Revamping Healthcare Using DMAIC And DFSS

Evidence pointing to the applicability of Six Sigma and related best practices within healthcare has been steadily mounting over the past few years. Primarily based on the implementation of the DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control), we’re seeing an ever-widening array of documented and publicized results… from improving turnaround time for patients to receive radiology exam reports, to reducing medication errors and infection rates …and even to literally changing the cultural fabric or DNA of an entire organization. But although interest and implementation are growing rapidly, current case studies represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of improving the system as a whole.

If you were to extrapolate the above-mentioned results and extend the DMAIC approach beyond those institutions currently pioneering the way, the impact would be measurable and impressive. It would not, however, represent a total solution and would not completely close the infamous quality chasm that continues to plague the industry. What’s missing? Is there another route we can take?

Profile of the DMAIC Approach in Healthcare

Once they’ve had a chance to see it in action, clinicians have generally embraced the DMAIC approach, since it builds on familiar concepts while adding a level of scientific rigor and sustainability lacking in other initiatives. As one practitioner put it, ‘being able to clearly Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control ANYTHING in the healthcare environment represents a big leap forward.’

DMAIC has been an effective method for improving any process that has measurable response variables, which in healthcare may be classified within four primary groups:

As a technical strategy for process and quality improvement (and particularly when coupled with strong change management tools like change acceleration process [CAP] and Work-out), the DMAIC approach has been successful in driving a wide range of sustainable results, including:

◈ Medical error reduction and patient safety improvement

◈ Cost management and revenue enhancement

◈ Improvements in patient, physician and employee satisfaction

◈ Increase in capacity and throughput

◈ Improvements in supply chain management

◈ Reduction in cycle time for radiology reports

◈ Reduction in patient waiting times in ED

◈ Identification of market growth opportunities

◈ Development of internal leadership capabilities

◈ Streamlining and optimizing technologies and related workflow

◈ Achieving compliance and meeting regulatory requirements

Figure 1: Formula for Effective Results

Aligning Six Sigma healthcare projects with the fundamental objectives of the organization is one of the keys to success, and all projects must show a clear business case in order to gain the required allocation of time and resources.

A common application of DMAIC is shown below, illustrating cycle time for reporting radiology results:

Figure 2: Capability Analysis

The DMAIC approach has worked quite well for healthcare processes that have both measurable response variables and causal factors that are primarily controllable. However, since healthcare involves human behavior and a great deal of interaction between people, processes and technology, we often face a situation where critical issues are being driven by uncontrollable factors and require intervention at the design level.

Designing Healthcare for Six Sigma Excellence

Progress applying Six Sigma in healthcare has been steady and significant. The next wave of change, however, will likely go beyond DMAIC to involve the creation of new processes not bound by investments in archaic technologies, outmoded policies and procedures and other encumbrances inherent in the system.

To achieve the level of change described in the Institute of Medicine’s report, Crossing the Quality Chasm, and break through the 5 sigma “wall” that Mikel Harry referred to in Six Sigma, The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s Top Corporations, healthcare organizations will need to do more than simply improve upon the current system. They will need to employ the DFSS or DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify) approach and build entirely new processes from the ground up. The design process gathers customer requirements and translates them into process specifications, then into system design requirements and finally into subsystem and process design requirements. As with DMAIC, DFSS involves a structured, five-phased approach and the application of rigorous statistical tools and techniques.

DFSS has been used by many industries for a myriad of purposes – to design new medical equipment, develop superior dishwashers, create better systems for customer relationship management and even to launch new businesses from concept to completion.

Since studies have shown that 80 percent of quality issues are linked to the design of a product or process, DFSS addresses this problem head-on and delivers long-term cost avoidance and customer satisfaction by ensuring the design clearly meets customer specifications and has been rigorously tested against possible defects.

Knowing When to Apply DMAIC or DFSS

As mentioned earlier, a typical DMAIC project will have measurable response variables, controllable factors and clear linkage with the overall business objectives. Some projects may obviously lend themselves to application of either DMAIC or DFSS. Sometimes, however, a Six Sigma team may be halfway through a DMAIC project only to discover that it should really be a DFSS project in order to meet the true objectives and satisfy customer requirements. At this point, the team will need to go back to the drawing board and take the project through each of the five phases of the DMADV process.

It’s important to consider the following questions in order to determine at the outset whether a particular project requires application of the DFSS approach:

◈ Is this a situation (perhaps involving new technology) where there is no existing process to build upon?

◈ For an existing process, to what extent does it meet customer expectations? Have DMAIC improvements been tried? With what measure of success?

◈ Does it require decreased variability alone or a radical shift in the mean?

◈ Does your organization have the flexibility to either continue or abandon legacy systems linked with this process?

◈ What new developments are planned that may affect the project? ( i.e., new clinical service line or facility renovation)

When an existing process is simply broken beyond repair or the “fix” is precluded by bureaucratic entanglement, DFSS may be a better path to follow. Healthcare organizations may also find it beneficial and refreshing to use DFSS as a chance to take ownership and design new systems that clearly meet customer expectations, instead of copying and perpetuating old processes.

One of the differences between DMAIC and DMADV can be found in the first two phases. The Define and Measure phases of a DMADV project may be summarized as a process of CTQ (critical to quality) flow-down. The Analyze phase can be summarized as a process of capability flow-up. In DMAIC, an understanding of causal factors on a specific process outcome is calculated mathematically, while in DMADV, a specific process may not even exist.

Figure 3: DFSS Process

When new processes, systems and structures are involved, the capability may be projected or forecasted using modeling. In healthcare, the models most relevant to a new service line are those involving capacity, patient queuing, provider resource allocation, and patient routing.

For a DMADV project around a new healthcare service line, the outcome of the Analyze phase will enable the team to:

1. Translate customer needs into specific service line features, service delivery system and service sub-system/process design specification

2. Match needs and requirements against a mathematical expression of existing or forecasted process capabilities

During the Design phase, an optimal design is selected and implemented based on merging the CTQ flow-down and the capability flow-up into one integrated design scorecard. Capability forecasting and analysis provides insight into how well design requirements will be met and the QFD (quality function deployment) translates this into customer satisfaction. The result is a formula for understanding customer impact associated with specific design alternatives and trade-offs.

Finally, in the Verify phase, the actual performance from a sub-system is measured against predicted performance by confirming customer satisfaction. Within manufacturing, this is done through component, sub-system, and system level testing. In healthcare, however, the opportunity to “test” segments of the service line may not exist. The key then becomes understanding the degree to which proper controls are operationalized to consistently yield predictable results.

During the Verify phase the team also has the opportunity to rethink existing systems and processes. If a hospital is planning to launch a new imaging center, for example, they may find that the existing patient registration process is not ideal for meeting customer expectations. Redesign of this process should prompt a customer-focused reevaluation of patient registration across the entire institution.

