6 Sigma Online

Many wonder what all the hype is about six sigma. After all, there are many management systems out there that are effective and that can help improve a business. When it comes to making its mark perhaps it is the fact that Six Sigma is something that has stood the test of time and while it has been changed and adapted to branch beyond the manufacturing sect to other forms of business, it has remained pretty steadfast in its principles along the way.

Those who created Six Sigma seemed to really know what they were doing which is why 6 Sigma has needed very little revamping along the way. It was carefully thought out and analyzed and that is why it has needed very few changes over the past several decades. But just as with anything else the concept is only as good as the training and implementation that go along with it. Those who succeed in these areas find that 6 Sigma can take their business well beyond their wildest expectations and create profits in a company that has until now been seen as failing.

Creating success in business means heeding the advice of our forefathers and even though business has changed a lot over the past two decades via the World Wide Web the basic concepts of business are essentially the same. The principle foundation of six sigma is just business basics including things such as improving customer experience, enhancing production to ensure less mistakes, and the measuring the results. While it may sound larger than life the basics of Six Sigma are those things that will actually work on their own. Combining them under one solid management strategy helps to really make for the best possible outcomes over the shortest period of time.

Six sigma training and certification is something that can benefit a wide variety of companies especially in the current economic climate. When it comes to having an impact on the bottom line of a company time and time again 6 Sigma is making believers out of companies all over the world. It is by far one of the leading business management strategies of all time and if companies such as Bank of America and Honeywell are using it, it just makes sense for those companies that want to attain that level of success follow suit as well.

Categories: Six Sigma

It may seem like a small problem but when people lose momentum within a position in a company this tends to have a negative effect on the entire company. Of course, people do tend to become complacent in their jobs and it is for this reason that those in upper management must find new and better ways to keep their employees motivated and growing.

Employees who have held the same position for too long will likely become stagnent and will not be as effective as they could be. Now many companies will look at an employee who has been good and loyal for years and will see their lack of productivity as a reason to let them go because they no longer meet the needs of the company. Good managers will realize that these 6 sigma employees just need a few new challenges to ensure that they are getting stimulated in a way that makes them push forward and excel.

One of the best things that a company can do for its employees is to cross train everyone. This method can not only help employees to feel more productive but can also be of significant benefit to the company. After all the more ways in which an employee can benefit the company the better they will not only feel about their job but they will also be able to move throughout the company in cases where more workers are needed to fill in in another department or function. This greatly improves their contribution to the company as well.

There are also many continuing education programs that are available through local universities and colleges. Classes such as management trainee programs, communications classes, and even business management systems such as Six Sigma which can all offer significant growth and development not only to a company but to its individual employees as well.

Employees are like fine wine or growing plants, they need to be cultivated. Any company that wants to make the most of their employee base and to keep good employees happy needs to make sure that they offer additional training and cross training opportunities because this will make for a much better staff and a better functioning company as well.

Categories: Six Sigma

A new year is upon us and most companies and managers are looking for ways to improve their business in the coming year. Some are making changes internally while others are looking towards outside resources and successful businesses for the answers they seek. It is a dog eat dog world and when it comes to making the most out of your business sometimes it takes a little more than the resources that you have in just your bag.

There are many ways in which you make your business grow in the coming year and it is important not to box yourself in when it comes to what you will use and the ways in which you will considering growing your business. What happens to many business owners is that they become tunnel visioned as to the resources that they can use to expand, grow, and change their business.

The important thing to remember is that there is no recipe for success. As a matter of fact it is only by working the different aspects of a business that you can truly find a niche for your own business. While it is helpful to accept advice from successful business owners you will most likely find that the best ideas are those that you generate on your own from the things that you have been taught and that you implement into your business with their own spin on them.

It is of course a world of competition and as such it is important to access as much information and as many tools as you can. Gathering information about successful businesses and the techniques and training programs that they use to advance their busiensses is a fine way to model a successful business.

