Category: Blogs

I recently got a text message from my son.”Mom . . . Pick me up ATEOTD.” Unable to decipher the text message abbreviation I’m forced to do what any mom what do . . text back . . . What?”At The End Of The Day” comes the reply with a big UGH! It’s like a […]

Last Thursday, May 1st, was iSixSigma’s very first live event from our new division, iSixSigma Live! It was a Social & Networking Party held in Seattle, Washington – and it was phenomenal! Over 130 Seattle Six Sigma and quality professionals converged on Rock Bottom Brewery in Bellevue. We rented out the entire top floor of […]

The state of the US economy notwithstanding, retention of talent is a major issue across many organizations these days. Operational Excellence, Six Sigma, and related disciplines are no exception, with a lot of the mobility fueled by the same high standards for training and certification that are intended to attract folks in the first place. […]

My Lean Thinking colleagues in Maine State Government have also been looking for quotes in Henry Fords writing that would speak to our movement toward more efficient and productive work as individuals, companies and communities.  The one that was chosen for their monthly newsletter speaks to the people side of Lean. It speaks of the […]

For those of you that joined us for the Six Sigma Salary Webcast in March you saw the software we used to analyze the data. The application was made available for free download so you could test-drive running analysis on your own. I’m happy to announce that the sample iSixSigma salary data is now available […]

Yesterday, I attended a Minitab Webinar showcasing the top 8 reasons Six Sigma projects fail. Presented by Lou Johnson & Cate Twohill. Lou took care of the project failure segment (which was the vast majority) and Cate talked a bit about Minitab’s Quality Companion. First off they did a fantastic job. Lou’s history and experience […]

iSixSigma Magazine’s latest research survey is live! This survey will explore aspects of getting buy-in at all levels in the organization, from the shop floor to the senior executives. With your input we’ll be able to better understand what buy-in means to companies and how different levels of Six Sigma buy-in affect deployments. The results […]

Project scopeissuesare probably one of the top failure modes for LSS projects. If the scope is too narrow, leadership doesn’t view the effort as important and doesn’t support it. Too broad, and the improvements are either never implemented, or aren’t sustained due to poor implementation and control.   Often out of necessity, projects are chartered […]

What could be tougher than binary logistic regression? How about facilitating a team? Team inputs vary in type, personality, knowledge level, background, etc., but the choice for team output is pretty discrete – success or not. So what does a good facilitator look like? Here’s what Wikipedia says: “An individual who enables groups and organizations […]

Minitab Webinar Top Eight Reasons Why Six Sigma Projects Fail April 23, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Eastern   Next week Minitab is going to present a free Webinar naming the top eight reasons why Six Sigma projects fail. This is sure to be great information for all Six Sigma practitioners.But why stop at eight? […]

Now I have achieved my ASQ Black Belt certification and with my brain still packed full of Lean Six Sigma information, I thought I would see if I could collect some more badges. So it’s a big “Lean Six Sigma Certification” welcome tothe British Standards Institute (BSI). My experience with BSI goes way back to […]

Finally, an international Six Sigma certification to set the standard. MoreSteam.com recently announced a new high tech Lean Six Sigmacertification. Read the Press Release for the details, or go right to the online certification website and get certified. “MoreSteam.com announced today a new strategic partnership with ISSISSIPPI.org to apply advanced technology to elevate the Lean […]

If you live near Seattle and would like to hobnob with the areas finest Six Sigma practitioners in a casual after work setting…attend the iSixSigma Live! Social and Networking Party at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Bellevue. Thursday, May 1, from 6 to 8 PM. Rock Bottom can only hold so many Six Sigma gurusso […]

In our business we are passionate about achieving breakthrough innovations and I’d like to share a few examples of how we really push the envelope. Lets start with the fire alarm. It’s seldom used for real but reaches right across the whole campus with a very clear message: “Emergency, please leave the building by the […]

Today’s question comes from the realm of business etiquette. Since I didn’t think Miss Manners would have the answer, I’m asking in this forum. Traditionally, when an organization begins deployment of Six Sigma, “Black Belts” are hired, trained, and certified by their company or an outside vendor. After some years of service, some Black Belts […]

Magic Mirror on the Wall – Why did my deployment stall? When companies deploy Six Sigma, most have a vision of what that will mean to the organization. It might be improved customer satisfaction, or shorter cycle time or better quality products, cost reduction, revenue growth or maybe achieving an overall culture of excellence. Whatever […]

Lucky Kat Television, in association with Dr. Mikel J. Harry, is launching a Six Sigma for kids program. The online TV network has partnered with several education and entertainment companies to build a fun online learning network for kids. Part of the fun will be teaching kids about Six Sigma through Harry’s Six Sigma for […]

Every Six Sigma project is (or should be) built around improving a primary process metric: the Big Y.

Deming proposed his famous “Red Bed” experiment more than half a century ago. These days, videos and descriptions circulate freely via the web, and there are many books and other publications that describe the experiment. But even for those who are familiar with its lessons, the applicability of the experiment and what it teaches are […]

Last week I spent an evening at the local emergency center with my mom. The experience reminded me of the old saying: “You are only as good as your weakest link.” And here’s why. . . When I walked into the emergency center I was immediately accosted by a huge poster focused on customer service […]

In January I looked through the ASQ body of knowledge (BoK) for Black Belt and said to myself, “I know most of this stuff now”. So put in my entry and passed the Mar’08 exam. I thought I would share the experience, as I believe a number of practitioners may have looked at the ASQ […]

Imagine a world in which we routinely do things Right First Time, Every Time. There would be no more rework as first time yield is 100% and no need to coach & mentor as green & black belts hit the ground running. Unfortunately it tends to be the case that in order to be Right […]

There’s a great quote from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” that I was thinking of today, in relation to how we teach lean. Thecharacter Malvoliosays, “Be not afraid of greatness. Someare born great, someachieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” So, with apologies to Will… “Some are born lean, some achieve lean, and some have […]

Thank you to all who attended iSixSigma’s premier webcast. We had a great time delivering it live from Boston last week. If you missed it though…it is now available online for your viewing pleasure. Gary Cox drew a special Cox-Box just for the event. The only place to see it is on the webcast. You’ll […]