One Reason – Why Companies Fail To Carry Out Lean Implementation Successfully?

What can we learn from Lean evolution story? Does it hold the key to successful Lean journey? It does.

I have been in Lean consulting for more than 14 years now, and realize, there is least or no emphasis given to lean evolution journey by many!  Most skip this part as it doesn’t talk about tools and techniques. Let us look back and understand what we need to learn from how Lean devised over years.

Below is the list of several foundation practices which devised much before Lean did.  I have mentioned them around time they devised.  What were these practices, what was their purpose? Let us explore.  These practices came into existence in the same order as mentioned below.

1. Standardized work: “Say (document) what you do, and do what you say (document). This is the purpose of ISO as we know.
2. Time study and work standards: The systematic investigation and analysis of the motions and the time needed to perform a specific task to seek more efficient methods of production as well as setting time
3. Process charts and motion study: The flow process chart is a graphic and symbolic representation of the processing activities performed on the work piece, while motion study involves various motions (ergonomic) involved.
4. Assembly line and flow concept: How to sequence the workload in alignment with customer demand and ensure balance and flow of workload across work roles.
5. SPC and TQM: SPC is applied to oversee and control a process. Checking and controlling the process ensures that it performs at its full potential. TQM (Total Quality Management) is a structured approach to improve the quality of products and services through constant refinements.
6. TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) : In industry, total productive maintenance (TPM) is a system of preserving and improving the integrity of production and quality systems through the machines, equipment, processes, and employees that add business value to an organization.
7. Just in time or World class or Lean manufacturing: “Produce to demand” by the customer, who is the next process. World class manufacturing is synonymous with Lean manufacturing today.  It is a collection of concepts, which set standard for production for another organization to follow. Japanese manufacturing is credited with pioneer in concept of world-class manufacturing.  Some of the techniques are as follows:

• Make to order
• Streamlined Flow
• Smaller lot sizes
• Collection of parts
• Doing it right first time
• Cellular or group manufacturing
• Total preventive maintenance
• Quick replacement
• Zero Defects
• Just in Time
• Increased consistency
• Higher employee involvement
• Cross Functional Teams
• Multi-Skilled employees
• Visual Signalling
• Statistical process control

It took more than 100 years to reach here! Each discovery laid a foundation for the next one.  Each discovery after some time led to a renewed need, and therefore a need for new discovery, one after another. 

Today companies aim at # 7, without due considerations given to # 1 to 6.  Companies lack the foundation practice which is # 1 to 6. 

“Where is the money?” Is a good question to ask, but “Where is the foundation?” Is a better question to ask first?  Constant firefighting points out absence of foundation practices. 

What happens when we try to jump to step # 7 directly in a ladder? We may fall!  So companies skip steps # 1 to 6, jump to 7 directly and experience a fall.  It is time, we learn from evolution of Lean philosophy. 

PS: You may find this e-book useful too : Lean principles simplified

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Attrition...!! People Should Be Fighting With Each Other To Join Your Company!

Using data analytics to discover, the growth path offered by a company to its employees

Practical scenario

Why is attrition so high we don't offer the best pay scale to them, was the response in a 'flash', from one of the HR representatives. Don't you give performance incentives - We do, but the new recruits go by what they clear on hand - to begin with. Ideally, if you are giving incentives, then they should be earning equal to or more than what others are offering around, please get me the data I need, let the data decide - If you have anything special, that will attract talent, I said. Do you offer a good growth path to them I asked. There are some people who earn more than Rs.20,000 a month, was the response, but the minimum wages you mentioned, is a third of that! I said... never mind, let's do the analysis.

Statistical scenario

What is the average gross income How is the gross income distributed Do workers earn more over time, with improved skills on the job Is there a correlation between tenure and earning, given bulk of the salary comes from performance incentives A good case to use correlation analysis followed by regression analysis. But first let's apply basic statistics to analyze gross income distribution.

Statistical analysis

Basic statistical analysis

Basic statistical analysis of the data on gross income (including deductions e.g. leaves on loss of pay etc). Data looks normally distributed. Average gross income is around Rs.10,000. 75% of the population earn equal to or more than Rs. 7896. 25% of of the population earn more than Rs.13,000.

