The market is becoming more competitive nowadays. Companies like General Electric, Honeywell, Raytheon and IBM have managed to save billions of dollars in cost savings by process and quality improvement through Six Sigma. The majority of companies like to implement DMAIC methodology because they have existing processes. The remaining minority of Six Sigma practitioners is using a Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) approach to design a new product. DMAIC mainly focuses to improve the existing processes in such a way that final products can be produced with extremely low defects i.e. 3.4 defects in 1 million opportunities. Design for Six Sigma on the other hand, is about the design, development and commercialization of new products and processes for Six Sigma quality. To know more about DMAIC and DFSS, please go through the link: www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/design-for-six-sigma-dfss/design-six-sigma-dfss-versus-dmaic/

Project management provides a strict framework to achieve business goals. As economic conditions are improving day by day, responsibility of project managers are also increasing to deliver projects efficiently. It is important to allocate resources properly by providing structural framework in such a way that ensures the investment in a positive direction of a growing economy with anticipated benefits. Hence, it is important for project managers to estimate and invest wisely in projects to ensure a long-term future. Please go through the link for more details: http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/can-project-management-lead-us-out-of-recession.html

Delivering business value requires proper understanding of the business various drivers. Driver can be a problem or opportunity which is associated with the project and relates the key variable to address the problem. Prioritization and listing of key indicators are very essential at the beginning of the project for proper decision making. The article mainly talks about few key performance indicators and also contains a list of 75 KPIs that every manager needs to know developed by Bernard Marr, a well-known performance management expert. Please go through the link for more details: http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/measuring-project-success-using-business-kpis.html

Skills required for project management cannot be achieved overnight. It comes automatically with experience and practice. As we handle more projects, our skills get enhanced and we work more efficiently and smoothly. To read more about this aspect, visit Sabrina Hanapiah's article link: http://www.aits.org/Articles/tabid/1450/ArticleId/10330/How-to-Develop-Project-Management-Skills.aspx/uid/10535

There are many cases of project failures where managers are actually blamed. The reason behind such failures is lack of communication between clients and project managers. To make a project successful, we need to understand specific needs of the clients and address the technical glitches. To know more kindly refer to the below mentioned link: http://blog.parallelprojecttraining.com/project-management-articles/project-managers-need-stand-counted/

Nowadays, many other industries like financial services and banking sectors are also actively interested on data analysis and Lean Six Sigma tools to improve processes.
Rod Toro is a business process improvement manager at Edward Jones. In this article, he talks about a Lean Six Sigma project for the service division of his company to improve customer satisfaction.
Toro says, "We were faced with understanding how we can better meet increasing service demands and give better overall customer service,"
With an increase in service calls, the main challenge was to provide timely, accurate, professional and highly customized service to the customer.
The main focus was to identify various metrics to distinguish the right associate for the right skill, also to streamlining the process in a more efficient manner.
To know more about how the whole process was taken care of through Design of Experiments (DOE) tools in Minitab please follow the link below: 

http://blog.minitab.com/blog/real-world-quality-improvement/hello-how-can-i-help-you-a-look-at-quality-improvement-in-financial-services

Offshore outsourcing will make sense only when customer needs, business requirements and offshore supplier's capabilities are properly aligned. In an article, "The Hidden Costs of Offshore Outsourcing", it was noted that around 72% of stated cost savings on offshore projects was lost at the start-up stage, transition, productivity and maintenance phase. DFSS can effectively reduce the risk of offshore outsourcing failure by quickly deploying a road map. Combination of various tools and behaviors are designed to reduce defects and cycle time to complete the requirement phase of a typical software project. Design for Six Sigma provides a structure, a strong deployment option to better manage business plan for profit maximization. Please go through the link for more details: http://www.sourcingmag.com/content/c060301a.asp

In the second quarter of 2014, we are going to see shift of communication tool from e-mail to audio-visual, scope of mistakes will minimize and use of cloud computing are likely to increase. Moreover, there is going to be a sharp rise in demand for Agile Projects.

To know more about the new trends, kindly refer to the below mentioned link: -  http://www.sooperarticles.com/business-articles/project-management-articles/5-hot-project-management-trends-2014-1321635.html

Decision trees can be generated based on project schedules. This article shows how to use decision tree analysis in project management as part of quantitative risk and decision analysis.

Please go through the link for more details: http://www.intaver.com/Articles/Article_DecisionTree.pdf

To attain success in a project we must follow few simple steps (which are also termed as basic steps). Keeping things simple, accepting changes, dividing the work into small steps and being time specific are few of them. To know about 6S for success, please visit Cécile Bérubé’s article link at: To know more kindly refer to the below mentioned link:http://www.pmhut.com/6s-for-success

To complete a project successfully, a project leader must have the details and nitty-gritty’s of the project i.e. the constraints, requirements and demands clear in his or her mind. Documentation is very important for any project and so is the ability to utilize most of the team members for successful completion of the project within the stipulated time. To know more about the basics of project management, kindly refer to the below mentioned link:

http://www.pmhut.com/10-basics-of-project-management

In words of Mahatma Gandhi:
“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory”.