The one thing to keep in mind is no matter what you are trying to model you must still find ways to adapt them to your business. For instance, take Six Sigma. It is a fine business management methodology and one that makes a lot of sense. Even with training and certification however, some people take it a bit too far as can be seen by the example of Home Depot who implemented Six Sigma without really looking at the overall health of their company. In this type of setting the tunnel vision didn't create success but instead created failure. This is just one example in which you can see where a valuable business technique was not used to its most effective means and resulted in an apparent failure. With just a little bit of common sense and adaptation better long term results could have been achieved.

Categories: Six Sigma

Objectives and goals are important to the survival of any business. If, for any reason, the business is not meeting its objectives and goals, there is a crack somewhere in the business's structure. It is now the business's responsibility to find and fix all hindering problems.

Once the projects are ready to begin, prioritize the projects. The project that improves a major limitation is more important than a project that only solves a minor inconvenience. The projects must be completed in the order of priority.

There are three factors to consider in any project. First assess the situation. Begin by defining all problems and establishing a starting point. Measure the scope of the work and the desired outcome. Determine what is causing the breakdown in the business then fix the problem. Effective project improvements must begin at the top and flow downwards. Because everyone's role is vital, it's important that everyone understand the role he or she plays. Team work is one of the most important factors to project completion. Keep the atmosphere open and friendly but professional.

Project tracking plays a huge role in 6 sigma project development. Not staying focuses and not achieving projected goals makes project planning ineffective and useless. Project tracking happen two easy steps, implementing a plan and executing the plan. Having a clean plan helps to eliminate any unnecessary problems in the future and gives everyone a reference point to refer back to.

Creating a timeline allows the team to effectively manage the time that is spent working on various tasks. Overestimate the time needed to complete the project. Overestimating allows extra time to revisit and redo problems. Divide larger tasks into smaller ones and perform quality control checks on the smaller tasks. Doing quality control checks on the smaller tasks makes it easier to pin point the problems during the trouble shooting phase.

Track the project's completion and milestones amount in real-time. If the project is only 95% complete record it as only 95% complete and not 100% complete even if the project is behind schedule. This helps to estimate the amount of time needed to complete future projects.

Categories: Six Sigma

Six Sigma was a revolutionary business tool, developed in the 1980's. The process tries to unify manufacturing standards so pieces are built the same way and there are fewer errors. Reducing errors helps improve the overall quality. This process was first helmed by Motorola, garnering them success and awards. Now, it is a practice used in many different industries. The ingenuity of one man created this process. Bill Smith developed the Six Sigma system and changed the way many companies did business.

Before Six Sigma, Motorola faced criticism for the quality of their products. Many businesses at the time were concerned about making a product that was cheap, not that was of high quality. However, it was found that building a lasting product was cheaper over time. Products that were cheaply made eventually ended up becoming costly because of errors and repairs. Bill Smith developed the Six Sigma system as a way to correct this problem.

Bill Smith's system helped improve Motorola's manufacturing process. It was not just an idea or a token mission statement, but a new way to operate. The Six Sigma system wanted to improve quality and decrease errors, but also had a formula for doing so. The Six Sigma system worked because of the adherence to observing the manufacturing process and analyzing the data. Six Sigma uses data to correct manufacturing errors and records progress. "Six Sigma" refers to a quality level that the products operate on. Being within this level mean they produce low errors. The system Bill Smith created helped set a standard, and Six Sigma helped to check and modify systems that were working under this standard.

Bill Smith created a management system that is highly sought after. He found a solid business philosophy and then found a measurable way to enact it. This clever thinking made him a pioneer, but his spirit was also novel. Bill Smith didn't keep his idea at Motorala, he taught other companies how to use the system too. He wasn't just looking for one company to make a profit, he wanted to make business better for everyone. He passed away in 1993 but his idea lives on today.

Categories: Six Sigma

When it comes to reducing waste and improving the overall product at your company, Six Sigma policies are a good way to get that done. However, six sigma should be a mindset for everyone at the company, not just for a few select individuals.

Make Money

Six Sigma should be embraced by everyone at the company. There is not a single person in your company that should not be thinking of ways to save the company money and improve profits. Some may be better at ti then others, but restricting who has access to your way of thinking only cuts down on the number of ideas that could make your company money.