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ITIL vs DevOps

ITIL and DevOps are two differing paradigms for delivering, supporting, and maintaining IT services at the organization level. While each framework has its own methodologies, both have enjoyed widespread implementation throughout the worlds of information technology and software development. ITIL is the most popular service delivery framework, with over two million ITIL certifications issued, yet DevOps has emerged as a driving productive force in leading software companies like Spotify and Razorfish.

We wrote this article to help clarify the differences between DevOps and ITIL, to explain how and why they're different and how businesses could benefit from understanding and applying both paradigms to different problems. Keep reading to learn more about ITIL vs DevOps and how they could impact your organization.

ITIL - An Established Framework for IT Service Management

ITIL is a framework for IT service management whose goal is to align IT services with the needs of the business. ITIL is available as a set of core books, which outlines the 26 processes that comprise the system as a whole. The ITIL framework is based on a five-stage model of service development:

1. Service Strategy - Executive managers take guidance from ITIL when it comes to creating a service strategy that ensures the business can handle the costs and risks associated with a service. Best practices for service strategy include consideration of corporate governance, legislation, and business constraints.

2. Service Design - Service design is the stage where business requirements are translated into technical requirements for the service, a common architecture is decided on and used throughout the design process, and support requirements are assessed for when the service is implemented.

3. Service Transition - Service transition brings all of the assets needed to deliver a service together for integration and testing. There is a strong focus on quality—ensuring that the service will function correctly and deliver value to the organization.

4. Service Operation - Live services need to be supported and maintained through a service desk, a team that supports incident management and fulfills requests for users. This also includes application management and technical support teams that can respond decisively when a major IT incident affects the business.

5. Continual Service Improvement - The last stage of ITIL, continual service improvement is a reflective process that works with the other four stages to ensure that services are continually aligned with the needs of the business.

ITIL is a hugely beneficial set of best practices, especially because of its wide global adoption. It can be much easier to work together with other organizations if you already understand how their IT processes function, and organizations can even obtain an ISO certificate for successfully implementing ITIL.

DevOps - Collaboration, Communication, Cooperation

DevOps is more than just a framework for getting things done in the IT department, it's an agile and collaborative approach to IT service management that manifests itself in many different ways within the organizations that use it. Unlike ITIL, which places a lot of emphasis on the effective management of many discrete processes, DevOps harnesses the power of human communication and cooperation to make things happen.

Many DevOps practitioners are guided by the Agile Manifesto, the document that started the Agile revolution in application development: individuals and their interactions are valued over discrete processes and tools, performance is measured by responsiveness to change rather than adherence to a strict plan, and working software that delivers real value is seen as more critical than thorough documentation throughout the design and development process. Here are some other defining features of DevOps that you should be aware of:

Culture - The culture of DevOps is one of change and experimentation. In the DevOps paradigm, managers recruit talented team members, present them with the challenges and needs of the business, and allow them to experiment with different ways to solve them. Sometimes experiments fail, but workers are engaged and fully leveraged in solving business problems.

Automation - To support innovation within IT, DevOps teams invest time to automate tasks that are repetitive and cumbersome. This frees up more time for creativity in production and helps the business run more smoothly. Instead of conducting repetitive, manual testing of new code, DevOps advocates the use of automated build, deployment and testing scripts to foster a continuous delivery model.

Lean - DevOps teams use Lean methodology throughout their work, focusing on small updates and continuously adding value for the customer.

Measurement - Tracking KPIs and continuously improving performance is important for any DevOps team.

Sharing & Communication - DevOps teams have identified one of the main weaknesses of ITIL: knowledge silos. If just one person or a small team is responsible for implementing an entire process, it can create problems that affect the whole organization. The absence of just a few key employees could seriously cripple the organization's ability to complete a certain process or respond to a specific type of problem. A lack of visibility between teams and departments means that knowledge in the organization is all fragmented. Organizations that use DevOps actively avoid this by separating workers into service delivery teams—not process teams—and effectively collaborate and share information.

Can ITIL and DevOps Be Used Together?

DevOps is a relatively new paradigm for managing service delivery in IT, so it's natural that organizations entrenched in ITIL will be asking "Can I integrate DevOps practices into my business without disrupting my existing ITIL system?" These short descriptions offered above are enough to see that the goals of each system are similar. Continuous improvement is an important aspect of both ITIL and DevOps, as are communication and effectively aligning service offerings with business needs.

Much of the perceived friction between ITIL and DevOps is a result of each side misunderstanding how the other functions and what they can offer to a unified approach to ITSM. DevOps practitioners may see ITIL as too process-oriented and not allowing enough room for innovation, while executive managers that have trained in ITIL see DevOps as too cavalier or lacking adequate oversight.

In reality, aspects of both paradigms are incorporated by leading IT service management organizations. ITIL, after all, is a collection of best practices, not meant as an all or nothing proposition and can be adapted to include some of the most beneficial aspects of DevOps. ITIL's service design process already advocates for iterative and incremental design, and the implementation of service automation, both of which form integral aspects of the DevOps paradigm.

Many ITSM managers continually examine at how they are carrying out processes like Service Design and assess how they could benefit from aspects of DevOps. One of the main strengths of DevOps is that it allows employees more freedom in how they solve problems, meaning that organizations can more fully leverage their human capital.

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Project Management Timeline: Ordering All Phases

When planning a project timeline, no matter how large or complicated the project is, there are five distinctive phases any project manager should follow, no matter the methodology used. Each stage provides a clear and visible outline of the project at any time during the process.

What are project phases/stages?

Stages help project managers to break a project down into bite-sized pieces that are more easily organised, monitored and managed to a successful completion. Known as the project management lifecycle, each stage builds the roadmap for the project. The five phases are:

1. Conception and Initiation
2. Definition and Planning
3. Launch and Execution
4. Performance and Control
5. Project Close

Let’s look at each stage in more detail.

1. Conception and Initiation

Once the project idea or purpose is decided, the first stage is to map out the concept. Usually, some research is required and this can involve consultation with colleagues and shareholders. Two key questions that need to be asked are: is it feasible and is it of value?

Other aspects to consider at this stage are the cost and project timeline, as well as the impact of the end result. From here, the initial concept goes forward to the decision-making team, who will decide if the project is worthwhile and can be continued.

2. Definition and Planning

The second stage is defining and planning the project, from mapping out the scope to developing a schedule and working out the cost, which includes deciding on the resources needed and budget calculation. As with any stage of a project, changes may occur, so remember to build in contingency plans to allow for delays.

There are two methods of planning and setting goals for projects that are popular with project managers – SMART and CLEAR. The SMART acronym stands for:

◈ Specific – the who, what, where, when, which and why in goal setting.

