Safeguard Against 4 Forms of Six Sigma Opposition

Over the years, I have had numerous inquiries from readers about overcoming opposition to Six Sigma. Interestingly enough, I have also experienced this opposition when speaking with prospective or existing clients, some of whom have asked me not to mention Six Sigma but to speak to tools in a generic fashion. Obviously, opposition to the method is a common deployment obstacle.

Practitioners typically encounter four types of resistance to Six Sigma: technical, political, organizational and personal. In order to resolve this negative force, they must classify the type of opposition they are encountering, understand its root cause and then adjust their deployment strategies accordingly.

History of the Push Back

In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a growing consensus that Six Sigma was not a “flavor of the month” process improvement methodology. It had crossed over from manufacturing to service industries, including the financial and healthcare industries. Adoption was relatively high, and opposition low. Companies were delighted with the methodology’s accomplishments and sustainability. But stakeholders have become more cautious of using the Lean and Six Sigma terminology, tools and methodology.

While the terminology may be intimidating, Lean and Six Sigma tools have brought much success to corporations. Therefore, practitioners must work to overcome this fear. To do this, they must investigate the root cause of the opposition.

Change Should Not Equal Loss

The root cause of opposition can be seen in an exercise featured in the article “The Change Game: Engaging Exercises to Teach Change.” To play, participants are asked to change things about their physical appearance. Surprisingly, people often begin by taking off pieces of jewelry or clothing. During the post-game debrief, participants note a strong tendency to think of change as a loss – they must lose something in order to change.

If change is somehow equated with loss, how can practitioners expect any Lean Six Sigma program to be successful? The answer is to identify, motivate and mobilize their teams in order to increase commitment and eliminate the fear of loss. This can be accomplished through a stakeholder analysis.

Completing a Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholders control critical resources or own key processes impacted by change. They have needed expertise. They are influential in how other critical stakeholders think. They can block projects – directly or indirectly – and must approve certain aspects of those projects. It is important to identify key stakeholders or those stakeholders who have leverage or influence over other stakeholders. Once identified, practitioners should document each stakeholder’s level of support or opposition to the quality initiative.

There are five possible levels of stakeholder support:

◉ Strong Support – Advocates for making things happen

◉ Moderate Support – Those who may only be involved in helping with the Six Sigma initiative. They do what they are asked to do and nothing more.

◉ Neutral – Those who are merely letting things happen. They are not proactive advocates of the initiative, nor are they out to sabotage it.

◉ Moderately Against – Those who will not comply with what is asked of them

◉ Strongly Against – Not only do they not comply with the efforts underway, but they also go out of their way to lobby against the change initiative.

Table 1 shows one of many examples of a stakeholder analysis. The five categories of support are listed across the top of the chart, while stakeholders are listed down the left-hand side. An “O” represents the stakeholder’s current support for the initiative, and an “X” represents where the stakeholder’s support needs to progress to in order to successfully complete the initiative.

Table 1: Stakeholder Analysis

Practitioners do not always need strong support from every stakeholder; however, all stakeholders need to be aware of the change because neutral or moderate support may indicate that they do not know of the initiative. Practitioners should document the plan or actions required to bring the respective stakeholders up to the required level of support (Table 2).

Table 2: Stakeholder Analysis with Action Plans

Types of Opposition

In most cases, none of the stakeholders will be where practitioners need them to be to ensure the success of the initiative. Many may be neutral because they have not heard of the initiative. Because of these factors, practitioners likely will encounter at least one of the four forms of opposition.

Technical Opposition

While I’m really good with PowerPoint animations and can maneuver around a database, I am not a wizard with the computer. Most of my technical skills are either self-taught or from observing best practices of my peers. While I want to be an expert at everything, that is not always possible. So, why do I occasionally express opposition to technical aspects? Because I do not want to feel inept. That which is not often understood is typically resisted. Although I pride myself with my accomplishments and deliverables, the computer at times makes me feel insufficient.

This scenario applies to participants implementing Lean Six Sigma initiatives. The methodology is commonly associated with statistics, which can make people feel inept. Many Master Black Belts are trained statisticians who rely more on theory than application.

How to Overcome – In the case of technical opposition, it is vital to eliminate theory and concentrate on training the basics. Make concepts easy to understand by providing real-life examples. Encourage participant confidence by building on their own examples and experiences.

Political Opposition

Politics are present within most organizations, and they need to be understood and dealt with accordingly. A former client had a senior manager participate as a stakeholder. This senior manager was extremely intelligent and had a proven track record for her style and approach in getting things done. Unfortunately, she was vocally opposed to the Lean Six Sigma deployment from Day 1 and said she would do the best she could to get the program cancelled and eliminate the need for my team.

It was extremely difficult not to take this as a personal attack. But I understood this as merely political opposition. Political opposition exists when a change is seen as a threat to the status quo. This individual was comfortable using concepts that she believed in and now someone had come in and expected her to do things differently – perhaps affecting her success.

How to Overcome – Political opposition can stem from real or perceived loss on behalf of an individual. Practitioners should distinguish between what is real and what is perceived, and then work quickly to provide reasoning as to what can (and in most cases, will) be gained, versus lost, from the initiative.

Organizational Opposition

Like political opposition, organizational opposition involves the feelings of loss. The primary difference is rather than the loss being attributed to a person, it is attributed more to a group or department. Everyone wants to succeed and be recognized; however, when the recognition stems from factors outside of the organization – like a never-before-attempted methodology – egos can become bruised. A Lean Six Sigma initiative can give process owners the perception that they are no longer in the driver’s seat, making them feel unable to manage their business.