Improve Quality

Each person in the company should strive to make a quality product, or contribute toward a quality product. Everyone from the CEO, to the guy who sweeps the floors, should always be thinking of ways to make the company better. When the quality of a product is better, and there are fewer flaws in the final piece, the company makes more sales. This benefits everyone, so everyone should be pitching in.

Allow For A Sense Of Ownership

When you allow everyone to have input on ways to help with Six Sigma thinking, and allow more employees to receive the training, it makes the job more personal for the employees. They no longer see the job as just something that makes them a paycheck, but as something that they can take pride in and and actually make an impact. Allowing your employees to feel involved in the process will make them all work harder and smarter to improve processes and eliminate errors that waste money.

Six Sigma is all about making everyone better and making the company better. This wouldn't fall on one person no matter what the process being used to strive for the perfect product. Therefore, everyone should be involved in the process and coming up with ideas to make things easier and more profitable. When the company succeeds, everyone succeeds, so everyone should be able to be involved with Six Sigma within the company.

Categories: Six Sigma

Business process reengineering (BPR) is a cycle within the development of an organization that aims to accomplish substantial improvements by making changes in technology, staff and management processes. The concept of BPR predates Six Sigma, and it originated from a critique of using technology to automate processes that essentially do not add value to an organization. Industry giants such as General Electric and Dow Chemicals have used BPR in conjunction with Six Sigma to manage complex operations and become global leaders in their respective fields.

The BPR cycle begins with the identification of processes, followed by a review, update and analysis. Design, testing and implementation of changes are the subsequent steps in the BPR continuity. When applying the Six Sigma methodology to the BPR cycle, organizations are left with a streamlined business process which is lean and simple.

Information technology and business intelligence are significant factors to consider when considering the implementation of BPR. An organization which attempts to apply a BPR cycle will not get too far without a good grasp on the information that is relevant to the business. The Six Sigma methodology uncovers a good portion of business intelligence with its two initial phases of definition and measurement. Defining a problem involves finding out the specific goals of the organization and the expectations of the clients and stakeholders. Measuring information is possible by observing how existing processes are handled and by collecting relevant data such as key performance indicators such as sales, number of customers served, inventory, hours spent by staff in certain functions, level of satisfaction, etc. Those are just some of the business intelligence elements which are crucial to the BPR cycle.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are software solution that enable organizations to easily collect valuable data. CRM systems have become essential for companies and organizations that wish to gather business intelligence not just for the BPR cycle, but also for marketing purposes. One of the great advantages of CRM systems is that they are designed to store data in a centralized repository. Having a central database for business intelligence is fundamental for the BPR cycle to take place.

Organizations that seek to improve their processes through the BPR cycle or Six Sigma must ensure that solid business intelligence collection practices are in place.

Categories: Six Sigma

As many as 40 times per week in the United States, patients slated for surgery end up having the wrong procedure performed or surgery on the wrong side of their body. To help combat this problem, a consortium of eight hospitals and surgery centers are turning to an approach popular in the world of private business.

The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare was formed to investigate the problem of wrong site surgeries and come up with possible solutions, and in doing so turned to Six Sigma. The process improvement program has been used by the business and non-profit sector to identify and eliminate inefficiencies, and the commission is hoping it will help them fix problems in the scheduling and holding procedures used by hospitals.

Because wrong site surgeries are seen as an entirely preventable complication, the commission worked on finding just what goes wrong in hospitals to cause the problem. Using the Lean Six Sigma principles, it found that hospitals which performed wrong site surgeries had poor communication and distractions in the operating room. The solution also comes through Six Sigma—hospitals are urged to pay close attention to quality and measurement while fostering a stronger culture of safety. Through this approach, the number of defective cases in the holding areas of hospitals surveyed by the commission decreased to 19 percent from 52 percent.

This case represents one of the growing number of forays process improvement has made into the health care sector. The commission used Robust Process Improvement principles, which led the team to quantify the problem of wrong site surgeries, find the contributing causes and come up with solutions to each cause. Other health care settings have found efficiency through the methods outlined in Six Sigma. A 2009 study from the American Society For Quality found that more than half of the hospitals surveyed used some type of process improvement method, with 42 percent using Six Sigma in some form.

