The SixSig Roundup
Posted by: meikah | 13 March 2008 | 9:23 pm
It’s that time again when SixSig goes ’round the cyberhighway and gather news about Six Sigma and other quality management methodologies.
For this week, learn from the following blogs, bloggers, and news agencies:
Jeff Dalton of Ask the CMMI Appraiser blog answers your question about incorporating Six Sigma and CMMI. He says, “Six Sigma is a set of methods for gathering, analyzing, and acting on information derived from statistal analysis of performance data. The CMMI is a process model. The two CAN co-exist with one another.”
Ron Pereira of Lean Six Sigma Academy, is in Japan observing how the Japanese do things and achieve results. He was sharing what he observed and learned from a company called HOKS. Among the revelations are: the company implements 3S instead of 5S, had 62,000 Kaizen activities, management’s focus in results, and its struggle with employees who also didn’t welcome change. From Ron’s account on information overload, I can see that HOKS makes for an interesting study.
Mike Wroblewski of Got Boondoggle? also shared his experience with HOKS. Mike focused on the 3S and how it is achieving significant results for the company. From management to employees, everyone comes in for work earlier than scheduled to do the 3S. Like, Mike, I like this slogan, too: “If I change, our company will change!” Great words of wisdom on organizational change, indeed!
Stephen Gill of The Performance Improvement blog shares about how the health systems need a strategy to carry out their processes well. One particular critical process is dispensing medicines. He gives Duke University Hospital as an example of a company that implements Six Sigma to control quality and reduce errors.
Check these great blogs now!
Filed under: Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Deployment, Healthcare, Ron Pereira, Kaizen, Mike Wroblewski, Lean
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Six Sigma Reference: The Simply Lean Pocket Guide
Posted by: meikah | 11 March 2008 | 8:51 pm
The Simply Lean Pocket Guide is the integration of Lean and the PDCA methodology. The interactive Tinker Town case study allows you to take problem solving with a Lean twist to your next performance level.
The most basic premise of Lean is to simply and effectively problem solve. The Simply Lean Pocket Guide is a step-by-step approach to the implementation of process improvements using the PDCA model along with a Lean twist.
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma References, Lean
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What Composes your Six Sigma Team?
Posted by: meikah | 10 March 2008 | 9:44 pm
This is a very important question. The success of the improvement team will depend in part to its composition.
Many say that a good Six Sigma infrastructure should comprise fully trained business leaders, quality leaders, experts, and individuals supporting specific projects in their areas. Others also claim that a person from the shop floor would be a valuable member of the team as he knows the goings-on from below.
There is however a team that is working on Six Sigma efficiency, in fact more than six sigma because they claim only 1 mistake in every 16,000,000 deliveries. This team is not composed of engineers, quality practitioners, finance men, or management gurus.
I’m talking about the Dabbawalas. They collect home-made food and deliver it to the office workers. At first, you might think this task is just a piece of cake. But the Dabbawalas have increaed and so is their service.
And here’s the interesting part: Eighty-five percent of the Dabbawala team is illiterate and 15% is educated upto 8th grade. How does the Dabba team work?
The entire system depends on TEAMWORK and meticulous timing(in fact so meticulous that, during his visit to India, Prince Charles had to fit in with their schedule so as to not disrupt their schedule). In the course of the dabba’s daily journey, a single dabba would change hands 3 to 4 times. Prior to this, they are sorted out for area-wise distribution from the railway station where it was initially delivered. It is interesting to note that each dabba follows a color coded pattern.
What does this imply? Simply that when you have good solid system in place, people understand it and follow it, then you achieve something great. If I remember correctly, I think it was Peter Drucker who said that 80% of the problem lies in the sytem, and 20% in people.
Related story:
Team Dynamics
Source:
BharatEntrepreneurs.com
*Photo from the article
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Team Dynamics, Deployment, Zero Defects, Six Sigma, Dabbawalas
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Six Sigma for Garbage Collection
Posted by: meikah | 9 March 2008 | 9:50 pm
With the renewed focus on going green, public and private companies launch projects to address environmental problems. Among the projects, it’s probably the garbage collection that is the most difficult to handle.
In fact, garbage management gets even more complex for big or growing cities. However, there is a way to manage garbage collection more efficiently. City of Fort Wayne, Indiana launched Six Sigma and missed trash pick-ups were reduced by 50%.
How did Fort Wayne City do it?
Read the city’s Six Sigma Project: Garbage Collection.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, Six Sigma, Fort Wayne City, Environment
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Innovation of the Week: Tata’s Nano
Posted by: meikah | 7 March 2008 | 1:32 am
Much has been written about Tata’s Nano.