How to Overcome – When dealing with organizational opposition, recognize that it involves ego, a sense of ownership, control and pride. Extreme care should be given to ensure the involvement of process owners so that they are fully engaged and feel a greater sense of control in the improvement process.

Personal Opposition

I worked with a client who seemed in full support of Lean Six Sigma. She said all of the right things and did not present a negative viewpoint. However, the initiative timeline had fallen way behind and a six-month project was nearing nine months. When asking what the client thought the holdups were, what barriers she was facing and how I could assist with their elimination, she addressed some personal, non-work-related challenges and situations. The root cause for some opposition may be extreme personal stress and fatigue caused by factors outside work.

How to Overcome – Be extremely empathetic with someone who exhibits personal opposition. As coaches, practitioners often find themselves acting as a sounding board for topics unrelated to Lean and Six Sigma. Practitioners should modify their behavior toward these individuals; lessen their workload but increase involvement with these people. Everyone benefits from a little compassion, patience and understanding.

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Take your leadership skills to the next level

Whether you’re looking to climb the career ladder, or simply want to make improvements within your current position, taking your leadership skills to the next level is key to making progress.

The demands of the project management profession mean that you have to wear a lot of hats and master a range of roles. At the core, this means being a coordinator and organiser, but beyond this, being a strategic thinker, a negotiator and a leader. By upping your game when it comes to leading, you can improve your daily working life, benefit from a happier team, improved culture, and even find yourself advancing in your own career.

Recognise the power you have as a leader

You have worked hard to get to where you are today; reflect on that and recognise what that means to you. All positions of management and leadership come with a level of responsibility and power. And not just the power to direct and instruct people or projects, but the power to be instrumental in success and have influence over the culture within your company.

Leading by example is one of the best things you can do in a managerial role. You want to be able to have confidence and rely upon your team, so ultimately, they will have the same expectation of you. Reports show that 35% of workers say that they would leave a company if they didn’t trust their manager. Avoid being part of this statistic - and the pitfall of the associated high staff turnover - by taking actionable steps to being a more trustworthy manager.

Use your position as a leader to your advantage by demonstrating and operating a culture of transparency. Be open and approachable, be seen in the office and available for your team to speak to. This can go a long way to building trust, as well as being totally transparent and giving your employees the whole picture. Contrary to traditional practices where company challenges were reserved for managers to deal with, providing employees with the true facts can prove instrumental in resolving issues. Sharing information and involving your team will ensure they feel valued. It will see them engage, and work with you towards a successful end goal.

Seek continual improvement

We cannot stress enough the importance of continual learning for leaders. At PRINCE2, we see first-hand the positive effect upskilling can have for individuals and organisations. Take the time to reflect on what skills or processes you could take to a more advanced level. For example, if you have taken the PRINCE2 Agile Foundation course, consider the PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner course to take your skills to the next level.

Similarly, self-reflection could identify any gaps in your talents. Perhaps you need to brush up on your negotiation skills after a hiccup in your last project. Or maybe you haven’t quite mastered a piece of software or technology your company has newly introduced. Whatever it might be, seeking out ways to continually improve yourself will ensure you stay at the top of your game.

On a personal level, you should always be looking for ways to improve and better yourself, and reflection is paramount for this. Externally, know that tweaks and changes you make can cause a ripple effect across your team and beyond. Recognise that you have the ability to improve company culture. Take your leadership skills to the next level with this combination of internal and external developments and you will be on the route to becoming a more successful leader.

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Case Study: Applying Resource Modeling to Server Migration

Resource utilization is managed using models. These models are created based on multiple influencing variables or factors. The goal is to balance resources – including people and skill levels – to achieve higher service levels, lower costs and other benefits.

Widely used across industries, resource modeling functions as an efficient decision-making tool. Some successful applications include the following:

◉ A retail organization recorded an annual savings of $52 million.

◉ A consulting firm increased its share of business by 35 percent.

◉ A call center raised productivity to 98 percent.

This article uses a hypothetical case within the field of information technology (IT) to show the mechanics for building these models. The reduction of time to provide a customer with information is the key process output variable, but there are others. The input variables will be discussed using an input-process-output (IPO) diagram and various analytical methods.

What Can Resource Modeling Do?

Deciding on the skill types for human resources as well as how many employees are needed during the initial set-up for a recently migrated process (moving a process from one computing platform to another) is a big challenge. This is especially true for resourcing decisions needed to create steady state operations. Lean Six Sigma tools and methods are useful for the stabilization and improvement of performance metrics, such as the time needed to respond to a customer issue, the time to resolve an issue and compliance with service-level agreements.

Resource modeling helps answer key questions such as:

◉ Which resource should be deployed?

◉ What are the constraints and the expected outcomes?

◉ Are the influencing factors interrelated?

◉ How should human resources be based – geography, skills or other factors?

◉ How can maximum productivity and efficiency be ensured?

◉ What is the optimum number of employees required to ensure timely response to customer inquiries?

◉ How can cost effectiveness be maximized?

Using LSS to resource modeling ensures a bias-free, precise and accurate outcome. It also helps create models based on multiple combinations of resource estimation, feasibility, control and simulation.

Example: Server Migration

The migration of multiple servers across the world is used as an example for resource modeling. The servers are the inputs or independent variables. The output time, in seconds, is the response variable. The resources to be modeled are employees.

The goal was to keep the output time to less than 60 seconds. The team collected information daily over a time period of six months for the output times (dependent variables or key process output variables [KPOVs]) and the several independent variables (key process input variables [KPIVs]) identified through brainstorming. This information was collected for three different locations. These are partially shown in the Minitab table in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Initial Daily Data

The first step for building a model was identifying the relevant variables thought to influence the output time. The IPO diagram shown in Figure 2 was used by the migration team to identify the variables of interest.

