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When project managers begin studying Lean Six Sigma, the first question asked is often, “How will I get buy-in?” Although the core concepts and methodologies may make sense to project managers, the question of buy-in sometimes overshadows this powerful methodology for process improvement. There are many root causes for why people are reluctant to lend […]

After a brief hiatus, the iSixSigma Live! Social & Networking Party returned last week, with the first event taking place in Seattle, welcoming nearly 70 Six Sigma professionals from the Puget Sound region. Held on the top floor of the popular Rock Bottom Brewery in Bellevue, Wash., the Social drew continuous improvement professionals from the […]

A Minnesota-based quality group recently presented three people with the 2010 Shurson Awards, honoring commitment to quality principles. The winners, chosen by the Rochester Area Quality Council (RAQC), are Gene Dankbar and Dr. Prathibha Varkey of the Mayo Clinic, and Darryl Mickelson of Hormel Foods Corp.

Read Dr. Mikel Harry’s responses to common questions about Six Sigma. His biography is below: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1984 M.A., Ball State University, 1981 B.S., Ball State University, 1973 Dr. Harry has been widely recognized and cited in many publications as the principal architect of Six Sigma and the world’s leading authority within this […]

iSixSigma.com and iSixSigma Magazine are pleased to announce that the top 10 finalist companies have been chosen for the third annual list of iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work™ for Six Sigma professionals.

How’s your Lean initiative doing? Is it going great? Or is it starting to lose steam? Or is it clearly failing to meet expectations? Have you given up and gone back to the not-so “good old days” from which you had hoped to escape? These are questions I see a lot of firms both asking […]

On iSixSigma’s Discussion Forum, a poster working on a doctoral thesis asked about how various differences in national culture can affect Six Sigma implementation. Respondents provided several links to studies on the role of cultural differences among deployments in the United States and Europe. One reader added that the corporate culture is far more important […]

Despite the common allegation that Lean improvement methods must lead to layoffs at healthcare systems, the reality is quite different at several leading hospitals, where Lean methods are actually saving or creating jobs.

One of the most important skills people learn in Six Sigma training is project chartering. Many Green Belts and Black Belts have learned to write much better goal statements using the SMART guideline (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). In a previous blog, I talked about how clear operational definitions help create specific and measurable […]

Companies lose an average of 5 percent of revenue annually due to payroll process inefficiencies, errors and fraud. Leaders at Océ Business Services, a provider of outsourced document process management services, estimated that their company had an even greater opportunity because of their outsourcing model – employees based on client premises supporting thousands of individual […]

Boeing is introducing several improvements on its Boeing 767 assembly line as it ramps up production to meet higher commercial demand and a potential tanker order from the US Air Force.

Earlier this month, a member of the iSixSigma Discussion Forum asked about the best methods to measure financial performance among business units within the same company, but in different regions. The answers that came back ranged from simple bottom-line comparison using accounting department data to more complex metrics, such as profit per item sold and […]

808 Renewable Energy Corp. has named Pascal Lorthioir as it s new Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors Member. Lorthioir brings to the firm – which started in 2006 as 808 Investments, LLC – more than 20 years of professional, hands-on corporate experience in operations, management, research and development, mergers and acquisitions and international […]

A study of 835 individuals, representing a variety of companies of all sizes and industries from across the globe, has been released, showing trends and success factors in business process excellence (BPE) initiatives worldwide.

Boston Strategies International announced that Chevron, Shell and Baker Hughes have won BSI’s 2010 Oil and Gas Supply Chain Excellence Awards.

Hansen Transmissions International NV is pleased to announce the appointment of Leszek Biskup-Koestner as Vice President, Six Sigma.

In order to increase organization and efficiency at hospitals, administrators should employ management tools such as the Toyota Production System, said healthcare futurist Joe Flower, who works with clients ranging from World Health Organization to Global Business Network.

While transactional processes might require a different approach, the Lean Six Sigma tools you use are the same. Follow this sequence of five tools to begin fixing your invisible problems before they reach your customers.

I’’ve seen it over and over again. An airman makes a mistake and then the reprimands begin, “He should know better,” says one sergeant. “Put a letter of counseling in his file,” says another sergeant. “Let’s not recommend him for promotion,” says even another sergeant, etc., etc. To me, these are all examples of when […]

A recently released study of compensation trends at manufacturing companies across the country contained some reassuring news for quality professionals: The deployment of Lean and Six Sigma methods remains strong in the manufacturing sector. Within the more than 1,000 pages of the 2010 Compensation Data Manufacturing survey on salaries and benefits, conducted by consulting firm […]

More than 400 attendees gathered at the National Conference Center at Lansdowne, Va., in June for the fourth Department of Defense (DoD) Performance Symposium. The symposium, hosted by the Department of Defense (DoD), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Program Office, provided a forum for all services and other government agencies […]

An unexpected rise in demand for automobiles and electronic goods this spring and summer has played havoc with the supply chains of some corporations, causing temporary shutdowns at a number of factories in Asia and North America. While recent articles in The Wall Street Journal (wsj.com) have pointed to Lean manufacturing methods as a cause […]

By mapping the entire software application development life cycle, IT departments can see dramatic improvements in efficiency.

