Visual Management is one of the simplest, most effective tools of Lean manufacturing, but often overlooked. The key to success is simplicity. If anyone were to walk through your manufacturing operation, they should visually be able to understand how the operation is performing. It should be clear and concise.

Check out this educational video on Visual Management:

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We would also like to honor our Six Sigma founders as we would our other fallen heroes who fought for our country, our Six Sigma pioneers such as Bill Smith for having the bravery to implement these great methodologies that touch the many branches of our armed forces. Without them, we wouldn’t have the great practice of Six Sigma as we know it today.

Our soldiers fought for our freedom, and our forefathers left us with the methodologies to create a stronger and more dynamic military for the future of our country.

Thank you for your service!

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The function of recognizing all demands for goods and services to support the marketplace. It involves prioritizing demand when supply is lacking. Proper Demand Management facilitates the planning and use of resources for profitable business results.

Enjoy this educational video on Demand Management!

The post [VIDEO] The Challenges of Demand Management appeared first on 6sigma.

Just like any other organization, healthcare organizations do their business through processes, and any process can be studied and improved using basic Lean Six Sigma methods. The core value stream is built around having a patient arrive, receive treatment (or not), and then leave. The treatments vary, and how the entrance and exit take place will change from patient to patient and facility to facility, but the basic flow of entrance treatment exit is universal to healthcare. If the core value stream of a healthcare organization is to function properly, there has to be multiple support processes. These include the administrative functions that allow the hospital to run effectively and the supply chain operations that provide the needed supplies and equipment. Once you start looking at these processes, it becomes clear that there are many opportunities for applying Lean Six Sigma principles to make improvements.

Watch this informative video on healthcare application of Lean Six Sigma.

The post Advances With Lean Six Sigma and Healthcare appeared first on 6sigma.

“Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame.”
• Courtney Lynch

We all attend meetings that start off with a report on metrics. Very carefully, each performance metric is addressed and those responsible for shortfalls are asked to speak to the deficiencies. This is when the yawning begins. Those responsible for providing answers roll out long explanations, narratives and associate blame to the poor performance. Those tentacles of blame spread out across various departments in the organization. The long-winded narrative ends with the how things won’t change until others change first. This exercise goes around the room, repeating the song-and-dance of blame and excuses, until the metrics report reaches a painful end. The problem is that there is a lot of head nodding, whispered agreement and sometimes heated exchanges about how things have to change. But, at the end of the meeting, everyone shakes hands and goes back to the safety of their offices. The well orchestrated production carries out meeting after meeting, metrics continue to be missed because of our reasons why there is failure. The problem with that is the organization keeps falling short: short on performance, short on productivity, short on customer satisfaction and short on financial performance.

The fact is, if you continue to give or accept excuses, without committing to accountability, this will continue to be the way things are and the organization will fail. Think back to those meetings. When was the last time someone said clearly and plainly Make the numbers! No excuses, no long stories of struggle or playing the blame game. This is truly about accountability. It means that leaders will instinctively, immediately respond when they see barriers getting in the way of their committed performance. They will be relentless in getting the necessary data analysis, operator inputs, and relevant support group input to find a path back to the numbers that have been committed to by the entire team. They will go over, under, around or through whatever obstacles are in the way to make things happen. They will keep their leaders informed regularly and draw on higher level help if necessary to get back on track. If they ultimately fail, it will be because they just ran out of time, not that they gave up trying.

Accountable leaders are the best and most successful leaders. This type of accountability starts at the top and goes down to the lowest levels in the organization. They are very disciplined and committed to standard work processes and accurate data. If there is a shortfall in the metrics, they go to work. They make no excuses. They attack the problems and find solutions, then correct them, with the goal of changing the metrics from negative to positive trends. Accountability is not just an everyday thing. It is an every month thing, an every quarter thing and an every year thing! It is just what an accountable leader does.

Are you an accountable leader?

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Savvy business leaders understand that during the month of December, there just isn’t the same focus on success. There are too many distractions. Now that the holidays are over, the clock is ticking on 2018 and it is time to get refocused and back to work! For some, that is going to be much easier said than done. Let’s take the thoughts and ideas on successful leadership and bring  them down to the basics. Here are a few tips for getting 2018 off to a strong start.

• Get Up and Get Going – Get an early start on your day! The most successful are up before 5 am and focusing on success. It is their time to sharpen their minds and be super productive on what matters, without the distractions of the office environment. Journal, read and send out those crucial first emails of the day.
• Journal Your Thoughts – Write in a journal twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The act of journaling clears the mind and sets in stone your thoughts, goals and inspirations. The action of writing your goals sets a solid foundation.
• Read A Book – The most successful business leaders are voracious readers. Dig into books that inspire and motivate. You can get into the minds of successful people and understand their thoughts and practices.
• Self-Development – Training and self-development are crucial to your success in 2018. Get out of the office and take a class, attend a seminar or enroll in live webinars. Successful leaders invest, on the average, of $10k a year on self-development and training. Stay sharp for success!
• Get Control of Your Email – Time is the most valuable commodity you have. Own and control it! Stop being reactive and get proactive. Schedule time during the day to deal with email and close it out otherwise. The first emails of the day should be from you, not to you. Get your expectations out first. Control your time.

