All organizations experience change. Change occurs when a company expands into new territory or manufactures a new brand or product. Change happens when new clients jump on board and the old way of doing things doesn’t deliver exactly what they need. Change is the order of the day when two companies merge or when a new CEO is appointed.

Change is inevitable when a company continues to grow and needs new and better ways to exploit opportunity. Outstanding companies embrace change and put a premium on change management.

In a nutshell, the role of change management is to successfully manage change. Change management is primarily concerned with three basic elements:

1. The Nature of Change
Naturally, it all begins and ends with change. The key to successful change management is to understand clearly what change involves and to implement the correct plan on how to deal with it.

To deal with change, an organization must ask the right questions. What is the nature of the change that it requires to be managed? What are the goals of this change and what is necessary to achieve them? What are the key departments involved and how many of their people will be affected? Who is the sponsor of change and who will be in charge of change management?

The organization must mobilize a team to address change. The team may include project leaders within the company or external specialists who are more familiar with the technical side of the change. This team can either be under Human Resources or assigned under the department where most of the change takes place. The sponsor of the change must create a team structure that best addresses change management.

2. The Repercussions of Change
Change management has two perspectives: the organization and the people. The repercussions of change are usually strongest in the rank and file. They manifest themselves in two areas: technical and behavioral.

In the technical area, change management is concerned with whether the skills of employees are sufficient to deal with changes in their deliverables and whether the company’s systems and processes adequately support the attainment of these deliverables. Is additional training necessary? Will the company have to hire specialists and new project leaders? Does the company have to tweak or drastically alter its systems and processes? These are the questions that change management must address.

In the behavioral area, change management is concerned with how people deal with change and whether this affects their behavior and performance on the job. Is there resistance to the new way of doing things? Are employees stressed or depressed and does this affect their productivity? Is there resentment, disloyalty, mistrust, envy? The behavioral area of change management can sometimes be the most difficult to manage.

3. Addressing the Imperatives of Change
Based on the first two elements, the organization must now determine strategy and draw up a plan of action to address the imperatives of change.

This plan should include a roadmap that gives a step-by-step account of what the organization must do to manage change properly. The plan should have provisions for training employees to develop new skills, coaching them as they use these new skills and motivating them to fully adapt to the new way of doing things. The plan should also anticipate resistance and how to deal with it.

The change management team should also plan how to communicate change to employees in a manner that emphasizes its benefits, addresses resistance and prompts them to embrace change.

In closing, the plan should ensure that employees have successfully adapted to change and that the desired levels of efficiency and productivity are achieved on a consistent basis.

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First, Leadership.

Above everything else, a Six Sigma Black Belts should be naturally born leaders. Employers will look to their Black Belt employees for guidance and motivation. Especially so during times of reorganization, project management, and other corporate restructures. Like any good leader, Six Sigma Black Belts have natural motivation. They want to push through dilemmas and find the best immediate result for the business process at hand. 

Second, Communication.

Although not first, communication is also key to the skillset needed for Six Sigma Black Belts. Whether you’re communicating with your employer and staff team, or between your supplier and a customer, effective communication is a must in the world of Six Sigma. Complementing the trait of a natural leader, Black Belts must exert an advanced skill with communication, speaking to multiple audiences at any time. Communication is vital to the success of business process improvements across the board!

Third, Technical Understanding.

Like other certification levels in Six Sigma, Black Belts are expected to understand the fundamentals of the methodology. However, what separates Black Belts from lower certification levels is their ability to recognize and understand when to use said fundamentals. While a technical or engineering degree is beneficial, most Six Sigma Black Belts will understand the need for thorough comprehension of the methodology and where implementation is necessary.

Last, Trust.

A team is only as effective as the weakest link, and this saying resonates within Six Sigma. Whether improving a business process efficiency or decreasing waste output, employees need a strong leader who will guide them towards the right goal. A Six Sigma Black Belt should practice trustworthy characteristics, promoting the integrity of the entire production or manufacturing team. In order to do this, employees must have trust in their leader. Complementing the first skill Black Belts must have to succeed, trust is equally important. When a team of employees does not trust the initiative of their leaders, progress cannot be made. In contrast, when employees respect their manager and trust that their goals are aligned with the company, progress is easily made.

