Insights from ASQ Phoenix – 2018
Here are my takeaways from the ASQ conference in Phoenix.
Improvement Insights Blog
Posts tagged "Lean"
Using Lean to Do Your Taxes
I started using TurboTax to do my taxes years ago. I used to gather up my 1099s and W-2 and everything else and spend a whole day doing my taxes. Your taxes may not be as complicated as mine, but think of these forms as “work in process” (WIP). I was doing them in a big batch just before the filing deadline.
Then I started using a Lean approach. Whenever a W-9 or 1099 arrives in the mailbox, I input it into the software. By mid-March when the business taxes are finished, everything is in and my taxes are ready to file.
Are You Wasting Time in Six Sigma?
Are you wasting time in Six Sigma on unnecessary steps?
Here’s how to kick start your improvement efforts.
More Six Sigma Project Mistakes
If you’re not getting the results you want from Six Sigma, there might be a problem in the development of your projects.
Here are some of the mistakes I see in Six Sigma projects.
Statistics are Simple
People have been trying to make statistics simple and easy to understand for decades.
But statistics aren’t simple. Maybe we should change how we teach them?
Signal versus Noise
“Our evolutionary instincts sometimes lead us to see patterns when there are none there. People have been doing this all the time – finding patterns in random noise.” – Tomaso Poggio
People just need a way to separate the Signal from the Noise.
Here are some insights from the book by Nate Silver.
Lean Insights from “The Founder” Movie
Early in the movie, the McDonald’s brothers describe how they came up with the concept for speedy service. It’s Lean.
They had too many menu items, so they decide to simplify down to burgers, fries and soft drinks. (Think Lean inventory.)
They go to a tennis court and use chalk to lay out a possible floor plan to deliver service fast. One brother stands on a ladder watching while the employees pantomime cooking burgers, fries and soft drinks.
They go through several iterations to converge on their final design. (Think value stream mapping and spaghetti diagramming.)
I think they might have done it faster with cardboard boxes, but I wasn’t there.
Most Valuable Career Skills
This month’s issue of Money Magazine discusses the 21 Most Valuable Career Skills. At the top of the list, statistical analysis increasing pay by 6.1%. Right behind statistical analysis is Data Mining at 5.1%. It’s incredibly easy to learn these two skills using QI Macros and Six Sigma.
Also on the list, Customer Service Metrics (4.3%). I have found that the written comments in customer service systems can be easily analyzed using the QI Macros Word Count tool to identify the most common type of call or complaint. Then simple root cause analysis can reduce or eliminate those calls.
Business analysis (3.8%) is easy with QI Macros Control Chart Dashboards.
Lean for Tax Preparation
Like a lot of people, I used to put my taxes off until the last minute. Then I’d grind away for a whole weekend getting the paperwork together and entered into my tax software. Boy that was dumb.
In the last few years I’ve started buying my tax software early and inputting every W-2 and 1099 when it comes in. When the last bit of paperwork comes in, I compare this year with last year, fix any glitches and I’m ready to file.
This is a Lean approach to handling my taxes. I handle everything, just in time, as it comes in.
