Gaming the MetricsUse metrics to guide improvement, not measure the performance of people
Wed, 01/11/2012 - 13:20
One of the cornerstones of quality and lean Six Sigma is data: “We insist on it.” “Don’t tell us what you think the situation is; let the data do the talking.” “In God we trust—all others bring data.” You get the idea.
An unfortunate side effect of… The Dirty Dozen Quality Challenges Major impediments that keep process excellence from going mainstream
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 06:00
Lean, Six Sigma, and quality provide a set of tools and a framework for achieving excellence in any process. Quality professionals are able to help organizations determine if customer requirements are properly defined and if the organization is… Histograms: When to Use Your Eyeballs, When NotLooks can be deceiving
Tue, 03/29/2011 - 05:30
Story update 3/29/2011: We corrected an error in the next to last sentence. "p < 0.05" was changed to "p > 0.05."
One of the exercises I assign to students in my training involves creating two histograms from normally distributed random… Histograms: When to Use Your Eyeballs, When NotLooks can be deceiving
Tue, 03/29/2011 - 05:30
Story update 3/29/2011: We corrected an error in the next to last sentence. "p < 0.05" was changed to "p > 0.05."
One of the exercises I assign to students in my training involves creating two histograms from normally distributed random… Developing a Standardized Approach to Work, Part 4SMED, the key to manufacturing flexibility
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 15:28
In this four-part series, we take an in-depth look at how to design an effective work environment. Part one discusses the elements of continuous-flow work cells. Part two considers how to enhance the efficiency of such work cells. Part three… Developing a Standardized Approach to Work, Part 35S, the starting point for all things lean
Thu, 07/01/2010 - 06:00
In this four-part series, we take an in-depth look at how to design an effective work environment. Part one discusses the elements of continuous-flow work cells. Part two considers how to enhance the efficiency of such work cells. Part three… Developing a Standardized Approach to Work, Part 2Efficiency enhancements of work cells
Wed, 06/30/2010 - 08:23
In this four-part series, we take an in-depth look at how to design an effective work environment. Part one discusses the elements of continuous-flow work cells. Part two considers how to enhance the efficiency of such work cells. Part three… Developing a Standardized Approach to Work, Part 1The elements of continuous-flow work cells
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 11:15
In this four-part series, we take an in-depth look at how to design an effective work environment. Part one discusses the elements of continuous-flow work cells. Part two considers how to enhance the efficiency of such work cells. Part three… We’re Teaching Future Leaders How to Fail The content of business education is irrelevant and the faculty in business schools inexperienced and unqualified.
Thu, 01/28/2010 - 05:00
While we work to improve quality and efficiency, our leaders manage our organizations into oblivion. Literally. Something is terribly wrong. Leaders of major corporations in virtually all industries do things that cause them to, either accidentally… Reviewing Success Factors of a Six Sigma Black BeltHow to determine the "can-do" from the "can't-do" attitude.
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 11:41
Today I received a sales call from a person interested in becoming a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. He had what I call a "can't do" personality. This is the diametric opposite of the "can do" person. This type of individual looks for reasons why a…
