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A central aspect of six sigma is an eight-step approach for achieving dramatic improvement at different levels of the business.  The process is given by the acronym RDMAICSI – Recognize, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, Standardize, and Integrate.  As a short cut, many just apply DMAIC. At a top management level, it functions as a […]

The idea of a not-for-profit organization is eloquently simple – it does not operate for a profit.  Some people falsely believe that the very nature of such organizations necessarily implies some type of complexity that prohibits or otherwise precludes its involvement in the world of Six Sigma.  When it comes to implementing improvements in not-for-profit […]

Personally speaking, I agree with all your points – and many others that are not specifically called out.  For example, it is my humble opinion that the recent trend of certifying Black Belts (not excluding Green Belts) has the potential to alienate the various roles of Six Sigma from the pressing needs of a corporation. […]

Please reference this previous question.  This question and answer examines how to select a “good” Six Sigma consultant.  In summary, you must consider the consultant’s credentials.  In the consulting business, credentials are everything – plain and simple.  If a consultant does not have the necessary credentials, they should not be considered (for anything).  Following is […]

In terms of a Six Sigma Deployment and Implementation (SSDI), it is a natural tendency for newcomers to infer huge differences between a small and large business.  However, it is quite often the case that several “small businesses” defines a larger corporation.  From this perspective, the process for installing Six Sigma does not change (in […]

Simply stated, the deployment of Six Sigma in a single functional area (to the permanent exclusion of others) will most likely not succeed.  Generally speaking, Six Sigma is an “all or nothing” proposition.  However, if the overall deployment and implementation plan (for the total organization) calls for a staggered but comprehensive rollout over time, then […]

To begin, recall that a critical-to-quality characteristic (CTQ) is a vital product design feature (e.g., the strength of a material).  Naturally, we recognize that the product (per se) does not necessarily have to be a piece of hardware – it can be anything (e.g., a software program, a delivered service, a financial transaction, a social […]

Many quality practitioners treat product and process capability as if they were interchangeable concepts.  Presumably, this convention has evolved over time due to the naturally strong correlation between the two.  However, it would not be my recommendation to view these two concepts in the same light. At the risk of leading a dead horse to […]

Over time, there has been very fine debate (both positive and negative) surrounding the 1.5 sigma shift.  As such, the on-going discussion well serves the need to “keep the idea alive,” so to speak.  To this end, I have recently completed a small book on the subject, soon to be available on iSixSigma.  The title […]

The best way to develop a CTQ tree is the form of a cause-and-effect matrix.  Locate CTQ’s on columns and CTP’s on rows.  Each column-row intersect constitutes a “causal opportunity,” the strength of which must be rationally measured or otherwise evaluated.

During the period extending from 1985 to 1995, many executives in the United States said the same thing about Six Sigma – its just a fad and will “blow over” in a couple of years.  Well, its still alive and growing – even in Europe and Asia.  My personal take on this subject is quite […]

A really good way to begin your journey is to sell top management on the need for a “due diligence” investigation of Six Sigma.  Do not try to directly sell Six Sigma – only the “need” for conducting an investigation into the merits of Six Sigma, as well as the supporting practices.  Uncovering the various […]

I know this may seem somewhat self-evident, but have you considered doing a simple literature review to answer your own question?  So much is out there on the Internet – the available information is like water drops in a world-wide rainstorm.  At this point in the life cycle of Six Sigma, a great many people […]

A Black Belt curriculum cannot, by any stretch, be considered to possess the same level of tool mastery as, say, statisticians or quality engineers (CQE).  In true self-fulfilling manner, the more certain professionals try to circumscribe the Black Belt role with the notion of tool mastery, the more they form the notion that Black Belts […]

Personally, I believe you should consider a “train-the-trainer” program – especially if you have no prior teaching experience.  Its one thing to know the material, its quite another to teach it.  Believe me, you quickly discover how much you don’t know about a subject when you first start teaching.  You will simply be amazed at […]

I would strongly recommend that you do some “personal due diligence” on the Internet.  Reference such words as “Six Sigma Training.”  Many articles have been written on the support roles of Six Sigma.  Past issues of such magazines as “Quality Progress” will have information on the subject.  Pick up the phone and call a Six […]

In principle, I am rationally opposed to Black Belt certifications, as are many other business executives.  However, I do believe that it is important to document the scope and depth of one’s knowledge in a given field of study.  But to the counter of this, we must concede that the position of a Black Belt […]

