In my book The End of Management I describe how complex managed systems such as businesses change. The short version is: they usually don’t. Most business systems are in...
Read more
31Mar
The Inspired Labor & Delivery Nurse
Charlene was a nurse in the Labor and Delivery Department of a large metropolitan medical center. The hospital had the highest Cesarean Section rate in their state, which was...
Read more
27Mar
Let’s Return to Simple
I recently re-read my original book An SPC Primer originally published in 1978. It brought back my early days in process excellence. At the time I was the only...
Read more
26Apr
What Are SIPOC Maps and How Do You Use Them?
Kirby had been a service agent at the sales contact center for a long time. And he was a good one, one of the best. But his promotion to...
Read more
22Apr
Management in One Lesson
John Park, the new CEO of Acme Corporation, just heard a brilliant idea for making his numbers this quarter. He needed it. In his conference call with the financial...
Read more
17Apr
What is Six Sigma?
For Motorola, the originator of Six Sigma, the answer to the question “Why Six Sigma?” was simple: survival. Motorola came to Six Sigma because it was being consistently beaten...
Read more
15Apr
Mapping for Business Improvement
In my Six Sigma Leadership Process post I described the leadership process at the highest level, the L-1 level. I mentioned that the Improve phase of leadership required mapping...
Read more
12Apr
Managing Metrics Madness
The Black Belt proudly displayed a huge spreadsheet printout. “It’s the first time we’ve been able to see all our metrics in a single place,” he announced. “Everyone was...
Read more
04Apr
Why Six Sigma is not TQM
My colleagues often tell me that there is no real difference between Six Sigma and TQM. “Show me where Six Sigma involves anything new.” Six Sigma employs some of...
Read more
25Sep
Comparison of Pyzdek Institute Training and Certification with “Low Cost” Alternatives
Article Revised: March 28, 2019 The saying “You get what you pay for” applies to Lean Six Sigma training too. So does the saying “If it looks too good to...
Read more
