If you had to choose one book, what would it be?
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Alderman.
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July 3, 2007 at 3:35 pm #47444
I’ve been an electrical engineer in a top aerospace company for 8 years now. Recently, I have accepted a manufacturing position as a growth opportunity and was put on a production program of 10 years that isn’t turning out the production it should. As it is only my second day, that is the only information I have right now. My background is in test engineering so I am completely new to the manufacturing arena. In a shortest amount of time, I want to turn this program around and make a positive impact to the team, but really need to start from the ground up.
Question: If there was only one book out there for me to read right now, what would it be?
Thank You in Advance.
260July 3, 2007 at 3:44 pm #158164
Rodney ReedMember@Rodney-ReedInclude @Rodney-Reed in your post and this person will
be notified via email.If I had to choose one it would probably be “Learning To See”. It is considered by many to be the primer of evaluating value streams for improvement.
0July 3, 2007 at 3:52 pm #158166Just one?
;-)
Personally, I’d steer away from the technical reads for the moment and focus on Culture/Philosophic-centric works. 10 years of sub-optimal performance by this program may be a red-flag for a lagging cultural condition.
I found myself in a similar situation a few years back. I dusted off my copies of “The book of 5 rings” -Musashi Miyamoto, “The “Art of War” – Sun Tzu, and “The Prince” – Niccolo Machiavelli. These three works have proved extremely useful in gaugung/addressing the human component of continuous improvement, influence and culture.
Once you have culture sorted out, I’d read Imai, Ohno, Deming, Juran and Carnell. In fact, our very own Mike Carnell co-authored (along with Wheat and Mills), a very interesting read called, “Leaning into Six Sigma: A Parable of the Journey to six sigma and a Lean Enterprise”. (ISBN: 0-07-141432-0). It’s a quick read that cuts to the chase.0July 3, 2007 at 4:10 pm #158167The Goal
0July 3, 2007 at 4:19 pm #158168The Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt
0July 3, 2007 at 5:35 pm #158172
Mr. IAMParticipant@Mr.-IAMInclude @Mr.-IAM in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Juran’s Quality Handbook. I think hands down is the best reference for anything quality related. Cheers, M
0July 3, 2007 at 6:22 pm #158173
Chad TaylorParticipant@Chad-TaylorInclude @Chad-Taylor in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Can’t recommend just one
Making common sense common practice by Ron Moore
Lean Six Sigma by Michael L George
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
Three very easy to read books, can be read on a weekend.
Chad Taylor0July 3, 2007 at 6:51 pm #158174
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Implementing SS
0July 3, 2007 at 7:13 pm #158176“It’s Your Ship” by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
0July 3, 2007 at 8:06 pm #158178
MW RichardsonParticipant@MW-RichardsonInclude @MW-Richardson in your post and this person will
be notified via email.The I would start with “Out of the Crisis” by W. Edwards Deming. It lays down the conceptual framework within which you will develop your own system. It is not a how to cookbook.
If you want more of a cookbook, then use “Guide to Quality Control” published by the Asian Productivity Organization. Master the seven quality tools first. You will be able to solve the majority of your challenges with them. Once your comfortable with these, then go for six sigma. I would recommendThe Six Sigma Handbook by Thomas Pyzdek
Just my .02
MW Richardson0July 3, 2007 at 8:33 pm #158179The Goal – Goldratt
0July 3, 2007 at 9:32 pm #158181
Myoptic viewParticipant@Myoptic-viewInclude @Myoptic-view in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Shame on you for asking this type of question and pretend to be “an electrical engineer in a top aeerospace company with 8 years of experience now”. (What kind of experience have you had over the past 8 years if you haven’t even read one single book on six sigma, or any of the quality improvement techniques that have beend developed over the past 50?). Maybe you should continue to read the one book of the bible that you’ve been reading for all of your life and GET REAL … there is not “that one book” that will give YOU the skills level that YOU haven’t been developing over the past 8 years to turn your program around … whatever kind of program that may be!
