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In today’s world, new technology, changing customer expectations and the competitive market are constantly redefining “What’s Needed.” Any company with hopes of competing must constantly reshape their processes and products to meet these changing needs. Fortunately, Six Sigma is there to help accomplish this by: Providing a systematic approach to continuously improve and redesign processes […]

We’ve all heard the stories of rock stars and their chemical dependencies…now it looks like The Martin Guitar Company has picked up the habit too. The world-class acoustic guitar company has recently become dependent on Air Products and Chemicals… to teach them their ways of Continuous Improvement. Dave Rosendale, the Global Director of Continuous Improvement at […]

For the Army deployment, this is ” the year of production.” We are in full swing of BB and GB training plus project completion for certification. The work in progress is pretty high. We have a full pipeline of newly trained belts itching to do projects. But with a constraint to complete x number by […]

The following is theOpen Mike column from the July/August 2007 issue of iSixSigma Magazine, entitled “Durable and Great.” During the last 50 years, companies around the world have focused on operational excellence – the near-flawless execution of business processes. The pursuit of process excellence has evolved through various structured forms, from TQM to Six Sigma […]

The July/August issue of iSixSigma Magazine includes my latest research article that explores different aspects of innovation, including what people think of the relationship between Six Sigma and innovation. A press releasewas issued this morning that includes a few highlights from the data: With a vast majority of companies professing to want “innovation,” those that […]

Everyone is focused on What’s Needed. Done On Time is part of what must be heeded. Use Six Sigma to make it slick. Delivered With Value will seal the trick. She said hey babe, take a walk on the W.O.W. side. Said hey honey, take a walk on the W.O.W. side. And the Belts say […]

Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the largest fans of the modified balanced scorecard/business scorecard approach. I came across the following study results comparing gender differences at the executive level within organizations. There are those who claim men are more left-brained, thus, women = right dominance. Yet, there is a rise in […]

We’re looking for a sales manager to lead our sales effort for iSixSigma (including iSixSigma.com, iSixSigma Magazine), BPM Enterprise and Real Innovation.

One of the foundations of Lean Six Sigma is its clear link to benefits. Take a look at some of the quoted benefits from the Lean Six Sigma behemoths: GE saved $12 billion over five years and added $1 to its earnings per share Honeywell (AlliedSignal) recorded more than $800 million in savings Six Sigma […]

When our organization started its Six Sigma deployment back in 2004, we designed a small round pin that was given to certified Change Agents, Yellow Belts, Green Belts, and Black Belts. The pins are gold-backed and have the appropriate color (blue for Change Agents) around the outer rim, with the appropriate certification title, and our […]

Ever see the Ocean Spray commercials, Straight from the Bog, with character growers Justin and Henry? According to an Ocean Spray press release last year, the new ad campaign featuring the two character growers has boosted sales six percent year over year. Innovation around the cranberry is what Ocean Spray is all about. Here’s a […]

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Six Sigma. Believers tout stories of business success, unprecedented customer satisfaction and countless dollars to the bottom line. Naysayers point to near business ruin and cultural impacts that stifle innovation and growth. Whether you are an avid believer or a practicing naysayer there is one thing […]

Recommended Y (outputs) for a service / transactional project in call centers: Goal Metric Metric Type (CustSat,Cost) Decrease Cost of Sales Attendance Adherence Average Not Ready Time Average Talk Time Average Loss per Override Credit Average Fraud Loss   Cost Increase Customer Satisfaction Average ASA Customer-Directed Coaching Customer Satisfaction First Call Resolution Transfer Rate Peer […]

Lately, I have written a lot on call center points of interest, as I have just rolled off three back to back projects in that space. These are some of the hardest six sigma project types, that is, when compared to manufacturing from the control perspective only. Now, I am not at all claiming that […]

Dr. Phil is blogging! No, not that Dr. Phil, I’m talking about Dr. Phil Samuel, Chief Innovation Officer for BMG. The blog is called Chief Innovator Onlineand is the second blog written by BMG executives. David Silverstein, CEO of BMG, has been blogging for just over a year now and Leadership & Business. I know […]

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I recently stepped into the elevator at our corporate office with a newly trained Green Belt. It was lunch time and the elevator was crowded. As the doors closed the Green Belt, recognizing who I was, remarked with pride, “I just finished the SIPOC on my project!” A voice in the front immediately said, “SIPOC […]

