I’m
sure you would have read and liked my 1st blog in the series called “Process
Inefficiency and Work Innovations”. This Blog is taking it to the next step to
implement and act on process we found inefficient. And in the process having a
lot of fun too.
Interested? Read On...
Jack Welch once said: “The big myth is that Six Sigma is about quality
control and statistics. It is that—but it’s a helluva lot more. At Six Sigma’s
core is an idea that can turn a company inside out, focusing the organization
outward on the customer.”
I have completed
my Six Sigma Black Belt process improvement project, and contrary to the
generic perception, it’s a lot of fun.
The journey
started like a ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream' in May, three years ago when we had
the 2nd batch of Six Sigma training. The training highly instigated my
engineering genes as we as engineers have a natural inclination for Statistics.
The next step was selection of a project for process improvement. It was
surprising to find that so many of processes are not yet base lined (i.e. we do
not know the average time taken for the activities). So I selected 2 processes
that were a pain point due to their inefficiency.
What follows
after initial Innovation is action, the DMAIC rigor of Six Sigma which led to
Statistical Analysis, Process Analysis, Brain storming and Solution
implementation. DMAIC are 5 steps of Six Sigma being Define, Measure, Analyze,
Improve and Control.
In both Projects
the DMAIC efforts crystallized together and the rigor worked as it should;
leading to timeline gains. The outcome was the reduction in handling time of critical
Items and risk reduction for the project. Since we need 2 projects for Black
Belt, the 2nd project got me the Black Belt completion of the program.
Innovation is not a one
time activity but a journey. I urge you people to identify an inefficient
process and go for the Six Sigma approach to fix it. Rest assured that not only
is it a professionally enriching experience; it’s a lot of fun too J