◈ Measurable – measuring progress towards a goal’s success.

◈ Attainable – how the goals will be achieved.

◈ Realistic – that all team members are working together to achieve the goals.

◈ Timely – a feasible timeline in which goals can be reached.

The CLEAR acronym, which has become popular in the last few years and adds another dimension to the second stage, stands for:

◈ Collaborative – ensuring the team is happy and willing to work together.

◈ Limited – ensuring the scope of the goals is limited so that they are manageable.

◈ Emotional – forming an emotional connection to the goals by linking with team members’ passions.

◈ Appreciable – large tasks and activities are broken down in to smaller pieces so that they are achievable.

◈ Refinable – flexible, adaptable goals that can be fine-tuned in line with changes.

3. Launch and Execution

The third stage, once the project’s scope has been agreed, is where the actual physical work of the project starts. Teams meet to learn the project’s timelines and their responsibilities. Tasks are assigned, resources are distributed and other information related to the project is imparted. The project manager ensures that every team member knows what they need to do, and by when.

Most project managers at this stage establish a way of monitoring a project’s progress and communicating with team members regularly, such as project management software that helps a project run smoothly.

4. Performance and Control

This stage runs the entire length of the project and is a crucial part of a project’s success. Regular communication with team members is a must. This allows the project manager to monitor, measure and manage progress, and to iron out any issues that may arise.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) can be used to assess progress. There are generally four KPI aspects that are followed:

1. Project objectives
2. Quality deliverables
3. Effort and cost tracking
4. Project performance

They can help identify areas where deadlines may have been missed, resources weren’t available on time or when a situation needs to be resolved.

5. Project Close

The final project management stage is completing the project, with the handover to the owner. At this point, the client will, hopefully, approve and accept the project. The project manager can analyse the project scope. That includes the quality of the work, whether it was completed on time and any internal or external problems.

Contracts with suppliers are terminated and a final budget and project report is produced. All relevant documentation is collated and filed, and the project team is rewarded.

Developing and managing a project based around these five stages gives every project manager the greatest opportunity to bring a project to its successful completion.

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Best 10 Steps to Become a Certified Project Manager

Are you an actual leader who knows how to motivate others, communicate your ideas and create projects to make those plans come to life? Then a becoming project manager may be the right career path for you. Discover what type of world you’d be in if you decide to be a project manager with the information provided in this guide.

What Is the Purpose of a Having a Project Manager in a Company?

From construction to finance, project managers are required in many types of companies. A project manager is accountable for keeping projects organized in the company. A project manager is also responsible for delegating roles and tasks to other members on a project along with watching over a project to ensure it progresses smoothly.

What Personality Traits and Skills Are Needed to Be a Successful Project Manager?

To be a project manager, a significant skill to have is that of the organization. A project manager must have different organizational strategies that can be employed for numerous projects. If you are considering becoming a project manager, you should have a knack for organization and planning as these are essential skills to have for a project management career.

Communication is also a remarkable ability to have as a project manager. As project managers are competent in providing details of a project to other team members, being an excellent communicator is a fundamental trait for a project manager.

Other personality traits and skills a project manager should have included:

◈ Time and task management
◈ Leadership
◈ Ability to interact with others comfortably
◈ Having the capability to perform all roles associated with the project to take over if needed to ensure project continuity
◈ Being able to work under pressure
◈ Being able to manage at least some individuals participating in a project

What Are Examples of a Project Manager’s Duties?

In simple words, a project manager is in charge of a project’s success. Essential responsibilities for a project manager include:

◈ Planning projects and executing them
◈ Managing teams and removing any difficulties the teams face
◈ Assisting with gathering resources for the project
◈ Ensuring that all delegated assignments and projects are being completed and progressing well
◈ Creating a reasonable budget for each project

Depending on which type of project manager you decide to be, tasks can vary for each project manager. For example, an IT project manager may be responsible for providing technical assistance to clients or consulting with them on other product-related matters.

How to Become a Certified Project Manager?

Planning for the certification of Project Management Professional can be challenging. A management or senior-level professional such as Senior IT Manager, Project Head, Senior or Junior Project Manager, Team Leads across all the industries can be recognized for the certification of Project Management.

To become a certified project manager and make a change to the current roles entirely, one will need to follow below suggested ten steps:

1. Assure Your Eligibility to Take the Certification Exam:

First of all, you should make sure that you are eligible to take the Project Management Professional certification (PMP) examination. There is a straightforward procedure to find it. Below is the criterion that must be satisfied by the candidate to be eligible for the certification exam:

If you are a Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) holder, then you must have experience of 4500 hours of project management. If you are the Secondary degree holder or high school diploma or associate’s degree holder, then you must have experience of 7500 hours of project management. You must have finished 35 hours of Project Management Education from any Registered Education Provider (REP) of PMI.

It is must for both secondary degree holder and bachelor’s degree holder. Also, you have to get 60 Professional Development Units (PDU) every three years for the preservation of your project management professional certification. It is obliged to upload the PDUs details on PMI website to become qualified for the PMP certification. Learn how to upload PDUs on PMI website.

2. Become a Member of Project Management Institute (PMI):

After you have successfully met the criteria needed to take the exam, become a member of PMI. Although it is not necessary, it is still recommended. By becoming a member of PMI, you will get the advantage while paying the examination fees. Also, you will get the free Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge-6th Edition (PMBOK Guide-6th Edition). Although there is a membership fee, you will get concessions that are more than this membership fee.

3. Sign up for the Exam:

Fill in the Form and Pay the Examination Fee. Register yourself for the PMP exam at the PMI website. Fill the online application form to take the examination and submit it. The application form you have sent will be processed within five business days. Pay the exam fee which is US$405 for PMI members and US$555 for PMI non-members.

4. Schedule the Exam:

You can schedule your exam after getting the PMI eligibility ID. You have to select a proper date and time within three months of the registration such that you get required study time. Also, choose a location for the exam as per your convenience.

5. Prepare with PMBOK Guide-6th Edition:

To pass the PMP exam, you have to do lots of studies. PMP exams are not so easy like other exams. You must read PMBOK guide-6th Edition, and also, you should include other books that are related to the exam syllabus. You should try practice test papers so that you can prove yourself to the variety of PMP questions asked in the exam. Also, you can check out training and webinars available online. A lot of self-study material is available online, go through that. As we know, preparation of any examination requires lots of hard work, efforts, and time. So, prepare well for the exam.

6. Get Informal Project Management Experience:

You don’t become a project manager by starting up a project management stand or offering to manage projects by Advertised. You become a project manager by managing projects. And you can see projects all over the place. Projects occur every day in the wild, so do what you enjoy and be ready to use your organizational and leadership skills when the situation presents itself.