Success is about habits. Developing strong habits are key to becoming an effective leader. Learn to practice these habits until they become an engrained response that is never compromised. Look forward to a productive and successful 2018.

The post Thoughts for Success in 2018 appeared first on 6sigma.

The UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and was built by American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters, Inc.). Initially marketed as the UH-145, the helicopter was selected as the winner of the United States Army’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program on June 30, 2006. In October 2006, American Eurocopter was awarded a production contract for 345 aircraft to replace aging UH-1H/V ‘Huey’ and the OH-58A/C ‘Kiowa’ helicopters in the U.S. Army. It combines operational capability, reliability and affordability, fulfilling all of the Army’s requirements for speed, range, endurance and overall performance.

Learn more about the UH-72 Lakota here.

https://youtu.be/aI3bGLANAME

The post [VIDEO] The US Army Is Mission Ready with the UH-72A Lakota appeared first on 6sigma.

A combined team from Aviation & Missile Command Environmental Division at Red Stone Arsenal and Aviation Center Logistic Command at Fort Rucker have implemented ground-breaking initiatives utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies for the handling of hazardous waste involved in the maintenance of the UH-72 Lakota aircraft at Fort Rucker. These initiatives have significantly improved to quality of life for those personnel at Fort Rucker and the surrounding communities. They have also enhanced the mission performance of the aircraft through consistent quality improvement through Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

The UH-72A Lakota is a light utility helicopter specifically designed to meet the requirements of US Army. The helicopters were acquired to replace the UH-1H Iroquois Huey’ and the OH-58 A/C Kiowa helicopters. Based on the EC 145 multirole helicopter, the UH-72A serves the army principally for logistics and support missions within the US. It is also used by the Army National Guard for homeland security and disaster-response missions and medical evacuations.

Lean Six Sigma Success for Army Aviation

By making changes in the institutional chemical review processes, prepositioning of compliant hazardous materials and changes to the procurement procedures, the team is working to improve environmental quality at and around Fort Rucker. These processes have also enhanced the community’s environmental quality by reducing the helicopter’s mission environmental footprint while reducing the risk of additional costs to pilot training due to aircraft maintenance delays.

The team’s success was accomplished by effectively implementing Lean Six Sigma techniques to facilitate mission and promote compliant hazardous material conservation practices on the aircraft. The team focused on the hazardous materials’ lifecycle and promoted just-in-time acquisitions of environmentally sustainable products.

• Enhanced readiness by reducing the wait time for maintenance chemicals to reach Fort Rucker mechanics, which reduced the chemical approval review time from an average 19.5 days to 13.7 days, which equates to an avoidance cost reduction of $332,531 in lost pilot training time per consumable material. With 28 new consumable materials delivered in the past 12 months, the cost avoidance to pilot training is more than $9 million.
• Reduced the use of non-conforming consumable materials by 81 percent. By reducing the amount of non-conforming consumable materials and ensuring only compliant products are available for use, the ACLC UH-72 Team minimized risk to the community while also reducing waste cost of $4.30 per consumable material. Costs were reduced by more than $6 million in fiscal year 2017.
• Guaranteed compliance with Fort Rucker’s air permit. The team reviewed the most used consumable materials and recommended more than 50 chemical alternatives the comply with the installation’s air permit.
• Supported air contaminant and waste minimization requirements. The team promoted sustainable procedures for acquiring hazardous materials that support air contaminant and waste minimization.
• Clarified new contract requirements to ensure mission success.

The U.S. Army has clearly demonstrated its commitment to the practice of Lean Six Sigma methodologies to improve the quality and combat readiness of its forces.

The post Lean Six Sigma News: Army Aviation Improves Mission & Environmental Operations appeared first on 6sigma.

For the past decade, healthcare has been the focus of a spirited campaign of debate in America. Both sides of the argument have focused on how best our healthcare would be delivered. Today, the debate rages on, but the core problems that truly affect a system continue to hurt those in need. The true need in healthcare reform is to improve operational efficiencies. Neither side is looking at the core issues of wait times, capacity or cost. These three elements are what plague the system today. Spend some time in any healthcare facility in this country, and you will see the signs of our issues. Patients stack up in waiting rooms for hours to receive a service that takes 10 minutes to deliver.

