Process capability is a key concept in Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI). For people not familiar with the concept, process capability is a process’s ability to consistently produce product that meets the customer requirements. Conceptually, process capability is simple. If a process makes products that meet the customer requirements all the time (i.e. 100%), it… Continue reading Understanding Process Capability
Achieving Improvement
In my blog Setting SMART Goals, I made the point that having a measurable goal in an improvement project is not enough — we have to know how it is measured and interpreted to make it useful. What makes a goal achievable? In my work as a Continuous Improvement (CI) coach and consultant, I have… Continue reading Achieving Improvement
Revisiting the DMAIC Stage-Gate Process
The DMAIC framework, with its Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control phases, is the most common method used in Six Sigma projects. Most Green Belts (GBs) and Black Belts (BBs) are trained to execute Six Sigma projects using this framework. Following the DMAIC steps, the project team can think rigorously and approach the problem… Continue reading Revisiting the DMAIC Stage-Gate Process
Improving Life Science Productivity
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused unprecedented disruptions in the world economies and societies. It has been apparent that our ability to limit its damages hinges on the speed of developing and delivering effective vaccines to reduce widespread infections, safe and efficacious medicines to treat patients, and rapid, accurate tests to diagnose the disease. Despite… Continue reading Improving Life Science Productivity
What Does the Data Tell Us?
It’s March 31, 2020. In the past 3 months, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the world we live in. As the virus spreads around the globe, everyone is anxiously watching the latest statistics on confirmed cases and deaths attributed to the disease in various regions. With the latest technology, timely data is more accessible… Continue reading What Does the Data Tell Us?
How is your Lean developing?
Do you use Lean as a Continuous Improvement (CI) methodology in your organization? If yes, how do you use it? How satisfied are you with the results? When I talk to people in CI, many often tell me that they prefer Lean to Six Sigma or have shifted more efforts from Six Sigma to Lean… Continue reading How is your Lean developing?
Six Sigma Project Management
Six Sigma projects are different from traditional projects in one important aspect – the solution or the path to success is unknown at the start. In contrast, building a new house, for example, is typically a project with a known path. Its time, budget, and resources can be planned with reasonable accuracy. While there is… Continue reading Six Sigma Project Management
Can You Trust Your Data?
Data is a new buzzword. Big Data, data science, data analytics, etc. are words that surround us every day. With the abundance of data, the challenges of data quality and accessibility become more prevalent and relevant to organizations that want to use data to support decisions and create value. One question about data quality is… Continue reading Can You Trust Your Data?
Back to the Basics
What is quality? What does it mean to you and your organization? No matter your definition of quality, the result is a satisfied customer. As a management consultant specializing in quality and continuous improvement, I see opportunities everywhere to improve customer satisfaction. Most of them don’t require significant resources or efforts. Despite the rhetoric about… Continue reading Back to the Basics
The First Six Sigma Project
Recently I have been coaching some newly trained Green Belts (GBs) doing DMAIC projects and observed very similar struggles many organizations experience. For example, Making little progress because of no time or resources Stuck in the Define phase two months after the project start Confused by the tools and their applicability in the project Overwhelmed… Continue reading The First Six Sigma Project