As the foundation for this blog, we refer to two very good videos on Run Charts. While both cover the same material, they are also complementary. So, we recommend you watch both. In the first video, Michael from the Quality Improvement Division of HSE Ireland covers the Run Chart. HSE (Health Service Executive) provides all [...]
In a high-speed time-lapse video, watch how nurses implement 5S in an ICU supply room to improve their workspace. 5S is a core tool used in the Lean methodology for business improvement. As indicated in the above picture, it consists of 5 steps: Sort Set in Order Shine Standardize Sustain Let’s explore each of these [...]
By 2007, over a thousand lives had been lost through IEDs destroying military HUMVEES. A solution was needed and fast. The answer was the MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle. At the time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates mandated that 1500 MRAPs needed to be fielded within a year. However, the factory at the time — SPAWAR [...]
Corporate Governance, Governance of Projects, and Project Governance, what’s the difference? Are your Lean Six Sigma projects governed? Darya Duma, Member of Procept Associates Ltd. Management Advisory Board and Senior Trainer and Consultant, clearly defines the differences and provides the requirements for Governance of Projects. At the macro level, Corporate Governance outlines the rules by [...]
We often think of state Departments of Transportation as inefficient, especially the Division of Motor Vehicles. However, Wisconsin DOT developed a strong performance measurement and continuous improvement program in 2013. Wisconsin DOT uses their MAPSS Program to measure how they are doing and have implemented Lean Six Sigma to drive improvement where needed. These core [...]
Conflict is universal, and you can expect to encounter it during Lean and Six Sigma project work. While the video from Humber Health Sciences of Canada focuses on teachers and students in a hospital setting, their recommendations for managing and resolving conflicts are generic and apply to dealing with conflict in project teams. Conflict should [...]
In an earlier blog, we discussed the power of a statistical test. We repeat that blog with the addition, following the video link, of referral to a suite of calculators that you can use to calculate the power in many applications you may face. First, the original blog. What is the power of a statistical [...]
There are many problem-solving methodologies. One that has been used around the world for many years, particularly in automotive-related industries, is 8D Problem-Solving, used by Ford and required internally and of its suppliers. Ford developed 8D, also known as Team-Oriented Problem-Solving (TOPS) in 1987, which has 8 Steps: D1 – D8. D1: Form a team [...]
Six Sigma is a methodology that is used to improve processes, whether they are from manufacturing or services. Human Resources is a major business department that provides services to an organization. Marcia Rhodes from WorldatWork TV interviews Michaela Leo, Compensation Leader with a major pharmaceutical firm to learn how Six Sigma can be used to [...]
How do you capture what occurred on a project in an easy-to-understand manner, communicate it, and document project questions such as what methods were used, what solutions were explored, and lessons learned? The answer is the Thought Map originally proposed and developed by Cheryl Hild, Doug Sanders, and Bill Ross in 2000. From project start [...]
