Amherst, New York Goes Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 13 December 2010 | 12:32 am
First, it was Erie County and then other counties such as Aiken and San Bernandino followed. Now, it’s Amherst turns to go Six Sigma.
Already, its Town Board approved $24,000 to begin training for a Lean Six Sigma. The Amherst Chamber of Commerce will pick up the tab for half of the training cost.
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, NY, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Training
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Job Seekers Enroll in Lean Six Sigma Training
Posted by: meikah | 8 November 2010 | 9:16 pm
The recession in the U.S. leaves many workers unemployed. Mary Wolf-Francis, business liaison for Workforce Division of the city of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department, calls these workers as the “unlikely unemployed” because they are people who have advanced degrees and have decades of high-level experience.
So what city administrators of Phoenix City did was to use a portion of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds to help these out-of-work professionals. They worked in partnership with the Global Outreach and Extended Education (GOEE) office of Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The out-of-work professionals were given trainings in Lean Six Sigma. The training composed of 2 sessions of a two-week Lean Six Sigma Green Belt program and 1 session of a four-week Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program.
The administrators believe that these trainings will arm the workers with the right skills to join the American workforce.
Filed under: Economy, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Belt, Six Sigma Training
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Six Sigma Companies News: Southcoast Health System Saves $20M Without Layoffs
Posted by: meikah | 28 October 2010 | 12:31 am
Here’s another edition of Six Sigma Companies News.
Southcoast Health System–a three-hospital system based in New Bedford, Mass.–has saved $20 million since it began implementing Lean Six Sigma in January 2009, the New England Business Bulletin reports. The savings are “well over” the amount invested, Patrick Gannon, vice president and chief quality officer for Southcoast Hospitals Group, told the Bulletin.
Filed under: Healthcare, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Six Sigma News, Six Sigma Organizations
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Lean Six Sigma Remains Strong in Manufacturing
Posted by: meikah | 22 October 2010 | 12:53 am
According to a recent study, the deployment of Lean and Six Sigma methods remains strong in the manufacturing sector.
Check out the table below.
Continuous Improvement Methods Used by Manufacturers
| Method/Tool | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 5S | 67.6% | 69.2% |
| Six Sigma | 58.5% | 58.6% |
| Kaizen | 57.9% | 55.7% |
| Value stream mapping | 46.6% | 47.3% |
| Kanban | 43.5% | 40.6% |
| Takt time analysis | 24.6% | 22.1% |
| Other | 5.7% | 6.1% |
Source: Compdata Surveys, 2010
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma
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DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma Buy-In
Posted by: meikah | 11 October 2010 | 3:13 am
An article on iSixSigma discusses the use of DMAIC model to overcome resistance to Lean Six Sigma implementation.
- Eliminating uncertainty. Resistance often springs from not understanding what the project is for. But at the Define stage of DMAIC, the overall purpose of the project can already be established
- Agreeing on the “As Is.” Another resistance is that people don’t understand the process itself, and how it works. This can be addressed by the Measure phase of DMAIC by presenting the “as is” picture. How the current process is working and how it can work after the improvement.
- Pointing Toward Solutions. The Analyze phase of DMAIC touches on the root cause, correlation, variation and impact of the project. This key information helps people get a clear picture of what should be done and see the potential solutions.
- Adding Options for Solutions. In the Improve phase, the solutions are seen as valuable to the organization.
- Sustaining Improvements. People often think of a new activity as a flash in the pan and thus get suspicious. But the Control phase answers this concern. This phase presents sustainability models in palce and are easy to use and explain.
Filed under: DMAIC, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma
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SixSig Reference Feature: Tips from Executives on How to Improve Business Efficiency
Posted by: meikah | 8 September 2010 | 9:34 pm
I often hear companies professing to make their business efficient because of quality management programs. On the other hand, others say that these are just all motherhood statements.
But I believe that efficiency can be done, and knowing the Best Practices, I know that there are companies out there that really make Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma work for them.
Here is an article who shares insights from executives of companies that are improving efficiency through Lean, Kaizen, and Six Sigma.
Let’s learn from them.
Filed under: Kaizen, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Quality, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations
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SixSig Reference Feature: Putting Dinner on the Table with Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 31 August 2010 | 8:23 pm
Every time I read about Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma being applied to everyday life, I’d get excited. It is because I want people to know that although the concept sounds ominous, it is actually not difficult to use or even learn it.
Aqua Porter, VP of Lean Six Sigma Strategy at Xerox, shares some insights on Real Business at Xerox.
When I read Dr. Carol Marchetti’s blog post back in June about the ways Xerox is using Lean Six Sigma methodologies to improve business processes, I started thinking, if Lean Six Sigma can help the business world, what could it do for my home life?
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Xerox Corporation
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Developing a Lean Six Sigma Training Curriculum
Posted by: meikah | 31 August 2010 | 7:49 pm
Developing any training module needs careful study. A lot of things have to be considered so that all modules or components will help you achieve your goal.
Over at iSixSigma, Gerard Pappa, shares three challenges to overcome when developing a Lean Six Sigma Training Curriculum:
- Agree on objectives.
- Prepare the material for presentation.
- Ensure the effectiveness of the curriculum.
Sounds like the really basic considerations that you need when developing any training material right? But these basic things are often overlooked.
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Training
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The SixSig Roundup
Posted by: meikah | 27 July 2010 | 12:43 am
It’s time again for some link-loving and see what other blogs are saying about Six Sigma, Lean, Lean Six Sigma and other quality improvement processes.
Forrest Breyfogle of Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard says that for lessons on recovery, U.S. can look to the north on their healthy policies and performance measurements. The post is particularly referring to Canada and how the country is doing amidst the crisis.
Over at Call IT Anything, Dale Sanders advises to don’t be strangled by process-improvement Black Belts. “Try though we may fix the problems of healthcare IT with rigorous process– most recently ITIL– we’re only putting lipstick on a pig…”
The Best Mobile Phone blog shares some tips and technology for Six Sigma mobile workforces. “Some organizations that have tried to use Six Sigma in field sales have used information technology solutions too soon. There is a wrong perception that Six Sigma will interfere with the productivity of the sales staff or take up time that they would rather spend with customers.”
Food Standard blog asks, can a fast food chain benefit from Lean Six Sigma? The post has good points about food, waste and Lean Six Sigma.
Lean Six Sigma for Law Enforcement blog talks about MBWA, or Management by Walking Around. It’s an interesting management style and the blog itself is a revelation. Check it out!
Filed under: Economy, Food, IT, Law/Legal Service, Lean Six Sigma, Mobile Workforce, Six Sigma
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Podcast: Beginning Your Lean Six Sigma Journey: How to Engage Your CFO
Posted by: meikah | 10 June 2010 | 8:58 pm
The success of any Six Sigma deployment depends on management support. Often, the challenge prior to project deployment is convincing management of the benefits of the project.
There are ways however to do it, and in this podcast, you will learn how to effectively convey the financial benefits of your Lean Six Sigma program to your CFO to get his full support.
Tapping into the mind of a CFO, Genna Weiss of Six Sigma IQ speaks with Dave McSherry, CFO/COO of ACPO Ltd. McSherry provides strategies and tools that you can use to get your CFO fully onboard with your Lean Six Sigma program.