0July 3, 2007 at 9:57 pm #158182
John of PatmosParticipant@John-of-PatmosInclude @John-of-Patmos in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Read “The Book of Revelations” … it tops all the C..p that HGB^2 (or whatever this wannabe macho safari guy is) cites to boost his mediocre intellectual, professional and educational credentials .. what a C..p to sell to this site that he learned about change management from “The Prince”, or the other two works that “have proved extremely useful in gaugung/addressing the human component of continuous improvement, influence and culture”. I guess that learning the art of tea drinking really helps with change management. Where is the bucket when you need to vom..t? … and that priceless phrase “our very own” … is this site turning into a cheap cabaret of “Superstars” with bad make-up from yesteryear? C..p, C..p, C..p. This gives a whole new dimension to the AIAG definition of the acronym C..p!!!
0July 3, 2007 at 10:01 pm #158183
Chad TaylorParticipant@Chad-TaylorInclude @Chad-Taylor in your post and this person will
be notified via email.My Optic View
Shut UP. how dare you chastise this individual for asking about reading up on manufacturing leadership. The poster never said he never read any books, only asked what everyone else was thinking would help he/she the most. As for the Aerospace companies I know, many have already implemented very mature lean & 5S programs long before this individual probably started. Lets face it, working in an environment that already practices these concepts and being a leader to implement them is two completely different things.
Have a happy 4th of July
Chad Taylor0July 3, 2007 at 10:25 pm #158184wow, such hate.
You don’t see Machiavelli in your work environment? -lucky you.
0July 3, 2007 at 11:26 pm #158185
Christian BurkeParticipant@Christian-BurkeInclude @Christian-Burke in your post and this person will
be notified via email.The book: Machine/Process Capability Study: A Five-Stage Methodology for Characterizing Processes, by Mario Perez Wilson, Motorola Inc. ISBN-1883237-106.Most concise and to the point.
Cheers…0July 4, 2007 at 2:48 am #158189
Myoptic viewParticipant@Myoptic-viewInclude @Myoptic-view in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Machiavelli, as is well known, wrote with the utmost care for his beloved Florence … but it is not surprising that a sense of “realism” is translated into a sensibility of “hate” by those who have a tendency to react to sense impressions.
“I conceive that Ideas in the Understanding, are coeval with Sensation; which is such an Impression or Motion, made in some part of the Body, as produces some Perception in the Understanding.”
With caring understanding :-).0July 4, 2007 at 8:30 am #158200
accringtonParticipant@accringtonInclude @accrington in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Non – Stock Production: The Shingo System for Continuous Improvement by Shigeo Shingo.Described in the preface as “the culmination of Shigeo Shingo’s life work”. If you’re looking for ideas on what to do in your new position, this may be the ‘one’ book for you.
Good Luck!0July 4, 2007 at 8:32 am #158202
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Please submit details,who is the publisher?
thank you0July 4, 2007 at 8:48 am #158205
accringtonParticipant@accringtonInclude @accrington in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Productivity Press (originally published by the Japaneses Management Association) ISBN 0 – 915299-30-5.
0July 4, 2007 at 8:59 am #158206
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Thank You
0July 5, 2007 at 4:50 am #158226
PacioliParticipant@PacioliInclude @Pacioli in your post and this person will
be notified via email.1 book…”War & Peace” by Leo Tolstoy
A nice mix of literature, language, family, life/death, spirituality, history, philosophy, psychology, weather, warfare, strategy, tactics, and logistics.
