Lean Six Sigma Bursts

One of the most impactful quality initiatives I was involved with was the creation and deployment of the Cost of Nonconformance (CoNC) report. It was a method to assign a dollar amount to quality problems in order to bring attention to management in the language they most often respond to, money! It could also be applied more broadly beyond just quality issues to any type of waste to increase visibility for your Lean or Six Sigma initiative. Check out our Cost of Poor Quality course at https://www.biz-pi.com/product/cost-of-poor-quality-copq-course/ Links BIZ-PI.com Cost of Poor Quality Course LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Creative Safety Supply

In process improvement, there is a strong focus of data. But in order to analyze data for an improvement project, you need to know what type of data you have or need, so you can perform the correct analysis. I share the different types of data you may encounter for your project. Links BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

I saw a recent question in a forum, asking about the origin of the sample size of 30 data points. I decided to read you the response I gave, and make it a new blog post on my website.  Links Article: Why do we need 30 data samples? BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

I share an article I wrote back in Dec 2013 about reducing or eliminating test or inspection steps using Six Sigma analysis methods of capability and stability, along with risk mitigation tools like FMEA and error proofing. Links Article: Top 3 things to validate before removing test or inspection steps Article: Which Should You Use Cpk or Ppk? BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

I share an interview I did with Mark Graban about why I created this podcast. He included me in a new networking group called Lean Communicators. We are a group of podcasters that talk about Lean, and we meet about once a month to discuss best practices and learn from each other. Check out the website of all the contributors at LeanCommunicators.com, where you can subscribe to an email list of new episodes from all contributors, or subscribe to individual podcasts. You can also follow us on LinkedIn using #LeanCommunicators. Mark also appeared in Episode 11 of this podcast, so you can hear his questions and my responses. Links LeanCommunicators.com LinkedIn #LeanCommunicators Lean Blog Podcast #394 with Mark Graban - Interviews with Lean Communicators network Lean Six Sigma Bursts - Episode 11 with Mark Graban BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

Most people calculate the average when summarizing data, but what about the median? The median is not as sensitive to outliers and skewed data, and can be a better indicator of the typical or most common outcome in your data. Links Wikipedia: Median BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

Do you see problems recur later after all the attention has gone away? That could be the Hawthorne Effect at work, which can create confusion on whether your improvements are actually working. Links Wikipedia: Hawthorne Effect BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

When I facilitate mapping events, after completing the current state map and before we create the future state map, I like to first walk the team through an ideal state discussion. I categorized these concepts and share the list with you in this podcast. Links Why I like using the Ideal State Mapping approach BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

Ground rules are an important element of running a successful process improvement event (called Kaizen Blitz or Kaikaku events). In this podcast, I share a compiled list of rules that you can use as a starting point for your next improvement workshop. Links List of Typical Lean Kaizen Event Ground Rules BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com

During some recent travel, my wife and I ended up watching multiple episodes of "Bar Rescue."  I've watched the show for many years, so I re-watched it with a new lens, now that I'm consulting on my own.  As I thought about my approach to consulting, how would I help these bars and restaurants make dramatic improvements? Listen for my comparison of how I would prefer to help these bars versus the approach used by host Jon Taffer. Links JonTaffer.com Bar Rescue Show BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com