Project Management Articles

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Saturday, 1st March 2008 @ 7:22 AM

Other quality management systems were unable to achieve the same level of success because instead of using a data-based approach, they relied on conventional methods of decision-making, namely "intuitive" and "authoritative". These methods may have worked well at the beginning of the industrial revolution, but due to the increasing complexity of business processes, these methods failed to achieve the desired results. In comparison, Six Sigma's insistence on f... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Friday, 29th February 2008 @ 4:25 AM

Quality - or lack thereof - on any level often comes at an extremely high cost. Conversely, business organizations running Six Sigma will usually spend only five percent or less of their earnings on resolving problems. So what is Six Sigma? It is a detailed systematic statistical operation which will help an organization to discover, decrease, and ultimately remove all defects or errors from any product, system, or business action. Definition This process is a well renown... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Friday, 29th February 2008 @ 4:00 AM

Mention the Six Sigma process and what almost immediately comes to mind is a proficiency process for Big Business to implement. But aren't small businesses also vulnerable to costly errors in time and asset management, customer service and accounting mistakes? So, what's the problem? Cost is the biggest obstacle in deciding to implement the Six Sigma process into a small business entity. Unfortunately, most consulting firms try using a one-size-fits-all mentality when it come... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Friday, 29th February 2008 @ 3:46 AM

Training employees in the Six Sigma system is a vital step in any organization's development action plan. Getting the proper training for your employees includes using the best methods and instructors along with a facilitation process which works well within your business organization. The most important factor is choosing employees with the aptitude, ability and desire to learn the process. Initially, you may want to hire outside consultants, already trained and certified to the M... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Friday, 29th February 2008 @ 3:34 AM

As important and essential is the implementation and use of Six Sigma to the livelihood of any business organization, the certification process for an individual to become Six Sigma qualified is rather obscure. Basically, there is no formal list or specific amounts of training and knowledge that one must have in order to obtain the various levels of technical and organizational expertise. However, there are three specific certification levels to Six Sigma leaders: Green belts, Bl... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 26th February 2008 @ 4:04 AM

Measuring Six Sigma benefits on a regular basis is necessary because it is only then that a business will be able to assess the effectiveness of the ongoing Six Sigma implementation project. Keeping the project on the right track is vital for its success, and this is why businesses need to constantly monitor its progress. Another reason is that deviations and errors can be fixed only if they are identified at an early stage; left unchecked, such discrepancies can easily lead to the termi... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 26th February 2008 @ 3:38 AM

It is not that Six Sigma cannot improve clinical results; it is just that Six Sigma in the healthcare sector is a relatively new phenomenon and as such, not much has been written or documented on the subject. Additionally, since healthcare centers normally avoid sharing their internal processes, it becomes quite difficult for outsiders to assess exactly how well Six Sigma is faring in the healthcare sector. However, since almost all the information that is available in public domain is po... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 26th February 2008 @ 3:29 AM

"Lean" concepts and methodologies may not have been originally devised for such purposes, but still they are finding increasing usage because competition has increased dramatically over the years, forcing businesses to listen to the Voice of the Customer (VOC) while designing new products and services or making alterations in existing ones. Explained below is the standard process for implementing "Lean" in four simple steps that businesses normally employ for improving th... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 26th February 2008 @ 3:16 AM

This Six Sigma tool can certainly be used as an effective guide for making quality improvements, but that will become a possibility only when businesses understand the real meaning and purpose of COPQ. Account books may register significant cost savings, but if a business organization wants to achieve real-time cost reductions, it would have to give due consideration to all the various aspects of COPQ. General COPQ Misconceptions As per the definition of COPQ, it may seem ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 10:36 PM

Implementing "Lean" concepts in maintenance processes is not easy because in most companies, maintenance activities are conducted by relatively less-skilled personnel who may not have the ability to understand the complexities of "Lean" concepts and methodologies. Additionally, maintenance personnel are often so fully engrossed in their daily activities that it is quite difficult for them to find time for understanding "Lean" concepts let alone finding time to car... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 10:27 PM