In the world of private business improving efficiency means reducing overhead costs or redundant operations, but for hospitals the stakes are much larger. Structural defects in a hospital can lead to lower patient care, higher instances of return visits and longer stays for patients. The process has yet to gain full acceptance by the health care sector—only 8 percent of hospitals responding to the American Society for Quality survey reported full use of Six Sigma.

Categories: Six Sigma

When it comes to making a switch to 6 Sigma some owners and managers are concerned. They are not sure where to begin but they know they need something to aid them in making their business the true success that they want it to be. On the other hand they are worried about taking on a whole new management philosophy and the ways in which their employees will respond to such a change.

As soon as managers become more familiar with the Six Sigma certification program and the process of not only learning about the program but in having implementation strategies with coaches in place to over see the transition they tend to become more at ease. After all, it is easy to understand once the basics are laid out for them and honestly, there is really only a win-win situation with Six Sigma because it allows companies to grow and improve even during the initial phases of transition.

Good implementation and coaching are really key to getting a company moving in the right direction more quickly but honestly, even those companies that have a few problems during their Six Sigma start up usually find they are still benefiting from the improvements that 6 Sigma has brought to them. Six Sigma implementation will most likely produce the desired results in a very short period of time, which will be, even less if the implementation process goes smoothly.

Most certainly some individuals are resistant to change and therefore they will fight this type of change to begin with. In general, companies that use a structured 6 Sigma Certification program by which to train their employees usually find that by the time the training process is over that all of their employees are not only accepting of the program but are completely reassured about the positive changes that 6 Sigma will bring about within the structure of the company.

Once the upper level individuals are on board and truly understand not only what 6 Sigma is but how they can use it to benefit their company and the number of top companies that are already using the Six Sigma Principles and Strategies to hoist their businesses to the top of the food chain, the rest is cake. It is much easier to convince someone of the viability of something when you believe it yourself. Managers and owners who really understand the methodology have little trouble in getting the rest of the company on board as well.

Categories: Six Sigma

Business management is a very broad title because it truly covers a wide variety of businesses that can fall into many different categories. Many go through years of schooling and take out student loans in order to complete the endless hours required to obtain an MBA just to find out that they still don’t have enough information to get the job done successfully. There are however three primary things that every business manager must have in order to get the job done.

1. NATURAL TALENT: Managers are made not born or born and not made. This is a debate that has gone on for a long, long time. While it is important to have some information about business management, some people are just designed to lead and others are designed to follow. From this stand point, individuals who are considering business management as their field of study should probably undergo some type of evaluation to see if they are truly suited to be a business manager since there is very little that one can do with an MBA if they simply can’t manage a business.
2. TRAINING COURSES: There are many different courses offered both inside colleges and universities, online classes, as well as informational seminars. While it isn’t necessary to attend a university for a four year course of study to help obtain the knowledge you need for business management you will find that taking a few specific courses in interpersonal skills, DMAIC, and even a Six Sigma certification course can make a big difference when it comes to your ability to lead a company.
3. WILLINGNESS TO WORK: When most people think manager they think of a person who commands others. Managers who hold the most respect and those that are the most effective are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They are willing to dig deep and to get involved and that is why they command respect because they have earned it with their hard work and dedication.

A manager is not just someone who holds a degree or someone that sits behind a desk. He or she is someone who is always striving to do better, for a better way to make and achieve goals and to motivate employees to do more. They are the workers and don’t need a degree to move a business to a more successful place. Managers are both born and made. They are those with an inborn ability to deal with people and the good common sense to use a collaboration of the resources available to them to learn as much as they can about the business they are in.

Categories: Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a practice that has been around for several decades and while many of the top companies in the world not only know what it is but subscribe to its principles whole heartedly. This is very simply because they know they work. On the other hand there is an entire sect of the world that doesn’t really understand 6 Sigma or where it came from.

When it comes to understanding Six Sigma it must first be understood where it came from. Back in the 1980’s the Motorola Company knew they needed something more, something that could help propel their company to further success and so they offered their employees the opportunity to become creative and try to come up with a management methodology that worked to increase the profitability of their company. Through this process Six Sigma was developed as a culmination of some new concepts and some that were already in existence in other formats.

