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I opened this morning’s USA Today while on the road, and was struck by this story. It details how a simple clerial error on the part of a pharmacy technician resulted in wrong dosage instructions – “As Needed” rather than “4 pills, 2 times per day” – and a fatal overdose for a Florida man. […]

The SBTI Show is the new and improved SBTI Lean Six Sigma Podcast. Sigma Breakthrough Technologies, Inc. is a forerunner in Six Sigma consulting firms that use the web to educate and instruct the masses in the ways of Six Sigma. The SBTI Show is a collection of video podcasts that you can listen to […]

Effectiveness = Quality * Acceptance * Execution   I originally learned this equation during Green Belt training as Effectiveness (of Solution) = Quality * Acceptance, and it immediately resonated with me. In order to produce the most effective solution to a given problem, the solution had to be of high quality, and it had to […]

Bob Hagemann, CFO and VP of Quest Diagnostics, recently spoke about the company at the Wachovia Healthcare Conference. During the presentation he touched on Six Sigma. Even after seven years pursuing Six Sigma, Quest Diagnostics is still expanding their deployment. Below are a few excerpts from the presentation: Our program to reduce costs by $500 […]

In Six Sigma we’re taught reducing variance is a good thing but is this really always the case? Take currency for example. In the US all paper currency is the same size and the same color. By reducing variance I’m sure the US Mint has saved costs by having a standardized ink color, standardized cutting […]

I am pleased and excited to announce that CTQ Media, owner of the publishing brands including iSixSigma, Real Innovation, BPM Enterprise and Sourcingmag, is on the verge of a new era of growth and expansion.

Think about this: when was the last time you told someone about an experience that met your expectations. Perhaps it was an adequate dinner while on the road, or a satisfactory hotel stay. Now think about the last time your expectations either weren’t met at all, or were wildly exceeded. How many people did you […]

I just spent three days at IQPC’s 2008 Lean Six Sigma and Process Improvement Summit where more than 600 process improvement professionals came together to learn, share and network. In addition to getting a “booster shot” from Jack Welch, it was great hearing other professionals share their thoughts and experiences about how they have applied […]

Gianna Clark has been blogging for iSixSigma for over two years. She’s written nearly 80 posts speaking her mind. What’s on Gianna’s mind also happens to be good Six Sigma sense, excellent advice, and plenty of good fun. Outside the iSixSigma Blogosphere, Gianna is the Deployment Leader for Dominion and was recently awarded Deployment Leader […]

Over my career I have taken many personality & skill tests. For example, I know my Myers Briggs Indicator Type, mapped myself across the Insight Discovery Wheel, discovered my rating on the Management Assessment of Proficiency, found the next number in the sequence, found the wrong shaped shape and generally been tested in every conceivable […]

As I’m reading the newspaper, I notice two articles from different countries, Australia and China, both about eliminating plastic bag usage in retail outlets by the end of 2008. The Australian article focused on the benefits and did provide a few statistics, such as the number of bags used annually, estimated % decrease of landfill […]

Many organizations are awash in data, generating enormous and plentiful reports with a variety of statistics. Others have little data to work with, often going by gut feel and experience when decisions are to be made. Most are somewhere in between. In the transactional world, many process measurement systems are manual, comprised of spreadsheets, Access […]

It is the aim of most Continuous Improvement programs to transform the organization. Six Sigma usually attempts to do this in one of two ways: By taking top-down approach, wherein the end state of transformation is articulated and communicated by organizational leaders, and stages and activities of the transformation are painted only in very broad […]

My healthcare organization uses a versionof Lean Six Sigma that may be familiar to some of you. First, project definition through hoshin kanri(enterprise value stream mapping and value stream analysis). Define -VOC, CTQs, and performance specifications. Measure -Value Stream Mapping with analysis of data. Analyze -Waste Walk, SpaghettiMapping, and statistical analysis where appropriate. Lean – […]

Networking, by definition, is a supportive system of sharing information among individuals or groups having a common interest. Next week, IQPC is hosting one of the biggest networking opportunities of the year. It’s the 2008 Lean Six Sigma & Process Improvement Summit. This year hundreds of process improvement professionals will converge in sunny Florida to make […]

