Lean Six Sigma practitioners are leaders in the workplace. In fact, the ASQ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt BOK includes team management and project management tools as key knowledge areas. Therefore, Project Management is definitely a good complementary skill to have in addition to Lean Six Sigma certification. It is not just about process capability, process improvement etc. Project Management gives you the skills to meet project requirements whether it be Scope, Cost, Schedule, or Quality. Ensuring that you can navigate through corporate structures to deliver projects that are on time and on budget. Here's what you need to know about getting the PMP.
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There's always pressure for continuous improvement but your organization is not sold on Six Sigma. In fact, they had previously tried using Six Sigma before your time and failed. What is your best response to management to initiate another Six Sigma project?
Let me know in the comments below!
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What is it?
A SIPOC (Suppliers Input Process Output Customers) diagram is used during the Define phase of the DMAIC process as a high-level process map to help focus a continuous improvement effort. Although the SIPOC analysis is straight forward and simple, failure to perform this analysis in the early stages of continuous improvement may introduce confusion or disagreement regarding the scope and elements of the project among team members.
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A question that frequently comes up over and over again in forums is "Where do I get my certification in Lean Six Sigma?" and it is usually paired with "Should I do Yellow, Green, or Black Belt?". Since there are so many providers of Lean Six Sigma training and certifications, I'd figure I should share some of my own research that I used in making my decisions on this topic.
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In my post last week, I mentioned some of the lesser touted benefits of Lean Six Sigma. The first of which had to do with increased inshore manufacturing. Coincidentally, this week's post in IndustryWeek by Michael Collins is much related as it critiques the influence of Continuous Improvement Programs on domestic manufacturing growth. In the article, Michael points out the core focus of continuous improvement is on internal processes and although cost savings can be attained, the scope of most continuous improvement programs does not address improving sales or market demand for products. This external or customer facing perspective on continuous improvement is often the biggest hurdle in winning management support for Lean Six Sigma objectives. To reap the full benefits of Lean, it needs to operate as part of a company-wide system. It may be a matter of semantics, however where Lean is inward-facing there is Op-Ex which is outward-facing (I had briefly distinguished between the two in a previous post - here). These two programs should run in parallel. For this reason, I'd like to review some more benefits of Lean Six Sigma that appeal more from a growth perspective:
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