7. Improve Your People Skills:

Projects are made up of people, so project managers must put as much effort into understanding, coaching, and broadcasting with their people as they spend on the technical side of things.

8. Learn How to Use the Devices of the Project Management Trade:

Soft skills can get you pretty far, and may even be enough to land your first bonafide project manager position, but, eventually, you’re going to need to show off some technical skills. If that sounds difficult, fear not. Project management software is designed to assist project managers and their teams with things like collaboration, budgeting, scheduling, and more. Some of the most popular tools available include Microsoft Project, Atlassian, and Basecamp, to name a few.

Learning how to use new software may sound daunting, but this is 2018, and most good project management software is user-friendly and incorporates plenty of assistance. There are also many of online resources available.

9. Appear for the Exam:

When you are thoroughly prepared for your exam with your hard work, taking the exam seems very easy. Later you have finished the exam; you have to do a survey. Then you will get to know regarding the exam results. There is no passing number or percentage for the PMP certification. Instead, there is a grading system. There are three grades – Proficient, Moderate Proficient, and Below Proficient. The candidate with the result as proficient and moderate proficient is supposed to pass, while one with the below proficient grade is considered fail.

10. You are a Certified Project Manager:

If you have happily cleared your exam, you can verify your name on PMI certification registry within 24 hours. You will get your certificate in your mail within a month. As soon as you clear the exam, you will get the PMP certification with your name, and now you are a certified project manager. The importance of a project management certification is a hot subject of discussion in the project management community, but there is a near agreement that it can’t harm your career.

The Project Management Professional certification is the most successful and widely-recognized project management certification. The PMP certification is for working project managers who already have lots of experience, but there are other choices out there for those with less experience. For example, the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).

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10 Reasons to Get ITIL Certification

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is one of the most widely-accepted foundation frameworks in IT Service Management (ITSM). It is a set of industry best practices used by businesses to effectively manage their IT services in line with their organizational business strategies. ITIL acts as a governing agent for IT, and uses the ITIL Service Lifecycle to map the entire journey from customer needs and requirements all the way through continual improvement of services.

Many well-established organizations Microsoft, IBM, Disney, NASA, Cisco and more have utilized the benefits of successful implementation of ITIL in their IT service management and have reported great success.

According to a Gartner report, “… (on implementing ITIL) clients have identified improved customer satisfaction with IT services, better communications and information flows between IT staff and customers, and reduced costs in developing procedures and practices within an enterprise”.

Another Forrester survey revealed that more than 80% of businesses believed that ITIL had added value to their organizational productivity and quality of service.

There are five levels of qualifications within the ITIL Certification Path, as mentioned below:

ITIL Foundation

ITIL Intermediate – Service Lifecycle stream and Service Capability stream

ITIL Managing Across the Life Cycle

ITIL Expert Level

ITIL Master

Here are 10 reasons for professionals to get ITIL certification:

1. Higher Pay Opportunities

An ITIL certification can really put you in a higher pay category and help you boost your resume. An ITIL-skilled professional is not only an asset to the business, but capable of receiving lucrative pay scales in the market. Technopedia has listed ITIL certification as one of the top 5 highest paying IT certifications out there.

2. A Valuable Skillset

The ITIL framework has proved successful and effective, and gaining knowledge in the framework makes professionals achieves goals faster and in a more cost-effective way. Since certified ITIL personnel are expected to have the skills to better manage and implement ITIL best practices across most IT infrastructures, they are seen as a strong asset to the organizations.

3. Ability to Speak ITSM’s Common Language

A certified ITIL professional will have the knowledge of the right terms, phrases, methods of conveying information with other IT tech professionals in a native lingo common to all certified professionals in the industry. This common vocabulary for ITSM ensures no lapses due to miscommunication.

4. Stand Out Among the Ordinary

ITIL certifications separate your resume among millions of other candidates in a job hiring scenario. Also, you will be more confident in your abilities and expertise. The employers too will also choose to invest in you looking at your demonstrated skills and knowledge of industry best practices.

5. Jack of Many Trades

If definitely not all, which is practically impossible, you will become a jack of many trades. By working with such a broad, complex framework like ITIL, you will get a chance to wear many hats during the course and prove your skills and knowledge at each level. Your certification can work like a springboard to better ITSM roles as well.

6. Better ROI

Skilled ITIL professionals help organizations establish robust processes that can fine tune your company’s IT operations to provide maximum value and lower costs. From the employer’s perspective, something with ITIL training and skills can provide value right away and bring efficiency to the IT processes.

7. Enhance Customer Relationships

ITIL regulations are designed to support service providers to deliver service persistently on Service Level Agreements (SLAs). With ITIL certified professionals, organizations can significantly reduce the interruption time of service and provide faster service to its customers, thereby building a positive reputation in the industry.

8. ITIL is Virtually Everywhere

Organizations all over the globe have adopted the ITIL framework, which opens plenty of room for job growth and opportunities to work anywhere globally across any industry.

9. Knowledge of ITIL Best Practices

Self-taught professionals learn by going through trial and error process over time to find the best way of doing something. However, certified ITIL professionals get to learn and train themselves in industry best practices during the certification training. Thus, when hired, they tend to prove their abilities with faster and better results, proving their value to the organization.

10. Better Career Growth & Job Opportunities

By acquiring ITIL certification, you can kick-start your journey with more chances of promotion to higher tier roles and positions. The ‘certified’ tag with your name indicates to a potential employer that you have taken the time to validate a level of knowledge about ITIL and IT service management (ITSM). This certification will often give you more options in terms of job roles within the organization.  

With assured benefits of ITIL for any organization, the demand of certified ITIL professionals is growing like never before. Employers are seeking professionals with ITIL certification to manage their ITIL framework. Certified ITIL professionals have a greater edge over their competitors in the company and market. Clearly, this is the right time to get training in ITIL Foundation for phenomenal career growth and standing out from the crowd.

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Six Sigma for Software - A Role Based System

Because the application of the Six Sigma methodology is relatively new to Software and IT, many of the readers of this web site may be unclear as to the methods of deploying Six Sigma into an organization successfully. From participation in the discussions section at iSixSigma Software, it is clear that some confusion exists about the effective use and positioning of Six Sigma in a Software organization or function. This article is intended to help the reader better understand the early attributes of how Six Sigma is typically and successfully deployed inside a Software organization. It will be part of a continuing series exploring concepts and options of Six Sigma deployment designs and best practices in Software Organizations.

The Investigation and Commitment Phase

In many cases interest in Six Sigma starts as a minor point of curiosity. A few individuals either read an article or attend a conference and become interested in the significance of the results or the importance of the Company discussing those results.

