Six Sigma and Accounting

Paul,
I would start by reading a book called “Relevance Lost.”
There are two issues I believe are critical to accounting as defined by its customers. Timeliness and accuracy (no defects).
Motorola has done a lot to go from a very long monthly, quarterly and year end close process to a virtually On demand close. I would try to determine if you are putting out the close reports in a timely enough manner that your internal customers see them as useful. If not shoeten it.
The emotional issue is accuracy, not in and of itself but accounting seems to have this love affair witha thing called a trial balance. This is the emotional part. The trial balance is using your customers to perform visual inspection on your product after which you rework it so that you can produce a defect free product. The things you fix after the trial balance are defects. Whether they are the result of accounting receiving poor information or someone making a wrong journal entry – blame is not the issue. Fixing it is.
Good luck.

Gee – I just asked a closely related question at the tail of an answer I posted on another thread “Six Sigma and Income Statements”.   What that question caused me to wonder was “Does anyone have any experience doing Measurement System Analysis on cost accounting systems?”  And here, a little down the screen, is a referral to a resource from the reliably-useful-or-amusing-or-both Mike Carnell.  I’ll have to put in a request to the library for Relevance Lost. 
I’d buy a copy, but it looks very much like I’ll be changing jobs in the near future.  So far, the end-point of the change is not known, so I’m being unusually careful about expending money out-of-pocket to indulge intellectual curiousity.  OTOH, once dis-associated form my current employer, I can post here under my own name, rather than using a pseudonym.

Dear Mike –  While I wouldn’t use the phrase “coming out”, I do intend to participate in the forum under my own name, as soon as doing so doesn’t violate an employer policy.  Actually, I could use my name now, as long as I made no comments (including the employment relationship) about my employer, it’s products, policies, or practices.  And what fun is that?
Since my current 2-up boss has declared me  (along with several other “specialists”) redundant, I have been looking elsewhere in the organization for a new position.  Nobody has headcount. So in a few weeks, it appears I will be free to share specific observations along with my identity. 

JAD,
The best reference on your question has left consulting and is back in private industry. If you want to email your address I can give you his contact information. [email protected]