Project Management Articles

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 1st April 2008 @ 10:04 PM

Although the program has proven wildly successful in many different cases, other companies have tried to implement the Six Sigma system with results that can best be described as mixed. A large part of the "mixed" (and you can read that as "negative"!) results can be attributed to an improper implementation of the Six Sigma process. In many cases, the implementation of the process will mean a complete re-engineering of the company. Let's take a look at some of the cru... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 1st April 2008 @ 10:01 PM

The system focuses on eliminating variations within production which can produce defects in order to ensure that all products (3.4 of every one million units) are satisfactory to the customer and remain within costs. Six Sigma looks at production on a project by project basis, with qualified individuals taking the lead. While Six Sigma has been successful in many applications, and in some cases wildly so, there are other businesses that have achieved what can be politely labeled as mixed ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 1st April 2008 @ 9:08 PM

Although the program has proven wildly successful in many different cases, other companies have tried to implement the Six Sigma system with results that can best be described as mixed. A large part of the "mixed" (and you can read that as "negative"!) results can be attributed to an improper implementation of the Six Sigma process. One way in which to avoid mixed results stemming from improper implementation is Six Sigma certification. What is Six Sigma Certificati... more...

Business » Project Management | By Christine Harrell @ Tuesday, 1st April 2008 @ 2:27 PM

In today's interconnected world where more organizations are collaborating with partners and clients, and coordinating virtual staff, online team collaboration solutions have become a 'must-have' to keep everyone on the same page. Trying to juggle communication between partners, staff, clients and other team members through email alone often leads to serious bottlenecks, lost information, and more project lag-time than necessary. Password protected extranets or secure online work... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 11:34 PM

However, just like an individual might fail to achieve these objectives if he overlooks the vital components such as biceps, triceps, calf muscles, abdomen, and upper body, businesses too can fail to achieve the set goals and objectives if the vital components of Six Sigma workouts fail to make their respective contributions. Here, we'll take a look at some of the vital components of Six Sigma workouts and discuss their respective contributions. Employees The employee... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 11:32 PM

You will easily notice that the unexpected implementation problems and issues are the landmines that often take a heavy toll; the lack of support from project sponsors and top management represents the big guns that can decimate a battalion; and employee disinterest is the small weapons fire that just refuses to die down and often seems to be coming from all directions. So, how do Black Belts actually survive this onslaught and go on to win the implementation war? Well, it's simply ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 11:15 PM

Now, there are many ways a business can achieve this objective, but if risks are to be avoided, then the best option is to use time-tested process improvement tools and techniques such as Six Sigma. By using Six Sigma as a workout tool, businesses can easily shed their excess flab, become lean and gain the requisite muscle mass to take on their competitors. Setting Goals and Objectives Whenever we plan to start a workout regime for ourselves, we have some basic aims and ob... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 11:11 PM

Six Sigma may have been originally devised as a quality management system for use in the manufacturing sector, but over the years it has proved so versatile that now even businesses in the services sector have started using Six Sigma to reduce errors and improve the efficiency of their existing business processes. One of the most recent additions to the list of Six Sigma beneficiaries has been the medical transcription business. In medical transcription, the thing that often makes all the... more...

Business » Project Management | By Rich Talbot @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 5:01 AM

Nowadays, professionals are increasingly expected to have mastered the principles of project management in addition to their many other talents. Having basic project management skills, at least, is rapidly becoming a requirement for many professionals. In a fast paced working environment, it therefore seems logical to take advantage of available tools, such as Microsoft Project software, which can help to streamline project management activities. Once a project has been initiated, the pla... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 26th March 2008 @ 3:39 PM

To avoid missing the woods for the trees and to get a clearer picture, let's look at some of the core reasons why businesses opt for Six Sigma project implementations. For conforming to client or vendor requirements Businesses, especially those that are already performing quite well, are often too busy to take the initiative of implementing time-tested quality improvement techniques such as Six Sigma. Cost is another major factor that often compels such businesses to think tw... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 26th March 2008 @ 2:44 PM