Ultimately Six Sigma is a management program that began in the 80’s and has continued to work well for businesses throughout the past several decades and for those businesses who have placed emphasis on not only the training and certification programs but on the implementation as well success has been relatively easy not only to obtain but maintain. As long as the process is initially put into place correctly and monitored the improvements to your business will be exceptional and beyond comprehension.

This is very simply because Six Sigma is so thoroughly comprehensive and offers businesses the ability to not only make significant changes that can improve their customers experience, their products, and of course their bottom line but do so in a measurable format that encourages team work and solidarity throughout the company’s structure. Taking the time to create a win-win structure in the business is what Six Sigma does best and since it is so comprehensive and provides measurable and predictable outcomes it is a methodology that suits many in the business world.

Six Sigma is widely used in the largest and most successful businesses in the world today and when you have a methodology that offers so much to a variety of different businesses with consistent results it is easy to comprehend why leaders in many of the top industries subscribe to Six Sigma and the ways in which it can improve a business. They have seen first hand the success of the program and have therefore embraced it in their daily business practices.

Categories: Six Sigma, Six Sigma Success Stories

In order to best understand the properties of Six Sigma and the ways in which they can improve and enhance a business it is imperative for the individual to understand the DMAIC model as this is one of the most fundamental principles in the 6 Sigma Structure. DMAIC is generally speaking the basic steps by which Six Sigma occurs.

The D stands for define and has to do with the validating the goals and financial benefits of undertaking such a problem but quantitatively determining a project schedule and evaluating the ways in which the customer and the company can benefit from such changes. By definition defining is coming up with the place that the process needs the fixing and this allows you to proceed to the next step, which is measuring.

By measuring we mean not only measuring what is wrong but to what degree and then using the measurements to define the growth and changes that are occurring as you go. Of course, it is essential that you are using a stringent measurement system by which you can accurately assess the changes that are being made in the areas that you have defined as in need of change.

Next you will want to take the time to analyze the problems that exist in the current system that your company is using and the ways in which this is having a negative impact on your customers. It is important to realize that Six Sigma spends quite a bit of time focusing on the customer experience and therefore it is important to realize that this is a step that must not be bypassed.

Improvement is the next step in the DMAIC model and this is where the changes begin to take shape and they are constantly being evaluated and re-evaluated to determine the best way to keep the company improving and moving forward. During the improvement process implementation is taking place and this leads to the control step.

The control step is absolutely essential very simply because it is the step that allows for refining of results. This step includes not only evaluating and implementing changes for a higher level of results but is one that really helps to quantify everything that Six Sigma embraces about the DMAIC model. Six Sigma is much more than just DMAIC but this model is an essential part of this most successful business management system that has afforded countless companies will phenomenal results.

Categories: Six Sigma

In order to motivate you as an individual or you as a business owner to consider lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification you must first attain a better level of understanding how and where 6 Sigma is most effective. Many people are still convinced that Six Sigma is something that is only effective for companies in manufacturing scenarios when in fact 6 Sigma has been adapted to meet the needs of a variety of industries including those of finance, health care, government, and service based industries as well. So in order to better understand we must first dispel this myth. Business in all different industries and of all different sizes are currently and have in the past used Six Sigma to attain success and improve their bottom line.

When trying to better understand the Six Sigma Black Belt Training Program it is best to consider all that it has to offer both individuals and companies. During this training and certification program individuals and teams will learn the 6 Sigma philosophy of improving the process of a business and of running a business that is solely centered around the customer and their experience.

Of course, one of the primary reasons why Six Sigma is so effective is because it holds so many unique principles that work together to create success. Winning strategies like advanced statistics, lean principles, and group assessments that help to tie all the basics of Six Sigma into one cohesive package.

Six Sigma helps both individuals and companies to really and truly understand not only their customer’s needs but also their expectations and to use this to help guide them when looking to improve the process by which they produce. They can then refine and define the things within the infrastructure that need to be changed and adapted for the best overall results to the customer and in the end to their bottom line as well.

