Ken Feldman

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.

Creating and mapping business process models can sound like a daunting task with little tangible value. With input-process-output models, we debunk these myths and introduce a versatile, straightforward methodology that can be used to transform your business.

The seven basic tools in my home tool chest are a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, saw, drill, pliers, and duct tape. What basic QC tools do you have in your continuous improvement tool chest? Let’s check it out.

Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and is used as a common notation in statistics as a measure of summation and variation.

Waste is all around your organization. Using TIMWOODS and DOWNTIME, you will learn how to identify the 8 Wastes of Lean and eliminate it to improve your organization.

What is a Project Sponsor? A Six Sigma project sponsor plays a key role in Six Sigma methodology who provides overall support, guidance, and resources to ensure the success of a Six Sigma project. The project sponsor is typically a high-level executive or manager within the organization who has the authority to allocate resources and […]

What is a Black Belt (BB)? A Six Sigma Black Belt (BB) is a trained and certified professional who has achieved a high level of expertise and experience in the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is a data-driven methodology and management philosophy that aims to improve the quality of processes, reduce defects, and minimize variability […]

What is a Black Belt (BB)? A Six Sigma Black Belt (BB) is a professional who has achieved a high level of expertise in the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach to process improvement that aims to eliminate defects and improve the quality and efficiency of business processes.  The Benefits of […]

What is Quality Control (QC)? Quality control (QC) is a product-oriented approach to quality to ensure that products or services meet specified quality requirements and standards. Quality control focuses on inspection and testing to verify that a product is safe and effective after production. It is often viewed as a process of detection versus prevention. […]

Have you ever wondered whether the outgoing inspection values from your vendor are equivalent to the values of your incoming inspection? Maybe it’s time to use orthogonal regression to see if one of you can stop inspecting. If your vendor is doing final outgoing inspection, do you need to also do incoming inspection on the […]

Have you or a family member ever had to visit a hospital Emergency Room? What was your experience? How was your wait time? Let’s see how one hospital handled long wait times and extensive patient dissatisfaction using queuing theory. The Emergency Room of a public hospital was experiencing long wait times to treat patients. Wait […]

You are probably familiar with the notion that there are costs of poor quality, often shown as COPQ. These represent both internal and external failures to maintain good quality. There are also costs associated with maintaining good quality sometimes represented as COGQ. These costs represent appraisal and prevention costs. Total Cost of Quality (TCOQ) is […]

What are you blending when you speak about blended learning? You are combining face to face classroom learning with an instructor and online or computer driven learning. Let’s learn a little more about this concept of learning. In the 1960’s, technology-based training emerged as an alternative to instructor-led training. One of the major advantages of […]