Why Should I Learn Six Sigma Processes?

By Craig Calvin

Lean Six Sigma is an altered form of the Six Sigma process. Although it has the basic fundamentals of Six Sigma, Lean has a few differences that set it apart from basic Six Sigma Training. Knowing the difference can prove to add more to your quality improvement projects then you would have ever thought possible.

There are eight elements of waste that Lean Six Sigma focuses on. It has been proven that once these areas are removed from a company, their quality has improved. The following is a list of what the Lean process considers to be waste and examples to each area.

-Wasted human talent: this includes people who don't have a specific job function within the process or are simply slowing down the process with their presence.

-Defects: This refers to any product or process within your company that is not properly functioning. Prior to eliminating these defects, however, a solution to fix them needs to be put forth.

-Inventory: This refers to an over sized "To Do" list of work. You never want to have to much product waiting to be worked on. A doctors office, for example, does not want to have to many patients in the waiting room at one time.

-Overproduction: You never want to have to much of something before it is needed. This can get in the way of a well-organized operation.

-Wasted Time: many times you will find that you can not go any further until you receive a product or piece of information from someone. Instead of sitting around waiting, this time would be better spent on processes or activities that may need some extra assistance.

-Motion: When talking about motion, it is pretty self explanatory. It refers to the moving around of people when there is absolutely no need for it. An great example of this is when you make an appointment for a clinic and you are sent to triage, then back to the waiting room and then to the exam room. Everything should just be down right in the exam room.

-Transportation: Any form of ineffective transportation that is used to move people or a product. If it is not necessary then it is wasteful and not needed.

-Process Waste: Things that have to be done, but don't add value to the process, product, or service at hand. For example, a bank manager has to process a lot of paperwork, but this doesn't help customers or increase the banks ability to serve those customers in most cases.

Understanding these waste products will enhance the quality improvement projects that you approach using Lean Six Sigma processes. - 32538

About the Author:

Developing a Continuous Improvement Plan With Your Six Sigma Project

By Craig Calvin

Incorporating a continuous improvement plan into your Six Sigma project will help your business by providing the ability to make improvements to your process as business needs change, or unexpected events occur. Continuous improvement plans allow you to make adjustments to your process without having to undertake an entire new Six Sigma project, which can be costly and time consuming.

1. When you are examining a process, and trying to determine the ideal solution, you need to realize that this will be a continuous process. If you are only considering the current problems, and not considering future problems or improvements, then you will just be back in the same position in the not to distant future.

2. No matter how much you research and brainstorm, you will never come up with the perfect solution that will never need to be changed again. There are always unknowns, and something totally unexpected may happen in the future that could effect your process. If you continue to evaluate the process, however, and make changes as they become necessary, you will lower the chances of having to completely re-design the process again in the future.

3. CIPs (Continuous Improvement Plans) are designed so that people can effectively keep things working without redoing a whole process. Re-doing Six Sigma Projects when they stop working is counter-productive and cost-inhibiting.

4. While Six Sigma is useful in helping to eliminate the existing problems in your processes, the project team must also take into account the future of the business, and future improvements that may be needed. When the Six Sigma project ends, the process must be prepared to deal with any issues that may arise.

5. The priorities and focus of a business can change over time. When you incorporate a continuous improvement plan into your Six Sigma project it allows you to quickly make modifications to your processes, and helps to keep them aligned with the current priorities. Without a continuous improvement plan, your business may have to start a whole new Six Sigma project, just to make sure the processes are aligned with the new direction of the organization.

When you undertake a Six Sigma project you are trying to find a solution to the problems effecting your processes. This solution, ideally, should not be a quick fix, that takes care of the immediate problem, but it should be a long term solution that corrects the process for the foreseeable future. The best way to ensure this is to include a continuous improvement plan within the project. If you do not include a continuous improvement plan as part of your Six Sigma project, then you may have to go through the entire process again in the future, which is an unnecessary expense for your business. When you incorporate a continuous improvement plan into your Six Sigma project it allows you to quickly make modifications to your processes, and helps to keep them aligned with your current priorities. - 32538

About the Author:

Job Hunting - 3 Common Mistakes that Keep You Unemployed

By Craig Calvin

It is very difficult when you suddenly find yourself unemployed. Most recently unemployed individuals quickly try to find a new job without thoroughly thinking out a plan for how to find this job. This can end up leading to some mistakes which may prevent them from finding work. The good news is with some planning, and some guidance, these mistakes can be avoided.

Before you do anything else, make a plan. It is very easy to quickly become overwhelmed by all of the negative consequences that come with being laid off. You start to worry about medical insurance, bills, and providing the essentials for you or your family. This worry can cause you to start applying for jobs without coming up with a plan first, and this can be counter-productive to your success. You need to stop and think about your resume, your training, your qualifications, and what other tools you have available to help you find a job. You also need to think about what types of jobs you should apply for, in what fields, and how far you could travel to work if necessary. Another important part of your plan is networking, not only to try to find individuals who may be aware of available jobs, but to provide references as well.

Do not limit your search to the internet. If you want to find a job quickly you need to explore every possible job opening available. While there are certainly many jobs that can be found online, either using a job finding site, or going directly to company's web sites, not every job is posted on the internet. If there are local companies where you think you would be qualified to work it may be worth while to contact them directly, talk to someone face to face, and provide hard copies of your resume. This human interaction may help when you are competing with many other people for a limited number of jobs.

One-by-one searching. Too many people assume that they get a nibble and they should pull the rest of their lines. They will pursue one opportunity by itself without keeping other options on their plate just because they see hope. When you get so discouraged, it's easy to forget that the light doesn't always keep shining, and you need to keep your options open. However, you should know that the more options you have, the better your chances of success will be.

If you don't make a plan, limit yourself to looking for jobs only on the internet, or stop your searching because you think you may have a chance for one specific job opportunity, you are seriously hurting your chances for finding a job, no matter what your resume says or how qualified you may be. More companies are laying off good, qualified people all of the time, and there are not many new job opportunities available, so you need to give yourself every advantage you can when you are looking for a job during these tough economic times.

A great source of online information for individuals who are looking for a job is Six Sigma Online. If you visit their web site, http://www.sixsigmaonline.org, you can find information on career finding and business productivity, in addition to Six Sigma Training. - 32538

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here