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Translating Customer Needs into Key Process Measures

By on February 6, 2012 in Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma @de, Uncategorized

Listening to the Voice of the Customer.

Do we really know the answer to these questions?

  1. How does the customer view my process?
  2. When it starts for them?
  3. When it is finished?
  4. What is the customer looking for when measuring the performance of my process ?
  5. How well does my process meet the customer’s expectation of what constitutes value ‘in their eyes’?

We must first understand who the Customer actually is.  We should then define how to listen to the Customer when he is expressing his opinions about the quality of our products or services.  There may already be an established process within your business to extract this valuable information on an ongoing basis (Market Research), however, it may also be the case that the business does not capture such information in a coherent and usable format.  This is often the case with internal customers.  Therefore, specific techniques and deeper analysis is required to understand what the customers requirements for the process output actually are.

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Lean Six Sigma in Veränderungsprozessen

By on January 26, 2012 in Allgemein @de, Uncategorized

In Veränderungsprozessen wird Führungskräften viel abverlangt. Altes soll nicht mehr gelten, Neues klappt noch nicht, Niemandsland. Wer hier Organisationen begleiten kann oder muss, braucht professionelles Wissen über den Ablauf von Veränderungsprozessen, Strategien und Instrumentarien für die gezielte Planung und Umsetzung.  Unsere kompetenten Trainer vermitteln Ihnen in diesem Green Belt and Black belt Seminar das notwendige Wissen, um diesen Herausforderungen zielsicher zu begegnen.

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Process Improvement requires ‘solution thinking’

By on January 26, 2012 in Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma @de, Uncategorized

Solution thinking often means being “creative”

It is useful to think about looking elsewhere for ideas as Benchmarking and looking within the team for ideas as Creativity

Many people, technical thinkers in particular, but others as well, often view all kinds of “creativity” on projects negatively; we want hard facts and analysis, “Creativity” has the reputation for being wild, uncontrolled, undisciplined; the generation of new ideas that were of limited (or no!) practical use

But remember, you have not improved something until you have created something new.

Green and Black Belts will learn that creativity can be managed. It can be focused. It can be the reason that the Lean Six Sigma project succeeds.

Creativity is a skill which anyone can learn to do better, the creative process can be accelerated and directed.

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Don’t get stuck in ‘methodology wars’

By on January 25, 2012 in Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma @de, Uncategorized

It is easy to get stuck in deciding what methodology to use.

Yet the underlying activities are very similar.

The real work is in using the DMAIC methodology and LSS Black belts should always be able to use any sensible methodology;

  • If you try to make improvements or solve problems without a methodology, you will probably jump to conclusions or you may become lost.
  • All improvement methodologies cover the same basic sequence of events, see also PDCA
  • Methodologies designed to react to new problems, such as DMAIC, include containment actions to quickly stop the customer being affected.
  • Use the Lean Six Sigma methodology, it will lead to innovation.
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Process Assessment and Process Maturity.

By on January 23, 2012 in Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma @de, Uncategorized

Black Belts using the Lean Six Sigma methodology for innovation and process improvement need to carry certain elements during de phases of a project, e.g.

Process Assessment:

  • Compare characteristics of a process or set of processes against defined criteria to obtain a value or score of the maturity, robustness, compliance, etc. of the process(es).
  • Assessment is a generic term that includes process audits, quality audits, evaluations, etc.

Process Maturity:

  • A measure of (usually) the control and management of a process or processes against a scale from ‘chaos’ at one end to continuously improving’ at the other.

These two:

  • give information for decisions on improvement priorities
  • enhance the drivers to improve – ‘You get what you measure’

 

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Error-proofing, or ‘Poka Yoke’ is a technique for eliminating errors.

By on January 21, 2012 in Lean Six Sigma, Uncategorized

‘Poka Yoke’ is a technique for eliminating errors, used by Black Belts for solution generation and preparing implementation;

such that it is …Impossible to make mistakes, …Inexpensive, …Very effective, …Based on simplicity and ingenuity.

“poka” means an inadvertent mistake, “yoke” means to prevent, it originates by mr. Shigeo Shingo (1909-1990) in Japan.

Error proofing is a very simple technique.

You should keep it in mind at all times, but particularly when you are designing the solution or the improvement

Ideally you should prevent all possibility of the problem occurring, elmination;

If you can’t do this, you should then try to

  • flag (identify quickly, every time the problem occurs),
  • facilitate (make it difficult to create the problem)
  • mitigate (reduce the effects when the problem does occur)

…in that order!

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Can PMP certification boost your salary and make you a more appealing job candidate?

By on January 21, 2012 in Project Managment, Uncategorized

The first step to finding out is learning what PMP certification is. PMP stands for Project Management Professional. Obtaining PMP certification means that you have taken the necessary steps to prove that you are an expert at managing projects.

PMP certification focuses on all the vital components of a professional project, including budgeting, managing scope, design, scheduling and quality control. Many of these qualities are developed over time. You may already possess all or many of them. If you do, then obtaining PMP certification should be your next goal.

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Why does productivity matter?

By on November 15, 2011 in General, Lean Six Sigma, Uncategorized

Productivity growth plays an active role in offsetting inflationary pressure and as well as long tern economic growth. This is achieved through greater resource allocation and human resource efficiency, effectiveness and engagement; increased innovation and technology diffusion and capital investment.

Productivity is an essential component to the success and health of every company in Europe and the overall standard of living.

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Lean Six Sigma , labour and productivity

By on January 17, 2011 in Lean Six Sigma, Uncategorized

What is the difference between labour and multifactor productivity?

Labour productivity is measured as real output per hour worked. Multifactor productivity, a broader measure of efficiency, is measured as real output per unit of combined inputs (capital, labour, etc). In essence, this is the efficiency of all or your factors of production.

Progress in productivity constitutes a significant source of increased standard of living. In the long run, increases in real hourly earnings are tied to productivity gains. The European economy has been able to produce more goods and services over time, not by requiring a proportional increase of resources such as labour, but by making production more efficient. The overall performance of any company, operating in any industry, is comprised of at least seven key criteria:

  • effectiveness
  • efficiency
  • innovation
  • productivity
  • profitability
  • quality
  • quality of work life
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