Figure 2: IPO Diagram

The second step for building the model was using exploratory data analysis including box plots and scatter diagrams to understand the relationships between the output time and the input variables. In the first analysis, shown in Figure 3, the combination of “location B, old technology, no software” appear to be potential KPIVs. In the second analysis, shown in Figure 4, the combination of “low skills (L1), no software, older software patch version” also appear to be potential KPIVs. Location may or may not be important for explaining variation in the output time. Connectivity testing does not appear to an important variable.

Figure 3: Box Plot 1

Figure 4: Box Plot 2

Hardware life (a continuous variable) was also analyzed, using the scatter plot shown in Figure 5. There is a great amount of variation in the graph, suggesting that hardware life is not important.

Figure 5: Scatter Plot

The team used stepwise regression to automatically exclude unimportant variables and include important variables to build a resource model relating output time to the various inputs identified using the IPO.  Stepwise regression is an algorithm that builds a multiple linear regression model with only statistically significant KPIVs (e.g., having a p value less than 0.05). The algorithm started with all the input variables of the IPO. The important KPIVs or input variables appear to be Location B, certain software applications being installed and the higher skill level (L2) was used to answer customer inquiries. These variables have low p values, <0.05, indicating statistical significance. These are shown in the table below.

Table 1: Response Is Output_Time (SEC) on 18 Predictors (N=151)
Step	1	2	3	4
Constant	6.660	-6.845	-10.785	-8.898
Location of Clients_B	19.8	21.4	17.3	16.5
T-value	8.96	10.35	8.43	8.13
P-value	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Hardware Life		0.00183	0.00187	0.00184
T-value		5.09	5.65	5.69
P-value		0.000	0.000	0.000
Software Installed_NO			10.2	10.4
T-value			5.9	5.51
P-value			0.000	0.000
Resource Skills_L2				-4.9
T-value				-2.60
P-value				0.010
S	12.8	11.9	10.9	10.7
R2	35.01	44.70	53.56	55.61

The regression analysis explains about 54 percent of the variation of output time. In other words, 54 percent of output time can be explained by these KPIVs. The current model is:

Output time = -8.898 +16.5 (Location = B) + 0.00184 (hardware life) + 10.4 (if no software was installed) – 4.9 (if L2 skills were used)

Because the team wanted a higher R2 adjusted number – that is, 95 percent – the second phase of the analysis was modified to keep several variables constant. This included using the latest technology, software, the most current software patches, the higher skill sets (i.e., L2 and L3) and ensuring connectivity was established.

The reduced set of variables included in the stepwise regression model included the following: number of clients, hardware life, number of human resources and the location of clients. The resultant model shown in Figure 6 had an R2 term of 96 percent. The important variables were now location and number of clients.

Table 2: Response Is Output_Time (SEC) on 6 Predictors (N=18)
Step	1	2
Constant	52.67	51.75
Location of Clients_B	10.83	11.02
T-value	19.30	22.20
P-value	0.000	0.000
Number of Clients		0.142
T-value		2.44
P-value		0.027
S	1.12	0.027
R2	95.88	97.05
R2 (adjusted)	95.62	96.66

Figure 6: Fitted Line Plot

A suitable model was built using only “number of human resources.” The more detailed analysis shown in Figure 7 showed that the data set did not apply sufficient staffing to location B. The effect of this can also be seen in the “after” results in Figure 8, which shows that not all data points are below the 60-second goal. The problem at location B was corrected by ensuring that there were always six employees with L2 and L3 skills on each shift to keep the output time less than 60 seconds.

Figure 7: Scatter Plot

Figure 8: Box Plot

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What Makes a Training Program Effective?

The purpose of a training program is to impart knowledge of a system or process to someone new to that process. Individuals may have worked on something similar previously, so will have an idea, or at least a starting point, on which to build. However, most training programs must start with the basics and a zero-knowledge baseline.

By using quality measures, managers can determine how well people perform in their role – but these measures don’t necessarily demonstrate how successful their training was. A common perception is that quality improves with experience. So, just how far should training go before people are let loose on a process and allowed to gain the experience that will improve their quality?

Training requires a clear agenda of the material to be covered as well as achievement targets. In one group I once worked with, there was an editorial content training program followed by a test, which was the gate between being a trainee and being allowed to work on the live system. The pass mark for the test was 90 percent. When, some time later, I applied Six Sigma tools and statistical analysis on this process, the managers were concerned that the overall quality score for this process was around 90 percent. I, however, was not surprised – the results perfectly demonstrated that people are only as good as their training. If management expected a 95 percent score, then they need to train people to be 95 percent good at the job. At this point in time, the company realized the potential for benefits of continuous improvement through Six Sigma.

I believe that a greater focus on trainers and their training programs provides for considerable efficiency gains later on. This article presents two examples to demonstrate this approach using Six Sigma principles and statistical process control (SPC) measures.

Finding a Better Way

In 2009, my company established a new group of analysts at one of our offices in India to carry out a series of editorial tasks. A three-week editorial content value-add training program was provided by two UK trainers. This program was originally designed to train 15 analysts in three distinct content areas. The 15 analysts would then work according to a rotation on each content area. It quickly became clear, however, that this plan was not going to work.

The amount of knowledge to be covered in three weeks was too much. The two trainers themselves were not familiar with all content sets; within two weeks, one content set was returned for full production in the UK. The idea of a rotation prevented the analysts from quickly gaining the experience so as to be effective on any one task. The result was to split the group into two and for the separate groups to focus on a single content set each. The SPC chart below shows the progress of the first group of nine analysts from week 2 of 2009, when they were assigned full time to their single task, to the end of that year.

