The impact Six Sigma has made outside manufacturing – in industries and sectors such as construction, health, hospitality, service, management, human resources and more – has not gone unnoticed. This leads us to the question: what about the education sector?

There is so much potential, diversity and significance attributed to the education sector. However, it is one field that seems to have the most problems and inconsistency. Traditional methods of trying to generate consistent and quality output in all areas of the education sector have proven to be difficult (borderline impossible).

Six Sigma could be the methodology the education sector needs to succeed where traditional methods have failed, even though it has been around since 1986. It is a methodology that can work in this field, despite what many people believe. 

The Importance of Six Sigma in the education sector

From a glance, Six Sigma and education may look incompatible. Six Sigma needs outputs, stock, physical inputs and outputs, equipment and other targets to succeed. These are missing from the education field. The sector is famous for being largely influenced by human factors, which are unpredictable and hard to control.

Besides that, the stringent, data-driven and statistical approach of Six Sigma seems ill-suited for education’s softer side, such as individual learning outcomes and student satisfaction.

However, all hope is not lost since there are some parts of education that mesh well with the methodology. Education, like any other industry and sector, still has processes that are identifiable and repeatable. These are what place education in the realm of Six Sigma’s influence. These processes can be improved, which will, in turn, also improve the learning outcomes of students, as well as their satisfaction.

Greater efficiency is a trend that is sweeping through the educational world, making it more aligned with the goals of Six Sigma. There are several factors contributing to this trend, including:

• Academic excellence is becoming critical due to the intensifying competition on a global scale.
• Secondary and elementary schools are receiving increased pressure from the government to improve the performance of students.
• Tertiary institutions are expected to provide high-quality coursework by students and their guardians due to the rising tuition costs.

Increased efficiency can be achieved through the elimination of waste. And waste can be eliminated by shedding more light onto the root causes of waste. Six Sigma has tools, such as the Five Whys and Fishbone diagrams, that can help institutions identify root causes and remove anything that doesn’t add value to their processes (waste).

Six Sigma tools and techniques can also increase the efficiency of school districts in a number of areas. These include teaching techniques, safety, absenteeism, textbook purchasing, supply cost reduction, energy costs reduction and many more.

Conclusion

Many people will say that Six Sigma and education don’t work well together, but this is just a myth. There is so much pressure being placed on the education sector to improve its processes. The pressure comes from students, guardians and government, as well as global social-economical factors. Moving forward, the educational sector will rely more on Six Sigma.

The post Can Six Sigma Work in the Education Sector? appeared first on 6sigma.

4 Ways Human Resources Can Help in Creating Six Sigma Culture

1. Create a qualification template that will help establish the ideal candidates with the right team, leadership, and technical abilities.
2. Create specific detailed job descriptions to not only attract but also help potential candidates completely understand what the job entails, as well as the expectations.
3. HR can also create a strategy that will help the company in the retention of their staff, i.e. Six Sigma Black Belts. Retention is the only way an organization can recoup their investment in the training and development of those Six Sigma Black Belts.
4. HR can also help in making sure team leaders, as well as staff, get the important training that is required. This might include conflict management or conflict resolution, communication skills, and dealing with issues that affect team effectiveness.

Creating a Six Sigma culture means that everyone has to be on board; establishing a high level of commitment will result in a successful transition. A highly trained Six Sigma HR team is essential. To those of you who understand Six Sigma, it is a team effort and the success that results is because everyone did their part. Everybody is important in the team, this is essential. 

Continuous education on Six Sigma tools, especially DMAIC is very important. Remember, DMAIC: Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control.

Six Sigma demands as close as possible to perfection, so 99.9997% defect free, which still has room for improvement, but as you know perfection is a lifelong process.

For more information on our Lean Six Sigma training courses and services.

The post The Perfect Six Sigma Team is 99.997% Defect Free appeared first on 6sigma.

Human resources is responsible for recruiting, interviewing and ultimately placing the staff members into their current positions. HR also works closely with the leads and managers of the different departments.

So once an organization decides to implement this highly successful process improvement process, it only seems natural to make sure HR is an important part, since they are the bridge that can pull everything together.

How HR Can Really Help in a Six Sigma Initiative 

Let’s face it, once Six Sigma has been implemented, keeping everyone motivated in their willingness to make Six Sigma a way of life at the organization takes a special type of person. They will be the ambassadors and the face of Six Sigma at the organization.

Since HR knows all the personnel in the organization, they are truly your one-stop resource. The Six Sigma leader needs to find the right people for his team — more specifically, find the right people for Black Belt roles who will represent the Six Sigma culture at the company.

HR can also create job descriptions that attract the right candidate to fill the Black Belt description. Having the cream of the crop to choose from to fill important roles within your organization is a great way to ensure that your organization or company stays strong and motivated.

In the implementation of Six Sigma, there aren’t any small insignificant roles. They all help support each other; it is like a perfectly designed puzzle. Everyone has his or her strength, and everyone is a very integral part of the entire process.

The new class schedule for 2018 is available! For more information on our Six Sigma training courses and services, please visit our website.

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