Lean Six Sigma is a method that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation. It combines lean manufacturing/lean enterprise and Six Sigma to eliminate the eight kinds of waste (muda).
Many people confuse effectiveness with efficiency. Organizations strive to be more efficient and in doing so, forget about how effective their actions really are. It should not come as a surprise that often the price for greater efficiency is less effectiveness. One of the first steps to take is to understand what efficiency and effectiveness…
Many of us have experienced the pinch of money from time to time. We earn a greater income, yet our expenses seem to be proportionally scaling to the same heights, regardless of inflation, cost of living and other exceptions. It’s not just being frugal that can minimize our expenses – money management is just as,…
Do you benchmark? Do you use benchmarks? What’s the difference and why should you care? The answers to these questions depends first on the context: are you a surveyor, a geo-cacher, a technician measuring computer performance … or a leader or change-agent concerned with improving an organization’s performance? This article is aimed at those of you in the…
Global competition is at such a dynamic level that any day lost without operations improvement imperils the company’s economic livelihood. To out pace the aggressive environment, companies must create a competitive advantage that establishes greater stakeholder value through radical improvements in product and process. One of the most prominent methods currently being utilized by many companies to…
Many people are positive about chasing out waste and reaping the benefits it would bring. However, this can be a cause for worry. Even though many people remember damage caused by previous cost cutting campaigns, they still see cutting waste as a technique to increase efficiency. So why would people doing great work in chasing out waste…
Operational Excellence in hard times – a distraction or an imperative? The crash in the economy is requiring everyone to re-evaluate their position and make decisions on what they need to do differently. For many, it will require a fundamental re-thinking of how to go about business; the challenge is to plan and ride out the…