Correlation and regression analysis

Is there a correlation between, tenure and gross income Can we predict a new hire's income based on tenure Data for eight months reveals a r-square value of 0.71, meaning, there is a significant correlation between the two! Simple linear regression equation fitted between the two suggests, Rs.6087 is the minimum anyone can earn - regardless of performance. As the tenure progresses, gross earning per month (GEPM) increases.

Practical inference

Mean income per worker is impressive! Who says, you don't pay well With an average pay of Rs.10,000 per month, free accommodation, subsidized food, free evening snack and tea, flexible hours to finish the production target after 630 pm till 900 pm.. amazing combination! Who is offering these around this place - None.

From the regression analysis, fitted growth curve in gross income per month is shown below.

Are you kidding me? - A NEW HIRE'S GROSS EARNING PER MONTH PROGRESSES LIKE THIS !!?

Oh my gosh! You (your company) grossly underestimated yourselves, what a terrific growth curve you offer... what attrition !!!? People should be fighting to get in, and get hired, everyday in front of your factory. You know now, what you have to offer the 'new hires', go get them, and tell the ones you already have, they have a bright future here, if they commit and continue to work.

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150% Increase in Productivity - What Worked

This is an unusual headline! But this engagement transformed my belief in Lean forever! They were contract laborers who didn't want to appreciate company's turnaround time commitments to the client, Give me my money, I am outta here... was their way.

# 1 - Identify and address 'what's in it for me'.

On an average, how much money do you make per day I asked the supervisor.

Why do you ask Are you in the same Business, replied the supervisor.

Oh no, 'I don't do this Business', but I thought you could double your income! I said.

How Came the reply, in a flash! I smiled and said, want to try

# 2 - Know what you are looking for! - The demand

If you are looking for 300+ per man-hour, it is not about, will it be achieved or not, the question is how to achieve it If this is the target per man-hour to comply with client's turnaround time, what options do you have There are no options but one - figure how to achieve it I calculated the demand in terms of TAKT time and worked backwards to tie it up with production per man-hour to achieve the given turnaround time.

# 3 - Time and motion study - Compare Cycle time vs. TAKT time

Man-hours required = Cycle time TAKT time. I estimated man-hours required using this formula, and converted the result to number of people necessary to accomplish desired work load in given time limit.

# 4 - From batch to flow

Before - Everyone in the team would do 'end to end' completion of one work unit, After - I created a 'assembly line' for them - Call it a cell. Contrary to the belief, I used a batch size of 50 work units between two operation steps. Single piece flow is good but, you cannot have 'one size fit all' solution.

# 5 - Discipline to follow the SOP

This was a difficult implementation - I asked them, while assembly line is at work on one uses cell phone, no calls encouraged during work. Supervisor and his people were angry on me! I said, you have to make a choice - double income or phone call. Both can't happen at the same time!

When the cell ran - from start to finish - no one had even a minute to look here and there, let alone attending to phone calls. When they finished, and looked at the watch, they were astonished! There was a glow on their faces; one could see a sense of accomplishment on their faces!

Ah, what a day it was, I can never forget.. I congratulated them and left the place submerged in my own sense of accomplishment, this was the first time, I could see Lean helping double productivity!

I have added this story in great detail in my upcoming book - Lean Made Simple, click the link below to pre-order the book to get the 'exclusive offer'. Click on the link below to know more.

http://www.skilglobal.com/lean-made-simple-book/

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Six Sigma Black Belt Training – An Insider View

Black belt holders are the key contributors of Six Sigma. Six Sigma black belt training helps to acquire much-needed skills and traits that support you to get the Six Sigma certification. If you are still floating at the lower levels of Six Sigma, you could pave your way to up by black belt training. The black belts are the top professionals highly regarded for their leadership skills and ability to make key changes that impact growth.

If you probably want to see your performing at the top, then getting trained for Six Sigma is for you. Here’s the complete information about black belt training for Six Sigma that you might need on the way:

Black Belt Training For Candidates

Candidates appearing for Six Sigma black belt training undergo the training course that could last a couple of weeks to months. The number of training hours varies depending on the institute you choose, the number of hours you put to learn and the course curriculum designed. The course teaches to be a data-driven Six Sigma black belt holder who could actually lead and drive the company to achieve success.

Objectives of the Black Belt Training Course

The objective of the Six Sigma training is to help you master the principles and implementation of Six Sigma techniques.The training helps you get familiar with the tools and techniques of Six Sigma, a black belt professional must know to bring a positive change in an organization. The candidates are trained to recognize the improvement areas where Six Sigma knowledge could be implemented to maximize monetary returns. The training focuses on transforming professionals as future leaders. It enhances their communication skills which are crucial for Six Sigma professionals.

