Application of Lean Manufacturing to Software and IT Development
Posted by: meikah | 17 September 2009 | 7:59 pm
Over at Evolving Excellence is a good discussion on how to apply lean manufacturing principles to software and IT development.
The discussion was an interview of Mary and Tom Poppendieck with Matt Heusser. Some of the insights from the interview:
- Get all workers deeply involved in analyzing feedback from the market and rapidly figuring out how to act on that feedback.
- Lean provides the theory behind Agile practices. Lean is a set of principles, ways of thinking, from which Agile practices are derived
- An underlying concept of Lean is that if you can’t create small independent-thinking teams, you can’t respond rapidly in the face of continuous change.
- Try to put in constant improvement. Try to get closer to the customers. Look at the big picture, not just software.
Read the post on Evolving Excellence and read the interview.
Filed under: IT, Lean, Lean Manufacturing, Software/Technology
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4 Basic Truths about IT-Six Sigma Integration
Posted by: meikah | 26 August 2009 | 7:54 pm
Not many are convinced that Six Sigma and IT integration will succeed. or if there is a need to in the first place.
An article on iSixSigma Software shows us that it can be done. The iSixSigma Magazine once published the results of their survey, which were analyzed by Michael Marx, and they pointed to the strong possibility of a successful integration of Six Sigma and IT.
- Overall, Six Sigma is not frequently used to improve IT processes.
- The extent to which Six Sigma is applied to IT has to do with the role IT plays in a company – staff function or strategic component.
- The longer a company has been using Six Sigma, the greater the likelihood that the company has integrated Six Sigma with IT.
- Technology is not always the solution, and when it is, the solution is often not implemented.
Read the discussion HERE.
Filed under: IT, Six Sigma, Software/Technology
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Leaning and Greening Your Software
Posted by: meikah | 31 March 2009 | 10:11 pm
Investments in software require a huge bulk off your capital or savings. And in these difficult times, not many companies can really afford to spend much, even if they probably need it.
Good thing that there’s actually a way to invest in software spending without breaking the bank, or running your savings aground.
An article on BusinessWeek Online discusses how software vendors are competing for shrinking IT budgets by touting products that can save energy, save money, and save the environment.
- Microsoft launched its “environmental dashboard” and the Windows 7 claiming to conserve PC power
- Autodesk acquired companies whose programs help architect design eco-friendly buildings
- IBM is emphasizing how governments and businesses can invest together in powerful computer systems and data analysis software to address problems like climate change and food supply safety
- Big Blue has several projects underway in the U.S., Europe, and Asia as part of its “smarter planet” initiative
Filed under: Lean, Software/Technology, Sustainable Business
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Six Sigma and Oce Max
Posted by: meikah | 10 March 2009 | 10:38 pm
idm.net.au reports:
Oce MAX is a new document performance management system that applies Six Sigma tools and methodologies to measure, benchmark and improve outsourced document activities, such as print/copy and mail centre management.
The new offering is designed for large organizations with multiple sites and services. Features include: near-real-time volume and performance reports; customisable, dynamic reports based on the client’s input; customizable dashboards including “stop light” performance management of metrics critical to the business; and, automated email alerts.
Filed under: Six Sigma, Software/Technology, Tools/Toolkits
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Minitab Releases Quality Companion® 3 For Quality Improvement
Posted by: meikah | 29 January 2009 | 8:15 pm
Minitab, the leading software company, has just released its Quality Companion® 3 for Quality Improvement. The product has the following features:
- The ability to import Microsoft Visio® diagrams
- User-created custom data fields and categories
- More powerful Project Manager
- New brainstorming templates
- Many ease-of-use improvements
This also complements Minitab’s flagship product, Minitab® Statistical Software, which companies worldwide use to handle the sophisticated statistical data analysis at the heart of every Six Sigma project.
Filed under: Minitab, Six Sigma, Software/Technology
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8 Factors in Selecting Statistical Software for Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 21 January 2009 | 8:39 pm
Over at Quality Magazine, Evan Miller, president and co-owner of Hertzler Systems Inc., shares eight factors to consider in selecting statistical software for Six Sigma.
According to Miller, there are two categories of statistical software: the Advanced Statistical Analysis tools and the Real-time Enterprise SPC Solutions. How to work on both or either of these categories, the following will be your guide:
- How strong a background in statistics does the typical operator have?
- What types of data are operators most likely to encounter?
- If data are mined for information, how easily can multiple approaches with multiple options be tried?
- How easy is it to create a report or presentation that can be shared with other colleagues?
- What does it take to get new data into the system?
- Does the system automatically test new data for real-time process shifts?
- Are Data Stored in a Robust Relational Database?
- How Easy is it to Slice and Dice the Data?
Filed under: Six Sigma, Software/Technology, Statistics
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U.S. Navy Reserve Works with Lean Six Sigma and PMI Principles
Posted by: meikah | 9 December 2008 | 11:20 pm
Sam Sumwalt is among the Premier 100 IT Leader. Sumwalt is currently the chief technology officer of the U.S. Navy Reserve.