This process is one that is based in the principle that the consumer must have the very best experience possible as this is really the only way for any business to succeed and time and time again this customer centered philosophy proves effective and profitable in a variety of different industries. Satisfied customers = larger profits and this is a fact that cannot be disputed. No business can attain true success if they are not supported by those consumers who are in need of what they are selling and this is a principle that is so basic and yet one that has laid the foundation for everything that Six Sigma has to offer.

Categories: Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a method in business management. Its goal is to look at the business critically, examine it, and find new ways to make it better. During the recession, many businesses did not survive. Six Sigma methods helped some businesses to by identifying the problems, analyzing them and providing the right solutions. Its steps are effective and can improve business.

According to business development and quality improvement experts, Six Sigma is one of the most popular management techniques today. Six Sigma is itself a huge brand in the corporate development world.

Six Sigma works because of its six steps:

1. Execute Training
2. Training Trench Level Staff
3. Data Measurement
4. Data Analysis
5. Assessment of Quality Improvement Under Changed Conditions
6. Constant Monitoring and Control

Executive Training

The first thing that should be done to make the Six Sigma work is to make the executive team aware of Six Sigma principles. This is done by providing training and helping executives understand proper interpretation, relevance and use.

Training Trench Level Staff

The next thing that needs to be done is to train the front line staff. Trench level staff are the people who perform everyday operational activities. They should understand the benefits of Six Sigma, as they are the ones who will execute and control the workflow. It is very important for them to believe in Six Sigma principles for implementation to be successful.

Data Measurement

In Six Sigma, it is important that every aspect of the business is documented, even the smallest details of the company and its transactions. This will help in analyzing how the company works and find the root of possible problems in the company.

Data Analysis

After collecting all the data, it should be analyzed to see how well the company’s objectives are being met. Are goals being achieved? Are goals close or far? How far? How are the employees performing? Even entry level employees in the company play an important role in the success of the company. Bonuses or perks can help employees improve their performance.

Assessment of Quality Improvement under Changed Conditions

When company conditions change in order to pursue new projects, new data should be collected to be supervised by Six Sigma Black Belts in assessing the quality improvement level.  This might take more time and other resources but it is important to achieve the desired results.

Constant Monitoring and Control

Even if the desired results in quality improvement are being achieved, constant monitoring and control should still be implemented. That way, whenever new competition arises, Six Sigma will be ready for it.

Categories: Six Sigma

There are four main six sigma belts. The first six sigma belt is the green belt. The green belt are the belts that are given to the employees of a company who have received a lot of six sigma training. These people have the ability to work in a team. The people who have the black belt are over the people who have a green belt. They can analyze and solve problems quicker than most people. They will have to have at least three years of experience dealing with the tools of six sigma. They are responsible for delegating out different duties to the members of the team.

The second six sigma belt is the black belt. The black belt are the belts that are given to people who are chosen to coach or lead the members of the green belt team. They are trained for several weeks in the fields of analyzing and leading teams. Therefore, they are able to train the green belt members. Plus they can show them how to lead the other members of the team. They can assign the duties to the people that are in the green belt team. They are required to know all of the concepts of the six sigma.

The third six sigma belt is the master black belt. The master black belt are the belts that are given to people who are experts in six sigma. These people for responsible to implementing different projects in a organization for a business. They are trained on how to improve on any business practices. They can do all of the things that a regular black belt can do but they can do it for a larger audience than a regular black belt. They are usually the ones that have the most experience under their belt.

The fourth six sigma belt is the yellow belt. The yellow belt can use all of the six sigma techniques to get the job done as well as possible. They are trained in all of the fields of the six sigma. The people who are members of the yellow belt team have to be able to use all of the methods of the six sigma to produce higher quality levels of work. They can help the other members of the teams to meet all of the expectations of the customer.

These are the biggest differences between the six sigma belts.

Categories: Six Sigma

When it comes to training programs it is important to realize that Six Sigma offers individuals and companies quite a bit of flexibility. Selecting the program that works best for you has a lot to do with what type of learner you are and whether you work best independently or in a group setting.