These four skills are vital to the success of any Six Sigma Black Belt employee. Follow these, and you will practice the business process improvement methodology with integrity and ease!

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What Makes an Honest Practitioner?

First, the positives; what makes an honest practitioner? Certified Six Sigma will first provide evidence of their qualifications. Typically, this includes a certificate from a training program. For Black Belts, a four-week course is almost always mandatory. Additionally, their certification should be accredited from a formal institute or company. However, be aware that many fake accreditors will try and pass off their certifications as authentic! You can read more about this in our recent article, Fake Accreditation.

Second, your applicant should provide concrete examples of working on Six Sigma projects. For Certified Black Belts and above, full-time, project managerial roles are the standard. These professionals devote their time to assisting executives while managing the majority of core operations. Likewise, said employees will have experience training others, as well as mentoring Certified Green Belts along their own Six Sigma journey. Finally, they should be excellent communicators. From discussing business process improvements with management to managing customer relations, Six Sigma employees take pride in their roles and have a dire passion for constant improvement.

What is NOT an Honest Practitioner?

Now, the negatives; what to look for in a dodgy practitioner. Every year, hundreds of individuals claiming to be Six Sigma employees will submit phony resumes to employers, hoping to trick a recruiter into believing their qualifications. Yet, there are a few obvious signs that said applicant is not exactly who he claims to be. First, there should be not difficulty with asking concrete questions about the business methodology. Whether an applicant is beginning as a White Belt or is a Master Black Belt, all Six Sigma professionals have a base understand of the business process and can explain how and where to implement it.

Next, no evidence of Six Sigma projects is an obvious warning sign. Unfortunately, no governing body dictates whether a Six Sigma certification is legitimate or not. Because of this, employers expect examples of working on projects with other Six Sigma professionals as evidence of their qualifications. Finally, a dodgy practitioner will have no enthusiasm. As a Six Sigma professional, you understand the need for discipline, structure, and desire to better your business processes. Without this passion and self-determination, you can never truly be a Six Sigma employee.

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Kaizen, when practiced daily, can create a sense of unity with the workplace. With this method, no one employee is overly worked, nor is one superior in their knowledge of the same system. The Japanese methodology shows how employees can perform their tasks using a scientific method, eliminate waste, and improve process efficiency. Through discipline and practice, you can use the five steps of Kaizen to improve performance, reduce waste, and solidify your company’s foundation.

What Is ‘Straighten’?

The second step to improving your business processes through Kaizen is ‘Straighten’. Straighten is the practice of arranging the components that go into your business processes. For example, if working on an automobile assembly line, this step allows you to place each part required for manufacturing to be precisely labeled and placed in its appropriate place. Not only does this create an easier way for personnel to find the parts they need, but also prevents wasting time by searching for misplaced components. As a result, Straighten allows your workflow to be smoother while also increasing the time efficiency. Another byproduct of this step is an increased in company safety. When employees spend less time looking for parts and items for their process, they are able to stay focused on the task at hand. This lack of distraction ensures fewer accidents occur, especially along a high-frequency production and manufacturing process.

Another byproduct of this step is an increased in company safety. When employees spend less time looking for parts and items for their process, they are able to stay focused on the task at hand. This lack of distraction ensures fewer accidents occur, especially along a high-frequency production and manufacturing process.

Implementing Straighten

The key to this step, along with the other 4 S’s of Kaizen, is proper implementation. Since Kaizen follows a strict, disciplined approach, the best way to integrate Straighten into your workplace is by making it a part of your corporate culture. Following a systematic approach, the method can be integrated into almost any business process you have. With the help of project leaders, managers, and supervisors, your company can distill this step into your employees. Like most methodical practices, the more you do it, the easier it becomes! Start small and focus on the quality of your implementation. As your employees accept Straighten, it becomes easier to stay disciplined, checking on systems periodically.

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The most helpful tool in the Six Sigma Analysis Toolkit is Root Cause Analysis. Root Cause Analysis is a problem-solving method that locates and corrects errors within a system. This tool is typically implemented when a manufacturing, supply chain, or other business processes continually experiences defects in production. Working retroactively, you begin at the location of the defect and works backwards towards the original cause of the problem. Six Sigma professionals utilize this tool as it is a crucial aspect of the methodology. For employees, Root Cause Analysis is the best way to improve business operations, increase efficiency, and deter defects. In this article, we will outline a few of the tools you can use for Root Cause Analysis and how they will help you.

