point’s position between the mean and another location as measured by the number of standard deviations. Z is a universal measurement because it can be applied to any unit of measure. Z is a measure of process capability and corresponds to the process sigma value that is reported by […]

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Z bench

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Z bench is not where Zorro rested after saving another town. There are a number of Six Sigma terms associated with the letter Z, such as Z score, Z bench long term, Z bench short term, and Z shift. Let’s explore the A to Zs about Z.

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Leveraging Web-Based Technology (WBT)

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If it relies or revolves around the internet, chances are it counts as web-based technology. This concept encompasses a significant vertical and horizontal scope, which means it includes many different kinds of technology, products and services. Overview: What is web-based technology (WBT)? Web-based technology (WBT) is a broad umbrella term that encompasses many different types […]

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Quality Control Just Got Easier: Learn How to Use U Charts

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A U chart is one of four quality control charts that engineers use to track variation in a manufacturing process. The other three typical quality control charts are the p chart (which plots the proportion of defective items, the c chart (which shows the number of defects), and the np chart (which shows the number […]

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Managing Work in Process: Best Practices for Optimal Workflow

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Proper WIP management creates both quick wins and long term improvements. Here’s what you need to know.

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Why Upper Specification Limits Matter in Process Improvement

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The upper specification limit represents the highest limit that a measurement or reading can reach and still be acceptable to the customer. There are several benefits of monitoring USL and determining if a process can satisfy customer requirements.

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Documenting Tribal Knowledge: Ensuring Continuity in Operations

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Tribal knowledge is the information regarding a product or service process that resides only in the minds of the employees. Familiarize yourself with how non-documented tribal knowledge creates inefficiencies within the process, and understand the benefits of addressing these gaps.

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Variable Data

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Data is just data, right? Hardly! We hear about discrete data, attribute data, continuous data, and variable data. Let’s unravel some of the confusion.

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Visual Quality Document (VQD)

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Visual Quality Document

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Vital Few

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When there seem to be more problems than can reasonably be dealt with, which is the right analytical tool to better your chances of spending precious time on those crucial few problems that will have the greatest impact on quality?

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Value Stream

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Do your processes deliver value for your customer? How do you know if what you do is valued by your customer? Let’s find out.

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Variance Explained: Definitions and Formulas

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When you hear the word variance, you can think of it in terms of finance or statistics. In statistics, variance is a calculation describing the spread, or variation, of the data around the average, or mean, of the data.

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Understanding Team Leaders: Responsibilities and Impact

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In an organization, it is important that there are members of a team to look to when leadership is required. These members may rise to this higher level of responsibility naturally through their skills or personalities, or they may be put in such a position by management. Being a team leader requires more from you […]

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Understanding Univariate Analysis: The Basics

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A good introduction to dealing with variables in a data set is to start with univariate statistics. The analysis of this type of data is the simplest. When analyzing variables in a data set, you will conduct either multivariate, bivariate, or univariate analysis. This will be dependent on the number of variables and how many […]

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How to Use Voice of the Customer to Improve Customer Experience

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While an organization may hear many voices (Customer, Business, Employee and Process), it is the voice of the customer (VOC) that is the driving voice as to what should be important to the organization and what the organization should focus on. The satisfaction of the VOC needs to be balanced against the Voice of the […]

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Transfer Function Y=f(X)

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Are you ready to dust off your calculus differential equations and Laplace transformations? No? Then we will have to provide a simpler discussion of what a transfer function, or Y=f(X), is all about. 

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How to Calculate and Utilize Upper Control Limit

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What is more misunderstood than the humble upper control limit? Is it a probability limit? Is it an economic limit? Read on to find out! Overview: What is the Upper Control Limit (UCL)?  A control chart consists of several parts. It has two control limits and an average line. The bottom dashed line is called […]

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Tolerance Range

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Understanding and determining the upper and lower statistical limits are the key to determining tolerance range (TR). Find out more about this LSS concept.

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Simplifying Complex Systems with Value Stream Mapping

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Gain a better understanding of value stream mapping and how you can use it in your business. We’ll cover the flow, department interactions, bottleneck identification, and key metrics — as well as a few best practices.

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The Importance of Total Probability of Defect in Risk Analysis

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Defects in quality put a severe dent in the potential profits of companies all over the world year after year. Having an understanding of the total probability of defect puts the power in an organization’s hands to make improvements and reduce the chance of its customers receiving faulty products.Knowing the total probability of defect for […]

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Enhancing Quality through Value-Added Work: Meeting Customer Requirements

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Being busy and working hard don’t necessarily mean what you are doing will have value to your customer. Let’s see why not.

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Know the Benefits and Drawbacks of Unexplained Variation

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In a regression model, there will be an amount of variation that is unexplained by x, unless r squared equals 100%. When you are working with a regression model, there is a chance that you will encounter an amount of variation that is unexplained. This variation, nevertheless, needs to be accounted for and checked to […]

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Practical Tips for Obtaining Unbiased Estimates in Sampling

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It’s not practical to measure every value in a population, whether it be people or all the jars of peanut butter you produced. Taking samples helps. But if your samples are biased and don’t represent the population, then you have a biased statistic or estimator. Let’s learn how you can calculate an unbiased statistic.

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Warning Limits

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Lean business operations don’t happen without defining expectations, collecting data and monitoring results. Statistical limits serve your streamlining goals through efficiency quality control and loss prevention.

