Six Sigma has always been advertised as a framework for problem solving. Technically, the job hunting process is a problem in search for a solution.
I believe the first order of things is to rise above the process and view the process from a third party perspective. At that point, it becomes a problem just like any other.
Find the customer for whom you are the solution. (Easier said than done! I say that because that statement comes with a bigger job -- identifying what you are based on what you would like to do or what you would bring to the table.) Next, determine your value add and advertise it. At this point, it comes down to presentation skills. Then, determine a strategy for execution. There are various schools of thought on doing this, many using the same words -- networking. I have my opinions about how this idea is misused, but, that is another issue.
Finally, control -- the nemesis of many an initially successful project. Figure out a way to get to task until that 'happy ending' is achieved. More on this later....
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Six Sigma in Accounting? Coming Soon!!
Grace approached me with the idea of figuring out how Six Sigma plays into Accounting. The idea came to her when we networked with a very progressive accounting professional. She had her material in a portfolio folder and as she walked us through her process, it occurred to me. She had the very same ideas I had about IT, except she had them for Accounting process.
Yes, it is very relevant. Since accounting is numbers, it is very easy to put the measures in place. The big task is figuring out which numbers indicate the problem, and, unlike IT, where we can just declare that the project objective is written as the act of moving the metric in a positive direction, there are basic considerations. These considerations could be regulatory in nature. They may also be best practices in the Accounting space.
I've approached Linda with the idea on collaborating on material that addresses this subject. It will come very shortly!
Yes, it is very relevant. Since accounting is numbers, it is very easy to put the measures in place. The big task is figuring out which numbers indicate the problem, and, unlike IT, where we can just declare that the project objective is written as the act of moving the metric in a positive direction, there are basic considerations. These considerations could be regulatory in nature. They may also be best practices in the Accounting space.
I've approached Linda with the idea on collaborating on material that addresses this subject. It will come very shortly!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Six Sigma: The big bosses must get it first!
I volunteered to impart my Six Sigma knowledge to folks on the SMPNet group, with the intent of demystifying it to these folks as I have taken upon myself to do with the IT folks. As I was doing the presentation, everything made perfect sense. The material applied to sales and marketing with minimal translation. At the end, the question my audience presented me with, was: If everything is just so logical, and seems like the right thing anyway, what is the problem with adaptation?
My answer: top management. For a change as sweeping as Six Sigma, the mandate has to come from the top. And, it can't be lip service either. When the requirement to state a business case from the customer's perspective is mandated, it must be taken to heart. The executive in charge must truly require it, or it loses the value add to the bottom line.
My answer: top management. For a change as sweeping as Six Sigma, the mandate has to come from the top. And, it can't be lip service either. When the requirement to state a business case from the customer's perspective is mandated, it must be taken to heart. The executive in charge must truly require it, or it loses the value add to the bottom line.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
What is the best way to introduce the Six Sigma approach to non-believers?
One sentence. Don't use the word Six Sigma.
Six Sigma has gotten a big rap as another big thing that is going to fall off the planet just like most things have. In reality, as I see other methodologies evolve, they all gravitate to the same principle -- of doing projects for the customer. Work the business case so it demonstrates, very clearly, the value that will be derived by your customer. Very important, take the time to clearly state this business case. I see this professed again in the new ITIL V3 Service Strategy phase, for one.
As Six Sigma professionals, we should not be so arrogant as to assume that doing business this way is only our domain. It is a reality that other good managers have done it this way, even before the terminology was coined so.
Six Sigma has gotten a big rap as another big thing that is going to fall off the planet just like most things have. In reality, as I see other methodologies evolve, they all gravitate to the same principle -- of doing projects for the customer. Work the business case so it demonstrates, very clearly, the value that will be derived by your customer. Very important, take the time to clearly state this business case. I see this professed again in the new ITIL V3 Service Strategy phase, for one.
As Six Sigma professionals, we should not be so arrogant as to assume that doing business this way is only our domain. It is a reality that other good managers have done it this way, even before the terminology was coined so.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Responding to Genna's Question: Are attacks at Six Sigma (being ineffective) justified?
There are two ways to respond to Genna's question. (Genna is Senior Editor of www.sixsigmaiq.com.)
