This is an invaluable collection of best practices to guide you as to when and how to use a specific Six Sigma tool or technique.

This reference is the first comprehensive how-to collection of Six Sigma tools, methodologies, and best practices. Leading implementer Lynne Hambleton covers the entire Six Sigma toolset, including more than 70 different tools–ranging from rigorous statistical and quantitative tools, to “softer” techniques. The toolset is organized in an easy-to-use, alphabetical encyclopedia and helps professionals quickly select the right tool, at the right time for every business challenge. Hambleton systematically discusses which questions each tool is designed to answer; how the tool compares with similar tools; when to use it; how to use it step-by-step; how to analyze and apply the output; and which other tool to use with it. To further illustrate and clarify tool usage, she presents hundreds of figures, along with never-before-published hints, tips, and real-world, “out-of-the-box” examples. Coverage includes · Real-world guidance to help practitioners raise the most important questions and determine the best resolution · Statistical techniques, including ANOVA, multi-vari charts, Monte Carlo simulations, normal probability plots, and regression analysis · Benchmarks, capability and cost/benefit analyses, Porter’s Five Forces, scorecards, stakeholder analysis, and brainstorming techniques · CPM, CTQ, FMEA, HOQ, and GOSPA · GANTT, PERT chart, and other Six Sigma project management tools · 7QC: cause and effect diagrams, checklists, control charts, fishbone diagram, flowchart, histogram, Pareto chart, process maps, run chart, scatter diagram, and the stratification tool · 7M: AND, affinity diagrams, interrelationship diagrams, matrix diagrams, prioritization matrices, PDPC, and tree diagrams · Crystal Ball, Minitab, and Quality Companion 2 software to facilitate the use of statistical and analytical tools and more to help you become a more effective Six Sigma practitioner · This book is also available in a highly-searchable eBook format at www.prenhallprofessional.com/title/0136007376 and other online booksellers,. From start to finish, this bookdelivers fast, thorough and reliable answers–knowledge you’ll rely on in every Six Sigma project, for years to come.

In an environment where many organizations think of human capital assets as little more than expense items that impact the bottom line, this book will help human resource (HR) professionals initiate a shift toward a new culture in which management views employees as true partners in achieving organizational success.The Field Guide to Achieving HR E

Although world-class firms like GE and Motorola have relied on Six Sigma to build their performance cultures, these processes are all too often left out of human resources (HR) functions. This lack of Six Sigma principles is even more surprising because preventing errors and improving productivity are so critical to the people management processes of hiring, retention, appraisal, and development. From the history and evolution of the Total Quality movement to initiatives for introducing a Six Sigma continuous process improvement strategy in your HR department, Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma, Second Edition introduces a new way to envision your role within the organization. It explains how this powerful methodology works and supplies a roadmap to help you find and eliminate waste in your HR processes. Describing exactly what HR excellence means, the book outlines dozens of proven approaches as well as a hierarchy of the exact steps required to achieve it. It illustrates the Six Sigma methodology from the creation of a project to its successful completion. At each stage, it describes the specific tools currently available and provides examples of organizations that have used Six Sigma within HR to improve their organizations. The text presents proven approaches that can help you solve and even eliminate people management problems altogether. Filled with real-world examples, it demonstrates how to implement Six Sigma into the transformational side of your organization. It also includes a listing of additional resources to help you along your Six Sigma journey. Explaining how to build a new business model for your HR organization, the book supplies the new perspective and broad view you will need to discover and recommend game-changing alternatives to traditional HR approaches in your organization. The first edition of this book was one of the first to demonstrate how HR professionals could enhance their careers by learning the language of business — it introduced the evolution of change management and the change management toolbox in a fashion that could easily be implemented in organizations. This new edition updates the first with added information on some of the early history and introduces new case study tools resulting from the author’s continuing work with organizations and in academic environments.

This book integrates key tools and processes into a comprehensive program for developing more robust and reliable technology-based products. Drawing on their extensive product development experience, the authors present a complete process for ensuring product performance throughout the entire lifecycle, from understanding customers’ needs through manufacturing and post-launch support. The authors begin by presenting broad insights and high-level strategies for improving product quality. Next, they demonstrate how to implement robustness and reliability strategies that complement existing governance and decision processes. A section on tools and methods shows how to institutionalize best practices and apply them consistently. Finally, they tie strategies, decisions, and methods together through a case study project. Product developers will learn how to Understand critical drivers of value in technology products, including reliability and durability Implement a process model and roadmap for improving reliability and robustness Increase robustness early in development, leading to shorter cycle times in later phases Improve the stability of production performance under stress conditions Assess both organizational and process capabilities for delivering robust and reliable products Understand and manage customer-driven requirements Use tools including descriptive and inferential statistics and DOE-based empirical models Managers will understand expectations for Design concepts supported by rigorous analyses of alternatives Products and processes delivering higher value to customers Products with higher reliability and longer useful lives Product processes with lower costs and higher capabilities Development projects having shorter, more predictable cycle times Readers are introduced to many thought leaders whose writings can be sources of further learning. This book is a valuable resource for anyone responsible for delivering reliable, profitable technology products, including general managers, program managers, engineers, scientists, and reliability and quality professionals.

One of the major discussions in the business world is: How do we get our human capital assets more engaged in the organization? Current Gallup Polls state that 85% of our employees are not engaged within their organizations. Employee Empowerment fully analyzes this workplace condition, which is a major concern for most CEOs. The solution proposed by this book is the introduction of the TLS (Theory of Constraints - Lean - Six Sigma) Continuum Empowerment model, which comprises three levels of empowerment – Management, Cross-Functional Team, and Individual. The first is the empowerment that comes from upper management to the organization as a whole. The second level is the empowerment that comes from the various cross-functional teams and the final level is from the individuals themselves through their ability to take ownership in the processes in which they are involved. The end solution in the book is that if we can get the human capital assets to take ownership of the processes (that is, empower the front-line employees), it will increase the level of engagement. If they become more engaged they will empower the organization at all levels to introduce sustainable change management to resolve problems within the organization. One of the tools of individual empowerment is the use of the Six Sigma toolbox. This book makes the case that when human capital assets take ownership of the processes, then we have greater engagement, and thus a more empowered organization.

This handbook contextualises medical and health professions education concepts using contemporary best evidence available with the relevant theoretical underpinnings.Each section is developed by internationally renowned experts in their respective fields. All chapters are succinct and concise, providing answers to everyday issues and challenges using practical solutions. Through its unique structure, this handbook facilitates learning by raising and providing solutions to the questions 'What', 'Why' and 'How'. It emphasises lifelong learning and future directions in medical and health professions education — highlighting trends, issues, priorities and strategies (TIPS).