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Tag Archives: Six sigma
Factorial Designed Experiment Aim
Multivariate experiments are a very powerful management tool to learn and improve performance. Experiments in general, and designed factorial experiments in particular, are dramatically underused by managers. A question on LinkedIn asks? When doing a DOE we select factors with levels to induce purposely changes in the response variable. Do we want the response variable to move within the specs of the customers? Or it doesn’t matter since we are learning about the process? The aim needs to consider what … Continue reading
Engage in Improving the Management System
To actually improve management you need to engage in continual improvement of your management systems. This requires doing the hard work of challenging complacency. The job of those improving the practice of management is not to make everyone happy and just ignore that the words about improvement are not actually carrying through to changes in behavior. Do Executives “Get It?” So many times executives spout the importance of new initiatives like wellness programs, safety programs, or improvement projects like Lean, … Continue reading
Good Process Improvement Practices
Good process improvement practices include: standardized improvement process (pdsa, or whatever) Going to the gemba – improvement is done where the work is done. You must go to the where the action is. Sitting in meeting rooms, or offices, reading reports and making decisions is not the way to improve effectively. evidence based decision making, data guides decision making rather than HiPPO broad participation (those working on the process should be the ones working on improving it and everyone in … Continue reading
Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Process improvement, quote, Respect, Six sigma, Systems thinking
Tagged continual improvement, curiouscat, Deming, gemba, John Hunter, Lean thinking, Process improvement, Quality tools, quote, respect for people, Six sigma, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS)
8 Comments
Management Improvement Internal Experts
Having a group of internal experts in Deming, lean thinking, six sigma, etc. can be an good way to help the organization transform but they must 1) practice respect for people and 2) focus on building organizational capacity. Having, for example a few experts that are very focused on lean thinking and can be tapped by others in the organization I think can be very useful. That group might well also serve as “change agents” which can make some people … Continue reading
Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Process improvement, Six sigma
Tagged change, Deming, lean six sigma, Lean thinking, management, Process improvement, project management, Six sigma
Six Sigma Interview with Jack Welch
The short video includes some interesting points by Jack Welch on six sigma. GE was a huge company and did plenty of things that could be criticized. But often those criticizing take it much to far and disregard the sensible things GE understood and was doing well. Quotes by Jack Welch: “variation is evil” “Will six sigma companies get more valuation in the marketplace? Not unless they produce results. You can’t put up a slogan that says we are a … Continue reading
Posted in Investing, Management, Six sigma, webcast
Tagged Investing, management, management webcast, quote, Six sigma
Statistical Engineering Links Statistical Thinking, Methods and Tools
In Closing the Gap Roger W. Hoerl and Ronald D. Snee lay out a sensible case for focusing on statistical engineering. We’re not suggesting that society no longer needs research in new statistical techniques for improvement; it does. The balance needed at this time, however, is perhaps 80% for statistics as an engineering discipline and 20% for statistics as a pure science. True, though I would put the balance more like 95% engineering, 5% science. There is a good discussion … Continue reading
Posted in Science, Six sigma, Statistics
Tagged commentary, engineering, John Hunter, Quality tools, Science, Six sigma, Statistics, William Hunter
1 Comment
Soren Bisgaard
Soren Bisgaard died earlier this month of cancer. Soren was a student of my father’s who shared the commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by using applied statistics properly. I know this seem odd to many (I tried to describe this idea previously, also read his acceptance of the 2002 William G. Hunter award). Soren served as the director of the director of the Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (founded by William … Continue reading
Posted in Psychology, Six sigma, Statistics
Tagged commentary, John Hunter, Madison, Six sigma, SPC, Statistics, William Hunter
4 Comments
Highlights from Recent George Box Speech
The JMP blog has posted some highlights from George Box’s presentation at Discovery 2009 [the broken link was removed] Infusing his entire presentation with humor and fascinating tales of his memories, Box focused on sequential design of experiments. He attributed much of what he knows about DOE [design of experiments] to Ronald A. Fisher. Box explained that Fisher couldn’t find the things he was looking for in his data, “and he was right. Even if he had had the fastest … Continue reading