Eligible Candidates for Black Belt Six Sigma Training

The Six Sigma training is the most suitable for those professionals who are serving in the manufacturing industry or business processes. The managers, executives, line supervisors are the most ideal candidates for black belt training and certification. The candidates work to improve the efficiency of the bottom line that eventually helps an organization to achieve its business goals.

Tips for Candidates Keen to Appear for Black Belt Exam

Your success to achieve black belt training depends on the institute you choose for Six Sigma training. The stronger the reputation it has, the better your training curriculum will be and your performance, eventually! Low-cost black belt training doesn't always mean the best! So keep the institute's reputation and past performance at the front while considering a reliable institute for the black belt training.

The Final Thoughts

Achieving black belt certification isn’t easier at all. You need to undergo a hardcore Six Sigma black belt training to achieve this pinnacle of success. Better rely on an institute that has certified Six Sigma black belt professionals to train you. Only a certified professional could help you know the intricacies of the process. You should invest in an institute that has a remarkable history of transforming careers with their easy-to-learn learning material and online Six Sigma training sessions.

We are SKIL, an institute that has helped thousands of aspiring candidates like you in achieving Six Sigma black belt certification. Our professional Six Sigma black belt training courses could be availed online right from the comfort of your home. Get in touch with us to know more!

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3 Tips to Help You Find the Six Sigma Green Belt Training that’s Right for You

Hustling to get the best institute for Six Sigma green belt training? There are hundreds of institutes out there that claim to prepare for Six Sigma certification. But not every institute is your deal. Also, there are chances to get befuddled. You need to filter the one that’s right for you and help you prepare better for the green belt certification. Acting in haste wouldn’t be a wise move, after all, it is about your career.

When considering an institute for Six Sigma green belt coaching, you should keep in mind the following things:

1. The Type of Training

The Six Sigma training schools are everywhere; some of them operate onsite while others teach online. You need to figure out what type of Six Sigma green belt training would suit the most to you. The online Six Sigma training is the best deal because you would be learning Six Sigma methodologies right from your home that would save your time that gets wasted in commuting.

2. The Quality of Learning Material

While there’s a lot of literature available online to help you in Six Sigma certification, still, you need well-designed lessons that make things easier to understand. Pursuing things without a solid literature would make you befuddled. The emphasis should be to get well-designed lessons that cover every aspect of the curriculum, or else, you would find yourself stuck in the middle. Invest in a school that has the precisely written learning material to support your aim.

3. The Reputation of the Six Sigma Institute

Whichever institute you consider for the preparation, it should have a five-star rating from the past students. Anything less than might not a great deal for you. The reputation of the Six Sigma school matters as it showcases that you have invested in an institute that really cares for your learning. You could also visit various online forums or Facebook pages to see how well they stand in reputation. Settle for the one that looks promising with the good reviews all over.

The Final Thoughts

The tips mentioned here ease your way to find the most trusted six sigma green belt training institute. You just need to hustle a little bit to see if the institute you are going to consider fulfills the criteria mentioned above. It is better to put the time in research than getting swept off the feet with the last time surprises, It’s about your career move so settling for the less shouldn’t be an option at all. Get through the social media pages and their website to see their past accomplishment and success records. If you find all positive things being talked about them, then don't waste a minute to get your green belt training for Six Sigma started.

Be with a trusted Six Sigma green belt training institute that has successfully trained professionals from several industries and professions.We are SKIL, your friend in need when you are planning to upscale your career opportunities. Let’s collaborate together to find out what we can do for you. Let’s talk today!

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How Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Helps You Thrive in Career?

For a professional, excelling in a career is a supreme priority than anything else. Lean Six Sigma black belt certification gives you that much-needed boost you have been waiting for the years.It is one of the most sought certifications in the world. It's loved by conglomerates as well as candidates who want to boost their employability. The adoption of Lean Six Sigma strategies gets you loaded with the business intelligence for which companies are willing to pay handsomely.

Pursuing Lean Six Sigma black belt program puts professionals ahead of everyone, outperforming the competitors eventually. Here are some more ways by which black belt for Lean Six Sigma certification helps you thrive in the career:

1. By Producing Exemplary Results in Organization

Pure results and no bragging, that’s what Lean Six Sigma black belt certification teaches you all about! After mastering them, you will make active contributions in the organization you work by eliminating waste, improving deliveries and producing great results. The methodologies you will implement would be proven to produce success. As a black belt professional, you will lead the organization growth factors to achieve success in every sphere.