All 6 Sigma training sessions from lowest to highest are offered in both online and classroom settings and the reason for this is to best suit those that are doing the learning. From a company stand point, many choose the online training sessions very simply because this doesn’t create a scenario where large groups of individuals are missing work regularly for in person training sessions. Those companies that incorporate the online training sessions have employees take time during the workday to sit and do some of the training sessions during lulls. This allows the company the flexibility to pull individuals back to work as the pace needs it.

In theory, this sounds like a good plan and many companies take advantage of it because of this. However well this type of program works for the company it may or may not work well for those who are trying to learn. Many people find that learning in computer sessions especially in the middle of the workday causes them to not get the most out of these sessions especially if they are continually pulled away from sessions in progress. Others find that not being able to ask questions is a stumbling block in these types of training sessions as well.

Ultimately when it comes to those that are training it is better to allow the individuals to select the mode of training that they feel most comfortable with and that they feel will work right for them. While many companies may insist that the lower level yellow and green belts train in an online setting to help keep up with the daily operations of the business in the end those that hold upper management positions and that are undergoing the Black Belt and Master Black Belt training programs should determine the training path that best suits their learning style. While there are of course benefits to each of the different training courses, in the end it is best to allow each employee to determine the method that will produce the best results for them. Online or in person these training tools will prove invaluable to both your staff as individuals and your company as a whole.

Categories: Six Sigma

Many people know about Six Sigma and while some companies are making it mandatory that thus drawing people into the certification process this way there is another group of individuals who are choosing to become black belt certified to help enhance their resume and to help increase their management abilities and add to their tool bag. After all, in a world such as this competition in the workplace is quite strong and those who are looking for top positions within a good, top company are going to have to know about Six Sigma.

In order to become a Six Sigma black belt, there are some requirements that you will need to meet and one such requirement is that you must complete two Six Sigma projects or have one completed project and three years of work experience that fall within the 6 Sigma Body of Knowledge. And being that this is such an important requirement it is one that someone must sign to verify for you.

Holding certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt is serious business and therefore it is something that holds quite a number of requirements. To begin with the person must comprehend and be able to explain the philosophies and principles of Six Sigma and must be able to show proficiency in measurement techniques. The individual must also have a general understanding of the process elements, analysis tools, and tools to track the different projects.

In addition to these things listed above they must also be able to identify 7 classic wastes and understand DFSS and DFX methodologies as well. While there are no prerequisites for taking this certification course it is important to realize that the training process for higher level Six Sigma employees such as black belts is something to be revered and taken seriously.

At the end of the course and once all of the criteria have been met there is a 150 question test that must be taken and passed during a 4 hour period in order to obtain a certification certificate. All examinations are open book and most people pass the first time through.

Six Sigma Black Belt Certification classes are offered in person at local universities or online as well and which one will suit you best really depends on your learning style. In the end, however, becoming a Certified 6 Sigma Black Belt is something that can really help to enhance not only your resume but your overall job performance as well.

Categories: Six Sigma

Six Sigma implementation is only as good as those employees you have at the very top of the process and for the most part it is your Master Black Belts that are running the show. Many companies hire their 6 Sigma leaders from within their companies but sometimes hiring requires going outside of your business and if you are an owner or a manager that is looking to hire on a new employee to manage their Six Sigma implementation then there are some things that you need to be looking for.

To begin with when selecting someone from outside the company it is best that you find someone who has had experience with Six Sigma or at the very least with other complimentary methodologies such as TRIZ, DFSS, and DMAIC because many of these processes have similarities to the Six Sigma concepts which will help to make their transition into the company smoother.

In addition to these factors you will also want to make sure that you ask the perspective employees that you are interviewing questions such as how many Six Sigma projects have you completed, how many have you been in charge of, as well as to delve a little bit deeper into their knowledge of 6 Sigma to find out exactly what they know. When looking for someone to lead your team you should definitely not settle for someone who has not at least seen 10 projects to completion and this should be deemed the minimum number. After all, when you hire on a leader you want to make sure that they cannot only come in with good intentions but that they can produce results.

You will also want to find out if perspective employees have been certified and by whom and when. The longer a perspective employee has been exposed to Six Sigma process and principles the better able they will be to lead and produce positive outcomes.