Plain and simple, the illusive key to the realization of six sigma is knowledge. In today’s economy, the capability to harness and deploy knowledge constitutes an essential form of power. It is a form of power than can develop the momentum for and delivery of quantum change. Knowledge represents a corporation’s greatest source of leverage, […]

Please bear in mind that Six Sigma (per se) is not a career.  Although certain roles have been well defined (such as Black Belt, Green Belt, Champion, and so on), these positions are not permanent jobs or career positions.  They are temporary assignments for those classified as being “high potential.”  Having a degree in business […]

Personally, I believe the potential for “learning at home” is awesome these days.  I like the look and feel of it because all of the knowledge, information, communication, and analytical resources I need are within arms reach — right in my office.  This level of augmentation would be very difficult to consistently provide for in […]

I find it most interesting that you experienced “typical” success in several other areas of the organization, but not within the sales function.  Were hard goals not established for this area?  Was this area not emphasized during the course of deployment planning?  Does this area lack leadership?  Should the sales personnel work on improving their […]

As you likely know, the Poisson distribution is an approximation of the binomial.  In general form, the Poisson function is given as Y = (np^r * e^-np)/r!, where n is the number of trials, p is the event probability, and r is the number of event occurrences.  By direct substitution, we assert that Y = […]

Metaphysically speaking, I cannot (and will not) argue with your assertions. Perhaps the transitional state between order and chaos (i.e., the point of bifurcation) necessarily constitutes a stage for heightened creativity. However, scientifically speaking, I do believe that chaos theory and fractal geometry can be effectively employed to examine the effects of unstable processes on […]

There is a wide array of stereotypical reasons that potentially explain why people are not willing to “do” six sigma projects.  For example, in some situations, there are no incentives to offset the added risk and responsibility.  As yet another example, it is well known that a lack of dedicated resources can deter seasoned veterans […]

As stated in your question, the project is focused on the “attrition rate of employees.”  At first glance, this would appear to be a problem – not a process.  Given the problematic perspective, we must recognize that “attrition rate” is a critical-to-value characteristic (CTV).  As such, it should be known as the dependent variable (primary […]

The first step to authenticating the legitimacy of a Six Sigma consultant is a thorough investigation of their published credentials.  In terms of today’s consultants, so many on the “lower end of the pile” use “upper end spin” to more favorably posture themselves in the eyes of prospective clients, as well as those of the […]

It is quite interesting that you find Six Sigma to be “very difficult” in terms of application.  Typically, such a perspective is fairly common among those who have had limited exposure to or experience with Six Sigma.  Either you have convinced yourself that Six Sigma is very difficult (to deploy, implement, and apply), or someone […]

In terms of Lean vs. Six Sigma, only time will tell.  Although there exists natural points of intersection, there are also points of incompatibility – philosophically and pragmatically speaking.  I would strongly suggest that you conduct a literature review into the stated issue so as to properly scale the scope and depth of an answer.  […]

Right up front in our discussion, let us recognize that the 1.5 sigma shift can be attributable solely to the influence of random error. In this context, the 1.5 sigma shift is a statistically based correction for scientifically compensating or otherwise adjusting a postulated model of instantaneous reproducibility (short-term capability) for the inevitable consequences associated […]

Measure what leads to success.

To open our discussion, we acknowledge that not all product (or service) opportunities should be Six Sigma. In the total scheme of things, some are not destined to be critical – to anything. For example, in a garden supply store we can find many different types of tools.  More specifically, let us consider an ordinary hand […]

It sounds to me like you’ve been “trapped in a barrel and tossed overboard,” so to speak.  Where is your champion?  He or she is supposed to prevent things like this from happening (i.e., sound project selection criteria).  Your project champion’s main purpose in life is to guard his or her flock of Black Belts. […]

Essentially, the idea of a “process” is to “Six Sigma” as the idea of “teaching” is to “knowledge.”  Perhaps Martin Luther King, Jr. best summed it when he stated: “Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.”  Not only is the process approach important, it is what under girds the […]

Obviously, a suggested course of action should be quite guarded, as it would be very case sensitive (i.e., circumstantial by nature).  As we all know, some consultants make their living resolving such “catch 22” situations.  We also recognize that the ability to find a balance point is more art than science.  It is much like […]