Figure 1: Training Pass Rates, 2009

The first nine weeks of quality results gave an average pass rate of 82.2 percent; weeks 10 to 30 showed an improvement to 87.6 percent. Another increase was seen at weeks 31 to 33 (90.6 percent average pass rate) until finally from week 34 onward the score measured at 95.1 percent and was directly comparable to the scores reported for an experienced UK analyst working on the same task. This meant that to achieve a group of analysts who could perform to our expectations took 34 weeks of live work (plus three weeks of training and additionally the five lost weeks of rotation-based work while assigned to multiple tasks). Assuming that any future training activities would be focused on the correct activity (which in itself would have saved five weeks), what could be done to improve the training timeframe? Remember that at 34 weeks only the expectations of acceptable quality were achieved and several more weeks were necessary to confirm consistency of quality at this level.

The graph shows three step-ups in quality; this would suggest that the supplementary training activities at these points in time had the desired effect. To reduce the training timeline, quite simply, we incorporated into our future training the activities that occurred at these times to ensure analysts are fully trained to meet our expectations.

In September 2010, following significant attrition from the original team of analysts, a new intake of eight analysts joined the group. On this occasion, all the training was provided locally in India by one of the original analysts from the previous year with the support of colleagues both in India and, to a much lesser extent, in the UK. This group of analysts began live work after two weeks of training. The SPC chart below shows an initial average quality pass rate of 92.3 percent. In just four weeks of support and mentoring, the average for the entire group of new editors increased to 96.6 percent – 1.5 percent above that which took more than eight months to achieve with the original group of trainees.

Figure 2: Training Pass Rates, 2010

Not only do the quality scores speak for themselves, but a consideration of the cost savings must be made for the second batch of training. We originally sent two trainers for three weeks to India and then we estimated that five UK analysts spent approximately 75 percent of their time over the next nine months supporting the new Indian analysts (100 percent quality checking, data analysis and supplemental training sessions). We estimate the cost of the original training to the UK team was approximately $140,000. For the group who started in September 2010 and were trained and mentored locally in India, this figure against the UK budget was essentially $0.

Receiving Confirmation

With the training carried out in 2009, the second group of analysts were trained on a task whose SPC chart is shown below. This chart follows the progress of quality from this team following their initial training.

Figure 3: Training Pass Rates, Second Group, 2009

In this situation, the chart shows there were three major step-ups in quality. While 100 percent accuracy was seen in weeks 11, 17 and 18, it was not until week 21 onward that consistency at the expected standard was achieved. Again, as with the first team, a group of UK analysts provided constant support and training over this period to achieve the target quality scores.

In November 2009, one UK trainer traveled to India to train an additional group of eight analysts at a new location in this same task. Following the lessons learned from the previous training efforts, an improved program yielded the following results.

Figure 4: Training Pass Rates, Second Group, 2009-2010

From the first week of live work, results met our expectations. Through tracking performance and using Six Sigma analysis tools, significant improvements in our training programs were achieved. These achievements provided lower training costs through a right-first-time approach as well as the production benefits from bringing well-trained analysts online far quicker at subsequent recruitment times.

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Understanding the Impacts of Change

As improvement project leaders, Belts can sometimes lose track of an important factor in the success of a project: the impact that any changes stemming from the project will have on the stakeholders. As they rush quickly into data collection and employ tools such as failure mode and effects analysis, cause and effect matrix and analysis of variance, Belts need to include some time to step back and consider what really happens during the potential changes suggested by their improvement efforts.

Whether they are streamlining the steps in a shipping process, mistake-proofing a series of complex transactions, reducing the quantity of defective screws produced by the machine shop, or developing the mission of the new sales department, Belts are almost always impacting someone. As change agents, they must develop and drive change, but they must also recognize the effect of these changes on staff and think about what can be done to create a positive environment. A failure to consider the human and personal impacts of change is one of the major reasons projects can derail, especially in the critical Improve and Control phases of the DMAIC roadmap.

Emotional Push-back

When people are faced with a significant change in their personal or professional lives, they often go through similar stages of emotion. Usually, they initially react in a negative manner.

Think back to your own career. If you are “fortunate” enough, you may have lived through an organizational downsizing. When called into your boss’ office and told that your department is being “consolidated” into the office across the country, your natural reaction is not “Oh boy, I get the chance to have my career move in a completely different direction. What a great opportunity, and it’s best for the company too!” What you’re likely thinking, of course, is “Oh no, not again! Can’t these people ever make up their minds? I just changed jobs last year!”

This initial reaction and hesitancy is even common in people’s domestic lives. What if your teenaged son walks in and says, “Guess what? I have decided to drop out of high school and go join a rock band! It is what I really want to do, and I know I will be successful.” Well, Mick Fleetwood did just that, which led to a pretty successful role in Fleetwood Mac. But, I doubt that is what is on your mind as a parent. As humans, it is quite natural to resist change.

What is the implication for Lean Six Sigma project managers? To be most successful, Belts must recognize that people are emotionally affected by their project efforts and may need some help to ensure that their initial “push-back” does not lead to project derailment. Even with proper control feedbacks in place (e.g., control charts, action plans and escalation procedures), there is still a great chance that individuals may not get on board with new processes or procedures and cause problems in the future.

A Time for Transition

In his book, Managing Transitions (Da Capo Press, 2003), William Bridges proposes the concept that there is a distinct difference between a change event and the associated emotional transition that takes place as a result of the event. A change event is physical – it can be drawn on a chart, listed on a timeline or shown on a process map. A transition is something entirely different; it is the emotional reaction to change that happens as people move from their current situation to some future state. Like everything else, this transition is a time-based process.