Assuming you wanted something more 6 sigma-ish, then Id vote for Pyzdeks Handbook. (Suggest Pande’s ‘6 Sigma Way’ as pre-reading though)
Alternatively, if you didnt want to restrict yourself to the medium of a book then I would recommend this website (particularly the blue bar).
cheers
Justin0July 5, 2007 at 7:14 am #158233Lean Thinking, 2nd Edition by James Womack
0July 5, 2007 at 10:56 am #158240
Sigma modMember@Sigma-modInclude @Sigma-mod in your post and this person will
be notified via email.One of the fundamental principles of Six Sigma is “Boundaryless Collaboration”.
This kind of apathy and intolerance to others is the archenemy of Six Sigma, so I’m quite shocked to witness it in a thread on a Six Sigma website! :-)
Have fun Mypotic view or don’t partcipate if you feel you can’t contribute positively.
Regards.
PS. By the way, if I had to pick one book it would be the Six Sigma Way by Pande et Al.
0July 5, 2007 at 11:47 am #158242? Who does that?
Did you mean rat’s a*s?
Since when did rat become a swear word. Rats!0July 5, 2007 at 12:27 pm #158244
Sigma modMember@Sigma-modInclude @Sigma-mod in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I love you too Myoptic View.
My opinion is, like a lot of things in life 20% gives you 80% of the results (Pareto effect). Sure, there are many great books out there but after a while you begin to notice the same handful of recurring themes.
In Six Sigma, 8 tools are used the most (Pareto charts, VOC, FMEA, Gage R&R, Control Plan, Run chart, Hypothesis test, SIPOC ) These are well documented in numerous texts, learn them and master them.
The tools are the easy part, changing people is hard (particularly jolly disruptive people like Myoptic View).
For Change Management, remember the following:Change = A x B x D > Cost of change
A = Dissatisfaction with current environment
B = Attractive vision of future environment
D = Feasibility of change
The above formula contains the multiplication operator because if you dont have any one of those factors, then your initiative will fail.
I would advize building a good set of master notes by consolidating all your learning from experience and reading.0July 5, 2007 at 2:43 pm #158260
Sigma modMember@Sigma-modInclude @Sigma-mod in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Somebody didn’t get enough love and attention from their mother when they were young!
Thanks Myoptic View (I’ve never been bullied in a discussion thread before – it’s been fun!)
0July 5, 2007 at 3:11 pm #158267You can read ‘The Goal’ it is a similar scenario and the book is as well interesting to read. It speaks about Theory of Constraints.
0July 5, 2007 at 4:33 pm #158275
MW RichardsonParticipant@MW-RichardsonInclude @MW-Richardson in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I really appreciate Sigma Mod’s viewpoint. I would make a couple of observations:
1) Hypothesis testing is like taking a snapshot of the process before and after a change. Maintaining a staistical process control chart is like making a video of the process before and after. With hypothesis testing alone, you run the risk of mistaking non-random variation for the effect of the change you made.
2) Employing SIPOC without Value Stream Mapping first, you run the risk of sub-optimizing the process, that is, not finding the bottleneck and optimizing a part of the process at the expenses of the process as a whole.
Again, my .02
MW Richardson0July 5, 2007 at 5:00 pm #158278
Myoptic viewParticipant@Myoptic-viewInclude @Myoptic-view in your post and this person will
be notified via email.let’s see how much more wisdom you’ll spread around this site with your mastery of drugstore psychology, 8 “essential” tools, basic mulitiplaction rules and your new memory aid about hypothesis tests …
0July 5, 2007 at 5:57 pm #158281
Mike CarnellParticipant@Mike-CarnellInclude @Mike-Carnell in your post and this person will
be notified via email.John of Patamos,
Since the original question was really in the context of “what is your opinion?” it is really difficult to give an incorrect answer. I do find a very useful passage in The Prince (referencing Heebeegeebee’s post) when it comes to speaking with people about change:
One ought to pause and consider the fact that there is nothing harder to undertake, nothing more likely of failure, nothing more risky to pull off, than to set oneself up as a leader who plans to found a new system of government, For the founder makes enemies of all those who are doing well under the old system, and has only lukewarm support from those who hope to do well under the new one. The weakness of their support springs partly from their fear of their adversaries, who have the law on their side, partly from their own want of faith. For men do not truly believe in new things until they have had practical experience with them.