Lean Innovation Partnership in Healthcare

Up to this point, we have traditional methods of improvement, such as Lean or Six Sigma and have achieved modest results, which are slow in coming. With today’s modern technologies, we are at a crossroads for massive innovation and real change — specifically, with digitized patient data, machine learning AI, IoT real time data, predictive analytics, cloud infrastructure and smartphones. These elements come together and present a unique opportunity, especially when combined with lean thinking. Healthcare is an environment of a complex network of interdependent units operating individually to deliver care. Understanding the true operational function of these units, then bringing them together as a functioning unit that operates at a maximum level of efficiency is the true path to improvement.

Focusing on using sophisticated lean methodologies, combined with data science, plus machine optimization can significantly improve the efficiency of our system. It will significantly improve efficiencies, reduce wait times and costs in a system that right now is not providing the absolutely the best and most innovative level of care possible.

Read more about healthcare improvement opportunities here along with a perspective on Lean healthcare here.

The post Lean Thinking – Advancing Efficiencies in Healthcare appeared first on 6sigma.

Trello is an web-based application, designed for group collaboration and project management. It organizes multiple projects into boards and at the same time you can see what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where something is in process. Trello was initially introduced by Fog Creek Software.
In Trello, boards represent projects and they contain lists — in other words, task lists. Each list contains cards, which correspond to tasks. The tasks or cards progress from one list to the next, using drag-and-drop. One example might be drafting the initial plan and going through the whole process until the implementation phase. Not only can users can be assigned to cards, but users, along with boards, can also be grouped into organizations.

(this is not an endorsement of the product or the developers)

Learn more from this descriptive video

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Tofurky is the brand name of an American vegetarian turkey replacement (also known as a meat analogue, or, more specifically, tofurkey) made from a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu. The name Tofurky is a trademark of Turtle Island Foods, a company based in Oregon. Turtle Island has come to also use the brand name for most of its meatless products, such as deli slices, sausages, jerky, tempeh (its first product), burgers, and franks.

The Magic of Tofurky Roast

Located in Hood River, Oregon, Turtle Island Foods began in 1980 with intentions to create delicious, nutritious, convenient and affordable vegetarian food. The company was founded by Seth Tibbott. Seth began by producing tempeh for friends and family. With their help, he expanded his company to what is now the second largest tempeh producer in the United States. The famous Tofurky was developed in 1995. In 2008, Turtle Island became a sponsor of The Humane Society, the first food processor to do so in the society’s history. In 2011, the company announced plans to build a new plant in Hood River at a cost of $10 million, with a goal to achieve a LEED platinum certification on the building. The new 33,000-square-foot plant opened in October 2012.

Watch this creative video.

https://www.wired.com/2011/11/st_processtofurkey/#slide-1

The post [VIDEO] How Do They Make Tofurky Roast? appeared first on 6sigma.

Understanding the basics of a viable Six Sigma practice begins with understanding DMAIC. Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology can be thought of as a roadmap for problem solving and improvement. Organizations begin implementing Six Sigma by applying the DMAIC methodology, then subsequently adding DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) methodologies when the organizational culture and experience allows.

It can be considered the classic Six Sigma problem-solving process. This methodical approach can be applied to a problem with an existing, steady-state process or product and/or service offering. Variation is considered the enemy. Variations from customer specifications in either a product or process is the primary problem, but can take on many forms.

DMAIC resolves issues of defects or failures, deviation from a target, excess cost or time, and deterioration. Six Sigma reduces variation within and across the value-adding steps in a process. It also identifies key requirements, deliverables, tasks, and standard tools for a project team to utilize when tackling a problem.

What Does DMAIC Mean?

Define – Define the project goals and deliverables.

Measure – Measure the process to quantify the problem.

Analyze – Analyze to determine the root cause of the defects.

Improve – Improve by eliminating the defects.

Control – Control the future performance of the process.

The Tools That Drive DMAIC

Understanding DMAIC is just the beginning. Applying and mastering the concept involves the use of proper tools.

Define – Project Charter, Process Flowchart, SIPOC Diagram, Stakeholder Analysis, CTQ Definition and Voice of the Customer Gathering.

Measure – Process Flowchart, Data Collection Plan, Benchmarking, Measurement System Analysis/Gage R&R, Voice of the Customer Gathering and Process Sigma Calculation.

Analyze – Histogram, Pareto Chart, Time Series, Scatter Plot, Regression Analysis, Fishbone Diagram, 5 Whys, Process Map, Statistical Analysis, Hypotheses Testing and Non-Normal Data Analysis.

Improve – Brainstorming, Mistake Proofing, Design of Experiments, Pugh Matrix, QFD, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Simulation Software.

Control – Process Sigma Calculation, Control Charts, Cost Savings Calculations and Control Plan.

DMAIC is a powerful methodology. But the real strength lies in the structure and rigor of the practice.

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