Why Calibration is Essential for Quality Control
Calibration is the act of testing the accuracy of measurement equipment and adjusting it to conform to an independent standard. The post Why Calibration is Essential for Quality Control appeared first...
View ArticleInspection: Key to Quality Control
Being able to provide your customers with quality goods and services should be a primary goal of any business. In order to be able to provide quality, inspections need to be part of your process. The...
View ArticleWhat Every Company Needs to Know About Z st
While you may not be familiar with the specifics of Z st, you’ve almost certainly heard of it. It’s a measure of the distance between two data points on a distribution curve, and it can be used in many...
View ArticleUnlocking the Secrets of the S-hat Model
S-hat is a common model used in statistics when estimating a population. The post Unlocking the Secrets of the S-hat Model appeared first on isixsigma.com.
View ArticleEntry Criteria: Key to Controlling Processes and Reducing Variability
Entry criteria is an established set of conditions that must be met before a specific process can begin. The post Entry Criteria: Key to Controlling Processes and Reducing Variability appeared first on...
View ArticleActivity Based Costing (ABC): Key to Increasing Efficiency and Improving...
Activity Based Costing (ABC) is a tool to help companies understand how their products and services are being used. The post Activity Based Costing (ABC): Key to Increasing Efficiency and Improving...
View ArticleHow Ideation Brainstorming Can Improve Your Business Processes
Ideation brainstorming is the first stage of a formal solution development process that usually includes free-form exchange of thoughts and ideas. The post How Ideation Brainstorming Can Improve Your...
View ArticleDiscover the Power of Process Window Index in Continuous Improvement
A process window index (PWI) is a quantifiable and reproducible statistical measure which indicates how a product performs relative to range limits. The post Discover the Power of Process Window Index...
View ArticleHow a Drone Project Increased Efficiency and Eliminated Waste
Arrow Electronics had already been utilizing Six Sigma practices when it introduced its drone project in 2016 at its two main distribution centers in Malaysia and Asia. The drone project gained them...
View ArticleHow Total Quality Management Got Xerox Back on Track
Xerox went from being an industry leader to resting on its laurels. Their focus shifted away from improvement for the benefit of their customers. This, coupled with a financial scandal, brought the...
View ArticleBest Practices for Working with Simple Linear Regression
What is the point of having a bunch of raw data if you don’t have the tools to analyze it? Regression models provide you with the ability to see if there is a relationship between two types of...
View ArticleTEAM
When you are part of an organization that is working towards goals, you are part of a team. A team moving toward hitting milestones can sometimes need to generate excitement and motivation while...
View ArticleHow to Track and Improve Customer Expectations Using Result Measurables
Measurables indicate how a process is performing or how customer expectations are being met. These indicators are quantifiable, expressed numerically, and can have units of measurement. There are two...
View ArticleY
In discussions about the Six Sigma methodology, you will often find the equation Y=F(x). It is an important formula in working with the methodology and can serve as a very helpful tool in project...
View ArticleRandomization: Key to Reducing Bias and Increasing Accuracy
Not all experiments are created equal. Learn how randomization can improve the validity of any business’ experiments aligned with Six Sigma principles. Randomization in Six Sigma Business owners and...
View ArticleLean Six Sigma Improved the Efficiency of a Growing Business
On the Success Stories podcast with Marshall Atkinson, Ali Banholzer of Wear Your Spirit Warehouse discussed how Lean Six Sigma was utilized to increase profit margins for her company as she worked...
View ArticleDMAIC Helped Coca-Cola Revamp Call Centers and Improve Sales
In 1985, Coca-Cola embarked on what has since been viewed as one of the worst marketing blunders in history. The customer response as well as how Coca-Cola decided to reformat how it dealt with...
View ArticleHow ZARA Revolutionized the Fashion Industry with Lean Practices
ZARA changes its clothing designs every two weeks on average, offering upwards of 11,000 distinct garments every year. In comparison, competitors change their designs every three or four months and...
