MBA Journal Six Sigma Training

Applying Six Sigma to Improve Diagnostic Imaging

The healthcare industry is ripe with opportunities for Six Sigma methodologies to be applied. Quality medical attention is a worldwide concern, and as more countries look for ways to improve and streamline their healthcare systems, the Six Sigma approach to effective management is being adopted in several hospitals, clinics, medical offices, and diagnostic centers.

Major healthcare organizations operated under the concepts of Quality Control and Total Quality Management for many decades before looking to Six Sigma as an efficient solution. The aging populations in developed countries have put a major strain on healthcare systems, particularly in the areas of operational costs and customer satisfaction. The increasing cost of medical care and the rising number of patients who demand quality medical attention is a deep concern for health administrators everywhere.

Diagnostic imaging and radiology are two practice areas within healthcare that administrators often seek to improve in terms of delivery cycles. A fine-tuned diagnostic imaging system in a medical facility is essential to delivering holistic patient care. Some of the problems that radiology departments often run into include: overwhelming numbers of pending appointments, bottlenecks, unmanageable traffic, and staff members who are stretched too thin. The cumulative effects and incremental improvements of Six Sigma are tailor-made for diagnostic imaging, a process that can't be simply stopped for overhauling.

The application of Six Sigma in healthcare is similar to the Hippocratic process of gathering information to develop a diagnosis. The five phases of problem definition, measurement, analysis, improvement, and control can be easily assimilated by health care practitioners and administrators. Six Sigma has been applied in large organizations like the Stanford Hospital and Clinics in the United States and the Red Cross Hospital in the Netherlands.

One of the problems that overwhelmed diagnostic imaging centers face is that 20 to 30 percent of the exams they perform aren't always necessary. Physicians can easily fall into repetitive patterns of ordering imaging tests for their patients, thereby encumbering radiology departments and exposing patients to higher levels of radiation. Such a problem was faced by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) until it decided to deploy a Six Sigma solution. The Minnesota DHS now utilizes a software tool which deploys a decision-making process prior to ordering a diagnostic imaging exam. Based on a score provided by the software tool, health care professionals can determine whether a diagnostic imaging test is actually needed.

What is involved in six sigma certification

Six Sigma is the highest level of the Sigma’s and expected to maintain defect levels below 3.4 million probabilities. Certification involves an applicant to study and understand course information to use the techniques, and methods for Six Sigma quality improvement. The course studies are broken into four levels; Yellow, Green, Black and Master. Levels referred to as belts are assigned specific colors denoting the training completed. Advancement to higher levels must meet requirements. The training requests are usually driven by company, industry or professional association requirements for quality improvement.

The first levels, 6 sigma Yellow Belts have the basic knowledge of the Six Sigma processes for quality improvement to reach the company’s objectives. Yellow Belts are core participants handling small segments for process improvement or a subject expert for a precise process of a particular project. The Yellow level project may be elevated to a Green Belt level. Green Belts are project leaders developing methods to solve problems using statistical measurements to analyze, implement control and prevention of reoccurrence. Green Belts dedicate fifty percent of their time to a project. As the project develops, it moves forward to a Black Belt responsible for project execution working with the team coaching and designating individual responsibilities. Black Belts dedicate seventy-five percent of their time to a project, moving towards final approval from a Master Black Belt. Master Black Belt is typically the final signature for Six Sigma project deployment using higher levels of skills, advanced statistical analysis tools and project management.

Large companies may have internal training courses for Six Sigma or hire outside Six Sigma trainers, both require a certified Black Master Belts to deliver the instruction. Once the course studies are completed the applicant is required to take a written test with a passing grade for consideration of certification. Secondly the applicant needs to complete successfully an actual project applying the concepts learned in Six Sigma training. The courses are set up incrementally and have timelines attached to each Six Sigma Belt level with specific objectives to be completed. Costs include Minitab, a statistical software and training using the Six Sigma quality improvement processes. The costs can vary depending on the selected trainer.

• Six Sigma Training Programs
• Six Sigma Yellow Belt - two days
• Six Sigma Green Belt - two weeks plus two weeks working together with Black Belts.
• Six Sigma Black Belt - four weeks
• Six Sigma Master Black Belt - two weeks

Gaining A Better Understanding Of Six Sigma

To really begin to understand Six Sigma it is best to understand first when and where this business management philosophy first erupted. During the mid 1980’s a very successful and major company in the field of communications want to find a way to improve their bottom line and increase the quality of the products they were making and distributing. As a result they took an employee named Bill Smith and put him in charge of sorting through all the management programs that were already in existence to help formulate a better way to do business and over time this is what he did.

