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In 1660 King Charles 2nd officially established the General Post Office by act of parliament. In 1840 the first adhesive stamp, the penny black, was introduced. There’s a fair degree more history I skipped because I want to talk about a recent innovation. Pricing in Proportion was launched on the poor unsuspecting customer in 2006. […]

I had the privilege recently of helping to teach lean to a group of university leaders. I had great fun assisting with the first day of class, when we introduced basic lean concepts. However, when my instructing partner and I looked at our plus-deltas from the day (comments about what the participants valued, and what […]

Last Week, Ben Worthen, of The Wall Street Journal, interviewed Randall Spratt, chief information officer at McKesson Corp. McKesson was one of the pioneer healthcare companies to use Six Sigma, starting in 1999 and still going strong today. In the interview Spratt talked about how the use of Six Sigma and technology are making operations […]

Last Thursday, 5th June, the Malaysian Government revamped its petrol subsidy system by increasing petrol prices by a steep 41%, from USD0.58 (RM1.92) a liter to USD0.83 (RM2.70). It is low if you guys look at it in US currency, but in Malaysian Ringgit terms it’s a spike in cost of living. Public expectation here […]

Tools are wonderful. Have you ever tried to unscrew a Phillips head screw with a wrench? Of course not. The right tool is critical to the job. Six Sigma tools are a wonderful technological advance that can transform an organization when used in the correct context. This is undisputable. Resistance is futile. But the ability […]

Deploy – Integrate – Sustain – Institutionalize. Although each phase has distinct qualities, the lines between them are blurred or almost seamless – as it should be. I’m often asked what I think “institutionalization” looks like. My response: “Unconscious application.” By that, I don’t mean asleep at the wheel. When addressing an audience I typically use the following […]

Our Lean Manufacturing program is stepping-up a gear and as part of this we are looking to present the approach to a large audience of about 200 people. And I am looking for some inspiration. If anyone has a good ice-breaker, simulation, case study or other activity that would take about 30 minutes and engage […]

Lean government is making public sector inroads through out the US. It is exciting to see this. But I am worried. Some managers seem to see it as a weapon, rather than a tool. The legislature is making us more accountable so we have to do something or else? Do more with less? Cut staff so we can […]

You don’t have to read much of the daily paper, in the US at least, to see datapresented in very interesting ways. “Gas price SKYROCKETS to $4 a gallon!” “The Dow Jones Industrial Average PLUMMETS to 12,500!” “Pistons [Basketball Team] Have the EDGE Now!” “Kid Obesity Rate STEADY” Now, part of the reason for this […]

The Adam Smith Institute has set June 2nd as UK Tax Freedom Day. This means we spend more than 5 months each year working for the government. How do we spend what’s left? Our gasoline is currently £1.23 per litre (that’s $9.15 a US gallon). If you avoid the car then our train prices are […]

I was recently perusing Time magazines “Top 100” list for 2008, and came across this entry for Peter Pronovost. I had never heard of Pronovost. Here’s part of what profiler Kathleen Kingsbury had to say about him: “A critical-care researcher at Johns Hopkins University, Pronovost may have saved more lives than any laboratory scientist in […]

Any seasoned Lean Six Sigma professional can tell you about the fruit tree of quality. At the bottom of the tree there is fruit festering on the ground which represents “just do it” kaizen and bare bones problem solving. As you move up the tree, you can begin to pick the low hanging fruit by […]

2008 ISSSP Leadership Conference, Day One A few quotes and thoughts from Michael Harry’s presentation, The Great Discovery. What is your life dream? Have we lost the dream in Six Sigma? The power of dreams is unbelievable. Belief in a dream united Motorola. That dream was Six Sigma. Six Sigma Timeline: 1980s: Quality Improvement 1990s: […]

2008 ISSSP Leadership Conference, Day One “Best practices need to continue to improve.” David’s presentation coveredthe Seagate Business Excellence Journey over the past 10 years highlighting some of the things they’ve learned. One of the best practices David is particularly proud of is the training curriculum. They have gone from traditional classroom training over a […]

Wake up to Life Hike, ISSSP Leadership Conference 5:00 AM 5:15 AM -the lively passengers The Rowdy Back Row! The “fast” group Pinnacle Peak The whole gang

I was privileged recently to attend the American Society for Quality’s World Conference in Houston, TX. What an energetic gathering of quality-minded people! One topic thatI heard a lot of conversation about was concern for leadership of Lean and Six Sigma. There were many stories shared of new deployments, attempted deployments, and failed deployments. One […]

I’ve received a few requests from people interested in presenting at our upcoming premiere iSixSigma Live Summit. Who doesn’t want to get to warm Miami during January 2009, stick their toes in the sand, enjoy the luxury of Trump International’s five-star hotel and resort, learn more than you have in two days since you started […]

For defining the ’VOC’ (Voice of the Customer), I typically use a QFD (Quality Factor Diagram) — Of recent, I have found that QFD’s can be hard to understand for some, while even more painful for belts to explain to others. If you find this to be the case, there are 3 tools used sequentially […]

There has been a lot of ink spilled lately dithering about Six Sigma and Innovation. Most of it by naysayers who feel that Six Sigma is antithetical to Innovation, or zealots who feel some version of the opposite sentiment. For the life of me, I can’t wrap my mind around either position. To illustrate my […]

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 […]

Hello again Blogosphere. My apologies for 1 year of blogging silence. More and more I apply Lean methods to Six Sigma efforts. Overanalysis is a trap in many projects, especially when newly trained belts unleash their newly acquired skills to their first projects. Keep it simple and practical ! It’s amazing what a good executed […]

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 […]

Quite a few Black Belts from manufacturing environments have told me, “I don’t know anything about healthcare, but my industry is in a downturn so I’m looking for a Black Belt job in a hospital. I figure I can pick up the lingo once I’m there.” I’ve also been asked to speak to industrial and […]

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 […]

I have been re-reading Henry Fords book My Life and Work. I got the idea to re-read this from Walter Lowell, the Lean Initiative Director at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. It is available as an e-book from The Project Gutenberg (see below). In this wonderful book Ford talks about how he […]

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

Six Sigma in Erie County is seeing setbacks as skeptic county legislators put a cap on the Six Sigma budget. The initial one million dollars planned has been slashed to $120,000. “I’m one of the skeptics, I believe. They didn’t name me Doubting Thomas for nothing,” Legislator Thomas J. Mazur, D-Cheektowaga, said Thursday. “I am […]

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 […]

While flipping around the channels a while ago, I happened to catch an episode of “House.” This show, for thoseunfamiliar with it, features aphysician in a hospital setting. He’s faced withpatients who have complex and puzzling disease conditions that he must diagnosis in order to save their lives. I was intrigued, at first. But after […]