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The PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is an iterative four-step approach for managing and improving products and business processes. Today we will discuss how the PDCA approach is used by sports teams, with an eye toward how this same thinking can be applied to improving the performance of business processes and products. The Plan Phase begins with […]
Category Archives: Business Analysis
In our Black Belt program, we make extensive use of Minitab statistical software. The software performs the actual mathematical calculations, relieving the student of the burden of knowing how to do them using paper and pencil. To use Minitab effectively, students must be able to choose the appropriate test or analysis to perform for a […]
One of my Black Belt students recently submitted an interim project report. The goal of her project is to reduce the time it takes to complete a certain transaction. The project Y metric is success rate, where a success is defined as completing the transaction in 24 hours or less. The goal after improvement is […]
One of the first tasks our Black Belt students are asked to do when completing a project is collect data over time and create control charts for the primary output metric. The purpose of these control charts is to establish baseline performance, and to determine if the process is stable. One of my students is […]
Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that uses facts and data to make decisions, not hunches and opinions. It is obviously important that we use facts and data that are accurate and reliable. The more important the decision and the more serious the consequences, the more care we need to take when collecting data. […]
In an earlier article in this series I discussed the use of sample data drawn from a larger population for the purposes of making decisions. The data in the sample must be representative of the larger population in order for it to be useful in decision making. Consider the stock market in general. What is […]
The entire country watched in disbelief last week as a United Airlines passenger was forcefully pulled off an overbooked flight to give room for crew members. The passenger had a valid ticket and boarding pass and was already in his assigned seat when he was dragged off the plane. How could this happen and why? […]
In the previous article, we established that data sets come in two varieties: Population and Samples. We also established that the data sets are uniform, i.e. one single metric is used, like height or color. Now, we want to establish that Statistics focuses on finding 2 things, and 2 things only: what is the average […]
Data analysis is growing by leaps and bounds. More and more, business analysts, project managers, and Six Sigma practitioners have access to more data. The key is how to derive useful information from the raw data. That is where data analytics comes in. TRUISM! Raw data is not fit for human consumption, but the information […]
One of the most powerful ways to improve business performance is combining business process management (BPM) strategies with Six Sigma strategies. BPM strategies emphasize process improvements and automation to drive performance, while Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to drive quality improvements. The two strategies are not mutually exclusive, however, and some savvy companies have discovered […]
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