The Tools

First

The first tool is a Scatter Diagram. Using numerical data, this diagram displays graphs that show correlations between two different variables. When conducting Root Cause Analysis, your goal is to find the initial point of the defect during a process. Scatter Diagrams provide you with finding relationships that might be leading to your errors with the system.

Second

Like the Scatter Diagram, A Fishbone Diagram is also an easy way to identify leading causes of your system errors. Also, known as the Ishikawa Diagram, this tool helps by identifying all possible causes for your defects. Then, these causes are sorted and categorized, in an organized manner. This allows you to see how many variables are related to the defect, if they originating from the same area, and if they are directly (or indirectly) causing your errors.

Third

Next, Pareto Charts are a useful tool that graphically show which factors and variables are most significant to your production error. Since the goal of Root Cause Analysis is to locate and correct errors within your system, Pareto Charts easily show where you should most likely begin your search. These charts may show you variables you have not yet considered or even speed up finding the root cause of your errors.

Forth

The last, and most useful, Root Cause Analysis tool is the 5 Whys. How the 5 Whys works is by your first defining your specific problem. Next, you ask why the problem happened in the first place and evaluate if this leads you to your root cause. If it does not, ask “Why?” again and continue to do so, isolating the cause of the problem until you have your final answer. This tool is a simple, yet effective, way to identify your root cause, show relations between different variables in your system, and requires as little or as much effort as you desire.

Why Use Them?

Conducting Root Cause Analysis is the perfect opportunity to showcase your knowledge of the Six Sigma methodology. By doing this, you can show to effectively locate and correct errors within your operations, improve business efficiency, and decrease the chances of future defects.

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Years ago when we still worked at corporate, we’d shrink in dismay at being assigned to a team to make certain changes in a policy or in a process. Our first reaction was always, “another traffic congestion in the making.” To us, team work was synonymous to excessive yak-yak-yak, delays, unnecessary activity and frequent meetings with no meeting of the minds.

We’re sure we’re not the only ones who feel this way. Our dislike for team work was confirmed when we were downsized over two years ago. Instead of looking for another job, we decided to go it solo. Friends and family warned us of the dangers of being a solitary worker.

You know something? We proved them wrong. Solitary work was our passport to happiness. Perhaps it’s the nature of our work, we don’t know. But one thing was clear: going back to the workforce only to work in teams was out of the question. It’s been over two years and there are certainly no regrets.

Caveat

What’s right for us may not be right for others. Team work is still a value cherished by companies. Team work is a virtue and it does generate benefits. Team work brings out the best in people; it also serves as a filtering process for great and mediocre ideas. The idea behind team work is to combine the thinking and experiences of others and to fuel motivation and initiative.

There’s strength in numbers, so the saying goes. So for those of you who like working in teams to carry out change, what makes for good team work?

Hail to the Chief!
The one thing that team leaders must be careful about is to NOT let teams waste time and resources. To do that, these measures are essential –

1. Let’s be specific – it’s fine to do a song and dance about goals and objectives but if they’re too general, they run the risk of being unattainable or unrealistic. A bad goal is: let’s cut costs on the factory floor. A good goal is: monitoring of expenses on the factory floor reveals that 23% of raw materials are wasted. Let’s cut that down to 15% in three months.

2. Let’s share the wealth – when team members agree to work on a project, they like to think that their efforts will be recognized and properly compensated for. This is true especially when workers are asked to take on additional work by sitting in a specially-formed committee and are still expected to do their own work with no decrease in productivity levels. While you can’t promise fat bonuses or perks, assure team members that there are rewards waiting for those who contribute to the group effort.

3. Let’s get some division of labor going – the role of team leader is obvious enough. A leader leads, supervises, and accepts responsibility for progress. What about the members? A structure – it doesn’t have to be an org chart – and a definition and assignment of roles are required. Who will take care of monitoring factory workers, who will inspect raw materials, who will look after machine maintenance, who will do the statistical analysis of idle machine-worker times?

4. Let’s get on board the time capsule – the team leader must be firm about performance levels. He or she should state at the outset what minimum level of performance will be acceptable. How team members will interact with each other should also be described. What measuring tools will be employed to gauge success? And what are our target completion dates?

