index

Using The Six Sigma Approach In Your Business

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:54:44 +0100

Most business owners have heard of the Six Sigma approach, but few understand how it could benefit them. As competition increases, understanding how Six Sigma consulting can benefit you is essential. It can help you increase your productivity, decrease your overall costs of operation, and give you the competitive edge you need.

Six Sigma is a measure of excellence that has a goal of near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined approach and methodology assist in eliminating defects. It is applied to any process, from manufacturing, transactions, products, and even service. Six Sigma uses a quantitative, data-driven approach to problem solving and developing process. This means better products, better processes, better development, and even better customer service. These are key elements in many businesses.

What this means for your business is increased productivity, less failure, and overall savings. According to the Six Sigma Academy, companies that employ the Black Belt proficient Six Sigma, can save their companies a little over $200,000 a year. They complete, on average, 4 to 6 projects a year. Even General Electric has implemented Six Sigma. It was estimated that they realized a benefit of $10 Billion over the course of 5 year.

Six Sigma has grown and thousands of companies have discovered the benefits of using their strategies and planning. Globally, companies are strengthening their positions to keep their costs down and become more competitive. Utilizing the two approaches of Six Sigma’s two sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV, companies can address a variety of needs. DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is a system to improve existing processes. DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design, verify) improves the system used to develop new processes or products. It is also used to completely revise existing processes that require overhaul.

All Six Sigma advisors are certified at different levels; Green Belt, Black Belt, and Master Black Belts. These different levels work together to find the best solutions to the problems that they are presented with. All Green and Black Belts are overseen by Master Black Belts. This ensures that your needs are met and approved by the highest standards. Do not leave anything to chance. Six Sigma’s proven methodology can help business of any size. With the business world becoming more competitive, can you afford not to employ the best tools possible?

Three Ways Six Sigma Can Help You Win

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:57:19 +0100

In business today, you often hear the term Six Sigma and how companies like GE or Toyota apply a Six Sigma approach to business and their stock value skyrockets. And then you think, was Six Sigma one of those chapters I didn’t pay attention to in Calculus 101 back in college? Most likely your college math course covered polynomials, not Six Sigma which is grounded in the field of statistics. Developed in the 80s by Bill Smith and Bob Glavin to support a quality management program at Motorola, the goal of this program was to produce no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities or more simply to give the customer a high quality product in the most economical way. So, herein is the first reason why you should develop a Six Sigma methodology.

How many defects do you have? In the 1980s, Motorola was one of many companies in the United States that was suffering from serious competition from Japanese businesses. Japanese companies were bringing more products to market cheaper and with higher quality, which resulted in a revolution among American consumers. Motorola recognized that they didn’t have a quality program, and initiated a streamlined Six Sigma approach under the executive leadership of Bob Glavin. Motorola’s approach set goals of “100X improvement in four years.” But, first the quality measures for their products didn’t exist. Motorola’s electronics customers were defecting at a rapid pace to Japanese manufactures because of the high quality. The Six Sigma methodology launched by Motorola identified facts about the manufacturing process and attached detailed metrics about each measurable fact. The boon for Motorola was a very clear picture of the number of defects generated by their manufacturing process which led to a five-fold growth in sales per year. But, in the process Motorola also realized it wasn’t savvy about what quality the customer expected.

What does the customer want? At the core of a Six Sigma methodology is learning what value means to a customer. When GE implemented Six Sigma in the 1990s, Jack Welsh stated that “we want to make our quality so special, so valuable to our customers, so important to their success that our products become their only real value choice (GE Annual Address, 1997)”. And Jack saw that the methods and practices of Six Sigma focused on collecting what has become known as the “Voice of the Customer”. These customer requirements become the design requirements for new existing products, which foster metrics to measure the quality of the product. In fact, Motorola’s stock price rose annually by 21% after implementing their Six Sigma methodology.

The bottom line is that Six Sigma generates sustained success. The impact to Motorola’s profits after implementing their Six Sigma methodology was significant, climbing nearly 20% per year. GE, Toyota, and many others all reported remarkable growth. And the simple reason for this turnaround is that companies who develop effective Six Sigma methodologies change their business approach to deliver a significant strategic advantage.

Six Sigma Methodology Explained

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:22:45 +0100

The term Six Sigma Methodology refers to a highly structured quality management program that relies on a disciplined data-driven approach for improving business processes. Once known as a methodology for eliminating product defects, Six Sigma has evolved into a robust management discipline that is widely used to improve not just manufacturing processes but also transaction- and service-oriented processes as well.