Using Six Sigma to improve office processes may be a relatively new phenomenon, but since the success rate of such quality improvement initiatives is high enough, it will not be wrong to proclaim that the future is certainly bright for such implementations. Here, we look at how Six Sigma helping businesses to improve their office processes. Defining Quality and Efficiency Standards Six Sigma has made it a lot easier for business to define quality and efficiency standards a... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 26th March 2008 @ 2:17 PM

Additionally, since it is quite difficult to determine whether or not a Six Sigma project will deliver the desired results, businesses should never put their guard down until and unless the project is up and running. Explained below are some of the major factors that are often held responsible for Six Sigma project failures. Businesses need to consider these well in advance if they are to get anywhere near to their stated goals and objectives. Lack of Proper Communication ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 26th March 2008 @ 2:16 PM

Exceptions will always be there, but if you look closely, you can easily see that the majority of businesses that have successfully implemented Six Sigma have been able to do so because of their continual stress on following a systematic approach while implementing time-tested Six Sigma concepts and methodologies. For better understanding, we'll discuss some of the core components of the systematic approach as applicable to successful Six Sigma implementations. Mapping Organ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 24th March 2008 @ 2:00 PM

To bring about a successful process, the project should be disciplined and defined. Below are three steps that are incorporated for a profitable process: Establishing the Project Selection Steering Committee Every Project Selection Steering Committee should be made up of managers who have undergone training as Six Sigma Champions, or any other key Six Sigma knowledge resources, like the Black Belts, Master Black Belts or deployment Champion, who can apply their knowledge in establ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 24th March 2008 @ 1:01 PM

How Does The Theory Of Constraints Relate To Six Sigma? Considering the above definitions and explanations, it may seem that TOC is quite similar to the concepts and procedures deployed in Six Sigma implementation projects, but the fact is that both are quite different from each other. What is even more ironical is the fact that even though both Six Sigma and the theory of constraints share the same basic objective (i.e. process improvements, they are often found in conflict with each oth... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 24th March 2008 @ 12:57 PM

Even though the implementation techniques and tools put into practice by Black Belts could differ, Kaizen is by far the basic methodology used for such purposes. Additionally, it has been observed that principles of Lean Six Sigma are time and again merged with Kaizen concepts for providing faster and much better results. Kaizen Basics Six Sigma and Kaizen are said to be alike as they both are based on the principle that every organization is composed of a series of business proce... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 19th March 2008 @ 5:26 PM

Therefore, the right voice of the customer should be used for driving the right Six Sigma initiatives for cost reductions and strategically focused value enhancements as well as identifying Six Sigma projects and guiding conduct. Six Sigma and Strategy According to Six Sigma deployment procedures, separating organization strategies from the Six Sigma initiatives is inappropriate. For instance, if an organization aims to follow a low-cost supplier strategy, it would be suitable to ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 19th March 2008 @ 5:19 PM

Design of experiments, (DOE) or conjoint analysis as it is known in marketing context, is known to be the most powerful statistical method for establishing the linkage between a customer's decision-making process and the service or product being offered. After effective application of DOE, companies find it easier to gain an insight into the significant Xs affecting a customer's decision-making ability. Marketing Problems Eventually, the primary aim of marketing is to ca... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 19th March 2008 @ 5:13 PM

However, that should not cast doubt on the effectiveness of Six Sigma - because the truth is that there are many instances where this process has proved its worth in the non-corporate business domains. For better understanding, let's discuss the above proposition with the help of a case study. Six Sigma Implementations in Canada Post Prior to implementations, Canada Post was finding it quite difficult to remain profitable mainly due to the rising competition from courier agenc... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Wednesday, 19th March 2008 @ 5:11 PM

The experts may have been proven wrong, but we cannot afford to ignore their doubts - because deploying Six Sigma in small businesses is a challenging task that needs to be handled with extreme care. It is quite natural for them to express doubts because if we look at the big picture, we can easily see that it is the small businesses that are often found running short of funds and resources, things that are considered a prerequisite for successful Six Sigma deployments. However, small businesses... more...