Students in our Green Belt course analyze and comment on a case study that deals with products that are returned by customers. They are challenged to discuss what was done well in the case and what could have been done better. The products being returned for credit are data storage systems that are suspected of […]
Tag Archives: Six Sigma
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 […]
One of the tools that may be used to define the current state of a process is SWOT analysis. Our Black Belt students are required to perform a SWOT analysis as part of their Black Belt project. SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to […]
In previous articles in this series I introduced Designed Experiments (Article 28) and Taguchi Methods (Article 32). In this article I will introduce the Parameter Diagram, aka P-diagram, and explain how the P-diagram is used in conjunction with Designed Experiments as part of the robust design process. The P-diagram is used to classify all of […]
We typically think about the reliability and reproducibility of a gage in the context of measuring some characteristic using continuous (or variable) data. Gage R&R studies conducted on this type of data are an application of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method. We evaluate how much variation is introduced by the people using the gage […]
In an earlier article entitled Zero Defects – Realistic Goal or Dream? I stated that achieving zero defects is not a dream at all but rather a realistic goal to be pursued. In our Black Belt course, our students are challenged to complete an improvement project where they create an improved process that is […]
In order to earn the Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate, our students are required to plan and execute a real world project that results in measurable improvement. To help them to be more successful, I challenge them to find ways to increase the amount of personal power that they have as the manager of their […]
In my experience there is a good deal of misunderstanding among students who are seeking to enhance their professional credentials in the field of Six Sigma. The source of the confusion is not recognizing that there is a fundamental difference between a Certificate in Six Sigma and Certification in Six Sigma. It is important that […]