Posted in Data, Design of Experiments, Six sigma, Statistics
Tagged Bill Hunter, Data, Design of Experiments, Fun, George Box, John Hunter, Madison, Six sigma, Statistics
6 Comments
Finding Savings with Six Sigma
I don’t see any evidence six sigma is making a comeback but magazines like to talk about new ideas rather than just explore what continues. They like to discuss common cause variation as though it were special cause. Six Sigma Makes a Comeback Unlike in the 1990s, when such executives as General Electric’s Jack Welch embraced Six Sigma with missionary zeal, consultants say today’s converts generally are looking for a fast way to save money. How sad. Six sigma has … Continue reading
Posted in Management Articles, Process improvement, Six sigma
Tagged Six sigma
Google Should Stay True to Their Management Practices
I believe in Google’s past, present and future. They have shown a great ability to ignore the short term focus that dominates (and kills success) of so many companies today. I am happy to invest in Google for the long term. This current reaction to the economic crisis, is one of many times Google can be seen to be making significant changes to adapt based on market conditions and the results of their experiments and experiences. Google’s management in general … Continue reading
Posted in Google, Management, quote
Tagged Google, Innovation, management, quota, quote, short term thinking, Six sigma
3 Comments
Online Management Resources
Since long before I started this blog I have maintained the Curious Cat Management Improvement web site. In fact, that web site has been online since 1996; the blog started in 2004. I feel the web site has tremendous resources for managers looking to improve the performance of their organization (or course I am a bit biased). The Curious Cat Management Improvement library includes hundreds articles, reports, training guides, blog posts… that I have selected. It is a great resource, … Continue reading
Posted in curiouscat.com, Management
Tagged Curious Cat Links, Deming, John Hunter, lean manufacturing, management, Management Articles, management history, quote, Six sigma
Best Places to Work for Six Sigma Professionals
iSixSigma has created a list of the Best Places to Work for Six Sigma Professionals. To be eligible to participate, companies must have been actively engaged in using Six Sigma for at least two years and must employ a minimum of 30 full-time Six Sigma practitioners in either Black Belt, Master Black Belt or Deployment Leader roles. Sixteen companies met all the entry requirements and completed a two-part online survey. The senior Six Sigma leader submitted answers to an employer … Continue reading
Six Sigma v. Common Sense
Response to LinkedIn question [the broken link was removed]: “Whether Six Sigma as a quality tool really delivers the benefits ? How does it makes difference from a common sense approach ? (Where the process wastes and the required solution is known / can be easily identified just by applying common sense)” Six sigma (or another management improvement method) can help in several ways. First, lots of things that are sensible are not done. A method to assure that more … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Quality tools, quote, Six sigma
Tagged commentary, curiouscat, John Hunter, Quality tools, quote, Six sigma, Systems thinking
2 Comments
Full and Fractional Factorial Test Design
I am a fan of design of experiments as long time readers know (see posts on design of experiments). Continue reading
Posted in Design of Experiments, Process improvement, Statistics
Tagged Design of Experiments, marketing, Six sigma, Statistics
3 Comments
Department of Defense Lean Six Sigma
Gordon England, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, signed a directive establishing policy and assigning responsibilities to institutionalize the effort throughout DoD. See a webcast of his speech [the broken link was removed] on lean six sigma to a DoD conference on continuous process improvement. Leading Business Transformation the “Lean” Way [the broken link was removed] Since it began employing LSS, the Department of the Navy (DON) has completed 1,700 Black Belt/Green Belt projects and over 2,000 Kaizen events (i.e., action-oriented … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Public Sector, Six sigma
Tagged government, lean six sigma, Public Sector, Six sigma, webcasts
Problems with Management and Business Books
We really need to change how we improve the practice of management. Far too often management strategies are just the latest fad from some new book that successfully marketed an idea. The marketing effectiveness of a book, or consultant, has very limited correlation to their ability to improve management, in my experience. It is often true that they make very good keynote speakers, however. So if you want an entertaining keynote speaker looking at the authors of the best selling … Continue reading →