Six Sigma Archives | Page 3 of 11

Finding Process Improvement Opportunities

By John Knotts - March 17th, 2023

Large organizations that employ process improvement departments and teams often have a list of process improvement projects (typically called the “1 to n list”). These potential projects are prioritized, and practitioners simply ha

Conducting Engaging Virtual Meetings

By John Knotts - February 17th, 2023

In process improvement, it is always best to involve a team. This helps get different points of view and perspectives on a problem. Also, having a team means that you have more people to help you do the work — especially when it

GA 463 | Academics vs. Application with Phil Ranck

By Jessica Bush - February 16th, 2023

This week’s guest is Phil Ranck. Ron and Phil talked about Lean Alaska, which Phil founded, as well as his work with the United States Army. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you

Measuring The Pig In The Python

By John Knotts - January 20th, 2023

Data collection and analysis are critical in process improvement. Data shows progress in process improvement over time and serves as a barometer of process effectiveness and efficiency. Measuring a straightforward process that takes se

Quick Way To Time A Process

By John Knotts - December 16th, 2022

Understanding and measuring process time is one of the most important aspects of process improvement. Much of the waste (muda) in a process causes a process to take longer than it should. When a process takes longer, customers are wait

GA 454 | Practicing Lean in a Pandemic with Sabrina McCorvey

By Jessica Bush - December 15th, 2022

This week’s guest is Sabrina McCorvey. Ron and Sabrina discussed what it’s like practicing lean in a pandemic, how she has used Gemba Academy, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. I

Going To The Electronic Gemba

By John Knotts - November 18th, 2022

Going to Gemba — where the work is done — is a pretty simple concept. Go where the work is being performed and watch what is happening. What happens when the process is all online? Where everything that is happening, is o

Making Big Problems Into Little Problems

By John Knotts - October 21st, 2022

Over the last couple of months, I have talked about how the Process Improvement Project is different than just a regular Project. This is because, when you start a process improvement project, you do not know what is really happening

GA 445 | Ventura County’s Lean Journey with Paul Stamper

By Jessica Bush - October 13th, 2022

This week’s guest is Paul Stamper. Paul shared how lean has helped Ventura County improve its processes and how continuous improvement can bring positive change to government and service environments in general. An MP3 audio vers

How The Project Charter Evolves

By John Knotts - September 16th, 2022

A Project Charter is a contract that clearly explains what the process improvement project is all about, while also clearly stating when the team intends to accomplish the objectives of the project. The Project Charter should be carefu

GA 439 | Collecting and Interpreting Data with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - September 1st, 2022

This week’s guest is John Knotts. Ron and John talked all about data, how to approach it, and what tools John recommends. John also expanded on the concept of “being the rock.” An MP3 audio version of this ep

Root Cause to Solution Identification Simplified

By John Knotts - August 19th, 2022

The one thing that differentiates process improvement projects from regular projects and project management is the methodical way a process improvement practitioner arrives at the root cause and then devises solutions or countermeasure

GA 434 | All About TPM with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - July 28th, 2022

This week’s guest is Ron Pereira. Ron talked about our TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance, content, and then shared a previous episode on TPM by Balaji Chandrasekar. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downloa

The Four Types of Measures and Why Each is Important

By John Knotts - July 15th, 2022

Last month, we talked about the Three Most Important Metrics in a Continuous Improvement Culture. They were Workload Volume, Process Cycle Time, and Process Defects. Data is key to process management and improvement and The Continuou

Three Most Important Metrics in a Continuous Improvement Culture

By John Knotts - June 17th, 2022

How many things do you measure in order to tell you how you are doing in business? I have seen organizations that measure everything and anything. Many times, what is being measured is not something the business can do anything abo

Why Traditional Measurement Approaches Do Not Change A Culture

By John Knotts - May 20th, 2022

If you are a student of business, then you have probably heard all the quotes around measuring what you do. The bottom line is if you are not measuring what you are doing, you cannot improve it. Trust me…many organizations that I

GA 423 | Lean and Human-Centered Design with Michael Parent

By Jessica Bush - May 12th, 2022

This week’s guest is Michael Parent. Ron and Michael discussed human-centered design and how it intersects with lean. Michael also talked about his book, The Lean Innovation Cycle. An MP3 audio version of this episode is availa

GA 422 | Getting Lean Buy-In with Adam Marsland

By Jessica Bush - May 5th, 2022

This week’s guest is Adam Marsland. Adam, who works in the legal industry, explained how his firm uses continuous improvement and what problems they’re solving. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download

Engaging Partners and Suppliers on Your CI Journey

By John Knotts - April 15th, 2022

In my first blog on the subject of Continuous Improvement, I highlighted the proverb, “many hands, make light work.” The concept of a culture of continuous improvement is to orient everyone in the organization toward one common g

GA 413 | Understanding the Constraint with Hezi Korn

By Jessica Bush - March 3rd, 2022

This week’s guest is Hezi Korn. Ron and Hezi discussed TOC and how to identify and evaluate your constraints before automating anything. They also touched on some other important lean tools. An MP3 audio version of this episode i

GA 411 | Practicing Lean in High School with David Tuttle

By Jessica Bush - February 17th, 2022

This week’s guest is David Tuttle. David is the head of Precision Machining Technology at Platt Technical High School, and he explained how the program works and how it can be life-changing for students. An MP3 audio version of t

GA 410 | Are You Winning or Losing? with Max Krug and Pavel Kuviarzin

By Jessica Bush - February 10th, 2022

This week’s guests are Max Krug and Pavel Kuviarzin. Part Two of a recent episode, Max and Pavel discuss everything from root cause analysis and problem-solving, to sustaining success. They also stressed the importance of visual

GA 407 | Choosing an Approach to Lean and Six Sigma with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - January 20th, 2022

This week’s guest is John Knotts, Senior Coach at Gemba Academy. Ron and John took a deep dive into process improvement versus project-based approaches, and why the two can and should coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode

GA 401 | Continuous Improvement and the Future of Industry 4.0 with Juan Gomez

By Jessica Bush - December 9th, 2021

This week’s guest is Juan Gomez. Juan has an impressive continuous improvement background and a real passion for Industry 4.0. He and Ron talked about the history of industrialization, how we’ll adapt moving forwards, and m

GA 400 | The Gemba Academy Journey with Ron Pereira, Kevin Meyer, and Jon Miller

By Jessica Bush - December 2nd, 2021

This week we’re celebrating our 400th episode with some very special guests, the Gemba Academy Co-Founders. Joined by Jennifer, one of our Business Development Managers, Ron, Jon, and Kevin reflect on our journey as a company t

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