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It’s time again for iSixSigma to gather salary data for the6th annual Global Six Sigma Salary Survey. This survey is a little different that our traditional kind. To gather data we go to the iSixSigma Job Shop database where thousands of Six Sigma professionals have uploaded their resumes. Along with uploading a resume, we ask […]

Good enough is just not good enough anymore and has not been for a long time.

Six Sigma is an amazingly persistent program. I was left off the list for the official birth announcement, but someone should probably be planning ahead for a thirtieth birthday party in the next few years. That’s remarkable longevity for trumped up flavor-of-the-month program. I think Six Sigma is utterly absurd in many respects. Even if […]

Erie County’s Six Sigma initiative is set to save 1.5 million dollars by year end. Almost a half million more than the initial goal. Below is the news reporting the story. Interviews with Al Hammonds, Deputy County Executive and former Six Sigma Director as well as the new Six Sigma Director Bill Carey. http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=61254&provider=gnews Yet […]

Barq’s isn’t the only thing with bite. At Dominion, it’s Six Sigma that gives data teeth. Director of travel and corporate services, Donna Kelliher, said in a recent Travel Procurement cover story article: “You can do those quick analyses, but when you put Six Sigma behind it, you’re using statistical tools and people will buy […]

I recently bought some registry cleaning software on the internet using PayPal. My mistake, it was a scam. I made contact with the PayPal Dispute Resolution team to see if I could get my money back. Followed the highly efficient process (no human interaction) and made repeated attempts to contact the supplier before escalating to […]

I can’t help but wonder if banking and finance has an administrative concept equal or similar to lean process strategic planning. As accounting goes I suspect that efficiency, correct mathematical computation and balanced accounts all are considered important and of value to the banking customer. But what is the value added to high or irresponsible […]

Jeannine Hall and I returned home from the wild night out in Denver last night. The Social and Networking Party in downtown Denver was a success: people met, mingled, ate, drank and made new friends. Over 100 Denver-ites registered for this event, and we hope to have even more the next time. Thanks to our […]

That would be “Leadership.” I’ve been given a definition of leadershipthat I’d like to discuss with you and ask your opinion about. The question that was posed to me was, “What is a leader?” I gave what I thought was a pretty good response – about having a vision, bringing people along in the direction […]

It is funny how such a small gesture can make a big difference. Just the fact that I am talking about it four days later lets you know what an impression it made (net promoter score will be high on this one).

Here’s some news you may not have heard yet… iSixSigma will be serving up some sweet awards at a breakfast ceremony during the iSixSigma Live! Miami conference. All the details on each award can be found at: http://live.isixsigma.com/awards/default.html The iSixSigma MVP awards are my favorites… We’re looking for the: Most prolific poster on iSixSigma discussion […]

If you live in the Denver, Colorado, area or are planning to be in town next Thursday, 9/25, be sure to make your way over to the Tabor Center for the iSixSigma Live! Social and Networking Party in Denver. Only 2 RSVP spots remain, so don’t delay — sign up today. Our first Social and […]

I have the privilege this semester of teaching a “Professional Practice” class for college seniors in Clinical Laboratory Science. These arethe folks who will be doing (among other things) any blood tests that you may have drawn in a doctor’s office, hospital, or health fair. Since I had input into the curriculum, I decided to […]

There’s been quite a bit of Six Sigma laundering going on these days…Gianna’s post, Dirty Socks, Ron Pereira’s posts, Laundy Kaizen and How to Fold a T-Shirt in Two Motions, and now we have this video segment from MSNBC. Northeast Laundromat owners Leonard and Jennifer Cooperman, in St. Petersburg Florida, were the recipients of MSNBC’s […]

One of the central problems all organizations face is balancing long term thinking with short terms needs. It is clear that time and resources need to be devoted to both; companies that live moment to moment don’t survive very long, while those that focus on the big picture without worrying about the details usually don’t […]

If you haven’t had a chance to view our latest video of the iSixSigma Live! Social and Networking Party in Seattle, here’s your chance: If you attended, be sure to forward this page to your friends and ask them to see if they can spot you! 🙂 The photo gallery fromiSixSigma Live! Seattle is also available.

For a hobby last year I started making cider (hard cider in the US). Below are some of the demijohns of apple juice I fermented. I cracked open a finished bottle and it looked & smelt great, but the taste…. it was insipid, slightly acidic and low in alcohol. Not good. Being in the business […]

After reading my last post, 5S Your Email Inbox, a couple of colleagues asked whether they could apply 5S to sending emails as well. Here are the guidelines that I use – I’m sure others have their methods, too, so feel free to share your own best practices! SORT 1. Ask yourself, does the recipient really […]

There will be a Lean and Six Sigma meeting in Houston, TX, on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 5:30 PM. Tom Tatevasion of Cameron will host the event. Tom will provide an overview of the group, a tour of the Cameron Compression Systems facility, and discuss their Lean Six Sigma program. If you live in […]

I love to open my business email inbox in the morning, don’t you? Especially if you’ve been practicing good work-life balance and haven’t peeked at it since the end of business the day before. When I go on vacation, it’s a special treat. Here’s a 5S strategy that I have used to keep up with […]

An arbitrary and statistically flawed tie-breaking rule cost Nastia Liukin of the United States the gold medal in the women’s uneven bars competition at the Olympics earlier this month, according to Dr. Prasad Raje, CEO of Instantis. After looking at the tied scores of gymnasts Liukin and He Kexin of China, Raje figures that Liukin […]

