Government has its own set of challenges with quickly applying process improvement and seeing improvement results. This 15 minute video shows how a government section used a Process Walk as an approach to understand the process. The process walk was facilitated by Tracy O'Rourke to create a safe environment promoting…
A process map is an important part of any Lean Six Sigma project – it helps communicate the process at the center of your project and guides you to specific areas of focus. There are a number of choices available, and choosing the right map helps to clarify your efforts.…
I recently read an intriguing treatise of personal and organizational philosophy called Principles by Ray Dalio, the investment guru and founder of Bridgewater Associates. It is certainly not a philosophy for everyone nor for every organization, but I always admire attempts to codify one’s thought process and views on how…
The Lean Six Sigma toolset makes use of a variety of process maps. Each of these diagrams aids in understanding the flow and making it clear how the process works. Although detailed mapping is key to good process improvement, I would venture that properly constructing a high-level map first, can…
If you’re not tracking statistical differences among your call center agents, I’d argue that you are missing out on a huge opportunity to drive astonishing improvements in your call center outputs. We’ll first make sure we know what statistical differences mean and then talk about the myriad ways you can…
Facts and data are the hallmark of good problem solving – but all too often we don’t have enough data or the right kind of data to make good decisions. In Lean Six Sigma we frequently call upon statistical methods, where we know that having an adequate sample size is…
What Is a Process Walk? Process Walks are also known as “Going to Gemba.” Gemba is a Japanese term that translates to “go to the real place.” A Process Walk means an improvement team physically walks the whole process together while conducting interviews with those that work in the process.…
“Gemba” is a Japanese word that translates into “the site” or “the place of work.” There is a related word, “Gembutsu” which means the “actual thing.” We “go to the Gemba” to find out what is really happening. That might be a nice piece of philosophy, but what does it…
In the early 1980s there was a countrywide failure of computer tape drives. The tape drives were all made by IBM, they were crashing in large and small businesses alike and no one knew why. This was a big problem for business and definitely a big problem for IBM. We’ll…
The Cause & Effect Diagram is a popular tool and it appears in most continuous improvement projects. But in reviewing the project examples and publications, I am amazed at how many different ways this tool is utilized. No one can say there is only one correct way to use any…