USA Today reporter Del Jones interviews Textron CEO Lewis Campbell. This is an outstanding Q&A session with a CEO who knows Six Sigma. Finally, a mainsteam media outlet that goes right to the source for information about the success of Six Sigma. Nine tough questions, nine solid answers. I especially liked the final question about […]

Lost Tools # 2 Data In this quick fire working environment using a ‘Sore Thumb Approach’ strategy (something hurts so you go fix it quick), we don’t always have time to collect the data. I’ve just taught the Measure phase to a wave of Green Belts and other than a SIPOC IT’S ALL ABOUT COLLECTING […]

Having now delivered many transactional projects I have noticed common themes repeatedly occurring. These include: IT Systems that have been poorly designed or operated Inadequately thought through policies & procedures Opaque, non-existent or duplicate processes Lack of viable information on process performance But there is one area I would like to focus, decision points. People […]

Every morning and every evening I walk to and from work.It can go fromcold rainy days (like today!) to balmy summer evenings. I enjoy the exercise and get to watch the changing of the seasons. For those of you with a statistical bent this is the season to “guess the population distribution”. On my return […]

The January/February issue of iSixSigma Magazine is out. Aside from being a fantastic issue in itself, the research feature is one that I particularly enjoyed researching and writing. Thanks to all those who responded to our survey last year we were able to gather solid data from the soft side of Six Sigma. The research […]

We graduated another Lean Six Sigma class last week. Our version of Lean Six Sigma is based on the DMAIC structure and Lean tools that works well in our healthcare organization, and this was our 8th class since October 2006. Just before we handed out the certificates for course completion, the hospital President who took […]

Gianna Clark notes that several hundred companies began their Six Sigma journeys about seven years ago. Is Six Sigma the quality equivalent of a stock market bubble? Are we cheerleaders of an irrational exuberance where performance economics do not match the hype we create? Is Six Sigma on the verge of becoming the next TQM […]

In a recent blog at Harvard Business School Press Online, Tom Davenport challenges the applicability of Six Sigma. You can read his post at http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/davenport/. Coming from anyone else, a statement that Six Sigma “should only be used in product manufacturing, where the idea of reducing defects to one in six standard deviations really makes […]

iSixSigma Magazine’s latest research survey is underway. This time we are exploring the Voice of the Customer and Six Sigma. With your input we’ll be able to better understand how VOC is integrated into Six Sigma deployments. The results of this survey will be published in the July/Augustissue of iSixSigma Magazine. Please take a few […]

Hundreds of companies embarked on their Six Sigma journey in 2000 and 2001. Today, Six Sigma deployments haven’t slowed a bit but instead have expanded and grown and are a driving force in achieving excellence in almost any type of business. And, because of industry experience and forums for sharing, are being implemented with the […]

There’s a new blog in town, one that is sure to make it big. I invite dummies and non-dummies alike to read Today’s Six Sigmaby Craig Gygi. Craig was the lead author of Six Sigma for Dummies as well as the Six Sigma for Dummies Workbook that hit the bookstores in late 2006. When it […]

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Chris Collins, the new County executive of Erie County, gave an interview to WNYMedia.net recently where he unveils the details of the Six Sigma initiative underway in the county. The video below is the Six Sigma excerpt of the interview. It’s only two minutes long and worth the watch. You can tell Collins has got his […]

The very first Six Sigma book I read was The Six Sigma Way. The first page describesthe story of a CEO jumping to solutions and being educated by a Black Belt on the methodology. He is turned around and states, “We’re not in the ‘Just Do It’ mode anymore”. My take-away being, we take a […]

Mayor Richard’s legacy, journalgazette.net, December 26, 2007 Mayor Graham Richard left office last week as Mayor of Fort Wayne Indiana. The article above describes his many accomplishments over his two terms in office, including Six Sigma: From major public projects that will distinguish the city’s landscape for decades to the minutiae of using Six Sigma […]

Chris Collins, the new Erie County executive, is making good on his promise to bring business efficiency practices to the county…namely Six Sigma. In his most unusual appointments, the new executive selected Alfred Hammonds Jr. as his director of Six Sigma implementation. Six Sigma is the business-sector efficiency discipline Collins championed during his campaign. Hammonds, […]