Success in Six Sigma is almost always expressed in financial terms. Because of the recent economic conditions in the software industry, any significant cost saving metric is almost certain to cause an immediate and “eye-catching” phenomenon amongst most managers and executives. Frustrated by the lack of progress and efficiency, despite significant spending on tools, training and processes, management is always on the hunt for a new fix or an answer to their concerns. This in itself is part of the problem. What is needed, and what Six Sigma brings, is a systematic approach to prevention not another isolated ad-hoc fix.

Software is still lagging in terms of efficiency, quality, cost and customer satisfaction. However, uneducated decisions by these very managers may have been the cause the problem in software to begin with. Another uneducated decision about how to implement Six Sigma will only compound the problem. In response to this we need to be diligent in how we educate interested managers and executives relative to the truths and myths of Six Sigma.

As many of the readers now know Six Sigma is NOT a quick fix, a single tool, purely statistical or a new fad. It has been around for 15 years and has evolved as an integrated part of a practicing companies management system. It does not replace other initiatives or technology. We do not apply Six Sigma to everything. It is however a powerful methodology to bring a rational, common sense approach to improving cost, efficiency, quality and cycle time, based on analyzing and improving the processes that produce the work product. To maximize the long-term impact of a Six Sigma deployment on an organizations performance, the decision makers must learn early and often that their role in Six Sigma implementation must be active as opposed to passive. They are the key to selecting the resources that will lead Six Sigma projects and must drive the process of aligning and prioritizing when, where and how Six Sigma projects will be implemented.

For these reasons, successful Six Sigma deployment plans usually start with a series of Executive Sessions to orient the Executive team and plan the deployment. This is extremely important in Software because there are many traditional practices in software project management, which compromise the proper investment in up-front planning without considering downstream consequences. This is not done intentionally. It is simply the state of an industry trying to speed up progress. Sometimes we need to slow down to speed up. One example of this is software project estimation and resource loading. This problem is usually characterized by the lack of a process to understand accepted resource loading models for varying sizes of software projects (which are based on widely available and accurate data). This generally leads to poor estimation and improper resource loading creating downstream software bugs and the added (and unbudgeted) costs to fix them. Through the combination of specific estimating models and Six Sigma statistical tools we are able to make better decisions about resource loading, improve the accuracy of estimations, reduce overall cycle time and reduce lifecycle cost. (There have been several good articles and discussions on this web site that speak to the details of this topic.) The point of all this is that these are all management issues. Until management understands and acknowledges these issues it is very unlikely they will be addressed. Six Sigma finally provides a proven roadmap and methodology to drive a change in this system. And a key to that system is the specific roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the Executives, the Management Team and the individual contributors.

Six Sigma – A Role Based System

Six Sigma is many things to many people. But one of the key attributes that help to make it successful in today’s stretched organizations is its role-based nature. In Six Sigma we have defined clear roles for various parts and layers of the organization. These roles have provocative names including Executive Champion, Deployment Champion, Champion, Black Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt and so on. These are more than fancy names to get attention. They are specific roles for the various layers of the organization with defined responsibilities, time allocations and accountability. Without the accountability and full engagement of each person, the system will not function as intended. This is not unique to Six Sigma. It is true of any major organizational initiative. Therefore, organizations that have historically had successful deployments of other large initiatives may be able to apply lessons learned to the implementation of Six Sigma. These characteristics would include discipline around items such as Communications, Project Metrics, Resource Allocation, Budgeting, Project Review, Reward and Recognition.

Figure 1: Six Sigma Organizational Layers

Champion Role

Six Sigma organizational roles related to typical organizational layers are depicted in figure 1 above. At the top of the organizational pyramid are the Senior Executives and / or top managers. They usually assume a champion role of some kind. Generally champions do not spend additional incremental time on Six Sigma (other than some up front training and planning). They instead, learn how to reallocate current time from reactive problem solving to aligning critical business issues to metrics and then achieving permanent solutions to those issues by assigning and supporting the right resource (Black Belts/Green Belts), equipped with the right tools (Six Sigma Methodology) and giving them the time and support to accomplish that objective. While this may sound like common sense, research data indicates that most Managers spend between 50% and 70% of their time reacting to problems. So much so that, for many, this is simply viewed as the job at hand. In fact Managers in “best in class” organizations spend more time planning, prioritizing, aligning resources and defining problems than their counterparts in highly reactive organizations.

In a previous iSixSigma article Six Sigma…More Than a New Tool we discussed the need for a more systematic approach to improvement in Software as opposed to the current ad-hoc approaches and “programs of the month” which have not yielded the advertised results. The deployment of Six Sigma is very much a “back to basics” approach. And, it starts with Management. Without an active management role, with consequences attached, long-term behavior will never change. In practical terms this means that Six Sigma Champions must initiate a process to keep the Six Sigma system filled with projects and people. It is the Champions role to define, prioritize and scope Six Sigma projects and determine what resources will be assigned to them. It is also their role to keep those project clusters aligned with critical business issues. As the system ramps up, the Champion must maintain an ongoing role to review project status, results and issues as well as removing barriers to problem solution implementation. If this is done properly and pervasively it has been demonstrated to break the chain of firefighting behavior and replace it with data based, prioritized and preventative culture.

The Black Belt Role

The second Layer of a Six Sigma deployment usually involves middle management and the organizations professionals. Examples of job titles considered for Black Belt Positions in a software environment include (but are not limited to) Software Engineer, Product/Process Improvement Specialist, Project / Program Managers and Software Quality Specialists/Engineers. Because Black Belts are a full time resource an organization must carefully consider and have a system for, choosing, compensating and creating a succession plan for Black Belts. These should be considered prestigious assignments reserved for an organization’s fast track high potential employees. As a rule of thumb, if a person is “available” they are probably not the right person for the job. Why, because this position is going to be responsible for solving the organizations most important and challenging problems. The people you want for this job are probably some of the busiest and most important people in your organization. But, because they lack tools, priorities, and time they are spending most of their time firefighting. This creates a high level of frustration and lack of a sense of accomplishment.

This high-pressure environment contributes to another industry issue, lack of employee loyalty and high employee turnover rates. The decision to commit a person to a Black Belt role on a full time basis is probably the most difficult role commitment of all in adopting Six Sigma. But at some point, if an organization wants to break the chain of reactive behavior, disappointing results and poor quality (leading to excessive costs) it must do something dramatic. That is why, to many, Six Sigma is known as the “Breakthrough Methodology”. It facilitates a breakthrough in the management system of our people, processes and results. These individuals will be assigned high priority projects to complete during their training. Completion of these projects generally yield a cost savings and/or avoidance between US$100, 000 – US$1,000,000. Typical Black Belts will complete between four (4) and six (6) Six Sigma projects per year after completion of their training. It is typically a 2-year assignment at which time they should be moved into the next logical job on their career paths. In most Six Sigma organizations a range of about 0.5% -2% of total employee headcount are Black Belts, depending on their level of commitment, business needs (cost savings targets) and size of the organization.