5. Let’s find out what’s going on – keeping everyone in the loop about the project is indispensable. Clear communications at all times is vital. No one should withhold information. Accomplishments must be shared. Also, credit must be given to where it’s due. Make sure everyone understands the meaning of “intellectual honesty.”

Eliminate Deadwood

We said earlier that the purpose of a team is to filter good ideas from bad and to draw upon the experiences of others so that the learning curve for less experienced members is not steep. It can happen that one member will stick out like a sore thumb, be uncooperative, disruptive and be an irritant to other members. Non-performers are found everywhere. The team leader must immediately eliminate members who are draining the team’s resources and taxing the patience of team members.

By eliminating the deadwoods, we are sending a clear message to the group about the values that are cherished and behavior that won’t be tolerated at any cost.

Planning for Six Sigma training?
Check out our upcoming Six Sigma classes! Go to our website 6sigma.com and register for the best gift you can give yourself. Give the gift of organized workflow in every aspect of your life and business!

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Since the era of globalization is upon us, we need to adapt to changing technologies. An essential factor to consider is to weigh the pros and cons of software programs, bearing in mind that most people don’t really use all of a software’s features and capabilities. The fundamentals must be addressed: does it serve our purpose, how will it increase productivity, is it user-friendly, how steep is the learning curve, and how quickly does it spew out critical information?

Don’t Say No Right Away
If you’re a project person, there are project management software programs that you could look into.
Common features of project management software are:

• scheduling
• critical path calculation
• information (roles, assignments, history of project activities, workload, warning signals

Other software programs are much more sophisticated and industry-focused and therefore have additional and advanced features.

Indeed there have been criticisms against project management software. These criticisms range from focusing on schedules rather than on project objectives, deviating from a sound project management philosophy, not distinguishing between the pre-planning and post-planning phases, not being able to keep up with project progress, having too many features that don’t serve a purpose and removing the personal interaction of the project administrator with team members.

These are all valid arguments no doubt, but when you’re handling large projects, you need a tool to alleviate some of the burden that comes with manual file-keeping. The smart move would be to test different software programs and request a demonstration and trial period from the manufacturer. To actually turn your back to software just because other people have criticized it is not the right approach. You’ll have to find out for yourself; don’t close the door to possibilities that technology has to offer.

Heard of Gantt?
If you work in project management, you’ve probably heard of the Gantt Project. It is one of the more popular project management software that managers use. It falls under the open source category and runs on Windows, Linux and Mac.

By the way, it’s free. No need to request a special budget for it!

Some key features of this software program are the abilities to:
(a) set up task hierarchies and dependencies,
(b) generate a PERT chart and a resource load chart and to
(c) produce reports in PDF and HTML formats.

If you go to the Gantt Project web site (type “ganttproject dot com”), you will see screen shots that will help you visualize how you can adapt the software to your needs.

Given that the Gantt Project software program is based on scheduling, you can divide your project into small tasks and assign people to each of these tasks. The software also lets you decide dependencies between tasks. Dependencies simply mean that you create a link between one or more phases of a given project.

To illustrate: your project consists of three principal phases: the first phase is to order raw materials from three potential suppliers, the second phase is to analyze the suppliers’ costs and delivery schedules, and the third phase is to request management for a raw material budget. You can establish that the third phase cannot be done until the second phase is 100% complete.

What About Open Workbench?
Another popular project management software is Open Workbench. It is also open source and while it can be downloaded for free, users will need to purchase the Clarity upgrade if the program is to be used on an enterprise-wide basis.

Unlike Gantt, Open Workbench is available only for Windows and is considered an excellent substitute for Microsoft Project.

It has four main uses:
 project planning (definition of tasks, dependencies, sub-projects and guidelines, calendars),
 project scheduling (this is performed in the program’s Auto Schedule),
 resource management (resources are in the form of people, equipment, materials, cash)
 project review (track progress, determine rate of completion, estimate dates for final completion, resetting of project if necessary)

There are at least 30 other project management software programs that are available either as free or fee-based programs. Before you argue against software, it won’t harm to try at least a couple. Who knows, you may fall in love with one of them and blame yourself for not hopping into the bandwagon sooner.

