Pareto Analysis with JMP

What is the Pareto Principle? Before getting into Pareto analysis with JMP, a bit about the principle itself. The Pareto principle is an observation not a law.  Named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, this principle states that for a variety of situations, 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes, thus the Pareto principle is…

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The Effective Communication Plan

An effective communication plan is more vital than you probably give it credit. Nothing takes down a project like a few key “problem children” in the organization (usually middle management), All because you didn’t communicate properly or timely or specific enough with them, or didn’t engage them in the problem scope and solution implementation, things…

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Using Lean Six Sigma in Your Daily Life

What is Lean Six Sigma? Lean Six Sigma is a quality improvement process used by many corporations and organizations worldwide. There are several benefits for using this methodology for any business large or small. These same valuable tools and methods are ways of using Lean Six Sigma in your daily life. Your Plan As a…

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Three Most Important Skills for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Lean Six Sigma methods are incredibly beneficial tools for your team, department, and your company; when you understand where, when, and how to implement the methodology and tools that accompany it A properly trained Lean Six Sigma Green Belt is a significant asset to your organization, and also to your career. In the hierarchy of…

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Using DMAIC for Project Management

Managing work for a project generally falls to the Project Manager or Project Lead. As a Lean Six Sigma practitioner, there is a likely chance that you will be in that role at some point in your career. There are many ways to approach managing a project, including the widely used Project Management Book of…

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Common Project Roadblocks

When a project is initiated, its folly to assume that the project should run smoothly without any roadblocks. The reality is that nearly all projects experience some degree of course correction and often times have to overcome project roadblocks. These circumstances delay timelines, stress resources or alter intended outcomes, definitely not desirable! A few of…

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How to Run a Pareto Chart in Minitab

One of the most useful charts to visually represent where areas of concern in a business may be is the Pareto Chart. The chart identifies the Pareto principle, or what many call the “law of the vital few,” or more often, the “80:20 rule.” The principle suggests that most effects come from a small amount…

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How to Run a 2-Sample T Test in Minitab

When working with data sets in six sigma projects, often there will be a need to compare two groups to each other. A 2-sample T test in Minitab is a hypothesis test to study whether there is a statistically significant difference between the means of two populations. The 2-sample T test runs a comparison of…

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Why Lean Six Sigma Works

Problem-solving approaches are often discussed between members of management when a goal needs to be met. There is always a difference of opinion on how to take action to reach the goals, and the road to get there becomes more and more unclear. Because of the uncertainty of which approach to use, projects and initiatives…

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Getting Your Primary Metric Right

Before any six sigma project can get off the ground successfully, there is one critical metric that must be identified, the primary metric. In the DMAIC process, the define stage allows ample opportunity to clearly identify what the project will impact. This leads to the assignment of establishing your primary metric. The primary metric is…

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Comparing 12 Popular Online Six Sigma Certification Providers

If you’ve already read our article about considerations for an online six sigma course then you know that if you’re looking to get your black belt certification online then it is important to evaluate several options before choosing your provider. Fortunately, we’ve made this evaluation step much easier for you. We are providing a complete look into…

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Seven Deadly Muda

Muda is a Japanese word meaning WASTE. As you should have already learned, waste is a not even remotely desirable and Lean principles seek to eliminate waste. As such, the seven common forms of waste have taken on the moniker of the “Seven Deadly Muda” They are as follows: Defects Over Processing Inventory Motion Transportation Waiting Over…

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Lean and Six Sigma

A Lean Enterprise intends to eliminate waste and allow only value to be pulled through its system. Lean is usually applied to the production process to improve efficiency. The basic advantages of applying the lean methodology are that it leads to shorter cycle times, cost savings and better quality. Lean Manufacturing is characterized by: Identifying and…

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Project Team Selection

Lean Six Sigma project team selection is the cornerstone of a successful Lean Six Sigma project. Teams should be comprised of people who have the right expertise to add value to the project as well as those who share the complementary skills needed to create a diverse team of experts. Successful teams will also be…

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Rolled Throughput Yield

Download the RTY eBook and Other Tools, Templates, Guides, & eBooks First Name* Last Name* Email* My Interest in This Content is More Closely Related to* My Learning Me Teaching Others PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) is a process performance measure that provides insight into…

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DPMO – Defects Per Million Opportunities

DPMO is one of a few important Six Sigma metrics that you should get comfortable with if you’re associated with Six Sigma. In order to understand DPMO it’s best if you first understand both the nomenclature and the minor nuances such as the difference between defect and defective. DPMO Nomenclature: Defects = D Unit = U Opportunity…

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Six Sigma Approach

The Six Sigma approach to problem solving uses a transfer function. A transfer function is a mathematical expression of the relationship between the inputs and outputs of a system. Y=f(x) is the relational transfer function that is used by all Six Sigma practitioners. It is absolutely necessary to understand and embrace this concept if you wish to…

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History of Six Sigma

The history of Six Sigma finds its roots and terminology being first used by Bill Smith at Motorola in the late 1980s, as a quality management methodology. As the “Father of Six Sigma”, Bill forged the path for Six Sigma through Motorola’s CEO Bob Galvin who strongly supported Bill’s passion and efforts. Starting from the…

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