To achieve a Six Sigma level, a business process cannot have more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities for a defect to occur. In comparison, a Five Sigma operation can tolerate up to 233 defects per million while a Four Sigma operation can have over 6000 defects. By Six Sigma standards, any variation from customer specifications is considered a defect.

Essentially the Six Sigma Methodology and Six Sigma consulting is aimed at improving process quality by gathering and using highly detailed metrics to identity and drive out all process variations. It requires all business and manufacturing processes to be put through what is known as either a DMAIC process or a DMADV process.

DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. It is a quality improvement system for existing business processes that do not measure up to Six Sigma quality levels. The objective of the DMAIC process is to drive incremental improvements in existing business processes.

DMADV--for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify—on the other hand, is a program that is used to ensure that new processes and projects meet Six Sigma quality levels. Sometimes, an existing process that requires a major overhaul can also be run through a DMADV program.

Implementing the Six Sigma methodology can be a major challenge for corporations. Companies that do not have relatively sophisticated and mature quality management programs to begin with could find themselves needing to make major structural changes to accommodate the new methodology. The program can also require considerable investments in employee training and in making process tweaks.

For those who are willing to invest the resources, the time and the discipline, Six Sigma can yield significant returns in the form of improved product quality and substantially lower operational costs.

Companies which are unsure where to start, or do not have the skill-set needed to implement a Six Sigma project can always contract out their requirements to Six Sigma consultants. One big advantage that Six Sigma consultants bring to the table is the fact that they have skilled resources, the expertise and the experience to get a project launched much faster than a company would be able to on its own.

The Importance Of Computer Network Management

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:26:23 +0100

The methods, tools and procedures which are involved in the administration, operation and maintenance of network systems are proof in the Importance of Computer Network Management and the need for computer network managers.

Network managers have the following important tasks and responsibilities regarding:

• The security of a computer network and to ensure that unauthorized users cannot get onto the network.

• The reliability of the system depends on a network manager who will make sure that the users can access the network and that there are no malfunctions regarding the software and hardware.

• The performance of a computer system that a network manager will look into usually eliminates all types of bottlenecks that may occur in that network.

• The administration of the system also referred to as “computer help desk services” is what the network system administrators will handle. These will help them resolve or solve issues within a computer network management system.

There are such areas as provisioning, administration, operations and maintenance, in which an experienced network manager will be involved in and be asked to manage.

1) Provisioning or Resource Configuration within a given network includes the set up for a new customer of such additions as “Voice Service” for that specific computer network.

2) Administration keeps track of ways in which the resources in a network are assigned; a part of the so-called “housekeeping” portion of the network managers duties.

3) Operation is keeping the service provided by a network functioning smoothly and helping the network run as efficiently as possible. This is part of the Operation Manager’s task. Included is the monitoring of issues and prevention of problems before they become too difficult to resolve.

4) Maintenance, upgrades and repairs on the equipment and replacement of faulty networks is part of the responsibilities of the Computer Network Management team. If a switch needs replacement or a router needs adjustment then the network manager will take the necessary measures to correct the problem.

Another way to look at the function of a network manager is that they are responsible for the planning, coordinating, allocating and monitoring of all the network’s resources which predetermine traffic routing, performance and configuration management, security and accounting.

Data that is collected these days by an IT team is used to monitor and survey the total picture regarding the network’s functions and performance, and this is especially true for organizations that are operating on an international level.

The Importance Of Factory Maintenance

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:38:39 +0100

The importance of factory maintenance can make or break your company. If you fail to properly understand factory maintenance, you run the risk of loss of production and harm to your staff. Factory maintenance involves many aspects. First there is an added expense to the overall budget of your company. This pays off in dividends if factory maintenance is properly performed. If your company fails to adequately perform this task, then a loss can occur. Loss in production and issues with your staff can occur. So the ability to perform factory maintenance is essential. The importance of factory maintenance is clearly something to understand.

Factory maintenance may take the form of improved software to run your company. It can also take the form of hiring adequate staff for the proper checking of the equipment. Additional costs to your company can save you so much more money when the end is measured. Lost time, staff and productivity all combine to show the overall efficiency of your company. So the importance of factory maintenance is the thing that can make or break your company.

You may need to hire a consultant to help you decide what is best for the efficiency of your company. The overall productivity of your company is the bottom line in this matter. There are hundreds of thousands of consultants that do exactly that for a company. It is important to do your homework and find the right consultant to manage your company maintenance. Failure to do so can cause the ultimate failure of your company. The budget that you provide for your factory maintenance must be adequate to cover the expenses as well.

