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Latest "Improvement Insights" Posts
Companies have mountains of data. Are you using yours?
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“I want to ask you: Are you using the data that you have available, or is it dying in some database hidden in some corner of the information systems? There’s a lot of great information in there that could drive tremendous improvements, but nobody’s paying attention or they don’t have enough time to go look at it. Companies collect tsunamis of data, I mean mountains of data, truckloads of data… and then it just sits somewhere and does nothing.
Continue Reading "Are You Using Your Data?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Healthcare has begun to focus on evidence-based practice (EBP) using the tools of quality. Here’s where we are and what can be done to accelerate healthcare quality.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals,” and QI Macros [software].
“I was out at the Magnet conference, it’s a big conference for nurses in healthcare. This is the Johns Hopkins Guide for Evidence Based Practice or EBP. Now if you get into this book a little bit, the first part is doing a literature search to find out what everybody else has done; I think we call that benchmarking.
Continue Reading "Evidence-Based Practice"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Where will quality be in five years given the growth of AI and other technologies? Here’s what I think:
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“You know, with AI and everything else, you kind of have to ask yourself, “Where will Quality be in 5 years?” There was an article in the Harvard Business Review that said AI is going to be able to do what a Master Black Belt can do, only do it faster, better and cheaper… and that was in Harvard Business Review! You might have to ask yourself “Where are we going to be?”
Continue Reading "Where Will Quality Be In Five Years?"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
There’s a hard way and an easier way to create quality culture. Which one will you choose?
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“You know, I think when we think about this, everybody wants to create a Quality Culture, right? And they think that you need to do certain things to make that happen. Guess what? I don’t think that’s true.
“One of the things we know is 70% of all change efforts fail, so even if you have the best of intentions, the most money, the best leadership commitment, 70% will fail.
Continue Reading "Creating a Quality Culture"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Lean Six Sigma used to be hard. It’s not anymore. Here’s why:
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals,” QI Macros [software] and “Agile Process Innovation.”
“One of the things when I was growing up in my in my household (this was in the 50s and 60s, you have to understand) we had one phone. It was a rotary dial phone. It was one of those old heavy ones. It wasn’t even plastic; I think it was bakelite or something. There was an extension cord and so I would pull it into my room so I could talk to my girlfriend in high school, right?
Continue Reading "Lean Six Sigma Used to be Hard"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
When companies start up Six Sigma programs, they are often gung ho and over commit. Here’s how to start and sustain Lean Six Sigma without as much effort and expense.
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified,” QI Macros [software] and “Agile Process Innovation.”
“You know, I’ve been around Quality Improvement now for over 30 years. Because of the QI Macros, I see a pattern occur in a lot of companies: They get really excited, they’re going after Six Sigma and they buy a bunch of licenses.
Continue Reading "The Rise and Slide of Six Sigma"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
There’s one sure sign that you haven’t narrowed your focus using data analysis. You’ll find it in your fishbone diagram.
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Agile Process Innovation,” “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“You know, it was kind of interesting to me… we have a Fishbone Diagram in the QI Macros: we have a small, medium and a large. Somebody called in and said, “In this large [diagram] it doesn’t have this the fifth bone for the environment thing…” Nick on my staff went ahead and put one in there for him, but one of the things I know is if you do a good job with data analysis and narrow your focus, you’re going to end up with a minnowbone diagram, not a whalebone diagram.
Continue Reading "Tuna, Minnow and Whalebone Diagramming"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Are you smart lazy? It might give you better results faster. Here’s how:
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified,” “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“I will tell you that I’m basically lazy. Just like all humans, I don’t want to work any harder than I have to. The other day I ran across a phrase called ‘smart laziness’… smart laziness. Now guess what? That means that you use your smarts to figure out ways that you can do things more easily.
Continue Reading "Smart Laziness"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Line charts with trend lines are fake news. Here’s why:
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“I was at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement conference, and I go through and I look at all the post-improvement posters that are out there. I saw “Nurse Betty” (that’s what I’m going to call her) and she was standing in front of a poster and she was studying it. She was wearing a nice blue pantsuit [and] comfortable shoes because it’s a lot of walking in these conferences, but she was staring at it like crazy.
Continue Reading "Line Charts with Trend Lines are Fake News"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
Are you admiring the problems in your company’s performance? Stop Admiring the Problem. Here’s how:
Download my free ebook Agile Process Innovation.
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and “Agile Process Innovation.”
“I worked with a beverage company, and one of their teams had a room and they were all set up and they were all excited about what they were doing. When I got down to it, all they were doing each week was special cause intervention / correction. Right? It was just firefighting, right? Firefighting is not quality improvement, right?
Continue Reading "Stop Admiring the Problem"
Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.