View ArticleContinuous Improvement and the 3p Approach Helped Deschutes Become An...
You may have taken notice of Deschutes lately. In the last few years, it has become much more commonplace to find the brewery’s products on draft at your local pub or at your nearest retailer. Such a...
View ArticleHow Green Belt Certification and DMAIC Improved Help Desk Resolution Time By 64%
Lean and Six Sigma practices are ultimately about helping businesses use efficiency to provide the ultimate customer experience. But what about state and county government entities? Can the same...
View ArticleHow DMAIC Helped a Small Company Increase Total Annual Sales by Nearly $250,000
There are plenty of available case studies when it comes to how large corporations have integrated Six Sigma methodologies into their organizations. Less attention has been paid to the smaller and...
View ArticleHow Utilizing the Full Six Sigma Process Helped Turn Wipro Into a Global IT...
In the 1980s, Wipro made the leap from being primarily known as a vegetable oil company in India into the world of IT. In order to be a competitor in this industry on a global scale, Wipro would need...
View ArticleLean Six Sigma Saves U.S. Army Test Center Millions
By employing Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma methodologies, the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Test Center was able to improve the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of its vehicle maintenance operations. Six...
View ArticleHow Listening to the Voice of the Customer Led to a Significant Drop in...
In the emergency department of a hospital, the amount of wait time is of huge importance to the patient as well as the staff. Using Six Sigma methodology, the nurse director of Providence Hospital in...
View ArticleHow Six Sigma Tools Sharply Decreased Downtime At The Nature Conservancy’s...
The web development team at The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, VA, was able to utilize Lean and Six Sigma tools to close the gap in downtime due to a coding freeze every 45 days. The Nature...
View ArticleHow Six Sigma and Lean Tools Helped Recover Nearly 4 Million Dollars in...
When faced with the news that drug manufacturers of cancer medication were responsible for causing a massive amount of financial waste, the oncology department at UCSD utilized Six Sigma and Lean tools...
View ArticleHow the Six Sigma Voice of the Customer and DMAIC Tools Brought the Two Sides...
With the formation of a joint venture between the original healthcare organization laboratory, Sonora Lab, and the larger Quest Diagnostics, a partnership existed in name only. Both labs went about...
View ArticleHow Canon Business Process Services Uses Six Sigma to Optimize Business...
Everyone knows Canon as a massive corporation that manufactures cameras, printers, scanners, and a variety of other quality goods. Less known by the consumer market is the role Canon plays in helping...
View ArticleHow Six Sigma and the DMAIC Process Made Samsung Into an Industry Leader
With strategic implementation, Six Sigma can do wonders for an organization. The methodology can drastically improve processes, cut down on waste, and even help provide better results in the design and...
View ArticleDMAIC Helps Miami-Dade Public Library Improve Services and Save Money
In 2018, the Miami-Dade Public Library System utilized Six Sigma methodology to improve upon the time needed for the transporting of library materials. The utilization of Six Sigma to meet the needs of...
View ArticleStarting With a Six Sigma Scorecard Led One Small Company to Significant...
When many think of Six Sigma, they first think of massive corporations utilizing the methodology for quality and process improvement. They do not generally associate it with the mom-and-pop shop down...
View ArticleMotorola Uses Data-Driven Six Sigma Methodology to Improve Production Process
In the early 2000s, Motorola was struggling with defects in its products and a decline in customer satisfaction. In an effort to improve their business processes and regain their competitive edge, they...
View ArticleHow DMAIC and Other Six Sigma Techniques and Tools Helped B & B Ice and Water...
B & B Ice and Water in Port Arthur, Texas, had been a successful company for many years. Despite their success, the organization was finding a number of problems that they could not seem to solve....
View ArticleLittelfuse’s Journey to Operational Excellence: How Six Sigma Processes...
Littelfuse is a manufacturing company that produces electronic products for various industries. The company was facing a problem with its production process, as it was experiencing a high defect rate...
