Bruce Williams

Article / Updated 09-16-2022

You don’t have to wait until your multi-vari data are collected to start creating the multi-vari chart for Six Sigma. Instead, you can build the chart, incrementally, adding more to it as you collect more data. Multi-vari charts can be drawn by hand; in fact, the process operators themselves can create them, providing those folks with a critical opportunity to invest themselves in the discovery of the root cause and the development of the solution. A multi-vari chart looks pretty much like any other two-axis plot, with time moving from left to right on the horizontal axis and the measured process output metric plotted against the vertical axis. The multiple measurements of each unit are plotted together. Consecutive unit groupings move from left to right over time. A break in the horizontal progression of the chart indicates a temporal break in the process sampling. The multiple measurements taken on each unit are plotted as circles. A slightly modified circle designates the first, second, and third within-unit measurements. A solid line connects the multiple measurements within each unit and graphically indicates the magnitude of variation originating within each unit — the variation contribution from positional factors. An average point is plotted for each unit grouping. These unit averages are drawn as squares. If the multi-vari chart is drawn by hand, this average can be estimated. The average isn’t the center point between the maximum and minimum unit measurements; instead, think of it as the “balance point” between all the unit measurements. A long-dashed line is drawn connecting the averages of consecutive unit groupings measured. The up-and-down variation of this connecting line indicates the magnitude of variation between units, or the contribution of cyclical variation factors. A mark is plotted to show the overall average of the set of consecutive units measured. A short-dashed connecting line is drawn between the overall average points. The up-and-down variation of this connecting line indicates the magnitude of the variation between long breaks in time, or the contribution of temporal variation factors. Vertical lines are drawn along the horizontal axis to indicate the end of one temporal set of measurements and the beginning of the next. Each vertical divider embodies a relatively long duration of unmeasured process execution time. The sampling pattern repeats itself for three temporal occurrences. A typical multi-vari chart would continue for more temporal occurrences, always until enough process data are captured to match the historical levels of variation known to exist in the process. Each temporal occurrence contains the measurements of three consecutive units. Each cycle should contain at least three consecutive units, but up to five or six may be necessary. Each unit consists of three measurements of the same process characteristic. As with the temporal occurrences, having up to five or six measurements is sometimes useful. Interpreting a multi-vari chart To determine which category of input variable drives the performance of your process output, all you have to do is graphically decide which of the three types of variation — positional, cyclical, or temporal — displays the greatest magnitude of variation in your multi-vari chart. You can compare the variation types by homing in on each one separately. The vertical range of the positional variation — indicated by the height of the gray boxes— graphically depicts the magnitude of the process variation stemming from positional input factors. The vertical range between the unit averages — indicated by the height of the gray boxes — graphically depicts the magnitude of variation coming from cyclical factors. The vertical range between the temporal averages — shown again by the height of the gray box — graphically highlights the magnitude of the variation coming from temporal factors. Temporal factors are those that only change their input value across larger gaps of time but not within single units and not between consecutive units. You can see that the vertical magnitude of the cyclical variation exceeds that for the positional or temporal categories. That result is the voice of the process telling you that the real root cause of your process performance is associated with some factor whose input value changes between production or creation of consecutive units. The multi-vari chart proves that all other factors that change input value within single units or change input value over longer times don’t exert a significant influence on the performance of the process.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-18-2022

To understand how to apply Lean in any organization, you should know the basics: the principles, the definitions of value and waste, how to lead effectively, and how to define and improve the value stream. You should also be aware of how a Lean leader thinks and acts.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-14-2022

To apply Six Sigma to your business and produce the best results, you need to understand what Six Sigma is, the principles of Six Sigma, and the DMAIC problem-solving method. The correct tools and use of the Six Sigma scale and methods will keep your data dependable and reusable.