John Corr’s comment (9 March 2007) in Andrew Downard’s Six Sigma Sucks blog (1 August 2006) showed the lack of understanding of how Six Sigma is applied in the service industry. While preaching a certain methodology it’s good to do some research first. A great example of how Starwood does continuous improvement in its hotels: […]

Not all that glitters, is gold, and so is true in a call center. Most performance management and incentive programs focus heavily on the financial or monetary benefits to help incentivize agent performance. But, in a black belt project, you focus on ways to drive down costs, so I ask you, can it be done? […]

Resolution, resolution, resolution…that’s what I always say…and so when I see black belts going after AHT (average handle time) as their key output (KPOV) variable, I cringe. Instead, why not break it down to the components of AHT: Talk Time, Hold Time and After-Call Wrap Time. Ok, some of you are saying , “what if […]

In my on-going journey to master the tools & techniques of Lean Sigma I have been reviewing the materials on ANOVA. How useful this has been, it has really moved me on a level. ANOVA comes across in training as a very useful tool and Tukey’s pairwise comparison really hits the spot. However in our […]

I have never personally sewn, but I’ve heard that one of the most difficult aspects of sewing is deciphering the pattern and following its directions. I learned this, and many more important lessons, from observing my mother, who made dresses for my sister when I was a child. Looking back, whoever created these patterns for […]

From Army recruiting to the Bradley fighting vehicle (and everything in between -including meal scheduling), the US Army continues to improve processes and save dollars through Lean Six Sigma. “Lean Six Sigma techniques implemented throughout the Army continue to prove successful, and leaders anticipate reaching a $2 billion-savings mark this year.” Yesterday’s article on army.mil/news […]

We have heard time and time again that Six Sigma “stifles innovation.” But where’s the data to prove it?

With”The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5, “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, “The Egomaniac” landing #3, and the “The Whiner” grabbing #2, it’s hard to imagine who could possibly hold the #1 spot. Well ponder it no more, because this week it’s right here on the Blogosphere. The #1 position on the Six Sigma Most […]

I recently received an email from another Command that outlined a program of LSS projects regarding the Army Reserves Family Support Group. The Family Support Group is essential a booster organization that supports military families during deployments and other activities that make their loved one absent. They provide resources such as Red Cross Assistance, small […]

When I first joined the hotel industry as the finance guy, I was literally glued to my desk. Sure, I would attend all the necessary office meetings and staff events but my mind was solely ‘back to work’. Bipan the General Manager would come by my office and reminded me very often, “Hey, Mr. Finance […]

“Dilemma” is term properly reserved to describe a situation in which we must choose between two more-or-less equally unpleasant alternatives. This pretty much sums up how most organizations feel about documentation for Six Sigma projects. On the one hand, there is always an organizational craving (note that I am specifically avoiding the term “need” here) […]

The QualPro vs. Six Sigma debate is hot again. Forrest Breyfogle has written an article on iSixSigma.com poking holes in Charles Holland’s research of 58 Six Sigma companies…. For those unfamiliar with the debate sparked by the July 2006 Fortune article and subsequent Dilbert cartoon, go ahead and read up. Forrest isn’t the only one […]

Pete Abilla over at shmula has set up a question answer session with Craig Gygi, author of Six Sigma for Dummies and the Six Sigma Workbook for Dummies. Just ask Craig a question in the comments section of the blog and Pete will be post Craig’s answers in a few weeks. Pete says that Craig […]

With “The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5, “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, and “The Egomaniac” landing #3, our countdown of the Six Sigma Most Wanted List of naysayers continues this week with #2 – “The Whiner.” Mode of Operation (MO): This Naysayer complains about everything including Six Sigma. Six Sigma training is too hard or […]

The United States military has recently ramped up process improvement initiatives in the Air Force, Army and Navy. Mark Graban over at the Lean Blog recently wrote a post about the Lean efforts of the Air Force. I thought I’d share even more information about the program here. The primary goal of Air Force Smart […]

I have recently gone through ’Train The Trainer’ for Green Belt. I discovered on the training some excellent tools I had not been using, or have just plain forgotten about. Over the next few Blogs I would like to talk about ’Lost Tools’ and ask why they are not being used, and the impact on […]