I think you would be hard pressed to find a Belt that has been at this for more than 12 months that could not find that applicable to the situation they are in. In fact everything a Belt does eventually leads to change and the main theme of The Prince is change.
Good luck0July 5, 2007 at 6:10 pm #158282
Mike CarnellParticipant@Mike-CarnellInclude @Mike-Carnell in your post and this person will
be notified via email.26,
I think you got some pretty good advice when someone suggested you go to the Blue stripe to your left and click on the New To Six Sigma line. There is lots of free information there and you can figure out where your interests lie. As you can see from the posts when you get into Six Sigma it will eventually lead to a lot of other topics so basically you are not going to find a single book that will give you a good understanding of everything but then you don’t need a good understanding of everything to get started.
There is a fun book to read that is missing from the list and that is “Everything I Needed to Know About Manufacturing I Learned In Joe’s Garage.” That title is probably not exact but I am not in a spot where I have my books. I could google it but basically that title is close enough to get you there.
Personally I like “The Deviant’s Advantage” by Watts Wacker but the link between it and Six Sigma can be a bit of a mystery to some. I know a person who is very good at Six Sigma that was reading it and told me it made his head hurt so it may not be the best place to start.
The good part is you are looking.
Good luck.0July 5, 2007 at 8:11 pm #158285
John of PatmosParticipant@John-of-PatmosInclude @John-of-Patmos in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Your support of HGGB is admirable, but I seriously doubt that you will quote from “The Prince” in a board meeting or on the shop floor to advocate and manage change. Also, the past 6 years of US history should provide sufficient evidence that the principles underlying the management of public affairs (government) are very different from the principles of managing change in a business. Realpolitik works well in international affairs (and would have left this country in a much better position than it is now had it been pursued). There are more effective ways to changing a business organization than following the rules of Machiavelli.
0July 5, 2007 at 8:53 pm #158291
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Who is the publisher?
0July 6, 2007 at 2:36 pm #158318
Mike CarnellParticipant@Mike-CarnellInclude @Mike-Carnell in your post and this person will
be notified via email.John of Patmos,
I have seen the quote hanging on the wall of management team members who worked for Allied Signal. Actually I have used it. That particular quote doesn’t offer any suggestions about how to manage change as much as it is a staement of what someone trying to execute change can expect from the people they are trying to change.
As much as we have made a reference to Machiavelli something negative what he suggests in The Prince is exactly what happens when management changes.0July 6, 2007 at 3:25 pm #158320
John of PatmosParticipant@John-of-PatmosInclude @John-of-Patmos in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Poor old Machiavelli! He probably never dreamed that excerpts from his treatise would ever show up as a slogan for change management on the wall papers of a large MNC. It looks like Lean Six Sigma is in desperate need of pontification. Anyway, have a great week-end!
0July 6, 2007 at 3:58 pm #158327
Mike CarnellParticipant@Mike-CarnellInclude @Mike-Carnell in your post and this person will
be notified via email.You have a great weekend as well.
0July 9, 2007 at 4:41 pm #158387We actually received copies of ‘The Prince” during one of the AlliedSignal “Quest for Excellence” shindigs. It stands the test of time.
0July 12, 2007 at 9:15 pm #158562
BrandonParticipant@BrandonInclude @Brandon in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Why buy a book when you can get the full DMAIC instructor PP slides, instructor notes and associated templates at Open Source Six Sigma for less than the price of most text books? Have it electronically, teach it to yourself and have all SS tools as a reference at your disposal. Aside from being the IP that is used in classrooms, having the template set for all data collection and reports in e-format is a huge value. Check it out!
0July 12, 2007 at 9:52 pm #158564
BrandonParticipant@BrandonInclude @Brandon in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Wow. I posted some info I hoped would be helpful to those in this discussion – then I read a few other submittals.
