Category: Project Management

A thought process map, sometimes referred to as a TMAP or TPM, not only helps you begin an improvement project with a comprehensive view, but ensures you stay on track all the way through completion. Learn how to use this powerful visual tool.

Financial project metrics can be cumbersome to use and jargon-heavy. We demystify and simplify project return on investment, making the concept accessible to all and giving you the confidence to use it in your project management operations.

A major dilemma companies face today is the pressure to deliver short-term improvements and benefits while still contributing to longer-term breakthrough objectives. The 3-6-12-24 planning tool helps practitioners find a way out of this predicament.

The ability of a process improvement initiative to invoke sustainable change within an organization depends on the support of stakeholders who will execute the proposed changes.

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 […]

In discussions about the Six Sigma methodology, you will often find the equation Y=F(x). It is an important formula in working with the methodology and can serve as a very helpful tool in project management. When working with the Y=f(x) formula, X stands for the various inputs utilized to generate an outcome, while f represents […]

A project needs to have clear boundaries and parameters that establish its scope. Any tool that can help your team understand and agree as to what is included and what is excluded from your project saves a lot of headaches during project implementation.

Embarking on projects without any formalized, thought-out process involved can be fine when you are keeping it small or routine. This sort of fly-by-night approach is not recommended when there is anything major actually at stake.

When writing your Six Sigma project charter, it is important to clearly state the scope of the project, so the team doesn’t attempt to “boil the ocean” or “solve world hunger”. Scope puts some boundaries and constraints on the activities of the project. In the context of Six Sigma, scope refers to the boundaries and […]

The purpose of Lean Six Sigma is to identify opportunities for improving organizational processes. One of the challenges is the selection of projects for improvement teams to work on. Let’s learn more about how to select impactful projects. Both Lean and Six Sigma projects are used to improve organizational processes. Improvement teams are formed. DMAIC […]

Widely recognized as one of the most prestigious certifications in the industry, PMP validates your knowledge and experience in project management, opening up new opportunities for career advancement and higher salaries. Overview: What is Project Management Professional (PMP) Project Management Professional (PMP) is a globally recognized professional certification that is granted by the Project Management […]

Key business requirements are everything. They are the measure by which your product, process or company lives or dies, so ignorance is not an option.

Utilization of project management tools helps ensure the success of a project. One such tool is the Gantt chart. At the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Gantt created a chart for recording the progress of workers when assigned to a task. His work revolutionized the field of project management, and his innovations are still […]

Sometimes you need an improvement approach that is faster than the traditional Six Sigma methods of DMAIC or DMEDI. Agile may be your answer. Let’s see how.   The word agile refers to the ability to rapidly create and respond to change and the need to improve. It is a way of dealing with, and ultimately […]

Whenever there is an issue in a process, attempts are made to identify the process step that is causing the problem, identify the root cause and come up with a corrective or preventive action. The time taken to identify the “right” process step is directly proportional to the number of process steps involved and it […]

The Lean Six Sigma (LSS) toolbox can always be extended with new approaches that enable the harvesting of new opportunities for improvement. Philosophically, improvement in terms of velocity, cost, quality, performance, reliability and widespread customer acceptance remain relevant but also complex. One way of extending the use of these methodologies and tools is by developing […]

A common metric many organizations use to assess the performance of their Lean Six Sigma program is project cycle time – the total time from the beginning to the end of a process improvement project, including total process time and all delays. If your organization’s project cycle time is running higher than your targeted rate, […]

As a Six Sigma professional responsible for managing projects, have you ever been asked the following questions? When do you reasonably expect to complete your project? What’s the probability of completing the project on time or on a given date? Which activities on the critical path should you focus your attention on to meet the […]

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a framework for business process improvement. Like any model, CMMI reflects one version of reality, and like most models, it may be more idealistic than realistic in some ways. Organizations can use the model as a jumping off point to create process improvement solutions that fit their unique development […]

If you are thinking change is the only constant in today’s world, there is more. In fact, organizations are required to deal with and manage dynamic changes all the time. The strength of a delivery system is determined by its ability to respond to changes and meet customer expectations. Changes come to the delivery organization […]

Manufacturers and transactional firms share a drive to lower costs, reduce cycle time and offer a diverse product mix as they pursue higher profits and an increased market share in a growing global environment. Consumers (those paying for the end product) want products or services that are cheaper, readily available and of a quality that […]

It may seem un-Six Sigma-like to use art concepts in a discussion of Lean Six Sigma and the merger of two large financial institutions. But in fact, any serious approach to integrating two complex organizations can benefit from thinking in terms of art as well as science.

Interest in Six Sigma is growing rapidly within the professional project management community, and the most common question coming from that group is something like “How does Six Sigma relate to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK)?” Six Sigma and PMBoK do have connections, similarities and distinctions. Before diving into specifics, a little background […]