I’m sure I’m not the only Black Belt who has conversations like these: Someone coming to a meeting in the BB office/cubicle area for the first time: “Wow, I’ve never been to your office before. It’s not very… 6S’d, is it? Ha ha!” Team member, at a meeting: “Boy, I thought you Black Belts were […]

With “The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5 and “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, this week, our countdown of the Six Sigma Most Wanted List of naysayers continues with #3 – “The Egomaniac.” Mode of Operation (MO): This Naysayer has been improving things for years and has fixed everything there is to fix. They don’t need […]

Tollgate reviews can be a real source of anxiety for belts of all colors and levels. For the Army, a tollgate is like a phase-line on the Battlefield. It allows leaders to know where you are in relation to everything else. Go pastit without permission or authority and there may be some repercussions. With projects, […]

From Gauss defining the normal distribution to Galton designing his theories on correlation to Onho developing the Toyota Production system, we are proud of our rich heritage and the number & variety of sources that have come together to create the Lean Six Sigma model. So it is encouraging to see what may be an […]

iSixSigma Blogosphere Newsletter Guest Blog – May 15, 2007 Dawn Mular, Sun Microsystems employee and blogger, recently wrote Top 10 Program Mistakes (Green Belt) Programs Make… First, I like that she plugs the Software channel of iSixSigma, linking to the recent article, Top 10 Program Mistakes Software Green Belts in Training Make, but more importantly […]

My favorite part of the Leadership Conference is diving into the softer side of Six Sigma, the people side of the equation. I spent the afternoon on the first day in the Predictive Index session led by Heather Haas, the director of strategic initiatives for Bob Wilson & Associates. First off, Heather did a fabulous […]

Last week “The Discreditor” took the #5 spot on the Six Sigma Most Wanted list of naysayers. This week, our countdown continues with # 4 – “The Busybody.” Mode of Operation (MO): Much too busy to be bothered with Six Sigma. Everyone is already working overtime just to handle the daily workload (which is probably crammed […]

Here is a situation encountered on a recent project. I have abstracted the key-points here. The project started as a textbook DMAIC engagement with all the elements you would expect to find including impact on customer, strategic problem, clearly measurable benefits and well-defined goals. The project was too tackle rework created at a certain process […]

Our organization’s Black Belts recentlyparticipated ina two-day retreat in which we did some team-building and strategy work for the upcoming fiscal year. We did a leadershipprofile that diagnoses each person’s preferred approach. The four main styles are generalized as Driver, Conscientious, Steady, and Interactive. I’m sure that the profile is similar to many others out […]

Mike is the Associate VP of Six Sigma for sanofi-aventis. He is also the author of Applying the Science of Six Sigma to the Art of Sales & Marketing. Mike is very energetic and enthusiastic. Watch out Don Linsenmann, you’ve got competition. Mikemade some great jokes, but not enough sugar had kicked in from our […]

I’ve only got one more session to attend before I pick the family up at the pool and head for home. The snacks this afternoon are really good. They are setting up now. Popcorn, licorice, candy bars, soda, peanuts and soft pretzels with queso.. Just what we need for the next session. Good thing I’m […]

Jim Pearson, VP Customer Advocasy at EMC Corporation, just finished his presentation about Lean Six Sigma at EMC. I interviewed Jim nearly two years ago about their Six Sigma deployment. Jimshared EMC’s Lean Six Sigma program building blocks: Centralized training program Single online repository Established financial guidelines Certification and recognition programs Mentor and facilitations offerings […]

Chris Jones, I&CIM Global Deployment Champion for Delphi is speaking now. He’s laying out the case for change at Delphi. In a nutshell, because their customers demanded it. Delphi’s Enterprise-wide Strategy: Tools, process, and culture, encompassed by Kaizen: Tools are tools. You use themto help solve problems. Process is THE problem solving framework integrated in […]

I’m here for day two of the ISSSP Leadership Conference. Rox is opening the general meeting, thanking everyone for the fun at the Grand Evening last night. From Michael Cyger’s pictures, we know that Minitab had a good time… Today we’re going to talk about change management. The emcee is Jeanenne LaMarsh, Founder and CEO […]