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Do complex things seem smarter or just unnecessarily complicated?
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“Does it seem like we think complex things, complex writing, complex ideas are smarter? Or are they just incomprehensible? And isn’t that just dumb? What if we could simplify how we think about things?
“That’s what I’ve attempted to do with Agile Process Innovation is make improvement more accessible to the average Joe or Susie. You know, people have taken my Yellow Belt training and gone out and saved millions of dollars… millions of dollars.
Continue Reading "Do Complex Things Seem Smarter?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Jay Arthur Blog.
Ever tried to take your pants off while wearing socks? Friction makes it difficult. How can you remove the friction?
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation-Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Have you ever tried to take your pants off, but while you still have your socks on? Seems like the friction between the sock and the pant makes it more difficult to take them off. But if you take off your socks first, then your pants will slide right over the smoothness of your skin and your ankle.
Continue Reading "Remove the Friction from Your Life and Work"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Did you know you can draw fishbone diagrams, flowcharts, value stream maps and more without Visio? You can do all that and more right within Excel, and those can be viewed by others who don’t have Visio. Here’s how:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“I was at the Colorado Lean Network Conference and I was demoing how you can do Value Stream Maps and other things right in Microsoft Excel. The guy looking at it said, “I… I don’t have to use Vizio anymore?”
Continue Reading "Use Excel for Flowcharts and Value Stream Maps Not Visio"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Jay Arthur Blog.
Ever wondered if there might be a better way to start a Lean Six Sigma initiative? There is. Here’s Why:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation-Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Back in 2011, Eric Ries launched a book called “The Lean Startup” which was about how to start a startup business, basically. There were some rules behind it, but one of his rules was to have a “Minimum Viable Product”… Minimum Viable Product. Now, in 1997 when I launched QI Macros, it was a Minimum Viable Product but now it’s grown into all kinds of things.
Continue Reading "Lean Six Sigma Startup"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Over half the population hates math and statistics. How do we help them embrace the tools of quality?
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Do you love math and statistics? Maybe not. Half the population does not like math and statistics. That’s one of the reasons I created QI Macros: to automate all that math and statistics so they don’t need to know that. They just get charts or graphs or analysis, right? I don’t want people frustrated by math and statistics.
Continue Reading "Do You Hate Math and Statistics?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
What do you do about an ammonia spill in a monstrous freezer filled with turkeys and chicken? I used the QI Macros Stat Wizard to save $3,000,000 in frozen poultry. Here’s how:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Last year, I had an opportunity to work with a company that handles frozen poultry: turkeys, chickens, things of that nature. They had had an ammonia spill inside one of these big, huge freezers where they keep stuff.
Continue Reading "Save the Turkeys!"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
My friend asked me how much time I waste every week dealing with hassles and friction of daily life. I said 8-16 hours. Here’s why:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation-Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“My friend Eric and I were having lunch the other day, and he asked me, “How much time do you think you waste every week dealing with stuff that you shouldn’t have to deal with? I mean, things that other people have done that cause you to… the friction of daily life that causes you to update a phone or a computer or reboot it or whatever it is?”
Continue Reading "How Much Time is Friction Costing You?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Jay Arthur Blog.
Do games work for Lean Six Sigma training? In my experience, they do not. Here’s why:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Have you ever been in a training where they try and use fun games to try and teach you Quality Improvement? You know, I’ve been in all kinds of things where they’re trying to use something to teach you something, but it has nothing to do with my job or my business.
Continue Reading "Do Games Work For Lean Six Sigma Training?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Jay Arthur Blog.
Most companies follow the waterfall method of implementing Lean Six Sigma. A Agile approach will deliver results more quickly and help ensure success.
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“I also wrote books on software engineering; I grew up in the world of software engineering. I actually worked at Bell Laboratories, and the model at the time of software development was called the ‘Waterfall’ model. You start with requirements, and design and code and test, and eventually you deliver a project.
Continue Reading "Waterfall or Agile Lean Six Sigma?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
The ANCC Magnet Conference 2025 brought together 13,000 nurses seeking to transform healthcare using evidence-based practice (EBP). After a decade of tracking the tools used in Magnet improvement posters, I can tell you that they are still using antiquated tools that won’t get healthcare to Zero Harm and Hassle-free Healthcare. Here’s why:
Download my free ebook, Agile Process Innovation – Hacking Lean Six Sigma for Results.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“I’m here at the American Nursing Association’s Magnet conference in Atlanta 2025. It’s October, and once again I went through all of the posters; 90% of the charts are line, bar, and pie charts.
Continue Reading "Lessons from ANCC Magnet Conference 2025"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Jay Arthur Blog.