Of course it is just as important to consider an employee’s cultural compatibility as well. While it is important to try and find the employee that is most proficient at utilizing 6 Sigma and producing results, it is equally as important to make sure that you are selecting an employee that will be a good fit with the other members of your team. When hiring an employee from outside the company to manage your business you need to make sure that they are person that is going to gel well with your other employees as this will make for a much smoother transition.

Categories: Six Sigma, Strategies

Today we're going to talk about the tools that managers use to improve processes, both in and out of the Six Sigma framework. While the term "process management" may be relatively new, the concept is ancient. Since the invention of business, managers have relied on experience, intuition and trial and error to lower costs and increase revenue. Just as today, any manager that lacked an introspective, self-critical attitude was likely to go out of business. Today, many managers rely on these old-fashioned tools to improve their lot. Some people seem to be born with an instinct for business. Unfortunately, sometimes those instincts are not enough. While some self-trained businesspeople do well enough, there are many disadvantages to this free-form approach. Experiences can be misinterpreted and intuition can misfire, even for the brightest minds in business. Six Sigma levels the field, by offering a scientific, fact-based approach to process management. Instead of spending hours and years reinventing the management wheel, you can learn proven lean principles relatively quickly. Don't misunderstand; you could spend years studying Six Sigma and still continue to learn more. But much of this learning involves the relation of basic principles to different industries and projects. These basic principles can be mastered relatively fast with a can-do attitude.

The core principles of Six Sigma can be designated DFSS (short "Design For Six Sigma"), and can be separated into five distinct phases: defining business goals; measuring characteristics of your product or service; analyzing your business processes to identify possible improvements; and verifying your new and improved processes. As we mentioned before, no single step is entirely new to business management. However, the Six Sigma system arranges these steps so that they are easy to understand and implement. Whether you're new to Six Sigma or have been familiar with this system for years, it never hurts to take a fresh look at the basic lean concepts that have made a powerful impact on the global business community. In 2011, the quest for more efficient processes has come sharply into focus. Our current economic downturn won't last forever, but even the world's highest paid economists are unable to predict when we will see bullish times again. Living in the midst of a downturn is no longer an excuse for failure. After all, the economy is never perfect, is it?

Those of us trained in Lean Six Sigma often have a infectious confidence, no matter what storms we're facing. And perhaps that confidence is the most valuable management tool of all.

Categories: Six Sigma

Six Sigma is all about quantification and mathematical data analysis. This is the entire point and purpose of the methodology. Without data gathered from empirical measurements, there is no such thing as Six Sigma.

First, a brief overview of what Six Sigma is. It was developed at Motorola, the global cell phone company, in the 1980s. Motorola was suffering from abysmal product quality. The problem worsened to the point where the survival of the company was in jeopardy. In desperation, management came up with a way to measure product defects within the context of the production process.

They defined a defect as occurring when a product failed to meet customer expectations or dissatisfied customers in any way. They traced defects to opportunities, where a single opportunity is the total number of chances for a defect to occur during production. By measuring different variables and quantifying the data, they were able to arrive at an optimum quality level, which they called Six Sigma. Six Sigma is 3.4 defects per million opportunities.

Data Measurement

In Six Sigma, data is measured using different metrics. A metric can spell disaster or victory for a company depending on whether they chose the right one. There is a saying within Six Sigma: What is not measured cannot be controlled. 6 Sigma relies on controlling variables to improve product quality and subsequent profitability.

Choosing The Right Metrics

A good metric will tell the company important information about the way it conducts itself. To be effective, a metric should be introduced in all areas of the company, from finance to marketing. The critically important thing with metrics is that they must be kept simple. A good rule of thumb is if it takes too long to explain, it will not work.

Simple metrics will reveal far more critical information than complex metrics. For instance, using a specific number goal rather than a percentage is usually more effective. To implement a metric, making sure employees and management understand it and how to use it is crucial. It is also necessary to discover whether the company has the ability to gather the type of data the metric requires.

Conclusion

Metrics quantify a business's goals and provide clear reference points. A system of metrics helps quantify different variables. Using metrics is an integral part of Six Sigma.

Categories: Six Sigma