In sync with the above said words we find a case study which describes the efforts which were taken by a hospital to enhance its efficiency and productivity by using Lean & Six Sigma. Through this, management was able to reduce average door-to-physician time, outpatient length of stay and overall satisfaction level of their patients.
Please go through the link for more details: http://www.projmasters.com/project-management-consulting-services/project-management-case-studies/enhance-hospital-operation-using-lean-six-sigma/

Lean Six Sigma is a managerial concept combining Lean and Six Sigma that results in the elimination of eight kinds of wastes / muda (classified as Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-Utilized Talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Extra-Processing) and an improved capability of performance. The term Six Sigma is statistically based on the provision of goods and service at a rate of 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). A mnemonic for the wastes is "DOWNTIME”.

Over the years, this methodology has helped many firms to achieve process & output improvement. However, how about implementing lean six sigma concept to improve operating a city? That’s interesting! That was beyond our imagination. However, Tyler, a city located in Texas, United States, implemented Lean Six Sigma concepts to manage various projects and of course, with a saving of 5 Million US dollars, it can be said that the result was in its favour! Tyler Senior Public Relations Specialist Serena Butcher said the idea behind Lean Six Sigma is to identify waste and variation, so the city can save time and money and overall be more efficient. Mayor Barbara Bass also addressed attendees in a recent gathering to celebrate their success, saying, “In five short years, we’ve changed the culture of how we look at our jobs at city hall.”

To read more about how implementing Lean Six Sigma concepts actually worked for the City of Tyler, visit the following link address:

http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-News+Local/197509/lean-six-sigma-city-of-tyler-celebrates-over-5-million-in-savings-with-program#.U0I6iqhgXgw

Legal firms are adopting Continuous Process Improvement as a part of their excellence program.

Yes, you have read it right.

Though Continuous Improvement, Lean and Six Sigma tools have touched almost every industry, legal firms are new ones to join. In fact, global giant Clifford Chance has rolled out training in Continuous Improvement methodologies as it is bringing up the concept of law in a more process oriented approach. The company is already reaping benefits from it. Their efficiencies have improved in several areas of operation – ranging from document review to reducing the cost of customary asset disposals for a client.

Sounds interesting? Read more at http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean-six-sigma-business-transformation/articles/lawyers-jump-into-process-improvement.

Six Sigma is not just a toolbox. It is a way of thinking about business, about processes and about cause-and-effect relationships. To ensure success, the application of Six Sigma relies on traditional scientific methods to examine processes, remove undesirable causes and their effects. Six Sigma also seeks to innovate through the discovery of truth with refined, rational cognitive skills and the objective analysis of empirical data. It is a collection of tools. It is a methodology. It is a thought process that dissects the large picture into smaller parts and reassembles it into a more efficient configuration.

Many of the tools used for Six Sigma also proved useful in conjunction with TQM and other process improvement methodologies. While some of the tools are new to process improvement activities, it is important to note that Six Sigma also provides a new way to use existing tools. This leads to a debate about whether Six Sigma is something new or a new way to employ existing tools!

An article by Robert Tripp, Scot Shank and Mike Carnell, emphasizes on this debate and speaks about DMAIC phases of six sigma methodology. Visit the following link to access the article:

http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/dmaic/six-sigma-toolbox/

Can enterprise IT learn some best practices from Industrial Engineering? Not so obvious? Yes. It can. Heavy engineering companies like automobile manufacturing or aerospace manufacturing, make use of process flow maps intensively to analyze steps, identify and eliminate wastes and more importantly get an accurate description of the process. Now, it is not that IT program managers do not use process flow maps at all, but a more holistic approach towards process flow mapping can give an idea of which steps can be automated to reduce cycle time. Well experienced program managers can implement this approach resulting in a more efficient and cost effective process.

Stephanie C. Hill, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions Civil business, writes about how enterprise IT can learn best practices from Industrial Engineering. Read more at http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/what-enterprise-it-can-learn-from-industrial-engineering/d/d-id/1141589?piddl_msgid=207611.

To help your Enterprise IT team create detailed process flow maps, or to conduct Value Stream Mapping exercise or Lean Action Work Out to identify wastes and reduce Cycle Time, contact SigmaWay at contact@gosigmaway.com. We have experienced Black Belts and Master Black Belts who can chart out an operational excellence plan for you.

Nowadays patients are demanding more and higher quality healthcare provisions. These have posed challenges to the healthcare facilities. Insurance companies in the healthcare sector are striving to keep claims at minimal. In most of the cases, these companies bear a negative perception in the minds of patients which forces them to leave hospitals prematurely. Also, they do not get critical treatments or medicines.

However, a shift is taking place with Lean Six Sigma’s holistic approach. Insurance companies are now looking for effective ways to bring their costs down while at the same time providing medical cover for improved healthcare provisions.

CIGNA, a health insurance company describes how it is using Six Sigma to bring down medical costs while simultaneously improving the outcomes. To know about it, please click here: http://ciaranmay.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/focusing-power-of-ss-in-healthcare-insurance-industry.pdf

In the Six Sigma domain, 5S Program is a valuable continuous process improvement in reducing waste. The process of 5S was started in Japan to engage process teams. The 5S consist of: Sort – Straighten – Scrub – Standardize – Sustain. For an effective 5S program, it is important that all the steps are carried sequentially. Also, it is important that the management must motivate its employees to carry the 5S Program on a regular basis and must review the processes from time to time.

To know more on how a 5S Program helps to add value to the organizations, follow the link http://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/5s/a-model-for-implementing-a-5s-program/?type=LINL .