Extensive benchmarking has revealed the “average company” to be about 4 sigma capable.  Compared to Six Sigma the difference is about 1,800X.  Obviously, if one aspires to such a plateau, change is certain.  If change is certain, it is prudent to manage that change.  After all, it is doubtful that one can achieve a 1,800X […]

Seems you already have a pretty good idea of what to do.  To quote your words, “… such as in buying power, billing for energy consumption etc and which will save money for the company.”  Life is fairly simple partner: Y = f (X ).  Of course, the Ys of corporate life are constituted by; […]

On its way to disrupting the historical business continuum and changing its performance trajectory, an organization passes through a number of milestones.  Assuming a “typical” business, our discussion begins at time T1.  This is when the organization is functioning reasonably well — a stable force in its industry, capable of maintaining itself reasonably well. The […]

Get the book “Six Sigma for Everyone” by George Eckes, John Wiley and Sons 2003.  It does a very nice job of outlining what to do and provides some really good tools.  Seems like a good book for green belts. To extend beyond the aforementioned book, let us come to understand the importance of properly […]

Do not employ money as the improvement variable (it is a symptom). Remember that RTY is a function of dpu. Since RTY and dpu are directly related, most would likely prefer the defect-centric metric.

Upfront, rolled throughput yield has a lot of sex appeal (and is an excellent instructional concept), but many discontinue its application after a short period of time – it is impractical for a relatively complex process. Recognize that most of the defect-centric metrics are usually better for purposes of quality reporting (and improvement efforts).

Let us postulate that a certain process is comprised of three progressive steps, say A, B, and C, respectfully. Further, we note the observed defects-per-unit (dpu) at the first step to be dpu.A = .10. At the second step, dpu.B = .05. The third step was found to be dpu.C = .008. Of course, we acknowledge dpu as a […]

As you likely know, equipment uptime (as well as downtime) is very much akin to product reliability engineering.  Many of the same concepts, equations, and methods are commonly shared.  Given this, it should be interesting to note that Six Sigma found its genetic roots in the field of reliability engineering.  As some of the more […]

To help you better understand the nature of this question; let us consider a very simple example.  Let us suppose that we go to the store – looking for fresh apples.  Once there, we notice a sign that reads “3 apples for $1.00.”  Based on this sign, we ask the storekeeper: “If I want to buy […]

You should reference the article submitted by Anonymous on 17 July 2003.  Truly, it is this form of reasoning (coupled with this example) that should “get you thinking in the right direction.”  Listed are some simple examples for Human Resource projects: 1) Employee turnover rate.2) Job satisfaction issues (surveys).3) Management satisfaction.4) Cafeteria food quality.5) Policy […]

Perhaps you are both in error (as related to your Sigma calculations.) Do not be discouraged by such debate, as it is quite common among those new to Six Sigma. However, do be aware of a phenomenon I call “denominator management.” This colorful term is used to describe the practice of inflating or otherwise distorting the denominator […]

Generally speaking, the Six Sigma curriculum (i.e., Black Belt, Green Belt, and so on) for just about any type of service or support activity can be easily found these days – everybody has their idea of what such curriculum should consist of.  Perhaps of more concern, is the idea of “curriculum integrity,” as it is […]

So as to better appreciate the spirit and intent of our ensuing discussion, we must call upon the nature and purpose of two recognized entities – the US Postal Service and Ford Motor Company.  If we were to contrast these organizations, how would they appear to be similar? How would they appear to be dissimilar?  […]

Lean Sigma might be an anorexic standard deviation. If this is true, then Lean Six Sigma is probably the linear sum of six anorexic sigmas. I would imagine that a healthy diet, mental exercise, and less greed would improve the current trend. That’s the funny thing about people with anorexia – they truly believe “skinnier […]

There is a clear tendency among many new comers to Six Sigma.  That tendency is to artificially and unwittingly limit the scope of Design-For-Six-Sigma (DFSS) to the configuration of hardware-based products and processes.  As a result, it is currently common to equate DFSS with such fields of practice as engineering and manufacturing, which have their […]

1) There is no such thing as a one-size-fits all Black Belt or Green Belt program of study. 2) Many customers are naïve.  They often want more tools (not fewer), regardless of whether or not they will ever be used. 3) Some customers seek to purchase a hardware store so as to fix the kitchen […]