Evaluating Six Sigma SPC Software
3 Mistakes Most People Make When Buying Six Sigma Software
- Buying more functionality than they need. While statisticians may need every bell and whistle, most green belts and black belts do not. Unless your black belts work on a manufacturing factory floor, they don’t need exotic statistics to solve problems.
The QI Macros have lots of depth, but they also have plenty of straightforward ways to start drawing charts and analyzing data immediately. Just select some data with your mouse, click on one of the chart or statistics wizards and the QI Macros will start creating results immediately.
- Not buying enough software for their needs. Because some Six Sigma software is so expensive, IT departments try to save money by buying a few concurrent licenses of a single package. Unfortunately, this limits its application. One company told me that they had to block access to the software whenever they hold a training class and everyone complains about lack of access.
Once you’ve solved a problem, average employees, I call them "No Belts," will need to monitor the process indicators and take corrective actions when they go out of control. If you only have enough software for the Black Belts, they either have to become the “chart monkeys” for the organization or process quality will slip. I talked to one aerospace company that only had software for the Black Belts. The Green Belts had nothing. How do you expect any belt to solve problems without Six Sigma Software? How can you expect to sustain the improvement without giving tools to the No Belts to monitor the process?
With the QI Macros, you can afford to give everyone Six Sigma software. - Not factoring training costs into the calculation. Most Six Sigma software is so complex that it requires several days of training. So you incur not only the cost of the software, but also the cost of training and employee salaries. This can multiply costs by four or more.
With the QI Macros, you can start drawing charts and using statistics in a matter of minutes. Employees can dig deeper into the QI Macros using our online Training at www.qimacros.com/training/videos.
3 questions to ask before you buy Six Sigma Software
- How much training is required to use your product? Does it take days or just minutes?
- How does your software work with Excel? Do you have to import data from Excel or does it work seamlessly inside of Excel?
- What does it cost? More than a $1,000+ or just $369 USD?
3 questions I always get asked about the QI Macros
- Why are the QI Macros so affordable?
Because Excel does all of the heavy lifting like charts, spreadsheets and formulas; I just tell Excel what to do.
- There’s other Excel-based Six Sigma Software; what’s different or special about the QI Macros?
Our “secret sauce” is that, like Excel, we ask you to select your data before you choose a chart; other packages ask you to choose the chart and then choose your data. So what? You might ask. Simple…
Because we ask you to select your data first, we can analyze it and help you choose the right chart or statistic every time. You don’t have to remember a forest of decision trees about what control chart or statistic to choose; the QI Macros can do it for you. While this may not be important to a statistician, it’s incredibly important to a Six Sigma novice. It helps them learn and removes all of the barriers to getting started
- Why is the QI Macros interface so much simpler than other packages?
Most other packages are descendants of software built for minicomputers. The WYSIWYG, mouse and pointer interface was bolted on to these packages, not designed in from the start. And many of the Excel-based packages chose this interface to mimic one of the leaders from the minicomputer era.
Excel was actually designed and built on the Macintosh, so you know it has ease-of-use built in, not bolted on. The QI Macros were designed to work like Excel, not some archaic minicomputer package. So the QI Macros inherit much of that simplicity. And we’ve even added things that make Excel work more simply.
SPC Software ROI
Depending on the type of implementation, SPC can be a complex and costly, or simple and straightforward. Your SPC should:
- Enable rapid solutions to performance problems
- Help calculate real business benefits
- Accelerate learning and application of SPC and Six Sigma
Ease of Use
Implementing SPC software should:
- Simplify data analysis
- Provide a simple, intuitive, user-friendly interface
- Minimize the number of clicks required to get a chart or statistic
Simplified Workflow
SPC software should help:
- Perform the various data analysis and charting tasks easily
- Present clear, concise improvement "stories" for review and implementation
- Encourage easy adoption by users
Post-Sales Support
No SPC software is complete without online video training. Besides the tips and tricks to efficient performance, your SPC software should have:
- Reference documentation for users
- Ready on-line support
- Videos, notes and tutorials to complement documentation
