Nancy,
Your proposed timeframe is so limited that whatever exercise is selected will have to be quick and easy. Unfortunately, quick and easy sometimes translates into of no practical value for some people, so I personally would start with a reminder that no significant review of the entire Six Sigma body of knowledge can be delivered in so short a time span.
That said, the previous suggestion about process observations vis-à-vis value-added, non-value-added activities is a good one. Since youll have ten groups, you might want to consider deploying them in different areas (administration, record keeping, supplier control, etc.) and have them come back with enough time so that each group can report on their findings. If these are compiled on the board connections and correlations are likely to emerge.
If youre familiar with QFD, another suggestion is to have the groups develop a leaned-out QFD wherein they independently list what they think are the five (or whatever number) most pressing issues that prevent them from optimizing their various operations. These reasons can be directed at either the external or internal customer, or both. These are then matched up with proposed solutions, scored (for simplicitys sake you can use the 1,3,9 scheme), and added up. The winners those with the highest scores and, consequently, demanding the most attention for each group are then noted on the board. As with the first suggestion, by the time these are compiled commonalities are likely to emerge.
A similar exercise can be done with a lean-out FMEA.
Hope this helps.
John Knauf
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