An article on BusinessWeek online says that the innovations of the $2,500 car carry important lessons for Western executives.
How could Tata Motors make a car so inexpensively? It started by looking at everything from scratch, applying what some analysts have described as “Gandhian engineering” principles—deep frugality with a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. A lot of features that Western consumers take for granted—air conditioning, power brakes, radios, etc.—are missing from the entry-level model.
Filed under: Manufacturing, Innovation Update, Innovation, Tata Motors
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Ps —> Q —> Six Sigma Deployment
Posted by: meikah | 5 March 2008 | 1:57 am
Mind your Ps to achieve Q.
It’s not really a formula in the sense that no relationship has been shown in the equation. But it’s a sound advice for those who plan of going into Six Sigma deployment.
Bryan Carey, EVP of DeLeeuw Associates, LLC, writing for iSixSigma recommends that before you deploy Six Sigma, you need to mind your Ps first to get your Q. The Ps are can either be the Push approach or the Pull approach, and then what’s the Position of your company in the learning curve.
Remember that not all companies or processes are ready and receptive of Six Sigma of Lean Six Sigma. Thus, it’s important that you know where your company lies in the learning curve. This is when the Push or Pull approach comes in. You pull out if the company is not ready, and you push (go through with the deployment) if the company is ready.
After determining the Position, and whether to do a Push or Pull approach, you are now ready to achieve your Q. The Q stand for Quality. Carey puts it quite well when he says:
…the company must meet the expectations and requirements internally, before it can deliver the right answers externally. To do that, the organization needs to mind its Ps (understand its Position on the curve, Push or Pull) to get the Q (Quality).
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Deployment, iSixSigma, Six Sigma
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The Importance of Piloting a Six Sigma Project
Posted by: meikah | 5 March 2008 | 12:46 am
Chapter 7 of The Six Sigma Way book emphasizes the importance of piloting a project. What does piloting mean?
An iSixSigma article gives a definition of “pilot,” which means to test the functional and sigma capabilities of the new process, where critical functions defined in the current generation of the multi-generational plan are operational but on a limited scale.
In other words, it’s like test driving your new vehicle. So what is the value of piloting a Six Sigma project?
According to the article, there are four primary advantages and/or objectives for a pilot:
- Limit capital and other resource expenditures (managing risk)
- Assess true performance of design and/or solutions in a controlled but “live” environment
- Identify additional improvements
- Identify implementation tips and traps
When and how to do a pilot? Read the rest of the article.
Here’s a sample of a company, Bluvas T-shirt company, that run a pilot project for 10 days. Click here.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Deployment, iSixSigma, Six Sigma, Study Guide
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Six Sigma Continues at Chrysler
Posted by: meikah | 3 March 2008 | 9:39 pm
It is clear that the Chrysler group is big on Six Sigma. A couple of years ago, reports on Daimler-Chrysler going into Six Sigma and being benefitted by it hit the frontpage news.
First, there was news about Chrysler adopting DFSS thereby making them more proactive and receptive the what their customers want.
Second, Daimler-Chrysler strengthens its Six Sigma deployment by integrating structured innovation methodologies into its DFSS program.
And now the latest is that Chrysler LLC will boost the company’s Six Sigma by sending its people to training. Giving training programs is not new at Chrysler. In fact, its technical specialist program has been established since 1988. The company just decided to offer Six Sigma trainings in addition to its already tested training modules.
According to the news in ReliablePlant magazine:
The new technical fellow and master black belt senior specialist programs will build on the company’s existing technical specialist and master black belt programs.
Why particularly these programs?
Black belts use different problem-solving methodologies, including Lean Six Sigma, Design for Six Sigma, critical thinking and Shainin Red X to solve various technical and process issues throughout each vehicle program. They progress through the black belt ranks to the current top rank of master black belt specialist. The new top rating of senior specialist demands tougher criteria, but provides greater personal recognition and reward – and benefits to Chrysler’s Product Development operations.
Last year, I heard news about problems and issues—both financial and management—besetting Chrysler. I hope this move will help solve these issues, too.
Source:
Six Sigma Zone News
*Photo credit: thecarconnection.com
Filed under: Manufacturing, Six Sigma Organizations, Training, Deployment, Technology, DFSS, Chrysler, Six Sigma, Automobiles
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Dr. Joseph M. Juran passes away…
Posted by: meikah | 2 March 2008 | 11:31 pm
… and SixSig condoles with his family and relatives. May he rest in peace.
Although we can say that Dr. Juran has left quite a substantial Quality books, training modules, and lots of insights, he will be sorely missed by the quality community.
Source:
iSixSigma News