As improvement managers, Belts want people to move as quickly and smoothly as possible to a new level of performance, where they are able to work without unnecessary conflict, anger or other negative behaviors. As Bridges highlights, people must move emotionally from the comfortable, well-known condition of their current emotional state to a new beginning. During this journey, they must pass through an intermediate emotional “neutral zone,” where some of the accepted methods and relationships are changed. Depending on the size and scope of the change for each individual, this step can present itself as a minor blip or it can manifest as an apparent crisis of large magnitude. In effect, the person living through change is going through a grieving process, in which they give up the old and eventually embrace the new. Luckily, there are things that can be done to help speed this process.

In the example of the would-be teen idol above, the transition is the way the parent feels and reacts internally to the son’s announcement. If the son were properly trained in the art of change management, he might have started by listing out the urgent needs driving him to drop out of school (the why), the people with whom he had consulted about the change (the who), the first steps he planned to take (the what) and whether this change was to occur immediately or at the end of the current semester (the when). The implementation of this change would go much better for the son if he allowed the parent more time to process and acknowledge these plans, rather than simply announcing them the night before the change was to be executed.

There are similar forces in the workplace. A person reacting to a change in work procedures might have the initial thought, “What does this mean for me?” That is not selfish behavior; it is just the way people are made. They might also wonder what is going to happen to their friends and colleagues. However, if people know why they am being asked to do this new thing, when is it going to take place, who is involved with this change and how they are supposed to do it, then they are much more likely to give the new process a fair try. If a person also is given a chance to express any concerns or fears that they may have (in an open and non-threatening way), then they also will be less inclined to push back and resist. If there is a mechanism in place for them to express feedback, viewpoints and concerns in a positive manner, then they are less likely to react negatively.

Steps Toward Acceptance

Fortunately, there are relatively simple ways for Belts to make their projects more successful:

◉ Address the “why” – Create information campaigns to include specific rationale for the change to come, and be sure to include staff who may be affected. Harness the powers of well-respected individuals to help reinforce the importance of the project.

◉ Anticipate concerns – Think ahead and develop a frequently-asked-questions document that addresses possible anxieties about the planned change.

◉ Communicate – Hold personal meetings or conference calls with groups of people to tell them what is going to happen, when it is going to happen and what they will need to do. Keep talking about the “why” as a motivator.

◉ Encourage feedback – Give people a mechanism to express their thoughts and concerns about the proposals. Message boards, emails and small meetings can all be effective.

◉ Provide status updates – Maintain an emphasis on the why, what, when and how of the upcoming change.

The use of these communication and interpersonal skills can be just as important as the myriad other useful Lean Six Sigma tools Belts have at their disposal. By thinking about the impact of personal and emotional transitions from their improvement projects, Belts can ensure faster completion and more positive long-term outcomes.

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Doing Some Software Six Sigma and Agile Mythbusting

These are interesting times in the world of software development. Urgency around reducing development cycle times and costs, and growing the business value of software and IT assets is high. Six Sigma, CMMI, Lean software development and Agile methods are variously working together (or not quite) to address that urgency and show results. In the course of the lively discussions on the subject have come a couple of notions about Six Sigma that seem to have started with a grain of truth, but then morphed into accepted truths that are a bit out of step with the latest facts and experience. At least two of these “myths” need to be confronted and at least shaken up.

Myth No. 1: Six Sigma is about statistics…software development is not statistical, therefore there is no fit.

Six Sigma Is About Statistics

As the name implies, Six Sigma certainly has roots in statistics, but it has evolved to be much more than that. Figure 1 illustrates that the first incarnation of Six Sigma, at Motorola in the 1980s, had a strong focus on reducing defects and their rate of escape to customers. Six Sigma in those days revolved around defects per unit (DPU), defects per million opportunities (DPMO), and sigma levels. Even then, DPU and sigma levels were more of a common language for assessing process and product capability than a reflection that all improvements and tools were statistical. Those measures helped Motorola shift its manufacturing view from yield (good units) to defects within units, surfacing useful details on causes and cures.

Figure 1: Six Sigma Evolution

Companies using Six Sigma to reduce defect rates came to understand the need to focus improvement work around business drivers (reducing the most important costs – not 3.4 DPMO for everything that moves) and to reduce wasted time (not always 1:1 connected with defects). That Lean performance perspective is illustrated in the second box in Figure 1. While Six Sigma and Lean grew out of different origins, recognition of their natural synergy fostered a natural integration in “Lean Six Sigma” some time ago.

In most of today’s markets, reducing defects, costs and wasted time is a price of admission. Strong competition in those areas reduces profit margins and presents customers with several high-quality choices. Growing a business (and sometimes simply sustaining one) can hinge on a company getting ahead of the discovery curve on the next products, features and services of value. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) informs a development process about prospective value and risk – and their intersection with product and process architecture, design and feature decisions.

In all the above, statistics can be a means for qualifying and quantifying meaningful patterns and differences, but they are not an end in themselves or the only approach. Language data, time and state data, and graphical and cluster analysis are examples of non-statistical kinds of information and methods that may be used in Six Sigma work. In basic terms, the Six Sigma thought process for DMAIC and DFSS projects is about:

◉ Working on the right problem or opportunity.

◉ Quickly reaching shared understanding with customers, the business and technology about the relevant environment(s) and (stated and latent) requirements.

◉ Identifying practical success measures (and baselines and targets).

◉ Identifying factors that may influence success (value and risk).

◉ Gathering facts and data about causes and/or dynamics that matter in problem-solving or design.

◉ Considering a full range of solution alternatives, using the facts to select the best.

◉ Demonstrating practical results – first with pilot, model or prototype (to reduce risk and learn about tuning and robust design).

◉ Delivering sustainable and scalable gains.