The Green Belt/Yellow Belt Role

Six Sigma is not simply a group of elite individuals solving all of the organizations problems. Black Belts do lead and facilitate teams through the use of the methodology and ultimately will get the input of a team (usually comprised of product and process owners and individual contributors) in the definition, prioritization and implementation of problem solutions. What we have established as reactive behavior extends throughout all organizational layers. So, what is the role of those who are not full time Black Belts? Two roles have been established in the Six Sigma system. Green Belts and Yellow Belts.

Green Belts are in many ways similar to Black Belts with one important difference. They are not a full time Six Sigma resource. In Software, Green Belts usually hold positions such as Software Project Managers, Software Designers, IT Support Positions, Software Engineering Positions, etc. These are people who by the nature of their jobs must solve problems on a daily basis. However, prior to Six Sigma implementation their problem solving is likely done in an ad-hoc manner with a limited tool set. Their training in the Six Sigma Methodology gives them a practical and proven method and set of tools to apply to their daily problem solving activity. They may require help or mentoring from a Black Belt but usually, after completion of training, they apply the Six Sigma methodology to problems that they encounter in their regular work. In some cases Green Belts may move on to become Black Belts but only in the case where there is an organizational need and the candidate meets the organizations requirements for the position. Occasionally a Green Belt may be recruited to be a member of a Black Belts larger scale cross-functional project team. Typical Green Belt projects yield cost savings/avoidance in the range of US$25,000 to US$100,000 and are completed in 2 to 6 Months.

Yellow Belts are an important part of the Six Sigma infrastructure. In the early days of Six Sigma implementation, Black Belts found themselves spending a lot of their time teaching needed project team members the basic language and roles of Six Sigma. Items taught included the roadmaps (DMAIC/DMADV), basic data collection and display, Pareto Principles, Mapping, etc. When these early Black Belts were debriefed to learn what would make the process more efficient, most said that some basic level of training for team members prior to working on a Six Sigma project, would enable them to focus more fully on the project as opposed to training. This speeds up project cycle time and allows for a more efficient use of resources. Yellow Belts usually are from a wide range of the organization that either need a basic understanding of Six Sigma, (including members of Management and Champions) or are slated to be a team member on a Six Sigma project. One ancillary benefit of this type of training is that the Six Sigma methodology, metrics, language and approach are driven deeply into the organization and culture. In organizations where this has occurred Six Sigma yields the highest results.

Deployment Roadmap

The following illustration depicts a typical Six Sigma deployment roadmap. It is important to note the order in which training occurs so that each layer of the organization is trained, prepared and is practicing their specific roles in a timed sequence designed to maximize results and eliminate risk of failure.

Figure 2: Typical Deployment Wave

This deployment example will yield 10-20 Black Belts and 10-20 Green Belts all of whom will complete a project during the training sequence. In addition, 20-30 Yellow Belts will be trained in the foundations materials to support the projects as needed. This deployment would be typical for a small organization with 1000 employees or would be a good Phase 1 model for a larger deployment where multiple training waves would be required. During the training phase a typical cost savings / avoidance of between $1.25 Million and $6 Million (depending on the number of students, usually 10-20, and the ranges of savings mentioned earlier in the article) would be realized. Once all candidates are certified and the complete system is institutionalized, annualized cost savings/avoidance from this size of deployment would be between $4.5 Million and $20 Million per year, again based on the number of Black Belt and Green Belt candidates and the per project savings thresholds achieved.

Reaction to these types of numbers is often skeptical but the savings ranges are based on a long history of thousands of projects and hundreds of companies. The early adopters in software have already validated that these ranges are in fact available and achievable. Six Sigma for Software and IT is now starting to gain momentum and with the current expansion of companies moving towards Six Sigma in this environment the number of success stories and the availability of case studies will further substantiate this model and it’s associated savings figures. Through this forum we will continue to bring that information forward and invite others to share their successes, idea’s questions and builds.

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How to Revive Your Lean Six Sigma Deployment

The Six Sigma world is filled with stories reiterating the importance of leadership focus when implementing Lean Six Sigma. However, the continuous improvement landscape is also littered with examples of Lean Six Sigma programs that were implemented in full force to start with and then were slowly abandoned after they had spread to other departments within the organization.

I have experienced this phenomenon first-hand. In this article, I want to share with you the path that one organization traversed and point out some of the interesting learning experiences. The causes of the organization’s problems with implementation momentum, and the possible solutions discussed here, may prove themselves to be vital reviving factors for other practitioners as well.

Situational Analysis

This organization was into the fifth year of its Lean Six Sigma implementation and had achieved all of its basic goals: 80 percent of the workforce was Green Belt-certified, 5 percent of the workforce was Black Belt-certified and current process metrics were in control.

At this stage, the program had reached a plateau: Employees were not interested in executing more projects. Employees didn’t see any personal or professional benefits, so it was hard to motivate them. The process metrics were not triggering any new thoughts. Corporate leadership were still nominally supportive of the program, but even with all of their collective knowledge of Six Sigma, they were numb about the program and didn’t want to pull any levers. The program required some innovation, but members of the leadership team were not willing to rely on their own intuition.

Rather than allowing the program to continue sinking, the leadership decided to seek help to save the ship. I began working with the company to address these issues. The first step was to conduct a root-cause analysis. The brainstorming session from this effort brought up the following significant causes for the decline of the program from two differing perspectives:

From a leadership perspective:

◈ Associates are not motivated to execute Lean Six Sigma projects
◈ Associates resist the program and its initiatives
◈ Associates didn’t see any benefits of using Lean Six Sigma

From the associates’ perspective:

◈ What is the benefit of executing a Lean Six Sigma project?
◈ What is the career path for me under this deployment?
◈ There are not enough opportunities
◈ Lean Six Sigma is too complex

All of these causes initially seemed to point toward the associates and their related motivational factors. We followed up this effort with an undesirable effect diagram (UDE), as seen in Figure 1. The diagram, when completed in conjunction with leadership, provided an altogether different picture.

Figure 1: Undesirable Effect Diagram

After analyzing the flow of undesirable effects in the UDE diagram, leadership learned the following lessons about how its own attitude about Lean Six Sigma affected the program in a negative manner:

1. Even though most of the causes for the decline seemed to be lack of enthusiasm from associates (and thus out of the immediate control area), the root cause generally lay with leadership (and is controllable).
2. A Lean Six Sigma program, once implemented, cannot be left to itself. We continuously need to feed the plant, and associates also need continuous motivation.