2. By Equipping You With Team Management and Leadership Skills

Lean Six Sigma certification helps you emerge as a true leader who excels in the team, time, people and resource management. The certification teaches you everything that helps you emerge as a leader in the organization. The black belt professionals take no time climbing to the top in their career with their leadership skills.

3. By Getting You Recognition at the Workplace as You Deliver ROIs

Black belt certified professionals know how to stand out in an organization and get recognized as champions. Lean Six Sigma equips them much-needed insight that helps them thrive in an organization by producing breakthrough improvements at the workplace. You will always exceed the ROI objectives of the stakeholders and getting recognition from them is just the beginning of a rewarding career ahead.

4. By Helping You Exceed Expectations of Top Management

The black belt teaches you to exceed expectations even when the competition is tough. You will not just meet your KPIs but will exceed the management’s expectations. The black belt program equips you with the knowledge that’s required to take key decisions in business which rewards you with success. By eliminating the issues in the business operations, you will guide your company to the path of achieving sustainable growth. In return, you will have the attention of the top management who will take care of your career aspirations.

The Final Thoughts

Even when the situation goes tough, the strategies you learn from Lean Six Sigma black belt certification would help you perform to your best. You will emerge as a key contributor in your organization and would put your company onto the path of success. By implementing the learning from the black belt certification, you will be able to achieve sustainable growth for your company. What's better you could expect out of you? Don’t be shy to go for the black belt program if you really want to keep odds in favor and thrive in the competitive world.

Do you really want to thrive the career by giving it a much-needed boost with the Lean Six Sigma black belt certification? You will surely need our best-in-class Lean Six Sigma training designed to help you get the black belt certification in the most convenient way. We are SKIL; your online Lean Six Sigma institute for helping you climbs the career ladder. Visit us online now!

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4 Ways Lean Six Sigma Could Improve the Hotel and Hospitality Industry

Working in a thriving hotel and hospitality industry where meeting the demanding needs of customers becomes too difficult to handle at times? Lean Six Sigma green belt certification could help you exceed in this highly demanding industry. The Lean methodologies when combined with Six Sigma work wonders in achieving a high-quality customer service. You would learn the tricks of the trade that would help you improve operational efficiency.Learning Lean Six Sigma not just helps in delivering an authentic experience for your guests but also offers you a competitive advantage.

Let’s reveal you the ways Lean Six Sigma could improve the highly competitive hotel and hospitality industry:

1. Lower Incurring Costs By Streamlining Process

Putting strategies learned from Lean Six Sigma green belt certification, the hotel and hospitality industry could significantly cut down the costs involved. Lean Six Sigma certified professionals are trained to locate the waste in the process and remove it to keep the incurring costs to the minimum. Also, you would be able to identify the defects in the hotel’s operations and remove them to reduce costs and save valuable resources from getting wasted down.

2. Increase Profits by Eliminating Waste

Expect more profits coming out to your way as you streamline the Lean Six Sigma strategies in your hotel. Since there will be no wastage, you will be churning out more profits than you previously do. You will no longer be spending unnecessarily on the inventory of the products which will give a boost to your profits by many folds. Put simply that the implementation of Lean Six Sigma will help you increase your profits by helping your hotel in efficiently utilizing the resources.

3. Improve Efficiency with the Great Teamwork

Teamwork is the greatest tool of Lean Six Sigma that actively helps to boost ROIs if utilized to its optimum potential. Being a certified Lean Six Sigma professional, you will act as their guiding force, knitting best talent to achieve customer satisfaction. The strategies that you gain from the certification will help you find the best possible ways to motivate your team members to perform to their best even in the peak hours. Eventually, it will lead to improved efficiency and a greater sense of responsibility among team members that benefit your hotel.

4. Customer Satisfaction that Leads to Customer Loyalty

No client will leave your hotel unsatisfied if you put Lean Six Sigma strategies to work. By streamlining the operations in your hotel, their each and every demand will be met. They won’t mind giving you five-star ratings and recommending you to their near and deal ones. Such high satisfaction often retains the client for a lifetime and you will enjoy more customer loyalty than your competitors do.