When statistics are helpful anywhere on that list, a well-rounded Six Sigma practitioner needs to be able to know if and how to bring them to bear. When the thought process involves other kinds of data or analysis, that is okay too – given that the significance of findings and results can be documented.

Software Development Is Not Statistical

This is partly true, but not completely. If one takes a strict view of the software development process, the availability and quality of useful process measures and the inherent variation in the work, there is a lot for a statistician not to like. Software development is not statistical in the same way that hardware development is. That does not mean there are not areas for useful applications of statistics.

The table below illustrates some distinctions between hardware and software. In hardware it is relatively easy to build a functioning first article – put the right few engineers and select materials in a lab for awhile and they will build a one-off of almost anything. In hardware, the value and risks associated with volume delivery of many exact copies of the one-off are huge. Mechanical, electrical and physical variation in the supply of components and process conditions are a key focal point for hardware sigma. Waste (scrap, excess inventory, etc.) is pretty easy to see in hardware, and the process and product factors driving it are often quite measurable (dimensions, temperatures, rates, etc.).

Contrasting Six Sigma Value and Issues for Hardware and Software

	Hardware	Software
First Article Build	One-Off: Easy Volume Delivery of Identical Units Is Difficult	Full Build: Challenging *Effort *Duration *Defects *Net Value Defects and Waste: Invisable Inputs and Result: Intangible
Volume Delivery (1…n Copies)	The Hardware Factory: *Component Variation *Process Variation *Defects *Delays *Scrap Defects and Waste: Visable Inputs and Result: Tangible	Software/IT (1…n Copies): Easy Variation Can Still Be the Enemy in Areas Like: *The Target Hardware *User-to-User Ds *Use-Environment Ds
Capability and Robust Design	Anticipate Performance Under the Whole Range of Real World Use Conditions

In software, a fully functional first-article build is not trivial. Reproduction of 1 through n copies is not hard. Anyone can easily make digitally faithful copies of install kits. The value and risk are not in the tangible “tolerances” as they are in hardware, but in the less tangible variation and measures of success related to schedule, cost (mostly effort cost) and quality (things missing, wrong or extra) from pre-requirements through installation and hand-off.

While statistics do not take the shape of a “million widgets” problem, as in hardware, they can help answer useful questions about what to measure (and how and how much), how to make best use of incomplete data, how to separate signal from noise in data samples, and how to identify and learn from patterns and contrasts in a set of observations.

Myth No. 2: Design for Six Sigma imposes a waterfall life cycle model – emphasizing “requirements up front” in direct conflict with Agile insights and experience.

Design for Six Sigma Imposes a Waterfall Life Cycle Model

Design for Six Sigma has dug a bit of this hole for itself. Descriptions of tollgate reviews and language that describes the value in understanding requirements better up front could lead one to believe that DFSS is part and parcel a waterfall model.

The DFSS thought process can be seen as very flexible and above the distinction of waterfall or iterative life cycle. Figure 2 illustrates that regardless of the size of work batches or their sequence, development work still shakes out into some small number of familiar activities. In whatever sequence or frequency that these activities are visited, they make use of, and they deliver, certain kinds of data and incremental knowledge products (shown in the buffers in Figure 2). DFSS contains a set of tools and proven approaches that can facilitate information gathering, learning, decision-formulating and selecting, and results tuning and documentation support of any of those activities.

Figure 2: DFSS As a Set of Activities and Knowledge-Product Buffers

DFSS Emphasizes ‘Requirements Up Front’

On the surface, there is a strong DFSS message about understanding requirements “up front.” In practice, though, there is not as much incompatibility with Agile insight as it may seem. It all comes down to managing value and risk. When the value of moving ahead, the risk of being wrong and the value connected with more requirements work suggest forward progress, DFSS allows it, with notes about things that need to be learned.

Figure 3 illustrates the ends of the spectrum of Agile versus waterfall thinking about requirements. Many projects that might describe themselves at one end of that spectrum find that the practical answer is somewhere in the middle. Understood and applied right, DFSS can do a lot to streamline the work anywhere on that continuum.

Figure 3: Spectrum of Agile Versus Waterfall Thinking About Requirements

Related to the idea that DFSS forces “all requirements work” up front is a notion that more attention to requirements understanding means more unnecessary features and bloated code. It is a little counter intuitive, but understanding about requirements can translate into crisper decisions about what not to do – reducing unnecessary features and size. Requirements understanding brings light to the decision-making – not necessarily weight to the code.

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REASONS WHY LEAN SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT CERTIFICATION IS DESIRABLE

The iSQI Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

The iSQI LSSA Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt is the highest and most elite qualification level under the Lean Six Sigma quality management methodology. It allows professionals to implement, perform, interpret, and apply Lean Six Sigma at an advanced level of proficiency.

Taking all features of the D-M-A-I-C model, the program equips professionals to show team leadership, understand team dynamics, and support team member roles and responsibilities to lead a full-time Lean Six Sigma project.

Who Should Get iSQI Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSA-BB) Certified?

The LSSA Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program prepares professionals to manage challenging improvement projects, typically in a full-time capacity. The iSQI LSSA Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program would be best changed for senior management, team leaders, and quality assurance engineers.

Professionals whose objectives are to achieve the concepts of Lean, Design for Six Sigma, D-M-A-I-C, and Total Productive Maintenance would substantially benefit from the iSQI LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

The iSQI LSSA Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program prepares participants to upskill their business performance processes through enhanced learning, performance, and fulfillment.

Top Reasons to Become LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Whether you just got excited with the iSQI LSSA Lean SixSigma Certification Exam or you have already achieved a few levels or certifications, you must have learned the value of this certification.

