Pyzdek Institute

Six Sigma, Data Mining and Dead Customer Accounts

In an interview with Quality Digest, Joseph M. Juran pointed out that quality needs to “scale up” if it is to remain a viable force in the next century. In other words, quality must spread beyond its traditional manufacturing base. A major opportunity to do just that now exists, as Six Sigma enjoys a resurgence…
The Truth About DOE, Part 1

Design of experiments (DOE) and robust design of products are key parts of the Six Sigma process. To stay competitive, we need to offer great products to customers and we need to find and validate the optimum process settings to actually make the products. In short, we need a statistical model of our process. However,…
The Truth About Transport Waste

We are all fortunate to have the accumulated knowledge of manufacturing industry titans readily available to help us improve processes and reduce costs. In the Lean context, Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo stand out. They taught us much about the process improvement mindset, visual control systems and the like. Both indicated the need to relentlessly…
Thinking Outside the Box With PCA

A common problem with SPC is that the world appears too complicated for a statistical approach to work. In complex electronics products, for example, circuit boards may have thousands of holes and microchips may have millions of transistors. Plotting control charts of each and every dimension is clearly not feasible. What can be done? To…
Preventing Hospital Falls with Six Sigma

Hospital processes produce many things. Most of them are desirable outcomes, such as healthy newborn babies, new hip joints, cancer-free patients and blood flowing freely through once-blocked coronary arteries. In other words, happy, healthy and satisfied patients. These results are why healthcare professionals chose their field. They generate revenue that patients are happy to pay…
When in Doubt, Get the X-Chart Out!

Phil looked at the data Joan had just handed him. Joan was a recent graduate of an SPC seminar the company had sponsored for administrative personnel and, since Phil had been the Quality Engineer who taught the classes, it was only natural that she would seek his help. She was trying her best to follow…
Recognizing a Six Sigma Project Opportunity

Lean Six Sigma projects must help the organization achieve its goals. To accomplish this you must take action that guarantees that your project activities are directly linked to the goals specified by your leaders. Example of a CEO’s Vision Six Sigma begins with the vision of the senior leader and his or her team. The…
Becoming a Lean Organization in Eight Steps

Becoming Lean: A Tactical Perspective At the strategic level, becoming Lean involves a culture change. An organization ready for Six Sigma is also ready for Lean. However, there are some differences in the deployment of the Lean model. Becoming Lean requires an organization where continuously improving is part of the culture. Here are some guidelines…
The 8 Types of Waste in Lean

What is Lean? Lean’s origins date back to the post-WW II era in Japan. It was developed by Taiichi Ohno, a Toyota production executive, in response to a number of problems that plagued Japanese industry. In fact, what we now refer to as “Lean” is based on the Toyota Production System. The main problem facing…
Lean Six Sigma Project for Nonprofit Organization

In this webinar, presented by Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Richard Petty, you will be shown an example of the benefits derived through the use of DMAIC within a Non-Profit Organization (People in Need Ministries) where the focus is not so much on metrics, as it is on people. Richard used this as his Pyzdek…