He began by looking at some major business management strategies and philosophies and as a result he found that each one seemed to have a plus side and a down side. By taking the things that worked from a variety of different strategies he was able to create what was to be known as Six Sigma methodology. The Six Sigma title actually was developed from the sigma as it is used as a Greek letter to represent variation from the standard and the Six having to do with the number of times to improve on results to achieve near perfection.

Six Sigma today offers a management philosophy that puts focus on measuring and obtaining results. It focuses on improving quality of products and services by removing defects and uses extremely focused objectives and data collection to obtain and analyze results. It is a tiered system but one in which everyone plays an essential role in the process and where teamwork is essential to success in every level of the business.

Six Sigma has been around for such a long time because it has really helped many successful companies make the changes they needed to overcome obstacles and increase their bottom line even during difficult economic times. And although Six Sigma works exceptionally well for large manufacturing based businesses a wide variety of businesses in the medical and customer service fields as well as large number of smaller businesses have all found that Six Sigma helped to provide them with the tools they need to obtain the results they are looking for.

This program is not a cure-all for all businesses and it is not a miracle. It is very simply a way to help businesses refine what they are doing to improve the results they are looking for consistently and gradually improve their business over time. 6 Sigma can really help propel any business to true success.

Six Sigma Pass Or Fail?

There are so many variables to both life and business and yet it always seems that companies and individuals alike are all looking for the same thing in life, a guarantee. The funny thing is that even in cases where they are nearly guaranteed results most of the time people won’t believe you because that sounds just too good to be true.

It is a vicious cycle and while many people are trying to figure their way through to financial success, one thing is certain and that is that nothing is certain but there are things that are working with good even excellent results. One such business management system that is proving itself effective time and time again is Six Sigma.

The six sigma methodology is about attaining results and in companies that range from high end manufacturing firms to medical offices and strictly service based businesses. And no matter what business you are in you have customers and something that you are providing for them and it is from this point that just about any company can be managed using Six Sigma principles and practices. It is just perfect to meld into your current infrastructure with ease.

When you look at the program it just makes sense. You train your staff to work together towards common goals and adapt the process over and over again to attain progressively better results. You take into account not just profitability but also customer experience and realize that as you improve the process the results will also change and adapt accordingly resulting in overall better profits. The concepts are simple and that is perhaps why they work so well for so many companies across the board. Very few companies struggle with increasing their profitability under Six Sigma as a matter of fact once they get the kinks out of the implementation phase of the program they usually find it relatively simple to keep their Six Sigma successes coming.

As far as management techniques that are on the market today, Six Sigma towers above them all. It is a definite pass in the eyes of most companies very simply because it has been tried and tested over the past several decades with exemplary results. If 6 Sigma is being used by the top companies in the world, then there definitely must be something to it. After all, the top companies in the world are in that position for a reason. When you are looking to create success for your company it is important to follow those who have already attained success in business. Following leaders in the industry will most likely lead you to a Six Sigma Certification course in your area.

What The Industry Leaders Have To Say About Six Sigma

When it comes to Six Sigma most people want to know does it really work and the answer of course is yes. But taking the word of those teaching the process can be a little disheartening and most want some sort of reassurance that this process is going to not only help them build a stronger company but that it is going to show them significant results in their bottom line as well.

The good news is that many companies have used Six Sigma and have achieved incredible results not only over time but within a very short period of time following implementation. 6 Sigma has been around for decades which has allowed for it to not only be tested in a variety of different industries and businesses but also to allow for it to be tweaked along the way helping to further insure its success across the board. In the end, it is Six Sigma that will shine above just about any other management process that you will come across.

Six Sigma success has been experienced by a variety of major companies worldwide over the past several decades. Large business leaders such as General Electric and Honeywell have been achieving success since they first decided to implement the system into their business structure and there have been other companies that have found success with Six Sigma. Companies such as Textron, Dupont, and Bank of America have also implemented 6 Sigma. As a matter of fact 82 of the top 100 companies in the United States are using it right now.

