Category: Blogs

Thelatest podcast is ready to download.This podcast includes highlights from the Six Sigma and Information Technology survey, published in theMay/June issueof iSixSigma Magazine. This survey takes a look at the relationship between Six Sigma and IT and answers questions such as: How often is Six Sigma used to improve IT processes? How often are technology […]

Likely to be overheard if you have a Klingon Black Belt… 1. Behold, the Value Stream Map of Kalis! The greatest Klingon Black Belt who ever lived! 2. You doubt the worthiness of my statistical analysis? I should kill you where you stand! 3. By questioning my data you have challenged the honor of my […]

Lean and Six Sigma make their rounds through the media this week surfacing in publications around the world including Time Magazine… The article in Time entitled “Lean and Mean” is the story of the Army’s implementation of Lean Six Sigma. It is a fantastic article full of Six Sigma war stories from streamlining procurement to […]

In a world where I could call myself the Senior Master of the Highest Order of Black Belts, I have always been a little circumspect of using the Black Belt handle. So after 18 months the time has come. I can now call myself a Six Sigma Black Belt! I have been accredited by our […]

Nayism 29: I’ve been to Green Belt training, passed my test, completed my project and have been certified. Now can I get back to doing my real job? This naysayer has obviously gotten lost but has not realized that he is not in Kansas anymore. In his view, he has ‘punched his ticket’ and now […]

What was really written on those stone tablets that Charlton Heston held in “The Ten Commandments?” The Ten Commandments For Six Sigma Black Belts in Healthcare I.Thou Shalt Have No other Goal than to Serve the Welfare of the Patient, by Process Improvement using Data Analysis or Lean Tools as Thou Needest. II.Thou Shalt Not […]

For a Fourth of July Six Sigma post, I’ll pay tribute to the Lean Six Sigma efforts in the United States Military operations. Read success stories from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

This week in Six Sigma related news around the globe… Read about the new weighing and traceability system, Trac-IT MES, which Maple Leaf Bakeriesin the UK is using to reduce waste in their bagel making process. Now let’s head down under to Linde Australia to read about how Six Sigma in the service division is […]

Nayism 28: So much analysis, so little time. The project needs to get moving – I need a fix now. Ah yes, the analysis paralysis phase of projects can haunt even the best of black belts. Is there ever a time to throw in the belt and call it “enough?” Here’s what I say . […]

There’s a lot of talk about Six Sigma certification these days. I remember being asked by a talent acquisition manager at a previous employer what it meant to be a “certified” Master Black Belt. The question arose because a quick search on Google turned up programs ranging from 3 days (online) to 2 years in […]

Hess, the energy company formerly know as Amerada Hess, got its first taste of Six Sigma from GE back in the year 2000. GE came in and gave a presentation but Six Sigma didn’t stick. Four years later it was introduced in the Marketing & Refining division of the company as a CEO driven initiative. […]

After writing my recent blog, “Physician Heal Thyself,” I attended a review session for the ASQ certification exam. The subject of physicians came up when we were discussing identification of customers in healthcare. One of the attendees reminded the group that physicians tend to be diagnosticians, looking for a way to fit the patient’s symptoms […]

Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 27: Six Sigma is so structured that it stifles innovation and creative thinking. This is a classic nayism which deserves a classic response. So, here’s what I say . . […]

Innovate Forum has posted an interviewwith David Silverstein, President and CEO of Breakthrough Management Group and co-author of INsourcing Innovation. In the interview, Silverstein talks about the TRIZ methodology for innovative problem solving. “Innovate Forum: TRIZ is a methodology that has traditionally been employed in product design. What prompted you to consider applying TRIZ to […]

There are many myths about what happened to that gumball machine. Some say it was sold to another store where it continued to stay on all day and all night and the problem was never fixed and gumballs were sometimes found in dusty corners. And others tell stories of a tool shop opening in the […]

Whatever the organization’s maturity level (go see “week of a black belt part 4-5-6-7”), any improvement initiative needs top management engagement and commitment. Usually, there is enough management attention at the beginning. The CEO or Executive team has announced the initiative and walks the talk for a while. However, there are so many 1000 things […]

It’s a question I hear a lot, except that 30 is sometimes another number. Like 2. Or 8. Or 156. Or 2068.

Time flies! My last “week of a Black Belt” blog dates from May 12th already. Anyhow, when things are busy and interesting things happen, there are lots of ideas to blog about, but no time to actually publish them. Six Sigma’s 20th anniversary will be celebrated soon. Since 1987 and its first success stories, it […]

Are you wondering what happened to this Green Belt Candidate? (Go see Week of a Black Belt part 3). At the end of the last training day, I refer back to the yellow notes on which, the first day of training, the participants have expressed their expectations concerning the training. 95% of the time the […]

Let me tell you a bit of a story and once you’ve finished reading it now I want you to forget all about it until the right time comes to remember you read it all. There was once a couple who owned a store. The store was in a small village just east of here […]

The latest issue of Harvard Business Review features an interview with Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE. It’s an interesting article because after years of growth through acquisition,GE has now shifted theirroadmap to that of organic growth. As part of the roadmap, Jeff Immelt lists innovation as one of the six key initiatives that […]

Our health system began its Six Sigma journey about three years ago. We started up in Wave I with three Black Belts at the two largest hospitals (myself among them) who had no real idea of what would come. After a successful round of projects in Phase I, we expanded to hire an additional 12 […]

Lean Sigma engagements mean I am frequently travelling around the country with many nights in a hotel. This typically means full English breakfast, canteen lunch and hotel dinner. Unfortunately after 18-months it has started to show and I have gone from lean-mean change machine to chubby-mean change machine. Imagine the shock on returning home after […]

A recent article in Electronic Business Online talks about Lean Six Sigma at four companies in the electronics industry: Celestica, ON Semiconductor, Solectron and Xerox. All have seen an improvement inprofitability over the past five years and each agree that Lean Six Sigma has contributed to the gains. Here are a few snippets of information […]