Dr. Mikel Harry

Like that of water and potassium.

In my recollection, two recurring questions have dominated the field of six sigma.  The first inquiry can be described by the global question: “Why 6s and not some other level of capability?”  The second inquiry is more molecular.  It can be summarized by the question: “Where does the 1.5s shift factor come from – and […]

The following is a list of some “big dos.”  Just flip things around to answer your question. 1) The project targets only one CTQ (for purposes of improvement).2) The target CTQ should be measurable – conveniently and economically so.3) The CTQ should have a well-defined set of performance standards.4) The CTQ should not involve destructive […]

By the nature of your question, I would assume you are a quality professional of some type or form – especially now that you provide consulting services within this arena.  I find it most interesting that you have only three years experience as a quality practitioner, but now serve as a quality consultant.  Given such […]

Today, very few corporate executives believe that TQM is a viable system of business management.  To this point, a 1996 study titled “Measuring Performance After Meeting Award Criteria” was published in Quality Progress magazine.  The conclusions were quite apparent – the impact of TQM practices may not be nearly as significant as some think.  After […]

Having originated the term “Black Belt” at Unisys Corporation in 1986, pioneered its development at Motorola’s Six Sigma Research Institute in 1990, focused its purpose at Asea Brown Boveri in 1993, delivered its promise at Allied Signal in 1994, and set its destiny at General Electric in 1995, it should stand without saying that this […]

The main difficulties can be extracted from the following assertions: 1) Everyone is a “decision maker,” but every decision requires consensus. 2) The purse strings are many, and so are the knots. 3) The phrase “just around the corner” means there are more corners. 4) The words “yes” and “no” are fully interchangeable — and […]

It is now late in the evening as I prepare an answer to your question.  Maybe it’s the fatigue after a day of providing answers or perhaps it’s the nature of the question, but what really grabs me about your question (perhaps in the wrong way) is the word “tools.”  From a different perspective, I […]

Based on the elements of your question, I would say that your problem could be readily shaped into a Black Belt project.  I would assume that a Pareto analysis has already been conducted. As a more advanced diagnostic, you should consider employing a multi-vari chart.  Although simple in nature, such a chart has considerable power.  […]

As most of the world already knows, nothing sells better than sex, money, and hope.  Since sex would appear to have little to do with Six Sigma, we should focus on the merits of money and hope.  Most generally, top management gains “hope” when it smells “money.”  This principle seems to hold true regardless of […]

Reference the quality literature on statistical process control, also known as “SPC.”  There are many excellent books on the subject, particularly the one by “Grant and Levenworth.”  Process improvement and optimization is often accomplished by way of statistically designed experiments, or “DOE” as it is known.  To this end, the work of “George Box” is […]

No, this is not a challenge; it’s called “dreaming.”  You have to be joking – a six sigma project (over the phone) with little management support – and you are asking me if it will be successful?  My best advice is for you to; a) approach your management in a courteous way, and then b) […]

We must always remember that the power brokers within and external to a corporation are the ones who render judgment about the success or failure of some initiative. Simply stated, the power brokers are only concerned with one matter – demonstrated results that are overtly visible and economically aligned with larger aims, not hidden somewhere […]

First, there is a great deal of literature on this subject – find it and read it.  However, there is no substitute for direct experience.  Of course, this is directly related to the old saying “we learn by doing.”  Along these lines, I would strongly recommend that you further your Six Sigma training and education […]

From my perspective, this is not a Six Sigma problem.  However, it does seem to be a management problem.  The motivational issue will likely disappear with some proactive leadership.  The difficulty you are have in relating your issues to the bottom line is likely due to the nature of your accounting system (i.e., a mismatch […]

The following references will provide a very nice overview of the field – from general theory to in-depth case studies: 1) “Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s Top Corporations” by Mikel J. Harry, Ph.D. and Richard Schroeder, Doubleday 2000. 2) “Jack Welch and the GE Way: Management Insights and Leadership Secrets of […]

Sometime in the not too distant past, I recall that Quality Progress magazine reported on a study that considered annualized Black Belt earnings.  For the exact information on this, you would obviously have to reference the original article.  However, my less-than-perfect memory seems to inform me that a Black Belt earns about $9K(US) to $10K(US) […]

Seems to me that you have described a traditional quality improvement project. Based on the elements of your question, it is my understanding that: 1) Each “drawing feature” constitutes a “defect opportunity.” 2) The customer’s minimum expectation was a quality level of .99, per feature. 3) The pre-project quality was found to .995, per feature […]

I assume that you are referring to the “quantitative” variety.  In this regard, I believe that benchmarking is a highly valuable activity.  For example, consider the “sigma-tizing” of a business.  Let us suppose a certain corporation discovers that it is a 3.5 sigma business.  Now suppose that the same company finds one of its competitors […]

The attempted integration of Six Sigma with other technologies is quite natural, although often unsuccessful.  Perhaps it is only instinctive that people try to blend the benefits of several different approaches into a single entity (per se).  After all, such a thing is seemingly quite rational.  More to the point, it is often believed that […]

A central aspect of six sigma is an eight-step approach for achieving dramatic improvement at different levels of the business.  The process is given by the acronym RDMAICSI – Recognize, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, Standardize, and Integrate.  As a short cut, many just apply DMAIC. At a top management level, it functions as a […]

The idea of a not-for-profit organization is eloquently simple – it does not operate for a profit.  Some people falsely believe that the very nature of such organizations necessarily implies some type of complexity that prohibits or otherwise precludes its involvement in the world of Six Sigma.  When it comes to implementing improvements in not-for-profit […]

Personally speaking, I agree with all your points – and many others that are not specifically called out.  For example, it is my humble opinion that the recent trend of certifying Black Belts (not excluding Green Belts) has the potential to alienate the various roles of Six Sigma from the pressing needs of a corporation. […]

Please reference this previous question.  This question and answer examines how to select a “good” Six Sigma consultant.  In summary, you must consider the consultant’s credentials.  In the consulting business, credentials are everything – plain and simple.  If a consultant does not have the necessary credentials, they should not be considered (for anything).  Following is […]