Even in a case like with the Home Depot where there were some concerns about what was occurring and their customer satisfaction rating was going down during a period of time when they were using Six Sigma it really turned out that it was not the process that was to blame but the inefficiency of the company to implement it properly. Now under a new CEO the Home Depot is beginning to attain the type of results they should have been attaining all along.

Overall, 6 sigma is so powerful very simply because it works. It works for large businesses and for small ones and it works to improve the quality of the business as well as the bottom line. When so many top companies are using Six Sigma to incredible success there definitely must be something to it.

Difference between DMAIC and DMADV

The Six Sigma philosophy is used by companies to improve customer satisfaction with their products. When six sigma has been employed successfully, companies have succeeded at bringing the numbers of defective items down to 3.4 defects out of 1,000,000 products. These companies accomplish this goal with either DMAIC or DMADV.

Companies that need to determine how to make their processes more effective under the six sigma philosophy will use the DMAIC methodology. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control, and it is used for products that are already in existence. DMADV stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify, and it is used to help a company create new products that will be a part of the six sigma philosophy from the beginning.

Both processes have something to define, but they are defining two different things. With DMAIC, what needs to be defined is the issue that the company needs to fix. With DMADV, the company will define what the customer’s expectations are for new products. These two ways of doing business will also Measure something. DMAIC measures current processes and gathers data related to them. DMADV measures the possible processes that will be performed to create their new products and any risks that may result from these processes.

They both also analyze data gleaned from the measurements they have taken. For DMAIC, analysis of the data leads them to discover what causes the defects. For DMADV, analysis helps conduct them toward the best new design for the company to manufacture. Analysis leads followers of DMAIC to then improve their products by making the changes they learned they need to make. DMADV analysis helps companies to optimize their new design and prepare it for testing.

After everything has been completed, with the DMAIC methodology it is time to exert control over the continuing process. After a company has decided to implement the six sigma philosophy, the intention is to keep these processes running forever. Control means that the company will watch over the processes to ensure that this is what happens. At the end of the DMADV methodology, the new product is verified by testing it and finding out if it works well enough to satisfy the customers. Upon discovery that the product is a good one, the company then places it on the market.

Indiana Considers Six Sigma Reviews of Public Teacher Performance

Public education in Indiana has been undergoing an overhaul since Mitch Daniels took the governance in 2004. Indiana public school teachers have historically received wage increases based upon years of service and level of education. However, a new bill has set aside 15 billion dollars for 2012 and 2013 for teacher merit pay. Where teachers will receive raises based on performance. School districts will need to make decisions by October 1, 2011 on how those funds will be distributed. Rated teachers will be placed into one of four categories: highly effective, effective, improvement necessary or ineffective. Teachers in the last two categories will not receive wages increases the following year.

Six sigma reviews is being considered to meet this need as Indiana pushes to school districts to become more business-like and less emotion-driven. While not always considered for use in education, in 2008, Adams County School District 12 in Thornton, Colorado began training and applying six sigma principals in their classrooms. Six sigma methods have improved teacher communication with students and supervisors, and processes are being implemented to improve consistency across courses being taught by different instructors and also improving textbook ordering in the school district.

Six sigma reviews will bring a full circle review guidance to help improve Indiana public schools.

1. Project progress will be monitored which will allow for future changes in the very non-static world of education.
2. Non-threatening guidance will be provided to school districts from consultants who are not emotionally tied to the school district.
3. Activities will be aligned across schools and curriculums which will create fair and consistent reviews across the district and state.
4. Displaying support, especially for those teachers who need improvement will be an important part of six sigma teacher reviews.
5. Knocking down barriers will be a goal of the teacher reviews. Schools are notorious for being static and resistant to changes. Teacher reviews will bring to light these barriers and the efforts being taken to make needed changes.
6. Finally a key component of the six sigma reviews will Recognize and Reward teachers for the improvements they implement.

Communities, school districts, and the whole state will benefit from improving the educational system. Six Sigma will be key in improving teacher reviews using scientific and proven methods.

Perfection through "Six Sigma" in Education

Education is more than just a driving force for humanity. It is the mechanism prescribed by the stalwarts to build a future equally proficient and adept in aptitude. The role of the Six Sigma in education complies with this urgent need in the education sector for a change in this rapid demand for perfection. With the rampant use of variations in the education market one factor that stands out in its conceptualization and vision is the six sigma concept that had initially revolutionized the business sector. The education sector not only demands such a prompt technique which can harness the young minds from the very beginning to cut down on their mistakes but also to honing their skills to match those of the very best and furthermore belonging to that elite class of the very best. The customer, the student or the parents, are thus seeking a qualitative management of the resources that can build a potential for the student upon which a foundation can be developed upon.

