• The Value of Certification

    While I agree that the martial arts terminology is unfortunate and even a bit silly, I also believe that professional recognition serves an important purpose. If the certification is rigorous (a big if, I admit,) then it signals mastery of a well-defined body of knowledge to prospective employers. The employers can then validate the certification…

  • A capability index question

    The following question came to me from a student in my online Six Sigma Black Belt course: QUESTION: I am calculating Ppk‘s for various processes and some values are, for example -1.2 and 1.2. Is it acceptable to take the absolute value for -1.2 and say that both process performances are equal even though the…

  • A Tribute to Spencer Hutchens, Jr.

    A Tribute to Spencer Hutchens, Jr.

    If you’ve worked in the quality profession for any period of time, you probably know the name Spencer Hutchens, Jr.. Spencer is a Past President of The American Society for Quality (ASQ,) a Past Chairman of the International Academy of Quality (IAQ,) and the namesake of the ASQ Spencer Hutchens, Jr. Medal for Social Responsibility.…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 13

    This is the thirteenth and last post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. Sustain Sustain  is the name of the whole 5S game. You gain nothing by deploying…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 12

    This is the twelfth post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. Standardized Cleanup Standardized cleanup is used to maintain the 5S activities…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 11

    This is the eleventh post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. Shine Shine can be thought of as the Lean Six Sigma…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 10

    This is the tenth post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. Set in Order Once the Sort phase has been completed, it…

  • Six Sigma Project Presentations in a Nutshell

    I’ve reviewed thousands of improvement projects. I’ve lost count of how many project presentations I’ve attended, either for certification purposes or for presentations to leaders. I’ve come to the conclusion that most Green Belts and Black Belts simultaneously present too much information, and not enough information. If I may speak to Green Belts and Black…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 9

    This is the ninth post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. How can we keep the workplace safe, clean and organized? (5S)…

  • Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design, Part 8

    This is the eighth post in a series taken from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. You can find all of the articles in the series by searching this site for the title. What skills do the people need? The Lean Six Sigma cell…

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