If you are still not aware of how helpful it is to be LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, then here is some relevant information for you:

Master in DMAIC:

One of the essential things for Lean Six Sigma Methodologies is DMAIC. This is going to be the foundation, and so you need to make sure that you have complete knowledge about it. If you can get the iSQI LSSA Black Belt certification, then you will be able to get more experience about the same, and therefore you will master it.

Fresh Opportunities:

When you get the LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, you will have multiple opportunities coming your way. Only those who are having high ranks or ultimate experience will be provided to lead the groups, and you will become capable of doing that. You will be able to lead the groups, and you know prospects to work as a Project manager.

Understanding of Business Requirements:

In the other LSSA Lean Six Sigma certifications like Orange Belt, Yellow Belt, and Green Belt, you will just be raised about the quality and efficiency of the product. But when you are going for iSQI Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, you will also be able to get the business requirements in a better way. As the level of your certification increases, you will be able to understand it in a much better way.

Knowledge of Competitors:

You will not just understand the process of improving the quality of the product and reducing waste; you will also get mastered in understanding your competitors. This is something great as the past of any business or job. You require to follow them to get better than them.

New Challenges:

If you put everything aside and get commenced with the training for Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, then the levels of exercise that you know are going to be very challenging. This is not just challenging but also allows you to learn something new and exciting from what you already have learned. This is an entirely new level of knowledge and expertise.

Increased Benefits:

The main reasons why someone takes up a job. You work to make some money, and when you are going one level up in your iSQI LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, you will be able to get great benefits. Hence, there is no loss of time or money that you use on your training and exam. You will be able to learn and become better than what you are spending on it.

The iSQI LSSA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is separate from the Six Sigma Black Belt certification. You need to understand which certification is required for your organization or your business, and then you will have to take the exam.

You can go for Lean Six Sigma if you are not sure which suits the needs of your organization as that is a combination of both Six Sigma and Lean Methodologies. Always keep yourself updated and advancing with the exam levels.

iSQI LSSA Green Belt:

This level is for those with a point of three years of employment in which they performed on process development projects. It includes an in-depth education in examples of the successful application of Six Sigma methodologies.

iSQI LSSA Black Belt:

This level concentrates on leadership development in process improvement and is given to those who have years of experience and have been on a team that performed at least two Six Sigma projects. At this level, graduates master the principles and philosophy of Six Sigma and prepare themselves to lead process improvement project teams efficiently.

Some Black Belts go on to become Master Black Belts. This level is open to those who have made a Black Belt and have at least five years of full-time, professional experience managing process improvement projects.

The Benefits of an iSQI LSSA Black Belt

Having at least one Black Belt on staff more depending on the size of the organization can bring many positive results. In addition to the examples of companies such as Amazon, General Electric, Nike, and Lockheed Martin, particular practical matters make having a Black Belt on staff essential.

The overall benefit of having a Black Belt is that they are solely focused on identifying areas that require improvement and implementing necessary strategies to improve those areas. Their expertise is not boxed into one or area. It can be leveraged company-wide.

This does not mean a top-down approach, a constant study of Lean and Six Sigma. Black Belts know to bring others on board with a project that recognizes the operation best. One of the essential principles of Lean has those who work daily in a process have meaningful input into the settings that are required, which is one reason why Yellow Belt training across the board is valued.

LSSA Black Belts are there to guide, not hand down commands. And they take expertise in addition to their knowledge of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.

They include:

• Using data analysis in problem-solving.

• A results-oriented focus on cutting waste and improving efficiencies.

• Well-rounded management and team leadership skills.

• A focus on keeping projects on track, on time and within budget.

These types of skills are needed in organizations across all areas of the economy, from individual business to government agencies. This type of results-oriented, hands-on approach to change management, and process improvement can give a high return on a company’s investment in Lean and Six Sigma practice.

Learning Lean Six Sigma and using its methodologies to your business life will have a vital impact on your future in business. Merely having the capacity to place Six letters of the alphabet Certification on your resume shows your dedication to raising your business acumen and analytical skills, not to mention your commitment to building the business among that you are employed.

In summary, an iSQI LSSA Lean Six Sigma Certification advances the object that stands out from the crowd.

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Top 10 Certifications You Can Get In 2020

2020 is almost approaching. What is your resolution for 2020??

If you are a career-oriented person then upskill yourself with the best certification to stay relevant and grab new opportunities in the coming years.

Below are the Top 10 certifications that you can have!

1. Agile and Scrum 

Agile and Scrum are very popular certifications as of today.

Agile methodology is more adaptable to changes as per requirements throughout the course of the project.

Commonly considered as a framework in agile project management, Scrum outlines a set of meetings, tools, and roles that work in harmony to help team structure and conduct their work.

Through this certification, you will be able to learn the Agile and Scrum framework and gain an understanding of team roles, events, and artifacts, as well as how to guide agile teams through a project successfully.

According to Payscale, in 2019, the average annual pay for a Certified Scrum Master in the United States is $115,700 a year.

2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect

It is one of the most popular cloud computing certifications. From storing and sharing files using google drive to watching movies on Netflix, everything is on the cloud. From the user base itself, it’s evident that cloud computing is a necessity today. If you are a person who wants to build a career in the cloud, then AWS certification is the best to start with. You can start with a basic level such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate and gradually move up the ladder with next step certifications.

That’s because AWS is more popular than its 10 other competitors like Azure, Google Cloud, etc.

The average salary of an AWS solutions architect is $123,700 per year according to  Indeed.Com

According to Enlyft, a marketing intelligence company, 47% of Amazon AWS customers are in the United States and that’s a lot of companies that can bring job opportunities for you.

However, prior to taking an exam, you should have hands-on experience with AWS services and architecting large-scale distributed systems.

3. CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional

It is one of the globally recognized IT security professional's technical skills. Companies usually look for applicants who have completed the CISSP exam because applicants with the CISSP certifications are sufficiently educated about cybersecurity and have hands-on experience of at least 5 years.

This experience can be earned in a minimum of two of the eight cybersecurity knowledge domains.

As per Indeed, there has been a sudden increase in demand for cybersecurity skills by 7% in the US. That’s good news! Isn’t it?

According to Payscale, the salary of a CISSP certified individual ranges from $87,000 to $165,000 depending on the years of experience in the USA as of August 2019.

4. Cisco Certifications

Within Cisco Certifications, the two very popular and valuable certifications are CCNA (Cisco certified network associate) and CCNP (Cisco certified network professional)

CCNA primarily focuses on developing appropriate skills to meet the speedy deployment of technologies in today’s complex networking environment.

Once you are a CCNA certified you can choose different paths that interest you, such as:

- CCNA Security - It deals in troubleshooting and monitoring network devices.

- CCNA Voice - It deals with VoIP, handset, voiceover mail, etc.

- CCNA Wireless - It deals with using Cisco equipment in configuring, implementing, and supporting wireless LANs

The majority of MNCs, as well as medium-sized companies, use Cisco products, which means they need people who can help with seamless operations while using those products.

In the US, the average salary of a CCNA certified professional ranges from $72,000 to $100,000 as of August 2019, according to Payscale.

CCNP - One of the most popular certifications in the field of networking. This certification is usually preferred by CCNA as this helps them to scale up one’s career. CCNP will help you to validate your proficiency in planning, implementing, managing and troubleshooting WANs and LANs in business environments. It also helps you make aware of how to work in collaboration with other experts to manage wireless, voice, video and security solutions.

CCNP certified professionals earn $92,000 on an average per year which can go high up to $122,000 depending upon the experience according to payscale in August 2019.

5. PMP - Project Management Professional

It is one of the most recognized certifications globally in today’s date. It is created and administered by PMI - Project Management Institute. According to recruiters, the certificate adds immense value to your leadership skills and in addition, the PMP® certification brings a 22–25% increase over non-certified peers.

PMP helps you examine yourself in five criteria; initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The results provide you a clear picture of your capability and also for recruiters to choose you over others.

However, there are prior requirements to become PMP certified. You should have a bachelor’s degree with at least 4500 hours of project management experience and if you don’t have a bachelor's degree then you would need to have 7500 hrs of project management experience. And lastly, you need to have a 35-hour contact certificate to take the exam and you are good to go.

According to a survey done by PMI in 2019, Project managers take-home salary is $112,000 annually in the States and earns 23 percent higher than one without PMP certification.

Project Management includes other certifications such as CAPM, PRINCE 2 Foundation, PRINCE 2 practitioner and PRINCE 2 combo.

6. CompTIA A+

With this particular certification, you will have a complete fundamental knowledge of hardware and software. You’ll also learn about troubleshooting a wide range of devices, from computers to smartphones.

The examination is outlined to certify the capability of entry-level personal computer service professionals in installing, operating, customizing, and maintaining personal computers and other devices.

In the US, a CompTIA A+ certified professional earns about $59,000 on an average per year according to PayScale as of August 2019.

7. ITIL 

ITIL or Information Technology Infrastructure Library is a set of best practices for IT service management. ITIL concentrates on adjusting or arranging on the IT services according to the requirements of the companies.

It includes a list of relevant specializations such as IT operations, capacity management, incident management, and availability management, to name a few. Best practices intend to manage or lessen IT costs, improve IT services, and balance IT resources.

According to Ziprecruiter.com the majority of ITIL Foundation salaries as of August 2019, range between $52,000 to $118,500 across the United States.

8. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)

GIAC provides a set of vendor-neutral computer security certifications. It offers 30+ specific information security certifications. The objective of these certifications is to focus on job-based capabilities rather than providing a standard course to all. The certification process approves the specific abilities of security professionals and developers with standards established on the most important benchmarks in the industry.

An increase in the number of devices and networks calls for more threat. It leads to the demand for highly skilled people to manage the threats and eliminate them.

According to PayScale August 2019, a GIAC certified can earn an average of $90,000 per year in the US.

9. MCSE - Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert

The MCSE certification will help if you are an IT Professional to validate your technical expertise through accurate, industry-proven, and industry-recognized exams.

MCSE certifications show the skills to design and build advanced solutions that integrate multiple Microsoft technologies.

Prior to doing MCSE, you will have to complete MCSA certification which will validate your ability to build and design solutions using core Microsoft technologies.

MCSE has various other certifications under it such as MCSE: Business Application, MCSE: Core Infrastructure, MCSE: Data Management & Analytics, MCSE: Mobility, and MCSE: Productivity.

The demand for skilled cloud specialists has exponentially increased due to a multi-cloud strategy approach taken by most businesses.

According to Payscale the average salary in the US for Microsoft certified solution expert is $92,000 per year as of August 2019.

10. CEH - Certified Ethical Hacker

In today’s date hiring an ethical hacker is not a choice but a necessity. If you wish to become one, you will have the ability to understand and know how to look for vulnerabilities in target systems.

You will also be able to use the same expertise and means as a hacker but strictly aligned with the law to evaluate the security posture of a target system.

Not only in the US but also in other countries malicious hacking is a strict offense. However, one should have the same technical skills that hackers possess to catch a criminal.

A Certified Ethical Hacker certification indicates your knowledge in network security, particularly in preventing malicious hacking attacks through pre-emptive countermeasures.

In the US, a Certified Ethical Hacker earns on an average of $90,000 per year according to Payscale as of July 2019.

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