One of his major accomplishments is improving how members of the U.S. Navy Reserve to communicate and collaborate with each other through a website. How did he do improve a mailing list that reached only a handful of them? He combined Project Management Institute principles and Lean Six Sigma.
Sumwalt went on first consolidating projects and then directing the work of three technical teams, two contractors and one internal Web team. In addition to following standard Project Management Institute principles, Sumwalt and his leadership team applied Lean Six Sigma tools to evaluate the project’s effectiveness and timeliness. The end result was a single, comprehensive Navy Reserve Web site, complete with single sign-on to all applications, including blogs, wikis, discussion groups and document libraries.
Indeed, Sumwalt is just living his motto: “There is always a better way. You just have to find it.” And with all the different kinds of process improvement methodologies out there, you just need to find the one that works best for your processes.
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Software/Technology, US Navy Reserve
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When Cost Cutting, Lean Six Sigma Comes in Handy
Posted by: meikah | 3 December 2008 | 7:54 pm
Lean is about streamlining or eliminating waste, while Six Sigma, as we all know, is keeping variation at bay by improving processes and using statistical tools.
During this time that cost cutting is the order of the day, the two combined can come in handy.
In an article on CIO News-Search CIO, in the IT field, CIOs are enjoined to apply Lean Six Sigma to their cost cutting measures.
In lean times, CIOs should apply Lean Six Sigma practices to IT operations, the panel said. In the case of incident management, change management and release configurations that have been codified by frameworks like the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), applying lean thinking should be par for the course. On the other hand, in application development, which is more of a “moving target” and less mature, applying lean thinking is much more difficult. But it should be done, by keeping value uppermost in mind. Resources should be focused on the people who can really add value to the process.
A lean IT organization is also continually evaluating systems and processes for “overkill,” said principal analyst Marc Cecere. A 700-person IT shop that requires 18 signatures on every approval is an example of overkill, Cecere said. In addition, every problem does not deserve its own process, he added, urging CIOs to adopt the “Kill stupid rules” policy of one of his clients.
Cost cutting and determining where to cut costs is a highly sensitive matter. Thus, it has to be done with a sound system in place. Lean Six Sigma can do the trick. The methodology helps you identify the problem and determine which areas do not yield value, and then you can work on it.
Via: iSixSigma News
Filed under: IT, ITIL, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Software/Technology
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Revisiting Six Sigma at Motorola
Posted by: meikah | 1 December 2008 | 9:53 pm
During this global economic crisis, I don’t see any letup in the telephone or mobile industry. I still see people buying new phones, even new gadgets.
So I asked myself how the communications or telecommunications industry is faring. I took a look first at Motorola for I knew it is a Six Sigma company.
Well, it seems that for Motorola, it is business as usual, and that business is doing good. Check out the recent Motorola news: launched WiMax in Vietnam and Jordan, deployed Motorola’s innovative wireless technologies in schools, launched the latest models in its range of stylish, digital cordless home-phone, and more.
If you remember, Motorola is known worldwide as a quality leader.
To accomplish its quality and total customer satisfaction goals, Motorola concentrates on several key operational initiatives. At the top of the list is Six Sigma Quality, a statistical measure of variation from a desired result. In concrete terms, Six Sigma translates into a target of no more than 3.4 defects per million products, customer services included. At the manufacturing end, this requires “robust designs” that accommodate reasonable variation in component parts while providing consistently uniform final products. Motorola employees record the defects found in every function of the business, and statistical technologies are made a part of each and every employee’s job.
As a result, reduced “total cycle time,” that is the time from when a Motorola customer places an order until it is delivered-is another vital part of the company’s quality initiatives. In fact, in the case of new products, Motorola’s cycle-time reduction is even more ambitious; the clock starts ticking the moment the product is conceived. This calls for an examination of the total system, including design, manufacturing, marketing, and administration.
Filed under: Motorola, Quality, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Software/Technology, Telecommunications
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Infosys Attributes Success to Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 4 November 2008 | 8:48 pm
In the recently concluded Third Annual Global Lean, Six Sigma and Business Improvement Summit, Infosys BPO got the ‘Best Achievement of Organizational Business Improvement in Transactional Services’ award.
The criteria for the awards included Strategic Relevance, Value Generation, Innovation, Implementation and Customer Benefit.
Infosys was awarded for its commitment to the deployment of business improvement excellence and customer centric transformation displayed by its senior leaders.
And a lot of the company’s success is due to its commitment to Six Sigma.
“The award is a validation of Infosys BPO’s continued focus on operational excellence and the sustained efforts from the quality and business transformation team in the organisation,” Infosys BPO CEO and MD Amitabh Chaudhry said in a statement.
Sources:
Six Sigma Zone News
The Hindu News Update