PQ Systems releases updated version of gage calibration software GAGEpack

Posts on the iSixSigma Discussion Forum reveal the common roadblocks for implementing Six Sigma in the sales department. However, the thread below also offers helpful tips for overcoming these obstacles.

As Sales Manager for iSixSigma and CTQ Media, Linda Cadigan will manage advertising and sponsorship opportunities for iSixSigma’s online, print and events offerings.

Swapping three systems and folders stuffed with paper forms for one laptop and a few forms was too good of an idea to pass up for LTC Patricia Ten Haaf, commander of the 452nd Combat Support Hospital (CSH). After all, leading an eight-bed medical treatment facility at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan had enough […]

IEC Electronics Corp. announced that its Newark, N.J., USA, plant has been selected by IndustryWeek magazine as one of the top 20 plants in North America.

Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania. – When you see Michael Verton helping employees conduct Lean events, it’s hard for some to imagine that this cheerful, fun loving and very young-looking “kid” was a full-time warfighter only a short while ago. A combat injury in July 2008 may have ended Verton’s career as a Soldier, but not […]

Educational Seminars for Experienced Lean Six Sigma Professionals

During my experience as a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practitioner, I have found that it is very important to grab the attention and the interest of participants as quickly as possible. For any Lean program to succeed, participants must immediately identify with and buy into the concepts, and learn how Lean will benefit their lives. […]

John Bergeron has been named director, Raytheon Six Sigma, Corporate Mission Assurance.

Lean Six Sigma remains a popular and effective tool to improve efficiency in financial services operations. However, many financial institutions are finding that identifying and reducing incremental defect variability does not fully maximize the full spectrum of improvement opportunities. To achieve a larger return on investment, many organizations are turning to Design for Six Sigma […]

Award-winning Six Sigma executives Bob Crescenzi and James Pearson to lead September 28 session

Change management is seen as an essential component of many corporate initiatives, such as Six Sigma.Sponsors are identified, consultants are hired, and people are trained and deployed as change agents. Employees seem to embrace the change as demonstrated by their enthusiasm for training and certification, and resistance seems to be under control as few question […]

One of my favorite elements of Six Sigma is researching a problem and finding the data to justify making an improvement. However, this element can also be one of the biggest barriers to securing support for a Six Sigma program. While practitioners might enjoy the hunt, executives often are looking for quick solutions that can […]

iSixSigma’s 7th Annual Global Salary Survey, published in the March/April 2010 issue of iSixSigma Magazine, offered data on average compensation for Six Sigma professionals from around the world for the year 2009. The report analyzed salary and bonuses for a variety of regions, including Asia and Pacific Nations. Some of the findings included: Across the […]

The emerging discipline of Business Execution will be examined in detail as part of a webinar planned by leader of on-demand business execution software, i-nexus.

With manufacturers across the country looking to save costs in every place possible, it’s no wonder that Lean manufacturing and safety have become the cornerstone of financially responsible business practices. Saving thousands on inventory, resources and workers’ compensation claims, these programs have aided many companies in surviving the recession. The 2010 Compensation Data Manufacturing survey […]

Procurement teams have been caught out by suppliers in China, who in some cases have been delivering poorer quality goods over time, according to research by analysts Gartner.

World Sports Media Group announced that it will acquire the Six Sigma Tennis methodology for an undisclosed amount. The creator, Steven Falk, will be brought aboard as CEO.

American Airlines named William Collins, vice president of electric power for GE Aviation, its new vice president of base maintenance, effective Oct. 1.

The Joint Commission has announced that Alex Vandiver has been appointed as director of business excellence. He will also serve as director of the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, which aims to solve health care’s most critical safety and quality problems.

While working on a maintenance project for a large U.S. telecommunications firm, information technology company Infosys Technologies Ltd. discovered that an unacceptably high percentage of calls in the clients’ automated payment system were being routed to the call center agents. The team conducted a DMAIC project, outlined here, to reduce the number of misdirected calls. […]

Session will focus on sustaining Lean Six Sigma value during economic recession

CBS News recently had a report about “How BMW Deals with an Aging Workforce.” To develop solutions to overcome loss of productivity due to the aging workforce, BMW tested one assembly line by staffing it with workers with an average age of 47, the projected age of the entire workforce in 2017. They made 70 […]

It has been over 5 years since I moved from R&D and manufacturing roles to continuous improvement, both leading projects and supporting Lean Six Sigma deployment. As a CI professional, what I enjoy most is the opportunity to work on the most challenging issues facing the organization, to learn and improve myself by practicing the […]

Manufacturing processes vary over time. Occasional large, special-cause events that are sprinkled against a background of lesser variation are natural to the process. Most processes, as a result, use a control strategy, at the heart of which is a measurement system designed to manage the product properties that are critical to customers. To maintain accuracy, […]