The Final Thoughts

If you want to add success to every sphere of your hotel and hospitality business, then Lean Six Sigma green belt certification could pave the way for you. Implementing its strategies to your hotel will let you experience the unprecedented growth you have ever experienced before. It benefits all, whether you are a hotel owner or a manager hustling to meet the evolving demands of the clients. So go for the green belt certification of Lean Six Sigma to thrive in the competitive hotel and hospitality industry.

Want to earn lean six sigma green belt certification to excel in your career as a hotel manager? Or, do you want to make your hotel business profitable by implementing Lean Six Sigma strategies? Let SKIL help you in every possible way to acquire you the green belt certification of Lean Six Sigma. Ask us for the online coaching today.

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4 Reasons Why Professionals Choose PMP Certification as a Career Path

Stuck in a job that doesn’t pay enough to meet your expectations? With a right project management training and certification, you could open the doors to a rewarding career. Project management degree dramatically hikes your salary by many folds. It not only makes you a better manager but also helps you climb up the career ladder. Probably, these are the reasons that encourage millions of professionals to apply for PMP certification around the globe every year.

If you are the one who wants to break the status quo and earn more than you deserve, then project management certification is for you. Let's find out why professionals choose project management as a career path:

1. To Grow Like a Pro In Career

With project management training, you get accredited by PMP certification that’s recognized very well in the business community across the continents. A project management certification could land you a high-paying job with conglomerates. Think off Apple, Walmart, PepsiCo and nothing less than that! The project managers who have earned the PMP certification are working in Silicon Valley and other renowned hubs. You would experience growth like never before and there’s no end to the possibilities in your career.

2. To Master the Management Skills

If you never settle for less and always work to enhance your skill levels, then Project Management could let you master the odds of business. It’s a coursework that’s designed to give you hands-on experience on better project execution. You learn to plan, initiate, implement, monitor and close the projects in a successful manner. Using these skills acquired from PMP certification, many project managers have turned out their company’s venture into a successful one. It won’t be a big deal for you too!

3. To Expand Their Marketability

A PMP certification lets you connect with the certified project management professionals across the globe. Some of them are into highly influential management profiles. You could seek their advice, learn tips from them and even seek a career opportunity. Through project management online forums, you could market your abilities and grab an opportunity offshore with little efforts.

4. To Earn More Than You Ask For

PMP certified professionals successfully break into high-paying jobs, no matter how hard the interview appears. They are nurtured to excel when the conditions go extreme. The project managers who are certified with PMP earn a way more than the non-certified ones. If you aim to grab six-figure income, PMP could make that happen for you.

The Final Thoughts

By now, you might have understood that pursuing project management training and earning PMP certification is a bucketful of gold. The sooner you earned the certification, the better your career growth curve would be. To be a project management professional is a blessing in disguise. It helps you achieve a high salary, corporate position and management skill that every employee desires to have. So be in touch with a reputed online training institute to earn PMP certification from the comfort of your home.

Dreaming of achieving big in career? You need to earn project management certification to make it happen. Let SKIL help you with the much-needed project management training to earn the certification. Our curriculum is designed to give you an insight and help you prepare smarter for the PMP certification. Visit us online to register your interest.

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Mastering These 5 Lean Concepts Would Make Your Work-Life Easier

Lean is designed to deliver value to the clients while empowering your employees with the knowledge and motivation to do so! Lean concepts are created to save time, improve quality while adding more value to your product/service, regardless of the nature of your industry. The Lean principles are not just meant for companies but individuals too who eventually want to make their work-life easier. In fact, Lean manufacturing is an integral part of Japanese industry giants that have achieved success in the industry by following the Lean principles.

Let’s get you familiar with the concepts of Lean that would make your work-life easier than ever:

1. Value

A customer pays you for the value he sees in your product. Lean concepts help you achieve that much-desired value that your end customer appreciates every time. The top value could be achieved if you work efficiently, produce minimal waste and work for achieving a higher quality than your customer expects from you!

2. Process Waste

Identifying and eliminating the waste in the processes are the top priorities of Lean manufacturing. Waste isn’t about physical waste but everything counts in it that is consumed unnecessarily in your work process. The overproduction, idle times, unnecessary processing and defects are a few examples of waste. Lean recognizes and addresses them to boost productivity in the workplace.

