Category: Blogs

On March 10, 2010 a free webcast is being held to discuss a standard for Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.http://www.moresteam.com/morenews/webcast031010.cfm

I never cease to be amazed at the amount of information that’s “out there” on the web. I searched on “Lean Six Sigma” and got about a million hits. “Process Improvement” – 3.6 million.”Change Management” – 6.2 million. “Project Management” – 32 million. But lately I’ve been using an additional source of information-the ever-growing on-line […]

This was handed out at an all-hands today – not my words, and a great reminder of why we do what we do. I am your customer. Satisfy my wants, add personal attention and a friendly touch, and I will become a walking advertisement for your products and services. Ignore my wants, show carelessness, inattention […]

When I teach lean tools, I naturally reference the Toyota Production System and talk about their journey (which they don’t call lean!) as an introduction to the topic. Naturally, in the healthcare setting, I don’t dwell on the assembly-line function too much, but I have always felt that it’s helpful to put the approach in […]

Have you completed a process improvement project that has saved your company millions, delivered breakthroughs in productivity or safety, or grown its top-line? Do you have an inspirational story to tell and lessons learned from your experiences with CPI in the energy industry? Let iSixSigma know what topic you would like to present or see […]

It’s been a full week since the iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards in Miami, and I’m still digesting the full meal of process improvement informationserved during those four days. As Steve Wilson of Quality Conversations mentioned in his opening address, nooneleft the conference”hungry” last week. Now that I’m back to my office routine, there are […]

The streets of the French Quarter are no doubt still packed with happy Saints fans following Sunday’s surprising and convincing win against the favored Colts. As first-time champs, it’s a feeling the players and fans will never forget. We at iSixSigma are also enjoying the afterglow of a first-time Bowl event: iSixSigma’s Project Bowl contest, […]

At the recent iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards in Miami, attendees got something to sing along to. J.D. Sicilia shared a song, called “Lean, Lean, Lean” before his presentation on “Performance Management in the Worldâ??s Largest Organization.” Sicilia is the director of the Lean Six Sigma Program Office at the U.S. Department of Defense. Not only […]

Those whotake mass transitto work know the frustration of trying to make an important meeting only to discover the bus is not at the stop at its appointed time. The same goes for students who are trying to make that all-important class and get to the stop just as the bus is pulling away from […]

I am personally gratefully for the Toyota quality.

  In a couple of days, Miami will be aflame withSuper Bowl fever. South Beach’s Ocean Driveis sure to be covered in either blue-and-white or black-and-gold confetti on Sunday night, depending on who holds up the Lombardi Trophy. Earlier this week, however, there were some other trophieshoisted maybe not with quite as much hoopla as […]

After a tasty appetizer of seminars and the hands-on work at the Project Bowl on Monday, iSixSigma Live! offered it’s main course yesterday in Miami to start the first official day ofthe summit. Steve Wilson, of Quality Conversations, may have summed it up best in his opening remarks when he said of the conference’s many […]

We’ve all sent the news of Toyota’s recall problems, including the latest decision to pull the andon as it were and halt production until the defect is sorted out. Suddenly the company, and its venerable Toyota Production System do not appear to be as infallible as it has in the past. Indeed, some analysts are […]

People may not always agree with what you say or find value in what you offer, but at the end of the day, if only one person walks away with a different question, thought or idea, then you have made a difference.

I am spending January travelling around the country running process workshops. This means lots of travel and time to ponder on the dynamics of the meetings.……. Cross-functional Teams A group of people with different functional expertise who work toward a common goal, it may include people from finance, marketing, operations, research, engineering, and human resources […]

I don’t usually win prizes. In fact, only once has my name been drawn out of the hat. (That was in middle school, when I became the proud owner of a Sony Walkman.) But what’s up for grabs now is a much better prize. Here’s your chance to be entered into a drawing to win […]

“All or nothin’ at all… Half a love never appealed to me If your heart, it never would yield to me Then I’d rather, rather have nothin’ at all.” (Song composed in 1939 by Arther Altman, lyrics by Jack Lawrence – a big hit for Frank Sinatra) I was thinking of these lyrics the other […]

I re-read Ken Miller’s book ” We don’t Make widgets” recently and rediscovered a wonderful resourse for our current times. Now more than ever this is the work that needs to be done.

Former Formula One and Indy 500 racecar driver, Derek Daly, is coming up as a guest on Quality Conversations on BlogTalkRadio â?? hosted by Steve Wilson, emcee of iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards. Click and listen on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 8 a.m. PT to a discussion on “The Championâ??s Model.” Although the language of sports […]

I have the good fortune to sit in an office right next to a hallway speaker, which has been loudly proclaiming the festive season since the day after Thanksgiving, in about a 4-hour loop. Naturally, I can’t help but think of work-related words as the songs repeat… and repeat… and repeat… Here are some of […]

There are five hats, two Black and three White. In a room sit three people, two can see and one is blind. The room is darkened and a hat is placed at random on each person’s head. People can only see the other hats not their own. The first person on seeing the other two […]

Are you searching for the perfect gift for your favorite Black Belt during this holiday season?

I have always thought the toughest parts of DMAIC are I(mprove) & C(ontrol). One of the reasons for this is that to deliver a sustainable solution means asking people to change. The opportunity to resist change and revert to status-quo being one of the challenges faced. What early indicator can you use to measure if […]

Lately I have been bombarded with well-meaning, intelligent, conscientious, motivated people asking me how they can get Black Belt certified. They’re not in a Six-Sigma environment; they just want to be able to learn how to improve their processes more effectively. So do they need to be a Black Belt? Here’s what I usually tell […]