View ArticleHow Starting With a Six Sigma Scorecard Led to Significant Increases in...
When many think of Six Sigma, they first think of massive corporations utilizing the methodology for quality and process improvement. They do not generally associate it with the mom-and-pop shop down...
View ArticleHow DMAIC Led to a Nearly $950,000 Impact on RFR’s Bottom Line
Utilizing Six Sigma tools like DMAIC saved RFR $928,000 in retained sales as well as $10,000 in cost savings and $9,000 in workplace training. RFR Metal Fabrication Was Having Growing Pains RFR Metal...
View ArticleHow Kaizen and Six Sigma Training Led to $40K in Savings
In business, when times get tough, the knee-jerk reaction is to have layoffs. What follows is a remarkable example of one company that decided to make a further investment in its people by getting them...
View ArticleHow the Six Sigma Quality Improvement Process Practically Eliminated False...
In the early 1990s, US West was an organization that was leading the charge in telecommunications. At the time, their buildings were being plagued by disruptive false fire alarms. How it was dealt with...
View ArticleHow DMAIC Helped San Antonio Increase the On-Time Payment of Street...
We all need payment for the work that we do. It is really that simple. If contracted out to do a job by somebody, you need to be able to count on compensation for the work done on that job within a...
View ArticleHow Abbott Utilizes Six Sigma Methodology to Enhance Business Processes
Abbott, a global healthcare company, has successfully employed the Six Sigma methodology to improve various aspects of its business operations. By leveraging this data-driven approach, Abbott has...
View ArticleSix Sigma vs. Lean: What’s the Difference?
What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a quality control methodology that is utilized to improve processes through the elimination of defects. In practice, the methodology incorporates project management,...
View ArticleKienle + Spiess Tackles Welding Issues with Lean and Six Sigma Integration
Kienle + Spiess is a German mechanical engineering company that was looking to strengthen its welding division by reducing its rework and improving its quality. To accomplish this, the organization...
View ArticleSix Sigma vs. Agile: What Are the Differences?
What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology used by organizations to improve their processes and reduce defects or errors. It was originally developed by...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Tools and an Acceleration Technique Reduced Baggage...
In 2016, Kenya Airways embarked on a project to increase its baggage handling efficiency. The way that it applied tools from both Lean and Six Sigma methodologies showcases how adaptable these concepts...
View ArticleHow Value Stream Mapping Helped Increase a University’s MBA Enrollment by 70%
The University of North Alabama had been part of the steady decline nationally in students enrolling in MBA programs. In order to turn the tide at the UNA College of Business, a team utilized Value...
View ArticleHow Dr Pepper Embraced Lean and Six Sigma Methods, Creating an Economic...
By employing Lean and Six Sigma techniques, Dr Pepper was able to embark on a journey that prioritized Rapid Continuous Improvement, a strategy that led to a number of savings for the organization that...
View ArticleLean Six Sigma Transformation: Harnessing DMAIC to Enhance Operational...
Efficiency, Elegance, and Empowerment: Avon and Lean Six Sigma Unite In the bustling world of cosmetics, where beauty meets business, one name has stood the test of time, captivating hearts and...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Helped Grupo Bimbo Stay Relevant and Retain Global Market...
Established in 1945 in Mexico City, Grupo Bimbo became a global leader in the baking industry, known for its commitment to quality and innovation. As the company expanded its operations worldwide, it...
View ArticleHow Lean and Six Sigma Dramatically Improved InterConnect’s Kit Manufacturing...
InterConnect Wiring was constantly needing to be ahead of schedule in assembling its aircraft kits, causing unneeded stress and an unbalanced workload. By utilizing Lean and Six Sigma concepts, the...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Practices Helped Amazon Web Services Achieve Operational...
In today’s highly competitive business landscape, organizations are constantly seeking ways to improve their operations and deliver exceptional value to their customers. One such company that embarked...
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