Six Sigma Articles

More than a Plaque on the Wall: How Accreditation of Belts gives Business Benefits
Why should you consider accrediting Belts formally through assessment and certification? A certificate recognising the competence of an individual as a Black or Green Belt is more than just a plaque on the wall. The process of accreditation offers a number of very important benefits not only for the project leader (the Belt), but for the business and for its Six Sigma deployment. Full article

The Maturing Six Sigma Organization: Train the Trainer
After around 18 months of Six Sigma deployment, typically after the second or third waves of projects, organizations come to appreciate the need to develop an independence from external consultancy support. The Maturing Six Sigma Organization: Train the Trainer describes a rigorous, phased approach to developing in-house expertise to further train Belts, launch more projects and win even more benefits from Six Sigma process improvement. Full article

Don't Forget the Softer Side of Six Sigma!
People don’t like doing things differently; they don’t like change. It turns out that in delivering a Six Sigma project that the soft stuff is the hard stuff! Statistics alone will not create world-class organizations. Just as the DMAICT methodology provides a rigorous framework for conducting process and data analysis, the same rigour needs to be applied to the management of change. Without appropriate consideration of the softer side of Six Sigma, many companies will achieve only short-lived benefits. Full article

Can We Trust the Data?
As all organizations strive to improve their processes they will find the foundations of success are driven by the acquisition of good reliable data. Measurement System Analysis (which includes Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility) assesses the integrity of the data obtained from our measurement systems, allowing us to determine whether we can confidently use the data for the purposes of process control or improvement. Full article

'Quick Wins' vs the 'Mile Deep Thinking' of Six Sigma
The very name of 'Quick Fix' or 'Quick Win' seems to be derogatory of impulsive action in a change project. Senior management too, are always pressuring for results and yet the Black or Green Belt knows they have to conduct a thorough analysis, following an extensive measure phase. After all, that is the strength of the Six Sigma DMAICT methodology.

So are 'Quick Wins' ever legitimate? If so are there any guidelines for recognising when a solution fix might be implemented, even though the Six Sigma project is still in the measure or analyse phase? In this article are just a few thoughts on the matter - by no means a definitive answer, but perhaps of help to the troubled Belt. Full article