Companies like Safeco, who have been ranked among the largest insurance service providers, took nearly a week for making changes in auto policies they issued. However, thanks to Six Sigma, they now have an online, service-and-sales portal where local agents can make real-time changes and cut down on all the business processes. Process Cycle Efficiency As stated by Michael L. George, author Lean Six Sigma, the lean techniques concentrate on process cycle efficiency, or PCE, to deter... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 10:18 PM

It is quite true that more brains mean more processing power, yet the concept does not find favor when selecting team size because what is even more important is communication - something that becomes a huge problem when more than the requisite number of employees is inducted into the Lean Six Sigma implementation team. As such, rightsizing Lean Six Sigma teams should be the first priority for businesses that want to ensure the success of "Lean" projects and realize the full pote... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 10:06 PM

For a better understanding, let us discuss some of the most common barriers that business organizations might have to deal with while implementing "Lean" Six Sigma projects. The Human Barrier This barrier relates to the inherent psychological bent of the human mind that tends to resist change, even when the change might aim at benefiting the individual concerned. When an organization introduces "Lean" concepts, employees generally develop the feeling that they will... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 9:54 PM

If risks inherent to Six Sigma implementations are not eliminated, it could easily lead to project failures or redundancies, which will then become a drain on the organization's resources and competencies. Explained below are some suggestions and techniques that business organizations can use for avoiding risks in Six Sigma implementations. Start With Small Projects The best way to minimize risks is to start with small projects that do not involve heavy investment or excessiv... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 9:53 PM

New responsibilities may not have been conferred onto them by their organization, but on an informal level, Master Black Belts are expected to shoulder additional responsibilities such as communicating the benefits of Six Sigma so as to make way for the implementations. They are basically expected to convince the top management officials, especially the skeptics who might not be all that enthusiastic about their implementations. Why Communicating the Cost Benefits Will Not Helpmore...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 6:36 PM

Businesses that are unable to provide due consideration to this aspect, often fail to harness the full potential of Lean implementations and consequently start complaining that "Lean Six Sigma does not work". They fail to realize that the problem is not with Lean concepts; their failures are due to the inherent inability of the implementation team to overcome the common problems and challenges. Identifying Implementation Problems and Challenges For ensuring the success of ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Cornelius Fichtner @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 4:08 AM

Step 1: Read the PMI Credentials Handbook. The PMP Credentials Handbook, available from www.pmi.org, explains in detail the process of becoming PMP certified. Reading it should be the first 20 minutes on your PMP certification journey. Step 2: Make sure you are eligible. The Credentials Handbook also details eligibility criteria. Depending on your educational background you must show 4,500-7,500 hours of PM experience and 35 hours of PM related training. Step 3: Become a Member of ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 4th February 2008 @ 1:13 PM

Benchmarking plays a vital role in Lean Six Sigma implementation projects as it allows Six Sigma professionals to assess the overall value offered by a product, service or process in comparison to the value being offered by the nearest competitor. Such assessments are quite necessary, especially when it comes to designing and developing new products, services and processes or altering existing ones so as to suit customer needs and requirements. Identifying Processes That Need To Be Bench... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 4th February 2008 @ 12:19 PM

Earlier, Black Belts were only required to display their expertise in the standard Six Sigma methodologies such as DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify), but now they are also required to display an acute business sense that makes all the difference between success and failure. That is to say that Black Belts can no longer afford to be just "process fixers" they need to evolve in order to play a much bigger role, th... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 4th February 2008 @ 12:14 PM

Since most of process improvement projects are targeted at satisfying the needs and requirements of customers, it becomes necessary to give due consideration to the Voice of the Customer (VOC) in order to ensure the success of process improvement projects. Explained below are some of the techniques that can be utilized for ensuring the success of Six Sigma process improvement projects. Stressing Quantifiable Measures The main reason as to why some process improvement projects are u... more...