Using Six Sigma for Employee Promotion
Posted by: meikah | 17 December 2007 | 12:03 am
I have written quite a number of posts about the use of Six Sigma in human resource. Some of the posts touched on fast-tracking recruitment process, others on providing training for employees. Not one touched on promotion.
If Six Sigma can improve recruitment and training processes, I believe it can also be used for evaluating employees for leveling up.
Cummins is actually doing it. An article on Information Week narrates how the company will be using Six Sigma to determine of IT employees can be managers.
CIO Gail Farnsley shares how she will apply process improvement method, particularly Six Sigma, to identify and develop the manufacturer’s IT management talent. Right now, she’s looking into the following:
- starting with the VOC survey, asking business-unit heads about the strengths and weaknesses of the IT division
- ranking and prioritizing the qualities of a future IT leader
- looking into IT management candidates’ experience in non-IT roles
- tracking how many of them actually make it to leadership positions
Read more…Source:
InformationWeek.com, a Six Sigma Zone featured link
*Photo from MorgueFile
Filed under: Human Resource, Software/Technology, Deployment, CIO, IT
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Innovation of the Week: Trapped Rainbow Effect for Computers
Posted by: meikah | 16 November 2007 | 12:44 am
This innovation will use a rainbow-like effect to produce ultra-fast computing. Possible? Here’s the story:
The technique, called ‘trapped rainbow’, would help optical data storage, with light replacing electrons to store information, according to their paper published today in the journal Nature.
Controlling light would also help engineers control major nodes where billions of optical data packets arrive at the same time.
By slowing some packets to let others through, rather like a traffic congestion scheme, the flow of data can be boosted.
Source:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Corporate Communications
Filed under: Software/Technology, Innovation Update, ABC
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When is Six Sigma Six Sigma?
Posted by: meikah | 8 November 2007 | 10:35 pm
I’ve just finished reading an article on ICMI titled “What Does Six Sigma Really Mean for Call Centers?”
Peter Bloom, president of Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC), one of the few organizations that offers call center Six Sigma training and certification, says,“Most call centers are operating between 1 and 1.5 Sigma, and those that have adopted the Six Sigma methodology are striving to develop from 1 to 1. 5, 1.5 to 2 and 2.5 to 3 Sigma. There is no company in the call center space or in the service space that is really working toward achieving processes with a Six Sigma outcome, and that’s because we don’t have to be that good. We’re not building rocket ships where peoples’ lives are at stake, so you don’t have to have that level of performance.”
Rather what call centers do is adhere to the principles of the Six Sigma methodology, that is using metrics to measure and drive performance, the companies are able to focus on continuous improvement, very process-oriented, and very focused on the customer requirements.
That’s what Ilene Lustigman, Director of Customer Service, NCCI, is also doing for her company, which right now is benefitting the company a lot. They follow the DMAIC and incorporate it to their QMS methodology. So it’s not entirely Six Sigma, but their quality management system is DMAIC dominated.
So let me go back to my original question: When is Six Sigma Six Sigma?
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Software/Technology, Deployment, Call Center/BPO, DMAIC, Six Sigma
1 Comment |
5 Keys To Accelerate Six Sigma ROI - A Free Webcast
Posted by: meikah | 4 November 2007 | 11:52 pm
Take advantage of this free webcast from PowerSteering, which was shared to all iSixSigma readers.
The webcast set on November 8 will help you find ways to achieve a better financial return from your Six Sigma deployment by
1. driving better project selection
2. improving dashboard visibility
3. shifting reporting into the fast lane
4. steering project execution forward
5. getting more mileage out of past projects
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Software/Technology, Deployment, Six Sigma References, Events/Announcements, PowerSteering
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Six Sigma and Green Initiatives at IBM
Posted by: meikah | 8 October 2007 | 12:26 am
Business Green Blog writes about IBM launching a Green Sigma service soon. From the name alone, the new service will be a combination of Six Sigma, lean, process management principles, and green initiatives.
The focus will be on developing processes to reduce the carbon intensity of products and processes and create a lean green business. Read more…
In manufacturing especially, carbon usage is big. With this new innovation from IBM, I’m pretty sure other companies can learn from this. Other companies may already have their own green initiatives and are about to incorporate lean or Six Sigma, or both.
If you are among the latter, please do share your experiences here.
Source:
iSixSigma News
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Software/Technology, Sustainable Business, iSixSigma, Lean Manufacturing, IBM
1 Comment |
OpenSource Six Sigma™ Releases New Products
Posted by: meikah | 26 September 2007 | 6:58 pm
OpenSource Six Sigma™ is adding six new products to its successful first release, the DMAIC v8.1. The new products will include the individual Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control phases as stand alone products.
Open Source Six Sigma™ will introduce DMAIC by phases for $29.99 ea. and Process management v6.0 for $49.99. All other rates will remain the same until our introductory rate of $34.95 expires July 16, 2007, when DMAIC v8.1 will increase to $99.99.