Industrial parts service is essential to your company maintenance. Industrial parts service requires the best equipment. The equipment needs to be in operational form every day. It also must be free of errors. Checklists that are performed everyday offer this protection to your company. You must ensure that the industrial parts service that you use provides maintenance in a timely manner. You must also ensure that they offer the efficient maintenance that provides your company the factory maintenance that keep it running well.

All of these factors provide the best factory maintenance for your company. If these factors are considered you will have a company that is more successful. The failure to place importance on factory maintenance can result in the failure of your company. Clearly it is essential to place the importance of factory maintenance in a high position. The industrial parts service portion of this maintenance is the only way that efficiency can be maintained. Cost effectiveness is enhanced when all of these factors are provided for. The end result is your company's success.

The Importance Of Workplace Safety

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:28:13 +0100

Major construction companies and factories are obliged to follow regulations established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). With this in mind, they adopt certain essential procedures to ensure the safety of their employees. Typically, a construction boss or factory foreman is responsible for seeing that these measures are enforced. In order to meet this obligation:

● When a project calls for it, employees should be provided with safety helmets, belts and shoes.
● First-aid kits should be maintained to prepare for emergency situations and injuries on the job.
● At construction sites, all open excavations should be barricaded.
● To reduce the possibility of theft and vandalism, every employee should be provided with a photo identification card.
● Dangerous equipment should be properly labeled and maintained, and operated by authorized personnel.
● Workplace safety requirements should be met and mandatory inspections should be performed to prevent possible rejection of an insurance claim if an emergency or injury occurs.

Much as school children are trained with fire drills, all employees should be shown the necessary steps to be followed during an emergency, and fire extinguishers should be installed as part of this plan. Many offices are located in high-rise buildings, and in certain cases, power must be turned off while stairs and emergency exits are used to evacuate everyone safely.

The importance of safety signs

They play an essential role in accident prevention and ensuring the employees and visitors alike are aware of the potential hazards they encounter at a given location. Without signage, many workers would become confused at a critical time, and employers would find themselves dealing with lawsuits if the worst happened.

Such signs are also needed in a workplace that also deals with the general public, including theaters and restaurants, When road work is in progress or scaffolding is in place, drivers and passersby must be protected from harm with signs that warn them to exercise caution in that area while workers complete the job.

Employee safety and training

Effective safety training reminds even veteran workers that hazards do exist and that no one is immune from injury. They must understand the goal of the training session, how it will help them on the job, and the danger of cutting corners with the rules of safety. The training session must be organized in logical steps that will be clear to each participant, and it should include a question-and-answer session to determine what (if anything) needs to be reviewed and if a follow-up session should be scheduled. The session can be considered to be successful if supervisors report that the procedures covered in training are being followed and that those who attended are doing their job safely.

The Importance Of Quality IT Services

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:44:47 +0100

Quality IT Services refers to the computer networking and other telecommunication networks. In other words, Quality IT services is the ability to offer a variety of applications, data flows, users and a certain level of performance. Any network that supports QoS may determine or agree on a traffic contract with certain application software. The session might monitor a certain level of performance. An example of ‘performance’ qualities that may be monitored is the data rate and delay on network nodes.

Other important notes in quality information technology services are the monitoring of real-time streaming multimedia applications. Some examples of this would include the VOIP applications or online games, which are both a hot commodity on the web circuit. These are important because applications of this nature have a fixed bit rate and can be considered delay sensitive. Quality IT Services also checks on connection, signal-to-noise, echo, loudness, response, cross-talk, frequency levels and more.

Quality IT Services is important to make sure the user experiences the best quality and performance with any social network. This is essential to business owners or online companies who are trying to gain a client base and and/or increase conversion rates and sales. Quality IT services checks for any human or technical factors that may determine performance levels. Some applications that require Quality IT Services include; streaming multi-media, IPTV, IP Telephony, Video Teleconferencing and online games. The whole point is to make the user experience is pleasant as possible. Nothing is worst than having a major set of technical issues with an application that is met to build client networking and profit.

The type of services mentioned above is classified as inelastic. This means that they require a level of bandwidth or a maximum latency to function. Many new webmasters take on large projects such as social networking sites and computer network security without knowing the correct amount of bandwidth and other qualifications needed to get started. This can lead to a poor experience with the users, without the webmaster knowing it until it is too late.

There are many different ways to obtain QoS. The most popular method is to attain it in advance. This is when the network customers and/or providers make a contract agreement called a ‘’service level agreement or (SLA). This contract just guarantees the level of performance and measures taken to prioritize traffic. Reserving resources in when each step on the network is called directly as it is set up. The Resource Reservation Protocol is an example of this.