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Discover the Power of The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ)

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Sometimes you really need to look at problems in a creative and innovative manner. TRIZ is a problem-solving approach that fosters invention for project teams who have become stuck while trying to solve a business challenge.  TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach) is a problem-solving methodology that was developed in the former Soviet Union by Genrich […]

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Tree Diagram

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Is there a simple graphical tool for looking at a series of linked hierarchical activities? Yes, a tree diagram would be a good one to use. Let’s see how it would work. If you have a series of hierarchical tasks and subtasks to complete before you reach some objective, then a tree diagram would allow […]

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Standard Order

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The term standard order refers to the sequence of the runs you will do in your Design of Experiments. The question we will answer is whether to use the standard order or a random order.

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The Importance of SS Product Reports in Quality Assurance

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An SS product report is a critical document that summarizes the results of the product development process, including quality, reliability, and performance. Understanding SS Product Reports The Six Sigma methodology is a highly effective process improvement approach that has been widely adopted across various industries. It provides a data-driven and customer-focused approach to reduce defects […]

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Spread

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Spread comes in a variety of forms. It refers to the variation of the data and can be calculated in a number of different ways. Let’s explore these.

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A Comprehensive Guide to the Voice of the Business

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Do you hear voices? In a business context, that’s normal. Let’s listen in to the voice of the business and hear what it has to say.

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Understanding Thulla and Its Impact on Team Dynamics

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When workers lack motivation, this can be incredibly frustrating. There can be a temptation to address these frustrations using terms that one has heard elsewhere. Take care to keep criticism constructive, to be very aware of how certain terms are used culturally, and to avoid them if they could be inappropriate. When workers have used […]

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Span

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Span is a descriptor of the spread or variation of your data. It is a simple calculation that eliminates the impact of any outliers or unusually high or low values in your data set.

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Enhancing Data Visualization Through Stratification

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Webster’s dictionary defines stratification as: formed, deposited, or arranged in stable layers or strata. That’s interesting, but how does it apply to Six Sigma? Let’s find out.

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How to Choose the Right Statistical Test for Your Data

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If you have a question about how your process or organization is performing, statistics will be the methodology for answering those questions. Statistics is the discipline and science used for the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of your data. Statistics usually fall into one of two categories: Descriptive statistics: methods used to summarize or […]

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Creating Effective Specifications: What to Include and How to Structure Them

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It is important that you clearly specify your expectations about a company process or product. These detailed expectations are called specifications and serve as a guide as to how well you are satisfying both internal and external expectations. A specification (spec) is a detailed description of the requirements, characteristics, and features of a product, service, […]

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Add Business Value to Your Organization with Total Productive Maintenance

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If your machines are not working, you can’t produce products for your customers. Your customers will likely not remain your customers for very long. Let’s see how Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) can keep your equipment up and running. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance strategy aimed at maximizing the productivity of equipment, machines, and […]

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Using Variance Inflation Factor to Optimize Regression Models

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The variance inflation factor measures the degree of multicollinearity of multiple predictor variables in a multiple linear regression. Holy smokes, that’s a lot of big words. Let’s find out what it all means.

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Navigating Turn Around Time in Process Management

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Your customers often ask, “When will I get my widget delivered?” You respond with, “It depends.” If you know your turn-around time, you might be able to provide a better answer. Let’s learn more about turn-around time.

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Stable Process

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What do you picture when you hear the word stable? Words such as steady, consistent and minimal variation may come to mind. These words could also apply to your process. Let’s see what a stable process means. 

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Maximizing the Telecosm: Strategies for Effective Communication

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Do you remember the days of having to get off the internet when your mother had to use the phone? How about waiting to watch a video while an advertisement seems to buffer endlessly? Advancements in the telecosm have made the amount of bandwidth across all mediums feel infinite in comparison to the early days […]

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Predicting Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Trend Analysis Tools

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Do you possess a crystal ball to see what the future brings for your organization? Probably not, but you do have a statistical version of a crystal ball by using trend analysis. 

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Variables: The Key to Process Enhancement in Six Sigma

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Six Sigma without variables is like a recipe without ingredients. Understanding how variables align with Six Sigma is paramount to the success of any business. Learn how variables can highlight your process’ capabilities and limitations. What are Variables in Six Sigma? Variables are essential to Six Sigma. By measuring, analyzing, and controlling the variables that […]

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Progress Check: The Importance of Tollgate Reviews in Project Management

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Do I have to pay money to get through my project Tollgate? Of course not, but you do have to stop, evaluate your progress, and make sure you’re still heading in the right direction — and accomplishing the tasks required for each step of your project. 

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The Power of Special Cause Variation: Learning from Process Changes

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This article will introduce you to special cause control chart patterns. You will learn why special cause variation is one of the foundational concepts in quality improvement and the use of special cause variation in process improvement.

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Visual Controls

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When things go wrong in the process, how do you know? And how do you know what to do?

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How the Toyota Production System Can Improve Your Business Processes

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The Toyota Production System (TPS) serves as the foundation for Lean Manufacturing. Let’s explore this powerful method for improving your processes.  The Toyota Production System (TPS) is a manufacturing philosophy and a set of management practices developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It emphasizes continuous improvement, just-in-time production, and efficient use of resources, with the […]

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Unintended Consequences

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If you hear someone say, “Darn, I didn’t expect that to happen”, they are probably experiencing an unintended consequence from some action they took. No one plans for things to go awry, but unfortunately, they do.

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System Audit

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The system audit is a beneficial and needed tool to evaluate business processes to determine how efficiently they work. This article provides the understanding needed to correctly execute the methodology.

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