Articles

Military Order of the Day: Transformation

We’ll clarify that: it’s transformation through Lean Six Sigma (LSS). No less than the Secretary of the US Navy has initiated a three-year LSS action plan. This piece of news comes straight from the Pentagon and was published today, May 8, 2008. Serving as a backdrop to this initiative, we have: Fact # 1: the US Navy […]

View More

How the Public Sector Benefits from Lean Six Sigma

Taking a Peek into the Public Sector One might be tempted to ask, “Does the public sector really need to integrate Lean Six Sigma into their training requirements considering that they’re a non-profit service-oriented outfit?” While that’s a legitimate question, a more appropriate question should be, “How can the public sector use Lean Six Sigma […]

View More

Benefits of a Lean Office: Is it for you?

Lean is no longer the propriety process and quality management mantra for manufacturing units. The success of Lean management in manufacturing units was bound to percolate to non-manufacturing processes sooner or later. Needless to add, success stories about Lean Office abound with many organizations proactively adapting this technique to cut down wastage (also referred to […]

View More

Design for Six Sigma

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is the application of Six Sigma principles to the design of products and their manufacturing and support processes. Whereas Six Sigma by definition focuses on the production phase of a product, DFSS focuses on research, design, and development phases. DFSS combines many of the tools that are used to improve […]

View More

Handling Statistical Variation in Six Sigma

Six-Sigma provides a methodical, disciplined, quantitative approach to continuous process improvement. Through applying statistical thinking, Six Sigma uncovers the nature of business variation and its affect on waste, operating cost, cycle time, profitability, and customer satisfaction. The term “Six Sigma” is defined as a statistical measure of quality, specifically, a level of 3.4 defects per […]

View More

Value Stream Mapping

Reaping the Benefits of Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a proven tool. Well suited for a broad range of industries and processes, VSM is ideal for creating positive organizational changes, developing efficient future states, and producing system-wide benefits in cost, quality, and flexibility. In short, it helps eliminate waste. But like any tool, VSM must be applied properly. That […]

View More

What is Lean Six Sigma Training Certification

What is Lean Six Sigma? Lean Six Sigma combines the quality improvements that come from using Six Sigma with the speed improvements that come from using Lean manufacturing principles. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects in any process – from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service. Lean manufacturing […]

View More

The Basics of Business Process Management

The key to efficiency in any business or organization is its processes. By processes, we mean the steps and actions that must occur for a particular outcome to be achieved. When those processes go wrong, occur too slowly, or simply don’t work, the business or organization does not succeed. Just as processes are the heart […]

View More

Integrating Six Sigma with Business Process Management

The concept of Six Sigma was first developed by Motorola Corporation as an approach to address the high defect rates within the company’s manufacturing processes. With the success of Six Sigma, Motorola has registered the Six Sigma brand name to the corporation. The concept of Six Sigma advocates that data be collected from processes to […]

View More

Business Process Management and 6 Sigma

Six Sigma is powered by principles which are governed by continuous improvement. In pure terms, Six Sigma helps manufacturing organizations reduce the number of errors or reduce the number of defective products manufactured by them. This is achieved by a regular sharpening of the process and constant monitoring on processes and how they can be […]

View More

Connections: Business Process Management and Six Sigma

One of the most powerful ways to improve business processes is combining business process management (BPM) strategies with Six Sigma strategies. BPM strategies emphasize process improvements and automation to drive performance, while Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to drive quality improvements. The two strategies are not mutually exclusive, however, and many companies have discovered that […]

View More

Do Kaizen Events help in Non-manufacturing units?

The word Kaizen means continuous improvement. Implementation of a quality process does not mean that there is no need for any further improvements of changes. In fact, most quality processes are reviewed at frequent intervals and findings are then implemented as changed processes. This review process which is geared to bring about a positive change […]

View More

Why Six Sigma will work in Healthcare

If ever there were an industry where we want zero defects, it’s healthcare. Patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators all want mistakes eliminated and quality and efficiency improved. Although most industries have undergone some type of data-supported, systematic, quality-improvement process, healthcare still has not. Medical and technological advances continue to outpace process and education adjustments. […]

View More

Why Six Sigma Will Outlast Total Quality Management

Six Sigma is not just a new term for Total Quality Management (TQM). They have many similarities and are compatible in many business environments. TQM has brought great improvements and value to many companies. Six Sigma can do more. TQM is the development, deployment, and maintenance of systems related to quality-producing business processes. TQM is […]

View More

Statistical Software with Six Sigma

Six Sigma is about numbers. Six Sigma produces a flood of data about your process that are critical to your success. If you don’t measure it and understand what you are measuring, you can’t manage it. Six Sigma’s clear strength is a data-driven analysis and decision-making process — not someone’s opinion or gut feeling. The […]

View More

Six Sigma Tools

Statistics are at the heart of Six Sigma’s powerful methodology for quality improvement. It pays to get to know some of the most important of the Six Sigma statistical tools. Control Charts The control chart is the fundamental tool of statistical process control; a proven technique for improving productivity. It monitors the variation of key […]

View More

Six Sigma Jobs

The demand for people with Six Sigma expertise is constantly increasing. More and more organizations are discovering the many ways that the Six Sigma methodology can help them grow and improve. As Six Sigma spreads to many different industries beyond its genesis in manufacturing, you can now find many service and government organizations advertising for […]

View More

Six Sigma for Small Business

It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six Sigma as being only for large corporations. Major corporations such as Allied Signal, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Sony, and Toshiba have all rolled out Six Sigma efforts and achieved outstanding results. Yet, it is […]

View More

Six Sigma as a Way to Develop People

One of the many benefits of Six Sigma is how it helps to develop people. The dual processes of Six Sigma training and Six Sigma projects cultivate excellence in not only product quality and financial savings but also in the knowledge, confidence, and quality of the people in your organization. People are, after all, your […]

View More

Six Sigma and Online Training

While nothing can exceed the breadth, depth, and quality of direct in-person training, various factors can make it inconvenient. If your organization is serious about Six Sigma training, but find it difficult to get everyone together for instructor-led training, then an online Six Sigma course is a worthy alternative. An online training program can give […]

View More