US Mint Black Belt Wave

We just finished hosting a great group of Black Belts from the US Mint.  They are a very sharp group, and we're sure they will finish outstanding projects.

It turned out that the price of hotels and such made meeting in Ogden UT, near the PMG offices, was one of the lower cost alternatives.  When we have a class here, we usually meet at the Alumni Center on the Weber State University campus.  It's a very pleasant spot, and the food service is excellent.

One question that we helped with is, if you have a bulk bag of 200,000 quarters, how much will the weight of the bag vary from just the normal variation in the weight of individual quarters?  It turns out, not that much.  It's a problem the class solved using principles of statistical tolerances.

An Update

If things go as planned, this blog is about to be a happenin' place.

We've complete re-done our web presence, and are integrating the blog with our web site.  The web site has a place for people to ask us questions, and the ones that have general interest will be answered here.

Some of the good, old posts have been preserved.  They have advice that is timeless.

Engagement

No, not the kind that leads to marriage.  The kind that means people are engaged in what they are doing.

HBR recently published an article that claims that companies with highly engaged employees are 22% more productive than those with lower engagement.  The article also claims that highly engaged companies make fewer defects, have lower employee turnover, and have fewer accidents.

I believe it.

Six Sigma fosters employee engagement.  As we see people do their projects, we see them begin to take responsibility for, and control of, their processes.  That's engagement.

Six Sigma Software

Here's a new video, discussing various Six Sigma software tools including QuikSigma, spreadsheets, spreadsheet add-ins, and Minitab.

You can learn more about QuikSigma software at our web page.

Creating a Successful Six Sigma Program

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of renewing contact with a client that sent a few Green Belts to training several years ago.  That's all they spent on the program.  We coached all to successful completion, and since then, they've saved millions of dollars.

In this case, there was a key person in management who took responsibility for the program.  He was tenacious.  He kept new projects coming, and he required that people read the books, view the videos, and serve as project team members.  Knowledge was passed down from Green Belt to Green Belt.

The lesson is that you can't just pay money to a consultant and expect results.  Management has to take responsibility, and be fully engaged.  There is nothing that takes the place of management engagement.

How Long Does a Six Sigma Project Take?

The best time that I know of was 24 hours, with savings of $3.6 million.  That's a complete project, with all the usual steps.  To be fair, that was done by an experienced Master Black Belt, not someone doing their first project.

Difference Between Green Belt and Black Belt

We're sometimes asked, "What is the difference between Green Belt and Black Belt projects?".

The answer boils down to the type of tools necessary to solve the problem at hand.

Most real-world problems can be solved with fairly simple tools.  If you can find the process's input variables, prioritize them, study the important ones, take appropriate action, and constructively use Pareto charts, Process Behavior Charts, and can create a Control Plan, you can do a successful and meaningful Green Belt project.

If the problem requires advanced tools like the Student's T Test, the Chi Square Test, or Full or Fractional Factorial Experiments, it's probably a Black Belt project.