Category: Training Materials & Aids

For purposes of learning, using, or teaching a design of experiments (DOE), one can argue that an eight-run array is the most practical and universally applicable array that can be chosen. There are several forms of and names given to the various types of these eight-run arrays (e.g., 2^3 Full Factorial, Taguchi L8, […]

One of the best ways to introduce people to new concepts is through a hands-on, team experience. Better yet, a game! Dig out some Legos and let the Lean Lego Game begin!

Successful initial implementation and ongoing maintenance of process improvements requires overcoming the resistance to change. Green Belts are change agents who need to recognize, understand, and interpret resistance to change and develop skills to manage it effectively. Managing change resistance is often covered in training, yet a primary learning issue facing most organizations […]

If not trained well in statistical analysis, Belts lose confidence as soon as a real-world scenario deviates from the classroom example. Bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical know-how with these four practices for your statistical tools training.

PowerPoints, spreadsheets and lectures don’t grab an audience for long. After 30 minutes, you’ve lost the attention of 25 percent of your attendees. A Lego competition teaches Lean and engages your audience.

Drinking beer can be fun, but you can also use beer as a training tool. Use this beer distribution game simulation for groups as small as four and as large as 60.

Traditionally, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training has been delivered in classrooms, provided either by a company’s in-house experts or by a training or consulting firm. In the past 20 years, however, technology has taken training out of the classroom and online. Anyone with Internet access can learn the methodologies and tools of LSS. Now, individuals […]

Most process improvement practitioners have been a part of in-person learning and many have also participated in online learning. But when it comes to your Lean or Six Sigma program, is one method better than the other? Or would blended learning most benefit your business or organization? In this interview, you will learn how companies […]

The purpose of a training program is to impart knowledge of a system or process to someone new to that process. Individuals may have worked on something similar previously, so will have an idea, or at least a starting point, on which to build. However, most training programs must start with the basics and a […]

I can still hear the words ringing in my ears: ”Congratulations on the promotion.” I was selected for a position with the Senior Executive Service, a corps tasked with leading the continuing transformation of the United States federal government. The job could wield great influence over performance improvement in the Department of Defense (DoD) – […]

The latest issue of iSixSigma Magazine reveals the top 10 Best Places to Work, analyzes the results of our 8th annual Salary Survey and discusses the latest training trends. In its March/April issue, iSixSigma Magazine focuses on Training and Certification, offering advice for Lean Six Sigma trainers, as well as an investigation into some of […]

Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania – One Tobyhanna organization sees the writing on the wall when it comes to cutting overhead costs and improving efficiency. Members of the Productivity Improvement and Innovation Directorate’s Process Improvement Division estimate an annual cost avoidance savings of more than $2,000 by transitioning select processes from the use of paper products […]

By using question-based workbook exercises in training, Belts will be better prepared to guide teams in solving problems.

During my experience as a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practitioner, I have found that it is very important to grab the attention and the interest of participants as quickly as possible. For any Lean program to succeed, participants must immediately identify with and buy into the concepts, and learn how Lean will benefit their lives. […]

During 2008-2009, I led an effort to create an in-house Lean Six Sigma training curriculum in our 34-hospital healthcare system. Not only did my organization want the training to be effective and cost-efficient, but it also needed to help standardize the language used in the deployment as well as the program structure – areas that […]

Conducting experiments using marbles and toy cars is a fun way for practitioners to teach students about the use of graphical and analytical tools, and also give them a better understanding of the Six Sigma mantra to “control x, then Y will take care of itself.”

An introduction to eight apps, designed to serve as resources for Lean Six Sigma practitioners, available on Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Six Sigma course materials can benefit from “dynamic content,” engaging and relevant examples and assignments tailored to class participants.

Education is a key component of your Six Sigma initiative. Below is a recommendation of what should be included in your training, whether conducted in-house or by a third-party consultant. If you feel that some relevant topic is missing from the curriculum or body of knowledge of any of the areas listed below, please send […]

Education is a key component of your Six Sigma initiative. Below is a recommendation of what should be included in your training, whether conducted in-house or by a third-party consultant. If you feel that some relevant topic is missing from the curriculum or body of knowledge of any of the areas listed below, please send […]

While training traditional software services personnel it becomes imperative to give an experiential feeling in the classroom. Using case studies and sharing success stories will help develop conviction in practitioners.

Six Sigma training is one of the most important factors that contributes to and helps modify and shape a Six Sigma culture. This article will help identify who in your organization is required to go through six sigma training and what type of six sigma training they should receive.

iSixSigma receives many questions regarding the Six Sigma methodology and, more specifically, what each business change agent (Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt) should know in order to be effective. To help meet this need, I have created a reference document detailing what should be contained in a Six Sigma curriculum. Below is […]

Lean teaches us batching is bad. Right? The answer is: It depends. If you can then answer the question, “it depends on what?” you’ll start to see that Lean is much more subtle and multifaceted than the seemingly simple elements and tools might imply.