Six Sigma Blog by Jay Arthur

Improvement Insights Blog

Latest "Six Sigma" Posts

Agile Lean Six Sigma

The March-April 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review says that “corporate survival today requires the capacity for rapid change.” Even HR is embracing IT’s Agile methodology to “speed its evolution and better serve customers’ needs.”

Isn’t it time to bring Agile to Lean Six Sigma? Read more… 

Quality has to accelerate its evolution to keep pace with business and technology.

I’m afraid our old, slow way of implementing Lean Six Sigma is going the way of the dinosaur.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Agile Lean Six Sigma, Lean, Six Sigma.

Lean Six Sigma – April Fools!

Does Lean Six Sigma seem like an April Fool’s joke?

Why doesn’t it seem to work sometimes?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

St. Patrick’s Day – Luck of the Lean Six Sigma

You don’t have to be Irish or lucky to be successful. You can make your own luck using Lean Six Sigma.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Daylight Savings Time – Six Sigma Project

Does Daylight Savings Time save us anything, or is it costing lives?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Insights from ASQ Phoenix – 2018

Here are my takeaways from the ASQ conference in Phoenix.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, Manufacturing, Six Sigma.

Six Sigma Formulas Cause Math Phobias

In the book, The Case Against Education: why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money, author Bryan Caplan argues that, beyond reading, writing and basic ‘rithmatic, “most of what people learn in high school and college is unnecessary and quickly forgotten.”

I would argue that the same is true of Six Sigma; most of what people learn is unnecessary and quickly forgotten.

Peter Coy’s book review in Bloomberg BusinessWeek (January 22, 2018), states that many students struggle with algebra and drop out. City University of New York colleges are “experimenting with alternatives to conventional math because it’s a ‘killing field’ for many students,” says Chancellor James Milliken.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

What are You Secretly Telling Yourself About Lean Six Sigma?

No matter what you do or what you say, there’s a hidden “metamessage” back to yourself.

What metamessages have you told yourself about Lean Six Sigma?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Reducing Patient Falls – A Case Study

The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (Feb 2018) has an article entitled “Temporal Trends in Fall Rates with the Implementation of a Multifaceted Fall Prevention Program.” Ouch!

I believe the story could have been told easily with quality improvement tools, so here’s how I’d go about it. First, there are a number of tables (i.e., spreadsheets of performance data) like the one below.

jcaqo falls rates data

The first year, 2003, had only 200 falls because they started measuring in July. The first full year of measurement was 2004.

It would be easy to turn these into control charts, but the authors chose a boxplot with a trend line of predicted falls.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Healthcare, Jay Arthur Blog, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Have You Fallen In Love With Lean Six Sigma?

I fell in love with Lean Six Sigma almost 30 years ago…but it takes some work to stay in love with Lean Six Sigma.

Are you willing to do what it takes to make Lean Six Sigma your Valentine?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

How Is Your Business Like a Banana?

Shigeo Shingo used this metaphor often. Find out why.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.