Real executives talk about how Six Sigma changed their organizations for the better Backed by the real-world experience of executives who successfully implemented Six Sigma, this book shows how this powerful, data-driven quality improvement methodology can improve the learning cycle and financial and corporate reporting, as well as strategic planning, customer demand issues, and more. Case studies and interviews provide real-life best practices that make the implementation process that much easier for managers. The authors are Six Sigma experts affiliated with PricewaterhouseCoopers and here present an innovative examination of this powerful and popular methodology.

Speed to market, reducing costs, and accelerating leadtimes are vital for survival in today's competitiveenvironment. Inventory is no longer considered an asset,and strategies are needed to operate with minimalinventories. Lean Six Sigma Logistics provides thevehicle to solidify strategic position, win overcustomers, and achieve ......

Advance Praise for Managing Six Sigma "This book is a unique blend of practical knowledge and cultural change, revolution and evolution strategies. I recommend that serious managers buy the book, spend some serious time reading, and then go out and use its lessons to make a name for themselves."-William Baker, Benchmarking/Knowledge Transfer Office, Raytheon Corporation "I believe Managing Six Sigma will be the new reference standard for the quality movement in coming years."-Robert T. Hunter, Executive Vice President, Rehnborg Center for Nutrition and Wellness "[The authors'] step-by-step process for integrating the tools of Six Sigma takes the mystery out of this methodology and, by itself, makes this book worth having."-Dennis Adsit, PhD, Vice President, Quality, Intuit "Breyfogle's Six Sigma deployment methodology is explained in detail for four different business processes: manufacturing, service, transactional, and development. . . . His 21-step plan for each business process is explained in a way that allows any type of company to perform a successful implementation."-Mark Feller, Director of Quality, Baker Electronics "Breyfogle teaches not only the wider application but also the deeper implications and in-depth implementation of Six Sigma deployment in organizations large and small."-Ram Josyula, President, gelrad.com Managing Six Sigma is the only book that provides both detailed coverage of Six Sigma techniques and effective methods for managing those who implement Six Sigma. With real-world case studies recounting the triumphs and pitfalls encountered during successful implementations at Motorola and General Electric-plus plans, checklists, and metrics to speed up the implementation process-this rich resource helps managers solve problems effectively and ensure a fast, smooth, and successful Six Sigma implementation.

The New and Definitive User’s Guide to Lean Six Sigma If you’re a business manager, you already know that Lean Six Sigma is one of the most popular and powerful business tools in the world today. You also probably know that implementing the process can be more than a little challenging. This step-by-step guide shows you how to customize and apply the principles of Lean Six Sigma to your own organizational needs, giving you more options, strategies, and solutions than you’ll find in any other book on the subject. With these simple, proven techniques, you can: * Assess your current business model and shape your future goals * Plan and prepare a Lean Six Sigma program that’s right for your company * Engage your leadership and your team throughout the entire process * Align your LSS efforts with the culture and values of your business * Develop deeper insights into your customer experience * Master the art of project selection and pipeline management * Tackle bigger problems and find better solutions * Become more efficient, more productive, and more profitable This innovative approach to the Lean Six Sigma process allows you to mold and shape your strategy as you go, making small adjustments along the way that can have a big impact. In this book, you’ll discover the most effective methods for deploying LSS at every level, from the leaders at the top to the managers in the middle to the very foundation of your company culture. You’ll hear from leading business experts who have guided companies through the LSS process—and get the inside story on how they turned those companies around. You’ll also learn how to use the latest, greatest management tools like Enterprise Kaizen, Customer Journey Maps, and Hoshin Planning. Everything you need to implement Lean Six Sigma—smoothly and successfully—is right here at your fingertips. When it comes to running a business, there is no better way to improve efficiency, increase productivity, and escalate profits than Lean Six Sigma. And there is no better book on how to make it work than Innovating Lean Six Sigma.

The extraordinary breakthrough management program--heralded by GE, Motorola, and AlliedSignal--that is sweeping corporate America with its unprecedented ability to achieve superior financial results. Six Sigma is the most powerful breakthrough management tool ever devised, promising increased market share, cost reductions, and dramatic improvements in bottom-line profitability for companies of any size. The darling of Wall Street, it has become the mantra of Fortune 500 boardrooms around the world because it works. What is Six Sigma? It is first and foremost a business process that enables companies to increase profits dramatically by streamlining operations, improving quality, and eliminating defects or mistakes in everything a company does, from filling out purchase orders to manufacturing airplane engines. While traditional quality programs have focused on detecting and correcting defects, Six Sigma encompasses something broader: It provides specific methods to re-create the process itself so that defects are never produced in the first place. Most companies operate at a three- to four-sigma level, where the cost of defects is roughly 20 to 30 percent of revenues. By approaching Six Sigma--fewer than one defect per 3.4 million opportunities--the cost of quality drops to less than 1 percent of sales. This is because the highest quality also results in the lowest costs. When GE reduced its costs from 20 percent to less than 10 percent, it saved a billion dollars in just two years--money that goes directly to the bottom line. This is the reason Wall Street and corporations as diverse as Sony, Ford, Nokia, Texas Instruments, Canon, Hitachi, Lockheed Martin, American Express, Toshiba, DuPont, and Polaroid have embarked on corporate-wide Six Sigma programs. Six Sigma should be of paramount importance to every forward-thinking executive and manager determined to make their company world-class in their industry.

A new update of the classic text on benchmarking Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma updates benchmarking, the revolutionary business performance methodology, by adding statistical concepts from Six Sigma. These two methodologies combine to form a powerful platform for improving any company's overall performance. This new revision reviews the first twenty-five years of development in benchmarking and features new appendices, case studies, and topics, making this the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the subject available. Topics include: Stimulating business improvement with benchmarking Linking Six Sigma to strategic planning and benchmarking Understanding the essence of process benchmarking Making statistical comparisons in benchmarking Applying benchmarking results for maximum utility Reviewing lessons learned from old case studies Conducting a strategic benchmarking study Performing an operational benchmarking study Mainstreaming benchmarking into strategic planning Creating a sustainable benchmarking capability Plus: appendices covering the benchmarking code of conduct, operating procedures, and Web resources