Ken Feldman

House of Quality? No, this is often referred to as a House of Pain because of the effort needed to complete one. Let’s see if we are just being overly pessimistic. 

Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process — from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service.

Lean Six Sigma professionals, much like every other professional, love to talk in acronyms. The acronym of the day is DPMO. Let’s check out what it means.

An organization may hear many voices (Customer, Business, Employee, and Process). It is the voice of the customer (VOC) that is the driving voice. Additionally, it is 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 […]

Is your data normal? If not, will that be a problem? It might be, since data normality can be important when using certain statistical tools to make your business decisions. 

Quality is one of those words and concepts that have many meanings. Let’s review the concept and discuss the different definitions associated with the term. It refers to the degree of excellence or superiority of something, often concerning its intended purpose or function. Further, it is a measure of how well something meets […]

How do you convert DPMO to Sigma Level? There are several metrics you can use to measure how well your process is performing. Let’s look at three of them and discuss how to calculate them and how they relate. The three are DPMO, Sigma Level, and Cpk. Convert DPMO/Sigma to Cpk  Before discussing […]

In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, fostering a culture of innovation and agility is essential for startups that want to stay competitive. Startups thrive on innovative ideas, quick pivots, and the ability to adapt to change. This 2014 article raised awareness of Lean Startups. But creating an environment where continuous improvement and creativity flourish […]

Lean Startup methodologies have revolutionized the way modern entrepreneurs approach launching and scaling their businesses. At the core of Lean Startup is the idea of minimizing risk through rapid experimentation, customer feedback, and iterative development. This approach enables startups to efficiently test their business models and products with minimal resources while remaining adaptable […]

Never-ending improvement is the heart of any continuous improvement effort.  The Deming Cycle, or PDCA, is one of the first formalized approaches to utilize an iterative approach to improving processes, and it still serves as a fundamental tool today for continuous improvement.  This article will describe the stages of the Deming Cycle, the […]

You want to make good data-driven decisions, but can you trust your data? Is the measurement system you used to gather the data giving you precise and consistent measurements? A Gage R&R study will answer your questions. 

Is your data normal? Oh no! Is that a problem? The concept of data normality can be important when using certain statistical tools to make data-driven decisions.

How do you calculate the overall standard deviation of multiple groups or samples? You can’t just add them up and divide by the number of groups, like you do with averages. Let’s see how we can do it correctly.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a structured approach that combines two powerful process improvement methodologies: Lean, which focuses on eliminating waste, and Six Sigma, which focuses on reducing variation and defects. When applied to the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) function of an organization, Lean Six Sigma provides a robust framework for driving […]

One of the most famous sayings in the Star Wars films is May the Force be with you. This saying may also apply to making changes in your organization. Let’s see what forces you need to identify and deal with when using a force field analysis to manage change.

There are three measures of central tendency for data. One is the mean or x-bar, and the others are the median and mode. When you’re diving into statistical analysis, these are basic components. Most practitioners should have encountered these in grade school, but a refresher never hurts. Let’s dive into what it means. […]

Full factorial DOE is one of the most powerfully designed experimentation statistical tools for understanding the impact your process inputs have on your process outputs. 

In the fast-paced world of startups, flexibility is crucial. Entrepreneurs often enter the market with bold ideas, but reality has a way of testing those ambitions. As conditions change, so must the strategies. This adaptability is known as a pivot—a fundamental shift in a startup’s business model, product offering, or market approach. Pivoting […]

You are often faced with many options on how to improve the process. Which one is the best? The Pugh Matrix is a simple tool for you to decide which approach — or hybrid of approaches — you should use.

In the world of startups and product development, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) has become a cornerstone of agile innovation. An MVP is a product with just enough features to attract early adopters and validate a product idea. It allows businesses to test their hypotheses and gather valuable feedback without expending excessive resources. […]

Residual, standardized residual, studentized residual — what do they mean, and how do I use them? 

ANOVA will tell you whether there is a statistically significant difference in the population means of three or more groups of data. But which means are different? Tukey’s will tell you that. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to determine whether the population means of several sample data sets are statistically different or […]

Whether you are talking about the F-value, F-test, F-statistic or F distribution they all revolve around the same concept of using variances to make statistical decisions about your data.

Are you confused yet? Is it the 6 Ms? Is it 5 Ms and a P? How about 4 Ms, 5 Ms or 8 Ms? Let’s explore some of these and figure it out.