The YES part: The culprit in this scenario is the elitist Six Sigma practitioner who wants to add mystique to the process and subliminally wants to alienate the masses. This is the individual that things that the statistics part of Six Sigma is the distinctive feature to the methodology. And, to those folks, please be aware, Stat 101 can be learned in a few classes. In fact, they offer those classes in high school sometimes.
When the Six Sigma methodology is practiced in this manner, without the essence of the methodology, it becomes bureaucratic. It loses touch with the value it provides for business. It becomes a mumbo-jumbo of numbers that most people think applies only to the academicians. Hence, the attacks.
The NO part, my answer: When Six Sigma is not practiced with the right intent, that is, in keeping with the original premise (that the intention of the statistics is to provide a vehicle to identify a tangible that illustrates a problem), then it fails. When this is the case, it is not Six Sigma that failed, but the arrogance of the practitioner who thinks that they are above everyone else.
First, some people have responded that Motorola and GE would have failed bigger if not for Six Sigma. I suspect that even if that were true, that it was the preponderance of the elitist set that Six Sigma unfairly gets a bad rap.
The YES part: The culprit in this scenario is the elitist Six Sigma practitioner who wants to add mystique to the process and subliminally wants to alienate the masses. This is the individual that things that the statistics part of Six Sigma is the distinctive feature to the methodology. And, to those folks, please be aware, Stat 101 can be learned in a few classes. In fact, they offer those classes in high school sometimes.
When the Six Sigma methodology is practiced in this manner, without the essence of the methodology, it becomes bureaucratic. It loses touch with the value it provides for business. It becomes a mumbo-jumbo of numbers that most people think applies only to the academicians. Hence, the attacks.
The NO part, my answer: When Six Sigma is not practiced with the right intent, that is, in keeping with the original premise (that the intention of the statistics is to provide a vehicle to identify a tangible that illustrates a problem), then it fails. When this is the case, it is not Six Sigma that failed, but the arrogance of the practitioner who thinks that they are above everyone else.
First, some people have responded that Motorola and GE would have failed bigger if not for Six Sigma. I suspect that even if that were true, that it was the preponderance of the elitist set that Six Sigma unfairly gets a bad rap.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Using the Six Sigma approach to Achieve Success
Being called on to solve problems is part of all our daily grinds, whether personally or professionally. But recognizing what has evolved to be the Six Sigma approach, can greatly increase the success of the endeavor.
For instance, I've had to call on a client that wanted a specific assessment on their QA process. At that instant, it was quite tempting to respond with the exact verbiage they were asking for. How does this become a risk (if we are giving the customer what they want)?
First, when customers come to ask for help, they have a problem they are wanting to solve. The market place is not conducive to helping a customer that does not know what kind of help they need, so, we have been conditioned to find a solution (whether or not we know how) and shop around for that solution. On the other hand, service providers respond to that solution request by providing a quote for literally what the customer was asking for.
Enter Six Sigma approach!
If, as a solution provider, we went back to the customer and asked for the problem they are trying to solve, guiding them in terms of identifying a perceived value they are not getting, and assist them in assessing if the solution they were asking for solves the problem. Using this approach, we are more likely to come up with a relevant solution, maybe, one that the customer may not have even thought of and that actually addresses the problem. Guess what? When that happens, we end up with a happy customer.
For instance, I've had to call on a client that wanted a specific assessment on their QA process. At that instant, it was quite tempting to respond with the exact verbiage they were asking for. How does this become a risk (if we are giving the customer what they want)?
First, when customers come to ask for help, they have a problem they are wanting to solve. The market place is not conducive to helping a customer that does not know what kind of help they need, so, we have been conditioned to find a solution (whether or not we know how) and shop around for that solution. On the other hand, service providers respond to that solution request by providing a quote for literally what the customer was asking for.
Enter Six Sigma approach!
If, as a solution provider, we went back to the customer and asked for the problem they are trying to solve, guiding them in terms of identifying a perceived value they are not getting, and assist them in assessing if the solution they were asking for solves the problem. Using this approach, we are more likely to come up with a relevant solution, maybe, one that the customer may not have even thought of and that actually addresses the problem. Guess what? When that happens, we end up with a happy customer.
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