3. Kanban

It’s another concept of Lean that’s developed to improve efficiency in the workflow through effective workflow visualization. It teaches you to visualize your all tasks and list them out on a Kanban board so that you don’t miss out any single thing in your to-do list. It lets the management know that you have a certain task to complete and you don’t get overloaded with another task for that time slot. Eventually, it helps to keep multi-tasking and distractions at bay and makes the work-life smoother.

4. The 5S

The 5S concept focuses on increasing efficiency in an organization while reducing the waste to the minimal. The 5S points to sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain to achieve the highest productivity in an organization while keeping it clean and organized.

5. Kaizen

Kaizen is the concept that focuses on continuous improvement. It follows the PDCA approach to reduce errors, streamline work process, implement plans, review results, revise plans if ineffective and run the cycle again. Kaizen is an ongoing process that fine tunes your work process to optimize it for success.

The Final Thoughts

Applying the concepts of Lean manufacturing, you could make continuous improvement in your work-life. Whether you are an individual looking to excel in career or a businessman striving to streamline your work process, Lean principles are for everyone's benefits. Adopting these concepts will put you on a path to continuous improvement that will make everyone happy in the loop, be it your employee or the customer.

Want your employees to learn Lean concepts for helping your business grow? SKIL is the place where you should get your employees trained for achieving Lean certification. The entire training could be done online with the carefully prepared curriculum by our experienced Lean instructors. Visit us online to get started with the Lean training.

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5 Key Six Sigma Concepts Your Employees Should Be Familiar With

Six Sigma contributes to the success of a business that implements its strategies. Six Sigma concept has taken the world by storm and mastering it could propel your business performance to the top. Its principles are designed to solve any hurdle that you might face in business. The core concepts of Six Sigma focus on leveraging data and facts to excel the performance of businesses and make them profitable for the years to come.

If you are planning to get your employees certified for Six Sigma, then let's get you familiar with the key concepts of Six Sigma that make a difference in the success of a business:

1. Process Control

The process control is the vital Six Sigma concept that helps in the standardization of the operations. The end goal of the process control is to sustain the improvements made in operations. It solely focuses on the product's CTQ to achieve the stable functioning of the operations. Its aim is to prevent the error that creates nuances in operations. Long-term quality service could be achieved by implementing process control in the system.

2. Defect

A defect is a countable characteristic of a product/service that fails to fulfill the needs of a client. This is where Six Sigma strategies help by identifying and eliminating the defects from the product or service. Eventually, it saves time that's get wasted on rectifying defects and helps contribute to a defect-free service/product that meets the clients' expectations.

3. CTQ or Critical to Quality

The CTQ works the way up to identify those issues that affect the end quality of the product/service. These elements directly impact the customer's purchasing decision. For instance, if a car manufacturer that sells quality cars but at a low price ends up going out of stock for a period of time, the potential customers might turn to its competitors that sell quality but at a higher price to fulfill their demand. Six Sigma strategies identify these factors and improve them.

4. Variation

Variation is defined as a gap between the final and expected outcome. Though practically it’s almost impossible to produce the output with zero variation, still, it should stay in the permissible limits. The Six Sigma principles help control variation to a point by making key changes required in man, material and machine to produce the output that doesn’t affect the client’s critical to quality requirements.

5. Design for Six Sigma

The DMADV concept focuses on designing new processes rather than improving the existing ones. It helps in complete redesigning of the product or service that’s driven on customers critical to quality.

The Final Thoughts

Six Sigma paves the way to achieve the highest output by using state-of-the-art Six Sigma concept. At the end of the day, all products/services need to meet customers' requirements for their existence in the market. With its key concepts, Six Sigma helps these products/services achieve the CTQ demanded by a customer.If you want your employees to be skilled and produce the quality that exceeds the clients' expectations, arranging for the Six Sigma training could work wonders for your success.

Searching for an online institute that could help your employees gets hold of the Six Sigma concept? At SKIL, we have the best Six Sigma certified trainers to help your employees in a better way.

Want your employees to get hold of Six Sigma concept and acquire Six Sigma certification? Read the key concepts of Six Sigma that helps you gain traction in business if your employees master them all. Visit SKIL to know more about Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Six Sigma Certification, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Certification, Project Management etc.

Lean on 5S in Your Workplace

Prelude: Let’s learn about Lean’s 5S principles for your workplace organisation.

There are files all over your desk, there are consignments waiting to be finished and you’re yet to assign responsibilities to your team. It’s an absolute mess!