What’s up with this guy Myoptic view? Some self-professed judge of all of our opinions? Take a hike dude!0July 12, 2007 at 11:08 pm #158566
jediblackbeltParticipant@jediblackbeltInclude @jediblackbelt in your post and this person will
be notified via email.For manufacturing… THE GOAL
0July 12, 2007 at 11:36 pm #158569
Myoptic viewParticipant@Myoptic-viewInclude @Myoptic-view in your post and this person will
be notified via email.brandon, at least I don’t have to advertise some cheap and useless open courseware on a site like this to make a living. WOW!!!!
0July 13, 2007 at 12:53 am #158572Hello 26,
I know 1 book that may provide information that you need. It is “The Goal” by Dr. Goldratts. This comes with a CD as well. It does not directly relate to 6sigma (If that is what you need) however, Lean Manufacturing Concepts can be learned.
If you could send me your email id, I will send you some basic guide questions on how to strongly manage a manufacturing set-up. I got this from a Lean Manufacturing Guru when I sit-in a training before. If you could try this, you might get what you want to achieve.
Goodluck!0July 13, 2007 at 1:22 am #158575
Jim AceParticipant@Jim-AceInclude @Jim-Ace in your post and this person will
be notified via email.My opinion is there are a lot of really good books out there! Choosing only one is a matter of personal opinion. Why limit yourself to only one? The Executive Book Summary service offers a “scaled” yet informative synopsis for most popular books. I have been using this type of service for years. I believe these summaries allow a person to cover a lot of ground very quickly without missing the golden nuggets and valueable details.
Every author has something great to say. What’s really cool is being able to look across many such nuggets and see the common threads among authors. In this way you can ferret out the global principles and success factors without investing a great deal of time and cross referencing.
Jim Ace0July 13, 2007 at 1:28 am #158576Myoptic Nerve,
I have posted one question on this site and I am so glad that someone like QualityColorado answered it. I obtained a lot of good information from him/her in one reply. I would suggest that you refrain from using this site if you can’t maintain some sense of professionalism. You have the kind of attitude that I seek to purge from my company.
David
0July 13, 2007 at 1:31 am #158577
BrandonParticipant@BrandonInclude @Brandon in your post and this person will
be notified via email.As usual you are way off base and making assumptions beyond the context of the posting.
I have absolutely no financial interest in the reference I made. I was attempting to answer the original question in this string. We would all be benefitted if you would adopt that practice.0July 13, 2007 at 2:44 am #158580
Myoptic viewParticipant@Myoptic-viewInclude @Myoptic-view in your post and this person will
be notified via email.logic and linguistics do not seem to be one of your strengths either: “assumptions ‘beyond’ the context of the posting”. what kind of postmodern lala talk is that? assumptions are made about something, i.e. your cheap little marketing pitch. cheers to you too :-))))))))))))
0July 13, 2007 at 5:32 am #158582Don’t choose a book. A book chooses you!
0July 13, 2007 at 5:40 am #158584
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Any author or expert who would read your opinion would be frustrated?We have to respect “the book” as a great source of knowledge and experience .
0July 13, 2007 at 5:45 am #158585
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.How?
0July 13, 2007 at 6:55 am #158587Is the how? addressed to me?
0July 13, 2007 at 7:44 am #158589
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Yes
Thanks0July 13, 2007 at 8:40 am #158590Of course, the book being a thing can’t choose. The book you are attracted to right now has come up to the open in time because of your state of mind.
0July 13, 2007 at 8:58 am #158591
Omashi SabachiParticipant@Omashi-SabachiInclude @Omashi-Sabachi in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Well said.It happened with me several times.
cheers0July 16, 2007 at 7:35 pm #158722
AldermanParticipant@Capt.-KaizenInclude @Capt.-Kaizen in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Zuess
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