Action Plan

The next step was to develop an action plan, listing critical tasks and realistic timelines that were required to address this situation. The first of the critical tasks were:

◈ Agreement that action must be taken by leadership
◈ Make sure that associates are aware about the importance of the Lean Six Sigma program
◈ Establishment of a rewards and recognition program for associates
◈ A marketing plan for the Lean Six Sigma program and its initiatives

With agreement from leadership, we established that the real benefits of Lean Six Sigma come from:

1. The implementation of tools and framework on strategic, business oriented projects. In this case, implementation justifies itself and results in quantifiable critical business benefits.
2. The implementation of Lean Six Sigma concepts into daily work life. In this case, the results are small, and a lot of small changes accumulate into huge benefit.

Thus, the critical success factor of any Lean Six Sigma program is not only the execution of large, business-oriented projects, but also is the execution of hundreds, or thousands, of smaller improvements. Even though the change enabler always must come from top leadership, the motivation for the changes can sometimes come from elsewhere in the organization. For large projects, the top leadership must ensure that projects meet strategic planning and policy goals. For the incremental changes, the associates – the bottom part of the organizational pyramid – can be the driving force.

As the UDE was being created, it was not difficult to get leadership involved actively. In fact, the leadership team took it upon themselves to revitalize the Lean Six Sigma program at the top level. A task force – a change execution team, with part-time team members – also was established to revitalize the program at the grassroots level. (The vision of this task force was “Lean Six Sigma in Daily Life,” [i.e., everyone should be able to implement a Lean Six Sigma tool/concept during daily life, at any appropriate point].)

Timeline for Action

At this point, a GRPI model (goals, roles, process(es), interpersonal) was performed to develop the change execution team. The task force was divided into sub-teams to attack individual areas. The team members were trained on Six Sigma, statistics and communication. These members were going to be the critical mass to initiate a chain-reaction, which would ultimately result in achievement of the mission.

From the GRPI, the team created a timeline for the action items. The following immediate, short-term goals were established.

In 0 to 4 Months:

◈ Make all new associates aware of Lean Six Sigma program within one month.
◈ Conceptualize and establish rewards and recognition within one month.
◈ Train 20 percent (non-certified) of the associates on Lean Six Sigma concepts (a rigorous two to three days of training) within three months.
◈ Establish regular awareness and training sessions by the end of four months.
◈ Recruit more members to the task force so that its size doubles by the end of four months.

In 4 to 8 Months:

After the four-month point, the organization had started seeing improvements. Associates were more aware about Lean Six Sigma. The queries about the program were more numerous and higher in quality. The situation was just right for the next set of improvements.

As the taskforce had, indeed, doubled as planned, it was also time to listen again for input from all the new members and to look for fresh and innovative ideas. A “7-How” brainstorming session was conducted with entire task force, the results of which can be seen in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Results of 7-How Brainstorming Session

The 7-How session helped the team identify some critical knowledge gaps. For instance, leadership realized that for each associate to fully embrace Lean Six Sigma, the associates need to 1) feel motivated to use the methodology, 2) accept the methodology as a way of improving the business and 3) realize the opportunities for improvement projects in their organization. . We identified the improvements required for our program and set up the following goals for the four- to eight-month period.

◈ Conceptualize and establish a program to build a Green Belt mentorship pool (at least 5 percent of our strength) by the seventh month. (Only certified Green Belt mentors would be allowed to mentor upcoming projects.)
◈ Conduct opportunity identification and brainstorming sessions for all the project teams by the seventh month.
◈ Conduct monthly on-the-floor promotional events to share best practices, discuss success stories and motivate associates.

One of the lessons we learned after implementing the mentoring program was that executing a Black Belt project is quite different than mentoring an associate. Mentorship is a skill, which needs to be developed explicitly. The Green Belt mentorship training was more focused on developing the mentorship skills than developing Six Sigma skills.

In 8 to 12 Months:

In keeping with the goal of never leaving a Lean Six Sigma program to fend for itself, the leadership team started its efforts to establish a regular schedule of activities and initiatives. At the same time, the team started tying the Lean Six Sigma program to the career paths of the associates. The leadership identified ways to add value to every associate’s career path. This ensured that they would not lose track; today, they continue to excel in this endeavor. The team also realized the importance of continuous communication with every associate via a series of established programs and channels.

Two Years Down the Line

Two years later, the taskforce was adding innovations to the Lean Six Sigma program and complementing the leadership team with their efforts. The organization continued to enjoy the fruits of the mammoth efforts. The top leadership also took pride in their decision to revitalize the program and understood the fact that they need to play an active, continuous role to ensure the success of their Lean Six Sigma program.

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What is the Difference Between Six Sigma and PMP Certification?

Motorola developed a business management strategy termed Six Sigma to enhance the quality of process outputs in 1981. Six Sigma uses analytical methods to help recognize and eliminate the roots of errors.

Although six sigma is utilized across many industries, it’s been fundamentally adopted by Manufacturing and Financial Services. Organizations that sponsor six sigma train and certify individuals to be masters in these methods. These professionals are named Green Belts, Yellow Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts.

The Project Management Institute (PMI), a non-profit organization, introduced the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification in 1984. The PMP includes 42 processes that can be utilized to promote the success ratio of projects.

Over time, Six Sigma and project management have established successfully at turning around struggling businesses or making good organizations even great.

Both center specialized approaches to generating better business outcomes. They approach this goal in different ways.

Six Sigma is a methodology designed to identify defects and variation in a process. By practicing Six Sigma tools and techniques, an organization can overcome mistakes, reduce costs, boost efficiency, deliver better products and services and become more competing in the marketplace.

Project management entails creating and executing projects that complete on time, within budget and with an outcome that matches the primary business goal of the project.

Employees who become skilled at Six Sigma earn certifications at different color-coded levels. Those who want to become experts in project management typically get a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the Project Management Institute.

Achieving either certification can benefit elevate an employee's position within an organization and address them more attractive job applicants for leadership jobs.

Six Sigma Certification

Six Sigma certifications help professionals in leadership positions. Professionals earn Six Sigma certification at different levels designated by color-coded belts. They are White Belt, Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, and Master Black Belt.

To achieve a Six Sigma certification, an applicant require to meet experience requirements, clear a written certification exam and evidence hands-on competency. Below we have listed Six Sigma certifications:

◈ ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt (CSSYB) Certification
◈ ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) Certification
◈ ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Certification

To manage a Six Sigma project, a person generally requires to have reached the Black Belt level.

Six Sigma focuses on a data-driven examination of a method that identifies and excludes errors. Its purpose is to have no more than 3.4 errors per one million opportunities. Getting there demands to leverage a broad variety of different strategies and tools, most involving a comprehensive look at every aspect of an operation. Practicing the tools and techniques of Six Sigma can help develop client and employee satisfaction and improve the entire bottom line.

PMP Certification

The Project Management Institute, established in 1969, offers the PMP certification, generally respected as the most industry-recognized certification for project managers.