Does this seem like a familiar situation? Then you’ve come to the right place. Allow us to demonstrate how Lean 5S principles could be used to make your life at office much better!

The 5S’s stands for –

• Sort
• Set in order
• Shine
• Standardize
• Sustain

These 5 phases of the 5S principles can dramatically change the decorum of your workspace. Let’s find out how!

1. Sort –

“Sort in and sort out,

When in doubt, move it out”

This phase is concerned with identifying needed and un-needed items at your workspace. Firstly, you need to identify area and team members to implement 5S. Asses your present condition, take pictures and prepare a “as is” layout. Assign a red area for all the un-needed items, attach red tags and move them to the red area.

Do you require Better Decision Making skills?

2. Set in order –

“A place for everything needed,

And everything needed in its place”

This phase would involve brainstorming with your teammates and deciding on a work flow between steps. Re-design the layout if necessary. Create a clear picture of the Aisles, material storage, work stations, Sign boards, Labels, SOP/WI.

3. Shine –

       “Cleaning with meaning”

Brainstorm with your team to discover best ways to maintain the workplace clean and shining. Prepare a shine calendar- How to clean SOP’s. Shine calendar should elaborate – What, Who, When. Finally, prepare visual cleaning SOP’s.

(Download the Productivity Excel sheet to keep a tab of the process)

4. Standardize –

“What systems do we need to maintain first three S’s?”

When the first three S’s are implemented at your workplace, the next step is to develop a standard and a schedule for the whole organization. Visually display 5S’ maintenance standards and make it an integral part of the company culture.

Would Lean knowledge and Certification help us in this process?

5. Sustain –

“System/policies to sustain ‘5S’ culture”

The most important step of the 5S principle is to sustain the developed standards. In order to do this, you need to align 5S principles to the company’s policy, vision and mission. Train and engage everyone on applying 5S concepts. Develop and implement 5S RACI. The final step would involve conducting cross functional audits. Identifying and overcoming gaps continuously.

Applying these 5S principles would ensure that your workspace is Lean and clean!

Do you think Six Sigma tools could help in this process?

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Six Sigma Tool - SIPOC in HR and Recruitment

After exploring the Six Sigma measures in HR (link), today we’ll be looking at a tool that’ll resolve your problem if you’re spooked out during a recruitment process. SIPOC!

It stands for –

S – Supplier

I – Input

P – Process

O – Output

C – Customer

SIPOC is a high level process flow diagram in Six Sigma parlance, which helps you to identify key input, outputs, suppliers and customers to the process in scope. It is a spook proof formula in HR used to identify key members who should participate in the problem solving efforts.

Consider an example, where a HR manager is asked to handle the recruitment process in a company. He would have to follow the below mentioned steps to ensure that his HR team handles the process smoothly –

Step.  1 – Identify the new hire and the budget.

Step. 2 – Schedule and obtain approvals.

Step. 3 – Execute the schedules and coordinate.

Step. 4 – Get feedback, evaluations and approvals.

Step. 5 – Go live with the plan.

(Do you think he needs a SWOT analysis?)

The major problem with the plan is that the HR team doesn’t really have a clear picture of the input, inventory, personnel and the processes involved. This is where SIPOC comes extremely handy! It provides a brief description of the suppliers, inventories, internal inputs processes involved, output, internal and external customers.

The following SIPOC diagram was used by the HR manager which helped them identify and define their problem. The manger went on to use Six Sigma principles and a DMAIC approach which helped him and his team to ensure that the recruitment process was conducted with great efficiency.

Did Lean Six Sigma knowledge help the HR manager? Find out!

The next problem was the presence of various quality issues within the team. The HR manager was puzzled!Find out how Lean Six Sigma expert Prof. SK came to the HR manager’s rescue. What tools did they use to eliminate the problem? (Link 7 QC tools)

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Lean Six Sigma - 7 Quality Control tools to reduce attrition in HR

When Sreenath’s HR team was asked to monitor recruitment processes and attrition in his company, they would try to manually assess each process through methods which can rather be considered as out dated. He was petrified with the results and called for a team hurdle. Under such circumstances, his team suggested him to call in their friendly neighborhood Prof. SK.