The Six Sigma concept adheres to the technique of reducing the mistakes made by the students by creating study techniques as well as teaching techniques that enhances the proficiency of the students. With the advent of Six Sigma concept in education, the customer is not only satisfied by the improvement in the performance but rely heavily on the new techniques that are implemented to get those results. Quality is one of the basic parameters upon which the Six Sigma concept dwells on. The basic aspect of this concept is to improve on the mistakes generally made by the students, the process is to chart them together and bring about a technique through which these anomalies can be removed from the system, leading to a proficient set up for development. The teaching as well the whole approach thus dwells on the moderation of such a technique and to develop it through innovative case studies and comprehensive discussions into an aperture for increasing productivity in the students. Six Sigma concepts not only heralds a new beginning in the education system but creates a highly competitive atmosphere conducive of sharpening of the intellect and in the development of a highly productive state of being.

What is DFSS?

Motorola was facing a big problem in the mid-1980s. The cell phones the company was manufacturing at that time were of poor quality. Even the company's own vice-president of sales admitted this to be the truth. In 1986, Motorola invented a new quality management system called Six Sigma. This system aimed for near perfection by quantitatively calculating the degree to which a customer was not satisfied and tracing it back to product defects. By using statistical analysis and tools, Motorola improved their cell phones so much, the company won a national award in 1988.

Six Sigma's quantitative tools could be used to develop a product in new ways. The system allowed for the possibility of even designing or redesigning a product from scratch based upon Six Sigma analysis. This led to the development of an add-on to the basic Six Sigma methodology called Design For Six Sigma (DFSS). DFSS takes the Six Sigma philosophy to the next level.

The quantitative method used in Six Sigma is deceptively simple. Six Sigma is designed to eliminate product defects. A defect is defined as a product failing to meet customer requirements in some way. Defects occur within the context of opportunities. An opportunity is the total number of chances for a defect to occur during the production process. Motorola engineers defined the goal of Six Sigma to mean a product with less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. This represents an impressive level of quality.

DFSS takes this goal and considerably enlarges it. DFSS is designed to bring the same high quality level to the design and implementation stages of product development. The ultimate goal of DFSS is to achieve an optimum level of quality before the product is even brought to market. DFSS thus seeks to anticipate the requirements of the customer before they even know about the product.

DFSS is far more comprehensive and ambitious than Six Sigma. This is only to be expected. Six Sigma focuses on making quality improvements to products after they are made. DFSS focuses on anticipating every possible defect and takes steps to ensure that no errors occur during each stage of the design process. Despite the differences in emphasis, sometimes the line between Six Sigma and DFSS becomes blurred. It may become obvious over the course of applying Six Sigma that DFSS is needed to design a new additional product or service.

Getting Six Sigma Certified Online

Increasingly, employers are searching for employees who can identify weaknesses and eliminate them when creating products and services. Six Sigma Certification Online prepares employees to become masters of this process.

Six Sigma Certification is based on standard deviation. People who seek Six Sigma Certification online typically do so to enhance their expertise or salary level. Some companies require their employees to be Six Sigma Certified before they are eligible to advance within the company.

Some of the largest companies and corporations in the world use Six Sigma Certification Online, including UPS, Pfizer, BP, Microsoft, Bank of America, John Deere, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Canon.

There are different levels of Six Sigma Certification that can be completed at different times, including yellow belt, green belt and black belt certifications. There is currently no standard method for certification, it varies by company. Most accepted training courses, however, all encompass some for of testing and projects as the means of evaluation. Training involves both showing knowledge gained in a classroom setting on a written test and showing an ability to apply it in real world situations and projects.

Many organizations offer Six Sigma Certification online. This process involves training in process measurement, statistical analysis, team dynamics and similar topics using a software package that must be purchased from an online vendor.

After studying the materials, an exam is required. A list is provided telling Six Sigma Certification students what materials need to be mastered for the exam. A minimum score is required to pass the test and that minimum is told to test takers beforehand.

Six Sigma Certification also requires completion of projects. Some courses require only one completed project, others require up to three. Some of the projects can be completed by working with an employer or through an internship.