If you do decide to adopt a software program for your projects, make sure that you have the permission to do so. Be sensitive to the IT platforms of your company and speak with your IT department to verify if the software program you’re about to choose will be compatible with the company’s existing platforms. Explain to your members also that the software should be used strictly for office projects. It cannot be used to monitor their personal projects.

Learn more about our Six Sigma training courses or services or to register, please visit our website or call us at (855) 674-4622.

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Measurement System Analysis  (MSA) is a tool or a set of procedures employed to judge the quality of measurement systems. A manufacturing company may have to deal with the following two scenarios if it has a poor measurement system in place. The first case can be that the quality control department reports zero defects, and so the product is declared ‘defect-free’. Later, with a sudden increase in the number of defectives and products returned, the company realizes that the products may have been ‘out of tolerance level’ or wrongly labeled as ‘OK”. The second case can be when due to very stringent quality control mechanisms exercised, good products are rejected as bad/defective ones (look at figure below showing both types of errors).

The role of Measurement System Analysis helps to scientifically answer the following set of questions:
• Is the current measurement system up to the mark? Are the techniques employed reliable, accurate and precise?
• Is the measurement system able to distinguish between good and bad sample data?
• Is the sample itself representative of the population and has the sample been collected on the technique of random sampling (without anyone’s judgment)?
• Is the measurement system stable and reliable over a period of time or are there any inconsistencies?

A faulty or unscientific measurement system leads to poor or inconsistent conclusions. This can jeopardize the entire manufacturing procedure and people may play the ‘blame game’ in order to justify the results. A lot of books and online references suggest that there are some parameters to judge any measurement system: bias, linearity, stability, repeatability and reproducibility. Let us assume that a quality engineer is responsible for examining clevis pins, which have the same dimension, same weight and are produced by the same machine. Now if there is a variation in the average values of the sample, it can be attributed to only a few possible set of causes: either there is something wrong with the sampling system or there is a human error involved (the operator who is testing the pins may be committing an error).

While the measurement system has to be stable (give consistent values over a period of time), accurate (acceptable difference between the average values and the actual values of the sample measured), it must not ignore the human role towards precision and accuracy. An operator is expected to perform the same task repeatedly and yet, there are big chances of error. Any measurement system can be judged on this account to test if the operator is able to test the same part with the same measurement device and get the same result or that different operators test the same part and get the same results. These are called the features of repeatability and reproducibility of measurement systems.

Conclusion: The above discussion gives an overview to the purpose of measurement system analysis and explains how such an effort can prevent a bad/defective product from reaching the consumer’s workplace or home. Statisticians and Quality Assurance engineers often couple the use of MSA with Statistical Control Techniques.

Learn more about our Six Sigma training courses or services or to register, please visit our website or call us at (855) 674-4622.

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Typically, a Control Chart is a graphical representation of a business process and explains whether the process is in a state of control or not. Let us consider a few hypothetical examples. A lot of consumers started complaining that they were being charged the value of two items when they bought one at a Target store. This was an unusual case and a deep analysis into the case revealed that one of the check-out machines was malfunctioning. Over thirty five consumers were refunded the amount that they were charged due to the error and given a complimentary meal at the restaurant in Target. The situation was out of control by all standards and the situation was shared with all the stores in the country. A pen manufacturing company reported that in the last few months the number of defectives had increased by over four times. This was clear as the Control Charts used to monitor the number of defectives each week clearly told their story. A deep analysis for the causes of this variation led to the discovery that the pen nibs were not of good quality and therefore, compromised the writing ability of the pen itself.

It is clear from the above two examples that it is impossible to maintain the stability of the process under all circumstances. Things do get out of hand, and necessitate action. The question is when. Control Charts help a user to observe how consistently his process is in control, and if not, what are the actions that he may take to correct the situation (this is not the primary goal of a Control Chart). The objective of constructing a Control Chart is to understand if there are chances of variability in any process, and how a diagram can solve this problem. To have realistic results, instead of comparing the process values to a single line (denoting the averages), it is better to have an upper control limit and a lower control limit. After the values of the process have been plotted on such a chart, it can be concluded whether the process is in a statistical state of control or not. It is suggested that 95% or 99% of data should fall within the control limits. Values outside the control limits mark statistically significant changes and may indicate a change in the underlying process. Many changes are controllable and can be attributed to change of material quality, change of craftsman or operator, slight change of production processes etc. There are other changes which are not so random and may be caused due to special reasons. They are called uncontrollable causes and should be dealt with care. The present scenario in the US Stock Market is a classic example of stocks being totally out of control for the past six to eight months.

