Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E14: How many wastes are there? And what are the 3 M’s?
I try to simplify some confusion about the 7 types of waste (or are there 14 types?), the 3 M’s, and explain simpler ways to think about opportunities in a …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E13: Need to Implement Continuous Improvement for certification? Start with Lean!
I finished writing an article about two sustainability certification programs that require continuous improvement, but don’t give guidance on how to do that. I explain why I think Lean is …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E12: First SDCA before PDCA
I had a call this week helping out with a Black Belt project, and I was reminded about the Standardize-Do-Check-Act model that should be implemented first, before trying to make …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E11: Two Questions from Episode 1 about Cost Savings
I received two questions from Mark Graban about my first episode. He is a well-known Lean consultant with expertise in the healthcare industry, and has authored multiple books, including Lean …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E10: Explaining Lean and Six Sigma to Natural Problem Solvers
During Lean and Six Sigma classes, I meet a lot of people who are good problem solvers already, and they mention that the topics are similar to how they approach …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E9: Access historic PRODUCTIVITY newsletters from Norman Bodek (1980-1993)
I share exciting news that we have digital access to Norman Bodek’s past PRODUCTIVITY newsletters from 1980-1993. He lived in Vancouver, Washington (near Portland), but was moving to Japan permanently, …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E8: Safety, Quality, Delivery and Customer – How SQDC charts can drive daily management
I discuss the simple visual management templates called SQDC (also called QDIP). These visuals help simplify the daily management for a process area, to quickly bring attention to areas that …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E7: Applying Lean at Home – Contest with Prizes Ends Sept 30th
I discuss the Lean at Home contest being run by Lean Portland. We are giving away $200 in prizes to those who submit an improvement project at home that was …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E6: What are Pareto charts and why should you display them horizontally?
I explain what Pareto charts are, and why they should be used more often than they are. I also summarize an older article I wrote about changing the way to …
Lean Six Sigma Bursts: E5: What are hypothesis tests and why do we need them?
I explain how and when hypothesis tests can be used, based on a recent article I wrote, which looked at the racial inequities brought up by football players at the …