Whichprioritized projects would Peter Piper pick? I’ve been asked to speak about project selection at an upcoming symposium. In doing research for this,I’ve reviewed articlesfrom iSixSigma and other sources, from both the Six Sigma “ranked project hopper” perspective and the Lean A3 – strategic deployment perspective. And I’ve done some project-picking in my time, too, […]

A year ago iSixSigma Magazine featured the U.S. Army’s business transformation program in a cover story, recognizing the change management efforts and project successes from one of the largest Lean Six Sigma deployments ever attempted. Since then, ties between the U.S. armed forces and Lean Six Sigma have only gotten stronger. In May 2008, Deputy […]

The good folks at Minitab just released a sweet little article about using M&M’s to teach statistics. It’s called Sweetening Statistics and is written by Michelle Paret and Eston Martz. If you’ve been through traditional classroom Black Belt training you’ve probably already done these exercises yourself as they have been a part of the traditional […]

Across the globe food prices are rising rapidly. The potential causes are many including big ticket issues like rising demand in emerging markets, oil prices, bio fuels, trade tariffs, global warming, population growth and tight supplies. With all that lot stacked-up its no wonder that prices are going up. Big problems call for big solutions […]

Customer complaints, appropriately captured and analyzed, can provide useful insight about process defects.

This morning as I read Sue Kozlowski’s blog about her husband and the “common sense” factor of lean six-sigma process analysis, I decided to apply this thinking to a recent experience at work. Are there work environments where process analysis should not be applied? Where common sense is the standard? Here is my thought process. […]

When I first went to Six Sigma training, I was very enthusiastic about it and shared everything I learned over the dinner table with my family. I talked about my projects and the tools, my successes and failures. I always thought they listened politely and then forgot about it. You know, Mom talking about work […]

There are countless business books out there that present good reasons why it is not necessary to be 100% right all the time. Beyond being unnecessary, I think being completely right is highly over-rated in the context of business. Being 80% right and good at executing is probably more than sufficient in most cases. Not […]

iSixSigma Magazine’s latest research survey is live! This survey dives into the deep pool of Six Sigma project failure. What does “failure” mean? You tell us what project failure means at your company. Is it when a Six Sigma project fails to deliver the expected improvements? Fails to get completed, or fails to stay in […]

I love it when people in the office talk about what they can do to improve costs. Having said that, over the course of my career, I would say the majority ofSix Sigma office projects I’ve seen should’ve never been started in the first place. Is there variation in the office? You bet.Why is it […]

I have heard people say that once you have experienced the power of Lean Six Sigma that you will never be the same. I can vouch for that. Process thinking and waste elimination will begin to infiltrate every part of your life – including how you do laundry.

You already know that the iSixSigma community is strong — over 500,000. You may have heard that we’ve launched a conference division. What you may not have heard is that our upcoming January conference will be unlike any other you have attended. Outstanding content. Prestigious keynotes. Unrivaled networking and community. Register today to get your […]

A lot of my conversations recently have centered around certification for lean. Coming from colleagues who started in Six Sigma as a Green Belt or Black Belt, it seems “natural” that when you add lean facilitation to your skills, you could get certified in lean, too. But, as I understand it, the traditional path for […]

Al Hammonds has been appointed the new Deputy County Executive, which means Erie County is looking for a new Director of Six Sigma. “A new director for the Six Sigma program will be chosen within the next three to four weeks, Collins said. The hope is that the new hire will be easier to find […]

Breaking news…iSixSigma Live! Summit and Awards is now accepting award nominations. That’s right. You can nominate people, companies and projects for one of the many award categories: Six Sigma Hall of Fame Best Places to Work Most Successful Lean Six Sigma Start-up or Re-energized Lean Six Sigma Program Largest-Breakthrough Improvement Projects (in eight categories) Additionally […]

By popular demand, words to an old favorite tune that you can use while watching the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, at the Seventh-Inning Stretch: Take me out to the Gemba Take me out to the flow! Find me a Value Stream I can track I don’t want wasteto evercome back! For it’s root, root, […]

I have recently completed a ‘Five S’ (see isixsigma dictionary) on a materials procurement process, and have had the most buy in this year for process improvement. Why? Because especially ‘Sort’ is simple for all to understand, it’s basically an organised spring clean You leave your FIRST meeting with a plan of action that can […]

I often find real world examples of process “improvements” staring me blatantly in the face. For example, I stumbled upon queuing theory in action at the local movie theatre. Queuing theory is the study of how lines (or queues) are formed and dissipate over time. Examples of queues are everywhere: traffic at an intersection, restaurant […]

I can’t remember the first time I head the concept of a “Cargo Cult” used as a business analogy. But I can recall thinking that it was a powerful way to explain the dangers of throwing money and resources around trying to duplicate what another company had done without really taking the time to understand […]

Do you work for a great Six Sigma company? If you think your company is one of the best places for Six Sigma folks to work, nominate them to participate in iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work competition. In a nutshell, we’re looking for places (companies, government organizations, associations, nonprofits) that: * Foster a supportive culture […]

As you may know, if you’re a baseball fan, Major League Baseball is holding its All-Star Game on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. You may also know that you can create your own “fantasy” baseball team, on-line,by selecting players and assigning them to your team. Then, as the statistics build up week after week, the […]