A simple Control Chart has the following components:
• An X-axis showing time periods
• A Y-axis showing the observed values
• UCL line shows the Upper Control limit
• LCL line shows the lower control limit

Control Charts help a user to identify special causes of variation, shifts, trends and cycles. An ideal example in this context can be a seismograph. Earthquakes generate seismic waves which can be detected with an instrument called seismograph. Yet if you look at the drawings with a Statistician’s eye, it does look like a Control Chart and one does not wish to see it out of control!

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Ever noticed why there are whiteboards or strawboards at work places? Over the past decade, there has been a rising trend in the demand of whiteboards and strawboards by companies across the world. You find them everywhere irrespective of the type of job a person is doing or the role he is playing in his company. These boards help people to write down ideas and work on them as and when it is convenient for them. Often innovating or problem solving are not easy tasks. Such tasks require a holistic approach and multi-dimensional analysis which involves playing with a lot of ideas and broad themes.

Affinity Diagrams:

Affinity Diagrams are pictorial business tools that help a person to identify ideas (for innovation) or issues (for problem solving) and organize them. There is no harm in having a long list of ideas (for innovating) or a list of causes to a problem. Once the list is complete, the issue of organizing the ideas into similar categories is dealt with. Finally, the person tries to understand if there is any ‘affinity’ or relationship between all or some of the causes and looks for new ideas and solutions. This process is cyclic and not linear. It may not be possible for a person to come up with a solution or an idea for days. It may not be possible to do this alone and sometimes, it is good to work with teams and have brainstorming sessions as well.

Case Study:

Let us apply using Affinity Diagrams to understand why people are happy with the way Amazon (the online e-commerce portal) operates and identify areas of improvement.

People may be happy with Amazon due to the following reasons:
1. Convenience of shopping online
2. A vast product portfolio offering competitive prices
3. Easy billing and payment methods
4. Reliable delivery
5. Reliable vendors
6. Prompt order status via email alerts
7. Uninterrupted web browsing experience with non-intrusive advertisements
8. Customization of e-marketplace, creation of wish lists, etc
9. Reliable problem-solving and a great customer support system
10. In some states, saving taxes may be a priority
11. Ability to write reviews, rate products and have a community in the e-marketplace

It is to be remembered that to deal with competition, Amazon has to deal with the same set of issues as stated above to understand the following issues:
1. Why a majority of people is shopping elsewhere online?
2. How is the web traffic being driven to Amazon?
3. What are the causes for poor satisfaction of the consumers?
4. What can be done to overcome these problems?

This stage involves clustering of various issues under sub-heads.

Let us take a look at two situations:

If there is a delivery problem, identify what is delaying order processing, what are the errors in order processing, are the people processing the orders well-trained, are the people processing the orders happy with their jobs, well paid and productive, are the items stocked properly, is there a scenario where the items are not in stock and the website shows ‘in stock’, is it possible that the carrier is no longer reliable (USPS, FedEx, etc).

If there is a web browsing problem, identify how a consumer browses on the website, what tools he uses to optimize his results, is he distracted by advertisements and eventually buying elsewhere, is he able to find what he is looking for, are the prices of the products properly displayed, is he able to proceed to checkout easily, is he able to follow payment procedures properly, does he make wish lists, add items to his watch list etc.

Conclusion: These are only a few examples, but the idea is clear. Once ideas or issues have been identified , the ‘affinity’ between various causes  and various effects and ‘cause and effects’ has to mapped so that problem solving can be easier and new ideas can be proposed. Affinity Diagrams may be drawn by using white board pens drawing rectangular boxes and writing text in them or with note slips which can stick on the board and can be used to place anywhere. Affinity Diagrams are simple to make, easy to understand and a good tool to process large amounts of information and ideas which would otherwise be just floating in one’s mind!

Learn more information about 6Sigma.com’s Lean Six Sigma training coursework, available as classroom, onsite, or online options.

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