SixSig Supports the 5th Customer Feedback Week
Posted by: meikah | 25 July 2008 | 3:14 am
Here are the reasons why:
First, a robust VOC process can drive better Six Sigma results.
Second, VOC is big. It’s the customer who rules because it’s the customer who determines the quality of your product. It’s the customer who can make or break what to you is the most innovative product or service.
Filed under: Six Sigma, VOC, Customer Service
No Comments » |
Six Sigma Reducing Medical Errors
Posted by: meikah | 23 July 2008 | 11:35 pm
I’ve said this over and over that if I had to list the top 10 industries that should have zero defect, the healthcare or the pharmaceutical industry would be on that list.
Good thing there are quality methodologies, like Six Sigma, that can reduce errors. Take for instance, the medical errors. In an article on HealthLink, three initial projects on reducing medical errors were successful because of Six Sigma. These are:
- IV drug infusions - errors and discrepancies were improved by standardizing drug concentrations, developing tables to improve the accuracy of drip calculations.
- Patient Controlled Pumps for Administering Pain Medications - this area was improved by standardizing processes and training the involved personnel.
- Laboratory turn-around time - this aspect was improved by improving on software and interface issues and the pneumatic tube system, and training Black Belts.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Healthcare, Six Sigma
No Comments » |
Lean Six Sigma Saving Money and Environment in Heidelberg
Posted by: meikah | 23 July 2008 | 11:04 pm
ARMY.MIL news reports:
Residents in 10 family housing buildings in Heidelberg have walked through a six-week education process designed to significantly reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste that has to be incinerated.
The pilot project, called “Rumbling Rubbish/Keep It Green” was developed by Heidelberg Recycling Manager Travis Vowinkel, and with the support of the Environmental Division, the pilot program was launched.
The project has been successful because of Lean Six Sigma. Worked on as a Lean Six Sigma project, the families in the pilot project were educated about recycling and reducing wastes. The education campaign did not only involve info campaign materials but the staff members themselves also met with each family and showed them the recycling process that results in the least amount of non-recyclable waste.
Recycling projects are happen all over the world and some are making progress, others are struggling. But what struck me about this environment effort is the use of Lean Six Sigma. 
Anyone of you have used Lean Six Sigma in their environment projects, too?
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Lean Six Sigma, Military, Sustainable Business, Six Sigma, Environment
No Comments » |
What Makes Six Sigma Initiative Work?
Posted by: meikah | 21 July 2008 | 8:52 pm
I stumbled upon an interesting article on ezineseeker that says that Six Sigma is more than just number crunching. It is data-driven alright and analysis laden, but what makes it really work?
The article says it well.
…those who know Six Sigma have learned enough to be wary of excessive “number crunching” that does not lead to performance improvement. It is not the measurements or the reports that create solutions; it is the Six Sigma team itself. Once a problem’s root causes are determined in the analysis phase of a Six Sigma project, the team works together to find creative new improvement solutions. The data is used and relied upon—it is the measurements of the realities you face! Yet it is smart measurement and smart analysis of the data—and above all the smart creation of new improvement solutions and their implementation—that create real change.
Six Sigma is more than a data-capturing, number-crunching process. It is a philosophy and a methodology; it is a way of looking at business and a way of doing business processes. Six Sigma provides a structured data-driven methodology with tools and techniques by application of which companies can measure the baseline performance of their processes and determine the root causes of variations, as well as improve their processes to meet and exceed the desired performance levels. Six Sigma is a technique to introduce controlled thinking into a continuous change management method. It is a desire to constantly improve a product or service offered.
So for the naysayers out there, perhaps you need to reexamine and refocus your quality improvement strategies.
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Team Dynamics, Six Sigma
1 Comment |
Mentor Graphics Uses Design For Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 21 July 2008 | 7:53 pm
TradingMarkets reports:
Mentor Graphics, a supplier of electronic design automation systems, has announced that its virtual prototyping tool, SystemVision, will support Design for Six Sigma methodologies to achieve cost-effective design innovation by a model-driven development process.
The development process for a product made up of a complex blend of hardware and software, analog and digital signals, sensors and actuators, and a mix of disciplines, such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic, is difficult to manage efficiently. At the same time, using physical prototyping to optimize the design for manufacturability becomes prohibitively expensive, cumbersome, and time consuming.
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodologies combined with model-driven development can result in order-of-magnitude improvements in both productivity and quality when virtual prototyping, automated data collection, and statistical analyses are used to guide the model-driven development process.