The projects must be completed with certain objectives in mind. Some require the main objective be cost savings, some require it to be a reduction in defects in products and others have different, more specific goals. A signed document from your project sponsor stating that goals were attained is sometimes required as well.

Once completed, materials must be submitted to the certifying body in the format they have requested. After submission and payment of fees, the certifying body reviews all materials and decides whether to issue Six Sigma Certification.

Many places offer Six Sigma Certification Online. The key is determining whether or not the online certification is reputable in the eyes of employers and has a track record of proven results. Most sites have a list of FAQs and a list of companies they've worked with as clients to help potential Six Sigma Certification candidates decide whether that is the best company for them to seek certification through.

Getting Your Business Flowing As It Should Be

Many business owners believe that they have hit a stumbling block in their business very simply because the economy is not good. Unfortunately those who feel this way probably won’t make it in business very simply because of this helpless type of attitude. It takes some drive to keep a business, any business, afloat and those who are willing to simply throw in the towel when times get tough probably don’t have what it takes to keep a business running.

In order to keep a business afloat there are many things that can be done. Just because a six sigma business is slowing down and the economy is more difficult then it has been in the past doesn’t mean that you can’t keep your business moving forward. You can actually use this as an opportunity to make the changes in your business during this time to propel it to a new level.

You can alter your marketing strategies to meet the times and find new ways to make your business more attractive to your target. There are also different ways to run your business that can make it leaner and this may mean reducing your selection of products to just those that sell best for you. Some companies have found that leaner times call for some serious revamping and they have used this as an opportunity to try out new management strategies and such to help redirect their business for the future.

Changes in business and in the economic climate of the world lead to adaptation and if you are not prepared to take the steps that you need to take then you should consider going to work for someone else. There are no guarantees in business and anyone who commits to a business needs to be prepared to keep it changing and growing even in the face of adversity whether that comes in the form of economic slowdowns or an aggressive competitor.

Six Sigma – Coaching Is Just As Important As Training

The purpose of Six Sigma is to not only train employees but to coach them to success using Six Sigma principles and strategies. Many companies begin with Six Sigma training and get everyone trained and then fail to follow up with the coaching necessary to bring the company to the potential success that it desires.

Coaching is one of the most essential parts of implementing the program company wide and following up with it to make sure that not only is it being used but that it is being used and explained in the way that it is truly designed to work. Many people pick up Six Sigma on the first try. From the initial moment they hear about it they are excited and truly understand how it works but for others it will take a little more time and coaching to get them in the right place with all this new information and that is why coaching is so important.

Six Sigma coaches get things off to a fast start because they are there holding the hands of the black and green belts through the training and help get their first projects off the ground. They also help support the teams you put in place to help them work together and to pinpoint and address any weak links that might exist as well as model Six Sigma leadership roles to help all adapt to the process.

Once you go through the time and expense of training your entire staff in Six Sigma it really just makes sense to hire a coach to oversee the transition and to make things operate more smoothly. Overall, getting the ball rolling more quickly will help you save time and money in the long run.

Selecting Six Sigma Trained Employees For Your Business

When you are hiring employees for a business that has already integrated and trained its employees in Six Sigma principles or in those of Lean Six Sigma, hiring on new employees can be challenging. You want to hire those people who are going to work well with their co-workers and you would also like to take on someone who is familiar with the Six Sigma way.

In this job market you should have a highly qualified pool of potential employees to choose from and one of the key things that you want to make sure you put on your application is a place to respond to if they are willing to participate in or are already trained in Six Sigma. Now it is important to realize that just choosing an employee based on the fact that they have had Six Sigma training is not always a good idea.

While you will prefer to have a person who is already trained in Six Sigma hiring the right employee is more important than that they already have their Six Sigma training. And even if you choose to hire someone who is familiar with the principles and concepts you will still probably want them to undergo the same training as other employees to help keep everyone on the same track.

Any employee who isn’t familiar with Six Sigma isn’t necessarily someone that you don’t want to hire but when you raise the issue of taking this type of informational program and using it to improve their value as an employee and the overall success of the business. Remember it is not just about hiring those employees that are already Six Sigma trained but hiring those who are willing to learn a better way of helping to manage your company. If they aren’t on board with this or seem less than enthusiastic about the program then don’t bother hiring them.