Lean Six Sigma expert Prof. SK was invited to their office and was served a cup of filter coffee from the local canteen. He realized that the quality of the coffee was extremely bad. While, trying to control his temper and moving towards trashing the coffee, he came to a startling realization! Quality and control! They could use the7 Quality Control tools which would cater to every process in their firm. He primarily assessed each process –

• The HR team wanted to know the reasons for attrition in their firm.

Based on the trends in attrition, taking into account areas such as Years of experience, whether desired raise was given or not, Background qualification, Behavioural background and Relationship with manager, Prof. SK prepared a Checksheet. A classic tool which is commonly used for data collection. The checksheet would give them a better picture of reasons for attrition.

Click here to learn how Prof. SK implements Lean and management tools

• The next task was to understand the distribution of recruitment time in their firm,

Luckily, the Histogram is used for distribution analysis. It came to their aid as it provided an excellent solution to analyze the recruitment time for a L3 level employee on a scale of number of days.

• Sreenath’s major concern was with the lack of engagement in employees on continuous improvement initiatives. Prof. SK suggested that they brainstorm with their team using the Cause and effect diagram, which is deployed to understand the various causes to a particular problem. This diagram made Sreenath’s life easier!

• Following this, the HR team had received 1000 profiles for initial scrutiny which would usually contain a lot of missing information. To ease the process, Prof. SK suggested that they use the Pare to diagram. It is also known as the 80-20 rule, in other words 80% effect contributors are hardly a few categories, rest all categories contribute to the 20% of the effect only.

While explaining the Pareto principle, he showed them how they could categorize the missing information into particular fields and identify the fields which are significant contributors.

Do you want access to Prof. SK’s Magic lean Template?

Here it is!

• The HR team wanted to know if the performance depends on years of experience.

A Scatter Diagram was used, which shows us whether there is a relationship between two variables. Performance on a scale of 5 was plotted on the Y-axis, years of experience was plotted on the X-axis.

Based on the diagram it was established that there wasn’t much evidence to establish a relationship between performance and experience.

• They finally had to gauge the performance of individuals on a recruitment process. They subsequently used a Control Chart, which is used to measure how the process is performing.

Data was collected and plotted for the last 100 candidates processed.

(Want to learn how to apply Lean Six Sigma in Human Resource Department?)

After a hard day’s work, Sreenath and team decided to show their appreciation to Prof. SK for his timely wisdom by treating him to a cup of coffee in Star Bucks, which he seemed to have relished with a broad smile and a stroke of cream on his mustache!

Want to be certified in Lean and Six Sigma?

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Lean Six Sigma Can Change Your Life!

Prelude: Prof. SK shares his story to a successful career.

Lean Six Sigma expert Prof. SK has deployed two strategies throughout his career. Lean, a strategy that focuses on eliminating waste and non-value-added tasks. Six Sigma, which uses a methodical five phase approach (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) to help understand the variables that affect a process in order to optimize it. Collectively, these two techniques have helped Prof. SK change the phase of operations in numerous organizations.

Prof. SK revisits his memory lane to narrate a tale from his struggling days. “I remember sitting on the bus stand bench and sipping a cup of coffee. I didn’t have a penny in my pocket. Things were going south both in my professional and personal life, when a newspaper lying next to me had an article which read, “This will change your life!” Out of sheer curiosity, I picked up the newspaper and read a couple of lines. It was an advertisement for a Lean Six Sigma course. This lead to a path of ups and downs, but ultimately I was able to take control of my destiny.”

Taking inspiration from Prof. SK’s story, we see that learning Lean Six Sigma and applying its methodologies can have an indispensable impact on your career. Needless to say, it can lead to better occupational opportunities, better salary and make you stand out from the competition.

Being able to put Skil’s Lean Six Sigma certification into your profile shows your promise to improving your business understanding and analytical abilities. It makes you conversant in different approaches to reduce costs and increase revenue. Further, you will be leading initiatives to improve processes and the quality of deliverables to the customers.

Find out if Lean Six Sigma certification will indeed benefit you!

Once, the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt stabilizes your professional career, the next step would be to obtain the Black Belt. The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program is tailor made in order to enable you to experience increased confidence, master problem solving skills, boost career growth and become a champion in your organizations bottom-line improvement projects.

With the Six Sigma Lean certification under your repertoire, the power is truly in your hands!

SKIL; budding Project Management consulting & Lean Consultant company in India offers Six Sigma Jobs & Employee skill development programs in Lean Manufacturing, Project Management Training, Six Sigma Black Belt & Green Belt Certification in Bangalore, India.