Article / Updated 03-07-2017

In Six Sigma, you make progress the old-fashioned way — one project at a time. In essence, projects are the unit of change; they define the collective effort by which most Six Sigma progress is accomplished. Projects represent — and in fact are — the level of granularity expressed to manage Six Sigma change, from a single process improvement to a large-scale business improvement effort. Scope the perfect project A Six Sigma project starts as a practical problem that adversely impacts the business and ends as a practical solution that improves business performance. The focus of a project is to solve a problem that is hurting key performance elements, such as the following: Organizational viability Employee or customer satisfaction Costs Process capability Output capacity Cycle time Revenue potential Begin your project by stating performance problems in quantifiable terms that define expectations related to desired levels of performance and timing. As you define your Six Sigma project, pay attention to issues that warrant a Six Sigma level of effort. Consider problems that Have a financial impact to EBIT (Earnings Before Income Tax) or NPBIT (Net Profit Before Income Tax) or have a significant strategic value Produce results that significantly exceed the amount of effort required to obtain the improvement Aren’t easily or quickly solvable with traditional methods Improve performance of a specified metric or Key Performance Indicator (KPI) by greater than 70 percent over existing performance levels Transform the problem After you’ve framed a particular problem to become a potential Six Sigma project, the problem goes through a critical metamorphosis — it transforms from a practical business problem into a statistical problem. This way, you can identify a statistical solution, which you’ll later transform back into a practical solution. In defining the project, you therefore state your problem in statistical language to ensure that you use data, and only data, to solve it. Using only data forces you to abandon gut feelings, intuition, and best guesses as ways to address your problems. You can’t solve real problems just by throwing time and money at them. You need practical solutions. Six Sigma projects provide practical solutions that aren’t complex, aren’t too difficult to implement, and don’t require extensive resources to affect the improvement. Know your goals and needs To obtain the maximum benefit from your Six Sigma projects, you must be aware of the strategic needs, goals, and objectives of the business. You should keep those key goals and objectives in mind when you decide which problems you need to solve as part of your Six Sigma projects. You begin by finding areas of the business that need improvement to meet business goals (Recognize). This approach leads you to determine the specific problems you need to solve to improve performance. Then you determine a statistical solution to your problem, implement the solution, and obtain the subsequent benefits. Where to begin? Start by assessing the higher level needs of your organization, using any knowledge obtained from the voice of the customer (VOC) and the voice of the business (VOB). The VOC is all the needs and expectations your customers have for your products and services. The VOB represents all the needs and expectations of the business. The basic idea is to assess both the VOC and VOB to identify gaps — areas where the expectations of the business and expectations of the customer are misaligned. To help zero in on problem areas, look for themes, such as the following: Accounts receivable and invoicing issues Capacity constraints Customer complaints Cycle time or responsiveness Excessive inventory levels Ineffective or defective services Product returns or warranty costs Yield and subsequent rework or scrap Determine project responsibilities In addition to transforming the problem from the practical domain to the statistical domain, Six Sigma projects also transform the ownership structure. Problems that begin in functional areas transform from line managers through Belts and finally on to process owner. Project responsibilities, accountabilities, and deliverables are divided between managers and the various Belts who perform problem-solving activities. Managers, including the process owner, are responsible for determining priorities and focus, while non-management personnel are responsible for implementing the solution and realizing the benefits. These project lifecycle relationships prevent Six Sigma deliverables from falling into the cracks. Six Sigma is a team effort. Even in the Define phase, where managers are responsible for project identification and launch, the Belts assist. Generally speaking, Belts have only 20 percent of the responsibility for defining and managing improvement, while the managers have 80 percent. Later, during implementation — the MAIC portion of the breakthrough strategy — these percentages are reversed.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