A PMP certification indicates that a person has obtained expert level status in using the more than 42 tools of project management, and confirms their competence as a project manager. The PMP Exam is based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide, managed by PMI, which includes standardized best practices for approaching various project challenges.

To earn the PMP certification, you need to complete and pass the PMP exam. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions. However, 25 of the questions that are included in the PMP exam are not graded and utilized to estimate the expertise of the exam taker. The 25 questions are asked randomly throughout the exam. This excellently means that you are graded on only 175 of the 200 exam questions.

The PMP certification comes with a necessity for continuous credentials or CCR. This suggests that the certification holder requires to carry out other extra activities associated to project management to maintain the certification. These activities incorporate public speaking, analysis, writing articles, and others.

The central goal of a project manager is to increase the success rate of projects. That includes key areas such as determining goals with organizational executives, setting and staying within a budget, breaking a project into smaller segments and managing a team to accomplish those tasks, and ultimately finishing the project by a deadline and with a quality result that aligns with overall business aims.

Distinct Differences Between Six Sigma and PMP Certification

Six Sigma projects have a constant control phase, while project management centers on accomplishing a project by a specific deadline

A Six Sigma professional practices data-driven techniques and statistics to recognize and solve a challenge, while a PMP project manager utilizes standardized practices to present a project that satisfies a pre-determined goal efficiently.

A PMP concentrates on raising the success rate of projects. A Six Sigma-certified employee concentrates on finding and removing errors within a particular method.

A certified Six Sigma professional purposes of overcoming wasted time, energy and money on a definite method, while a PMP professional concentrates on how to plan and lead a project.

Choose Between PMP Certification and Six Sigma Certification

The best choice depends on your prevailing position or the job you are looking for and your long-term career aims. If you want to be a project manager, the PMP designation directly confirms your competence and dedication to serving in this role. At many organizations, this certification is compulsory for project managers.

Six Sigma certification is required for professionals working in or seeking quality assurance positions in industries, spanning manufacturing and finance that are valuable users of Six Sigma. As with PMP certification, Six Sigma certification can expand your job opportunities and present you with knowledge and skills that enable you to execute your job properly. Also, your salary rises with each level of Six Sigma certification.

Though, that deciding which certification to earn often isn’t a Six Sigma vs. PMP proposition. They supplement each other, and many professionals prefer to earn both.

How Six Sigma and PMP Certification Work Together

Six Sigma certified professionals can avail from getting a PMP certification, and a project manager can determine benefit with a Six Sigma certification. A Six Sigma professional is a master at finding and resolving a problem, and a PMP-certified project manager is an expert at correctly implementing the project itself. Used together, a practitioner can identify a problem and then use project management certification to assure the solution is executed most efficiently and productively possible.

Someone who has achieved a Six Sigma belt – especially those at the Black Belt level – have become masters at practicing proven methodologies to resolve a problem.

Black Belts are like business analysts; they are brought in to decide why a method is not working right or to its potential. In the beginning, they do not know what they will find. Ultimately, they manage a team that identifies the defects, eliminates them and generates a sustainable, reliable method.

Eventually, employing professionals with both Six Sigma and project management certification may explain a great benefit for any organization. And for the individuals themselves, achieving both certifications can better make them more qualified for high-level positions while working directly on setting and accomplishing strategic business goals.

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How ITIL and PRINCE2 are a Powerful Combination for Organizational Success

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, both ITIL and PRINCE2 can be a powerful combination for organizations that want to maintain their corporate dynamism. Whether an organization is setting up an offshore location or developing something new in-house, following the ITIL framework along with a robust project management structure will do wonders for the business.

According to AXELOS, PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a flexible method that guides organizations through the essentials for running a successful project regardless of project type or scale. PRINCE2 can be tailored to meet your organization or industry specific requirement.

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a widely-accepted IT service management approach in organizations across the globe. The ITIL framework is drawn from best practices followed by both public and private sectors all over the world. The best practices in ITIL are based on expert advice and inputs from ITIL users, and combine the latest thinking with sound, common sense guidance. ITIL has, hence, gained in importance as a methodology that delivers positive business outcomes for enterprises.

How ITIL and PRINCE2 Complement Each Other

The ITIL framework addresses many of the limitations of IT by providing a service-oriented framework which meets the business needs of the customer. But, for the ITIL framework to be implemented, which is a project in itself, a rigorous project management methodology in PRINCE2 must be implemented as well to ensure a greater degree of success. PRINCE2 and ITIL combination complement each other in several ways:

1. Consistent Business Justification:

The best benefit that PRINCE2 brings to the table is the principle of continued business justification and consistent focus on the business case throughout the project. This ensures the project does not change course from its main objective at any point of time.

2. Management by Stages:

Breaking large chunks of work to sizeable chunks will help in handling a project more efficiently. Each requirement will be analyzed and signed off from the right stakeholders. With PRINCE2 methodology, it gives one an honest view of what can be done and when it can be done.

3. Careful Risk Management:

Because ITIL demands changing not only the IT department, but also the rest of the organization, ITIL implementations require an impeccable project management structure. Anything less and the implementation is at severe risk. With its careful risk management processes described in the risk theme, PRINCE2 helps to address all possible threats in the project. As risk management is also part of the ITIL framework, hence they complement each other really well. The emphasis on identifying and assessing risks helps the stakeholders to take informed decisions as part of ITIL change management.

4. During the Start of a Project:

The ITIL best practices in Service Design and Service Strategy have a clear project mandate which form a basis for building PRINCE2’s project management structure. Everything from scope, success and different criteria, are clearly identified and approved by senior management. This saves a lot of time in starting up a project.

5. Quality and Cost:

The ITIL framework helps PRINCE2 to focus on the bigger picture. It is extremely important to balance both cost and quality in ITIL which helps in taking correct decisions for quality improvement which adheres towards the bigger picture. The emphasis on quality also fits in with the PRINCE2 framework, where the quality theme elaborates on aspects such as Project Product Description, Product Description, Quality Register, Quality Management Strategy, among others.

6. Plugging the PRINCE2 Gap:

The ITIL framework implementation helps in ‘benefit realization’ which happens only after the project is completed. PRINCE2 has no part in this, as the project management structure mandates the completion of the project successfully. But, the ITIL framework helps to realize the benefits when the implementation is done and it can fine tune it when there is change after the project is completed.

Managing various constraints such as time, price and the scope of business are all superimposed on a framework of meeting quality requirements, and this forms the foundation of project management. Meeting customer-defined needs, availability, reliability, capability and cost-effectiveness of business services offered along with improving responsiveness in managing change form the basis of ITIL. PRINCE2 with its project management structure and the ITIL framework with its best practices together deliver a competitive advantage for an organization.

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