Source:
Finance Visor, a Six Sigma Zone featured link
Filed under: Software/Technology, Deployment, Six Sigma References, DMAIC, Six Sigma Zone, OpenSource Six Sigma™
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18 Organizations Make it to The Global Six Sigma Awards Finals
Posted by: meikah | 10 September 2007 | 12:37 am
WCBF has announced the shortlist of finalists for the 2007 Global Six Sigma Awards program. Listed by category, the following are the finalists for the 2007 Global Six Sigma Awards:
Best Achievement of Design for Six Sigma and Innovation, sponsored by Air AcademyAssociates
ATMI
Capital One Direct Banking
Raytheon Information SolutionsBest Achievement of Integrating Lean and Six Sigma
BMO Financial Group
Truman Medical CentersBest Achievement of Six Sigma in Financial Services
BMO Financial Group
Capital One Direct Banking
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation
OCBC BankBest Achievement of Six Sigma in Healthcare
Providence Health and Services
Truman Medical Centers
Valley Baptist Health SystemBest Achievement of Six Sigma in Manufacturing
ATMI
Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc
Lonmin Plc
PACCAR IncBest Achievement of Six Sigma in Outsourcing
Clayton State University Continuing Education
CONEXIS
WNS Global Services (P) LtdBest Achievement of Six Sigma in Sales & Marketing
Unisys
Best Achievement of Six Sigma in Service & Transactional Environments
BMO Financial Group
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation
Firstsource Solutions Limited
OCBC BankSix Sigma VP of the Year Award
Aravind Immaneni, Vice President, Strategic Analysis & Improvement, Capital One Direct Banking
Leslie Behnke, Vice President, CIGNA Business Excellence, CIGNA
Dr Tomas Gonzalez MD, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Six Sigma Quality, Valley Baptist Medical Center
The winners for all categories and for The Platinum Award for the Most Outstanding Organizational Achievement through Six Sigma, sponsored by Genpact will be announced at The Global Six Sigma Awards & Summit Gala Dinner on Wednesday October 24th 2007. The Gala Dinner is part of WCBF’s 2nd Annual Global Six Sigma Summit at The Rio All Suite Hotel, Las Vegas.
Congratulations!
Filed under: Manufacturing, Six Sigma Organizations, Finance, Awards, Software/Technology, Healthcare, Military
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Six Sigma and Software Development
Posted by: meikah | 22 August 2007 | 8:26 pm
Like any other processes, software development cannot be without defects. In fact, since I’m exposed to it, I think finding and avoiding software defects are far more difficult to do. That is because with software development, the output is always vulnerable to bugs, and you won’t know it until the software is run. One more thing, even if the software is running well already, it is still prone to bugs.
So, it’s good to hear that Six Sigma can actually help reduce software defects and improve quality. According to an article on SearchCIO.com, Six Sigma when employed to software development can do the following:
- Six Sigma can be used as an analytical engine for process improvement.
- For software issues such as availability and quality of data, and the frequency in which projects go through the lifecycle, Six Sigma’s analysis methods can help uncover the root cause of different issues and procvide solutions.
- Six Sigma can be used strategically to enable the implementation of what I call domain-specific improvement techniques.
- Implement Motorola’s SDFSS or Software Design for Six Sigma.
Source:
SearchCIO.com, iSixSigma featured link
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Software/Technology, Deployment, Processes, iSixSigma, DMAIC, DFSS
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Innovation of the Week: Nokia’s Global Design Sense
Posted by: meikah | 17 August 2007 | 4:01 am
Nokia’s global design sense has undoubtedly put the company in the lead.
In a nutshell, the global design is making cellular phones that customers can really use wherever or whoever they are.
BusinessWeek Online reports:
Nokia (NOK) is looking to add 2 billion new users by the end of the decade by reaching out to emerging markets, including China, Brazil, Indonesia, Africa, and India (see BusinessWeek.com, 8/6/07, “Nokia Wins with Wide-Angle Vision”).
Nokia operates nine satellite design studios located within targeted nations where researchers and designers work to customize its approach to each market, blending macro trends with micro insights. A new studio was just announced in Bangalore, India; others already operate within China and Brazil.
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Software/Technology, Telecommunications, Innovation Update, Nokia, Innovation
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Six Sigma Reference: Six Sigma and IT
Posted by: meikah | 7 August 2007 | 7:32 pm
First Source published a journal entry titled Information Technology and Six Sigma Implementation.
This paper discusses the basic concepts of the Six Sigma Process Improvement Methodology, presents various computer applications to demonstrate the value of information systems and information technology (IS/IT) in this methodology, and finally, presents an actual case where some of these applications were used to help a major corporation save over $2 million.
A friend of mine who works for another IT company used to ask me how to use Six Sigma in IT. I hope she gets to read this and learn from it.
Source:
Reed First Source a featured link of Six Sigma Zone