I can save you the trouble of reading the blog entry below. I realize you are very busy. Here’s a summary: Communications in the business world rely heavily on PowerPoint-style summaries. At best, summaries omit crucial information and context present in the work being summarized. Without this context, conclusions have to be accepted on faith. […]

As another year comes to a close, reflecting on what was accomplished in 2007 is a typical year-end activity. After a quick review, a few smiles and a big sigh about things left undone, it’s time to start on your 2008 list. While you are putting together your ‘list’ of things to do for 2008, […]

It’s that time of year again.The year-end stress of closing Six Sigma projects is enough to make any Black Belt sing the blues. But don’t worry, here’s a little song (sung to the tune of Jingle Bells) that will help you get through the holiday rush. Year-end Six Sigma Jingle

I’m driving home from work yesterday and I noticed something different at the intersection by my house. A traffic camera has been installed just in time to give some people a not so merry Christmas present. Traffic cameras, such as the one I saw, have been introduced as a visual control with the intent to […]

5S is one of the foundation concepts of lean. The Japanese originals were: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shetsuke. (Additional S’s such asSafety or Security are sometimes added.) I did a quick survey on-line to see what variations are out there. Sort – Straighten – Scrub – Standardize – Sustain Separate – Sort – Shine – […]

Here is a take on the Christmas challenge for you, Retrograde Chess. Your aim is to identify the missing piece. This position was reached only through legal chess moves. A word of caution, its tough, it took me a few days to crack and I found coming back to it a regular intervals helped. If […]

Gail Farnsley is the CIO at Cummins. She is also a Green Belt using her Six Sigma skills tackle a leadership development project she dreamed up. She is hoping to use Six Sigma to identify and develop employees with potential to move into IT management. Specifically, management that reports directly to her. Farnsley has realized […]

While reading about type I & II errors and specifically beta-risk I realised that although I was happy with alpha-risk I didn’t recall seeing beta-risk in any of our sampling or hypothesis equations. Being curious, I wondered why I was only accounting for type I errors in my work? Just to review, we need to […]

Innovative solutions are frequently the answer to new or age old problems. But what kind of tools can help you and your team get out-of-the-box? Seems like way back when, we didn’t spend enough time in training talking about innovation in the “Improve” stage. Armed with the 5 S’s, a DOE and some poka-yoke, we’d […]

Black Friday came and went and I avoided shopping for a number of reasons, mainly because I couldn’t be stuffed getting up early enough to get a great deal. Besides, knowing my luck, anything on my list would’ve sold out long before I arrived. Unfortunately Christmas has not been the only time I’ve shopped only […]

Most Six Sigma speak I’ve heard tries to categorize projects into “hard” vs. “soft” savings. Hard savings projects focus on cutting costs, increasing capacity, etc., while soft savings projects generally deal more with topics where dollar value may not be easily to quantify (e.g. environmental performance, employee morale, etc.). However, there is another type of […]

The U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leavenworth Army post in Kansas is striving to make Lean Six Sigma part of their culture. Part of their project selection process is taking employee suggestions. Suggestions for improvement have been hard to come by since Lean Six Sigma joined the Army. Employees feared improvement would mean downsizing. But thanks […]

The triple constraints triangle (below) is used to show the tensions a project needs to balance when meeting its objectives. Normally set at the beginning of the project, a scope change in any one dimension will have an effect on at least one other dimension e.g. a reduction in time can increase costs or reduce […]

DMAIC, DMAVD, DFSS or any other Six Sigma framework is a disciplined data-driven structured methodology that if implemented as required will yield breakthrough levels of improvement in organizations. Having applied Six Sigma and other process methodologies across multiple SBUs at our organization one aspect that is not given much attention in many formal Six Sigma […]

What started out 20 years ago as a way to reduce variation is now the hottest game in town – Six Sigma. Although it has been reshaped through the years to meet constantly changing business needs, the definition is still the same: “Near perfect performance”. . . and customers still demand it. When first introduced, […]