Lean Six Sigma Bursts
Episodes
E38: Confusion about Project Charters and Proposed Solutions
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Project charters for improvement projects do not have solutions listed. Instead, they should explain the problem, the management support for this proj...
E37: What is the Taguchi Loss Function?
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Developed by Genichi Taguchi, the Taguchi Loss Function is a graphical representation of how an increase in variation away from the target value (even...
E36: Two main types of kaizen or kaikaku events
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When describing the methodology of a kaizen or kaikaku event, I often break it up into two main types: Working session - traditional approach where ...
E35: What to do if management doesn't support Lean or Six Sigma?
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A common question I hear is "what if my company doesn't support process improvement?" I share 4 main approaches you can take to deal with this situati...
E34: Analyzing my COVID-19 vaccine experience
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I share my experience getting my first COVID-19 vaccine shot, and how I analyzed that process from a lean perspective. I found that there was only one...
E33: What is the history of PDCA vs PDSA?
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I was recently asked about the difference between PDCA and PDSA. I had heard some new information from another podcast, and dug into one of the refere...
E32: How Lean Events Accomplish More Than Process Improvement
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A recent Value Stream Mapping event was held virtually, and we received some positive feedback from the event attendees. I wanted to share some of the...
E31: Why a Structured Problem Solving Approach is Important
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Does your organization use a structured problem solving process, like DMAIC, 8D, or PDSA? If no, why not? I share my views on what challenges are crea...
E30: Using a Prioritization Matrix to Select the Best Projects
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you trying to decide how to select the best projects to work on, but have many stakeholders and customer needs to consider, and too many project i...
E29: How to decide on the right number of people for your lean event?
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I received a question today that I thought would be helpful to everyone: “Imagine you are getting ready to kick-off the value stream workshop and yo...
E28: Don't combine financial data together, separate into these 3 buckets
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When making improvements to a process, cost savings and avoidance is a common outcome that is estimated and reported. A common error is to combine the...
E27: Calculate cost of nonconformance to get management's attention for Lean
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most impactful quality initiatives I was involved with was the creation and deployment of the Cost of Nonconformance (CoNC) report. It was ...
E26: Common Data Types for your Process
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In process improvement, there is a strong focus of data. But in order to analyze data for an improvement project, you need to know what type of data y...
E25: Why do we need 30 data samples?
06 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I saw a recent question in a forum, asking about the origin of the sample size of 30 data points. I decided to read you the response I gave, and make ...
E24: Top 3 things to validate before removing test or inspection steps
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I share an article I wrote back in Dec 2013 about reducing or eliminating test or inspection steps using Six Sigma analysis methods of capability and ...
E23: What is the Lean Communicators network?
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I share an interview I did with Mark Graban about why I created this podcast. He included me in a new networking group called Lean Communicators. We a...
E22: Why calculating Median can be better than a Mean or Average
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most people calculate the average when summarizing data, but what about the median? The median is not as sensitive to outliers and skewed data, and ca...
E21: What is the Hawthorne Effect and does it explain temporary improvements?
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you see problems recur later after all the attention has gone away? That could be the Hawthorne Effect at work, which can create confusion on wheth...
E20: Why I like using the Ideal State Mapping approach
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When I facilitate mapping events, after completing the current state map and before we create the future state map, I like to first walk the team thro...
E19: Typical Ground Rules for Your Next Lean Kaizen Blitz or Kaikaku Event
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ground rules are an important element of running a successful process improvement event (called Kaizen Blitz or Kaikaku events). In this podcast, I sh...
E18: Does Jon Taffer of "Bar Rescue" Practice Lean?
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During some recent travel, my wife and I ended up watching multiple episodes of "Bar Rescue." I've watched the show for many years, so I re-watc...
E17: Writing a Book in Small Batches with LeanPub
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I discuss the Lean approach to writing a book, which is how I published my first 2.5 books. LeanPub.com allows you to write and publish your book for ...
E16: Unique Internal Lean Six Sigma Certification Program
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I discuss the internal Lean Six Sigma certification program I helped develop and implement at Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace), and why I thin...
E15: Lean and Six Sigma Improvement Project Ideas by Industry
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've struggled to decide what improvement project to work on at work or for a certification project, check out this list of project or event idea...
E14: How many wastes are there? And what are the 3 M's?
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I try to simplify some confusion about the 7 types of waste (or are there 14 types?), the 3 M's, and explain simpler ways to think about opportunities...
E13: Need to Implement Continuous Improvement for certification? Start with Lean!
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I finished writing an article about two sustainability certification programs that require continuous improvement, but don't give guidance on how to d...
E12: First SDCA before PDCA
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I had a call this week helping out with a Black Belt project, and I was reminded about the Standardize-Do-Check-Act model that should be implemented f...
E11: Two Questions from Episode 1 about Cost Savings
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I received two questions from Mark Graban about my first episode. He is a well-known Lean consultant with expertise in the healthcare industry, and ha...
E10: Explaining Lean and Six Sigma to Natural Problem Solvers
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
During Lean and Six Sigma classes, I meet a lot of people who are good problem solvers already, and they mention that the topics are similar to how th...
E9: Access historic PRODUCTIVITY newsletters from Norman Bodek (1980-1993)
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I share exciting news that we have digital access to Norman Bodek's past PRODUCTIVITY newsletters from 1980-1993. He lived in Vancouver, Washington (n...
E8: Safety, Quality, Delivery and Customer - How SQDC charts can drive daily management
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I discuss the simple visual management templates called SQDC (also called QDIP). These visuals help simplify the daily management for a process area, ...
E7: Applying Lean at Home - Contest with Prizes Ends Sept 30th
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I discuss the Lean at Home contest being run by Lean Portland. We are giving away $200 in prizes to those who submit an improvement project at home th...
E6: What are Pareto charts and why should you display them horizontally?
30 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I explain what Pareto charts are, and why they should be used more often than they are. I also summarize an older article I wrote about changing the w...
E5: What are hypothesis tests and why do we need them?
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I explain how and when hypothesis tests can be used, based on a recent article I wrote, which looked at the racial inequities brought up by football p...
E4: What is the DMAIC Improvement model?
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I created a video that accompanies this quick explanation of DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. DMAIC is the core ...
E3: What is the Influencer model and how it applies to wearing masks?
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I discuss the Influencer behavior change model, and how it applies to getting people to wear their masks to prevent the spread of COV...
E2: What is the difference between hard and soft financial savings?
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I answer a question I often receive about how to categorize financial cost savings from improvement, either hard or soft, and what is...
E1: Why are Six Sigma Black Belts paid so much?
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode, I answer a question I received about salaries for Six Sigma Black Belts, and why I think they make good money. Links BIZ-PI.c...
Lean Six Sigma Bursts (Trailer)
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas