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Archives by Year: 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

• Interpreting Anomalies Correctly Can Help Avoid Waste
  Without the benefit of extensive project experience and strong statistical interpretive skills, a Green Belt or even Black Belt may improperly diagnose data anomalies, leading to poor decisions. Learning some quick analysis techniques can help. Read the full article. October 6, 2008


• Give Trainees DOE Experience with Simulated Experiments
  Design of experiments (DOE) is an important tool for driving improvement. Through simulations used in training, new Belts can get hands-on experience while learning the challenges of DOE before they apply it to costly real-world experiments. Read the full article. September 15, 2008


• Non-normal Data Needs Alternate Control Chart Approach
  Some people believe that it is not necessary to transform non-normal data before creating an individuals control chart. The chart, however, is not robust to non-normally distributed data. Therefore, it is important to use an alternate approach. Read the full article. August 25, 2008


• Picking the Best Approach for the Problem at Hand
  Choosing the correct process improvement methodology is not a difficult task for full-time practitioners, but for other team members this is often an obstacle that takes up valuable time and energy. A positioning map may help in making selections. Read the full article. August 18, 2008


• Analyzing Experiments with Ordered Categorical Data
  Six Sigma projects often deal with experiments whose outcomes are ordered categorical data, rather than continuous. It is important to know the right analysis methods for these cases, such as Jeng and Guo’s weighted probability-scoring scheme (WPSS). Read the full article. August 4, 2008


• Start with Leaner Tools to Ease Non-belts into Method
  When starting a deployment, it is best to make things as painless as possible for the non-Belt community. Leaner versions of the FMEA, analytic hierarchy process and quality function deployment tools can be used to ease process owners into Six Sigma. Read the full article. July 24, 2008


• Using Critical Path Analysis to Prioritize Projects
  For lead time reduction initiatives, a critical path analysis of the overall timeline is a useful method to visualize which sub-processes impact the lead time, thereby enabling the business to make the right decisions on where to apply resources. Read the full article. July 14, 2008


• Follow Brainstorming Basics to Generate New Ideas
  Before brainstorming, it is important to understand not only the fundamentals of the method, but also how to prepare for and conduct a session. With the right atmosphere, team members and encouragement, the ideas will flow. Read the full article. July 3, 2008


• Identify Constraints and Reduce Wait Time in Processes
  It is important to identify and understand bottleneck resources before making improvement decisions. This can be done by creating simple value stream maps that factor in the average wait time, inventory and the cycle time for each step of a process. Read the full article. June 23, 2008


• 15 Criteria for Selecting a Viable DMAIC Project
  Having a robust and reliable approach to, first, quickly determine whether the project is indeed a good DMAIC project, and second, to prioritize projects to ensure resources are allocated appropriately, is essential to Six Sigma program success. Read the full article. June 5, 2008


• Systems Thinking Results in Holistic Improvements
  The whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. By looking at issues through a systems-thinking lens, it’s possible to work with a system as a whole – and to deliver sustainable and comprehensive process improvements that address root causes. Read the full article. June 2, 2008


• A Lean Approach to Staffing Brings Optimal Performance
  Organizations are often challenged with managing seemingly unmanageable work volumes with available staff. By completing a Lean assessment in tandem with capacity modeling, an organization can optimize its staff and avoid gaps or surpluses. Read the full article. May 26, 2008


• Get a Feel for Lean: Explore Application Opportunities
  Lean is intuitive, flexible and can be executed quickly. As a result, almost any business or organizational process can benefit from the application of Lean. To gain a better understanding of the method, test its tools on an everyday process. Read the full article. May 1, 2008


• Implementing a Customer Satisfaction Metric
  To find if customers are happy with the products and services they are receiving, an organization must implement a metric for tracking customer satisfaction. This can be done by using a Servqual survey framework and a voice-of-the-customer matrix. Read the full article. April 28, 2008


• A Method for Aligning the Six Sigma Performance Metric
  Some Six Sigma practitioners are concerned about the current method used to calculate Z-scores and express process capability. A proposed modification, based on Berryman's scorecard, may fill the need for a more intuitive and business savvy metric. Read the full article. April 7, 2008


• 5 Lean Tools and Principles to Integrate into Six Sigma
  Integrating Lean into an existing process-improvement framework can result in more high-impact, quick-hit projects. As this experience from one business shows, it's possible to bring in Lean tools without creating ripples in the Six Sigma structure. Read the full article. March 17, 2008


• Applying 5S Tool to Environment in Service Industries
  In order to successfully deliver service to customers, satisfy them and increase the likelihood of future business, transactional companies can make good use of the 5S tool as a basic framework to manage workplace dynamics. Read the full article. February 25, 2008


• DMAIC Project Selection Using a Systematic Approach
  Growth of the DMAIC methodology in the United States' more service-oriented economy is not as fast as earlier in manufacturing industries. While DMAIC is well-proven, it requires a systematic plan for project selection in transactional environments. Read the full article. February 4, 2008


• Multi-Generation Project Planning's Fit with Six Sigma
  At the time of NASA's Apollo mission, multi-generation project planning (MGPP) was not a popular tool, but the moon landing project is an excellent example of the power of MGPP, and it provides a chance to explore how it fits with Six Sigma. Read the full article. January 14, 2008

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