Practical Six Sigma book

 

cover-book

Contents:
  • Foreword 1
  • Introduction 2
  • DMAIC 11
    • Tollgate One (TG1) 13
    • Tollgate Three (TG3) 35
    • Define 15
    • Tollgate Two (TG2) 23
    • Measure 25
    • Analyse 29
    • Improve 37
    • Tollgate Four (TG4) 43
    • Control 45
    • Tollgate Five (TG5) 49
  • Toolset 51
    • Brainstorming 53
    • Cause and effect analysis 56
    • Communication plan guidelines 58
    • Control charts 61
    • Cost benefit analysis 64
    • Force field analysis 65
    • Meeting guidelines 67
    • Pareto analysis 69
    • Payoff matrix 71
    • Process flowcharting 74
    • Project specification 76
    • Report guidelines 79
    • Rollout plan guidelines 84
    • SIPOC 86
    • Team development stages 91
    • Tollgate checklists 94
    • Training plan guidelines 99
  • Resources 101
    • Frequently Asked Questions 103
    • Glossary 111
    • Index 113
It’s a well established fact that business success is determined primarily on effective strategy execution rather than how good your strategy is. The same is true for Six Sigma. Many companies spend enormous amounts of time and money training people in Six Sigma without equipping them with the skills for how to run Six Sigma projects effectively.

That’s why the authors developed “Practical Six Sigma”, a marriage of Six Sigma with a proven project management methodology that you can use to guide your Six Sigma projects to success.

This is a unique publication in that most publications on Six Sigma presuppose that practitioners and novices alike are proficient in running successful projects. With close to 20 years experience each in the field the authors know that this is a very dangerous assumption to make.

Practical Six Sigma provides a simple to use transparent method for implementing and completing six sigma projects.  The project management steps are clearly defined and designed to ensure that you have the necessary information to proceed from one step to the next ensuring that you don’t waste precious time and money - yours and everyone else’s.

How to use this book


This book provides you with the information and tools you need to successfully participate in and complete Six Sigma projects.
It is divided into three sections: DMAIC, Toolset, and Resources. The introduction provides a background to and history of Six Sigma, the concepts
involved in the methodology, and how it is applied within an organisation. The DMAIC section is divided into a tollgate model for successful project completion that compliments the Six Sigma DMAIC model’s five phases – define, measure, analyse, improve, control (DMAIC).
The Toolset section contains the main tools that you will use during a Six Sigma project. Descriptions, examples and templates have been included in this section. The Resources section includes some frequently asked questions about Six Sigma, such as how it applies to you and a glossary providing you with further explanation of some of the terms used in the book.

Foreword

I have been associated with Jonathan and Rudy for approximately ten years. I find that they have the rare ability to combine highly practical and effective approaches to performance improvement that are also based in sound theory. They also possess significant experience in implementation of programs that contribute to bottom-line success across a broad range of industries. I believe their approach to six sigma can add great value by providing organizations with enhanced execution capability at both the strategic and tactical levels.

Dr. Jack Goodwin
BSc, MBA, PhD Production and Operations Management
Visiting Associate Professor Melbourne Business School
University of Melbourne Australia
Visiting Professor Business Administration
University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg South Africa