A cause-and-effect matrix — sometimes called a C&E matrix for short — helps you discover which factors affect the outcomes of your Six Sigma initiative. It provides a way of mapping out how value is transmitted from the input factors of your system (the Xs) to the process or product outputs (the Ys). With these relationships visible and quantified, you can readily discover the most-influential factors contributing to value.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The term Kaizen is derived from two Japanese characters; kai, meaning “change” and zen meaning “continuous improvement.” Eliminating waste in the value stream is the goal of Kaizen. The PDCA (or PDSA) Cycle is the Lean working structure –the system for executing Kaizen. The acronym stands for: Plan. Create a plan for change, identifying specifically what you want to change. Define the steps you need to make the change, and predict the results of the change. Do. Carry out the plan in a trial or test environment, on a small scale, under controlled conditions. Check (or study). Examine the results of your trial. Verify that you’ve improved the process. If you have, consider implementing it on a broader scale. If you haven’t improved the process, go back and try again. Act. Implement the changes you’ve verified on a broader scale. Update the standard operating procedures.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The iPad makes nice with the Microsoft Exchange servers that are a staple in large enterprises, as well as many smaller businesses. What’s more, if your company supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, you can exploit push e-mail so that messages arrive pronto on the iPad, just as they do on your other computers. (To keep everything up to date, the iPad also supports push calendars and push contacts.) For push to work with an Exchange Server, your company must be able to work with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync 2003 (Service Pack 2), 2007 (Service Pack 1), or 2010. Ask your company’s IT or tech department if you run into an issue. Setting up Exchange e-mail isn’t particularly taxing, and the iPad connects to Exchange right out of the box. You still might have to consult your employer’s techie-types for certain settings. Start setting up your corporate e-mail on your iPad by following these steps: Tap the Microsoft Exchange icon on the Welcome to Mail screen. Fill in what you can: your e-mail address, domain, username (sometimes domainuser), and password. Or, call on your IT staff for assistance. Tap Next when you’re done. On the next screen, as shown in this figure, enter the Server e-mail address, assuming that the Microsoft Autodiscover service didn’t already find it. Tap Next when you’re done. That server address may begin with exchange.company.com. Choose which information you want to synchronize through Exchange by tapping each item you want. You can choose Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. After you choose an item, you see the blue On button next to it, as shown in this figure. Tap Save. The company you work for doesn’t want just anybody having access to your e-mail — heaven forbid if your iPad is lost or stolen. So your bosses may insist that you change the passcode lock inside Settings on your iPad. (This is different from the password for your e-mail account.) And, if your iPad ends up in the wrong hands, your company can remotely wipe the contents clean. By default, the iPad keeps e-mail synchronized for three days. To sync for a longer period, head to Settings; tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars; and then tap the e-mail account using ActiveSync. Tap Mail Days to Sync and tap No Limit or pick another time frame (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, or 1 month). If you’re moonlighting at a second job, you can now configure more than one Exchange ActiveSync account on your iPad; prior to iOS 5 there was a limit of just one such account per device.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To create a sustaining Lean organization, you lead differently. Lean leaders lead from gemba, where the action happens. They know the only way to truly understand what is happening is to go to the place where the action occurs. Once there, they apply 3Gen or the 3 Actuals: genchi — (like gemba) go to the actual place genbutsu — observe the actual product, process or service genjitsu — gather actual facts

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Lean is a customer-centric methodology used to continuously improve any process through the elimination of waste in everything you do; it is based on the ideas of “Continuous Incremental Improvement” and “Respect for People.” Focus on the fundamentals The basic principles of Lean are Focus on effectively delivering value to your Customer Respect and engage the people Improve the Value Stream by eliminating all types of waste Maintain Flow Pull Through the System Strive for Perfection Your customer tells you what they value You customer defines value or value-added with the following three conditions: It must transform the product or service. The customer must be willing to “pay” for it. It must be done correctly the first time. If you don’t meet all three of these criteria, then you have non-value-added activities or waste. What’s “waste” anyway? Waste comes in three main forms: Mura or waste due to variation Muri or waste due to overburdening or stressing the people, equipment or system Muda also known as the “seven forms of waste” The following are the wastes most commonly associated with Lean: Transportation: Is there unnecessary (non-value-added) movement of parts, materials, or information between processes? Waiting: Are people or parts, systems or facilities idle — waiting for a work cycle to be completed? Overproduction: Are you producing sooner, faster, or in greater quantities than the customer is demanding? Defects: Does the process result in anything that the customer would deem unacceptable? Inventory: Do you have any raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP), or finished goods that are not having value added to them? Movement: How much do you move materials, people, equipment, and goods within a processing step? Extra Processing: How much extra work is performed beyond the standard required by the customer? Sometimes you will also hear “the disengagement of people" identified as a form of muda.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Lean leaders effectively exhibit the following behaviors every day. They know how the business serves the customer by Understanding what customers want, need, and value, or what will thrill them Knowing how the business satisfies the customer Improving the effectiveness of how the business satisfies the customer They build ability in the people through Guiding problem solving — root cause, right problem, right resources Leading from gemba; applying 3Gen Asking open-ended, probing questions They show a continuous improvement mindset by Continually challenging the status quo Knowing that there is always room for improvement Understanding that the customer changes — what delights today is a necessity tomorrow They focus on process and results by Obtaining results Ensuring that how the results are achieved is the most effective utilization of all resources, in the direction of the ideal state Improving how the organization accomplishes results They demonstrate an understanding of the value stream at a macro and micro level through Knowing what the customer requires and how the value stream satisfies them Having knowledge of the overall value stream, including tributaries Asking questions when changes are made at the local level to ensure that the team understands how the change will impact the customer and the rest of the value stream They create a culture to sustain improvement by Identifying, modeling, and encouraging Lean behaviors Finding the lessons in every “failure” — blame does not foster improvement or innovation Respecting and improving standards — questions when the organization is deviating from the standard