Book Description

How to speed up business processes, improve quality, and cut costs in any industry

In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor space of its competitors. The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.

Complete with profiles of organizations that have successfully adopted Toyota's principles, this book shows managers in every industry how to improve business processes by:

• Eliminating wasted time and resources
• Building quality into workplace systems
• Finding low-cost but reliable alternatives to expensive new technology
• Producing in small quantities
• Turning every employee into a qualitycontrol inspector

Reviews (15)

Jeff Liker does it again!
Jeff Liker does it again. For those who have read and enjoyed his previous book, Becoming Lean: Experiences of U.S. Manufactures, (1998 Shingo Prize) it gives practical insight into the transformation process from those who lead the process. The Toyota Way gives insight into how business philosophy must change and evolve in order to support a true transformation. At the core of a true business change is not the techniques, tools, or methods, but an attitude toward the business and a "way of life".

The book, The Toyota Way, is worth reading from cover-to-cover and should also be re-referenced as one tries to guide their business, themselves, and others through the deep changes that must occur to truly transform to a lean enterprise. Dr. Liker reveals how the fourteen principles have been applied at Toyota using practical examples from new car development programs, daily functions, and major international business decisions. The Toyota Way applies to all levels of activities and people. But the only way for others to accomplish their own Toyota Way is to read this book and start to apply its lessons directly - by learning by doing.

Toyota DNA
Even though no other company will have the exact Toyota DNA, the principles in this book should be like the 14 commandments for all companies. There is something that wows me just about in every page I read.

I'm only through half of the book, but if I had the money I would send it to many of my manufacturing friends. But that is much rather like pushing it, and I am not sure they would read it, even as a freebie.

I have read many of the "Lean books", Womack, etc. and liked them too. But "The Toyota Way" has been the best. There are many automotive Japanese companies, but Toyota is very special. No wonder everybody is trying to copy the tools used there. But what everybody misses is the basic philosophy and the 14 principles around Challenge, Kaizen, Respect, Teamwork and Genchi Genbutsu, or the 4 Ps of Liker.

Liker does an excellent work in explaining them.

a manufacturing engineering manager

Clear and informative for any business
What a clear explanation of management principles. Anyone who runs any sort of company, or even a single household, can profit by reading this book. The many graphs are clear, clever, and illuminating. The book goes so much beyond the more simple "lean" theory I had read about before.

Explainning Toyota's DNA
I think this book is the first one for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.

Best book ever in recent years on Toyota DNA
There are very few books or papers available to give details on Toyota DNA in a plain english and that too with examples.

Thank you Dr.Liker for doing excellent job and looking forward to see your next book.

I completely agree with what Dr. Liker described in Principles 8 and 11, as I was fortunate to experience "Toyota Way" as a supplier. ... Read more

Book Description

A handy reference guide for Six Sigma which describes the DMAIC tools and how they can be applied. Perfect for those learning Six Sigma, or those who have already be trained and want a handy reference! ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Best Pocket Guide to Six Sigma Available
I don't due encomiums very often (check out the rest of my reviews); but Rath & Strong's pocket guide simply floored me.

I bought a dozen several months ago to try out on my black belts and green belts. They snapped them up and refused to return them. My own copy is already dog-eared and tattered from overuse.

This is a wonderful tool. It breaks down the methodology in clear, concise steps and provides a desperately-needed matrix showing which tools are typically employed at each phase. It offers short, effective descriptions of the most commonly-used tools.

As someone who'd been given to lugging Breyfogle's "Implementing Six Sigma" to meetings, Rath & Strong's guide has been a welcome relief.

Pick yours up today.

Six Sigma Pocket Guide
Don't let the small size of this book fool you!! It is packed with great information. It gives a brief review of the tools used for Six Sigma. They are organized along the DMAIC model. A chapter covers each of the phases of the model. It covers the tools that are commonly used in each phase of the model along with why it is useful in this phase and a short synpopsis on how it works.

For example tools covered in Define are: Project Chater, Stakeholder analysis, SIPOC, Rolled Throughput Yield, Voice of the Customer,Affinity Diagrams, Kano Model, Critical to Quality Tree etc.

The chapter on Measure covers things like Control Charts, Frequency plots, Gage R & R, Pareto Charts, FMEA etc.

This book is an excellent introduction to the tools used in Six Sigma or problem solving techniques. It is also an excellent pocket reference for trained practioners to use to set up problem resolution steps!!

For Most Executives, an Essential Primer
Six Sigma Pocket Guide (12/15/03)

Although Rath and Strong do indeed provide a wealth of information about Six Sigma, their "pocket guide" can be of substantial value to all organizations (regardless of size or nature) which need to simplify, thereby improve the process by which they produce whatever they offer for sale. Products, of course, but also professional services (e.g. legal, accounting, management consulting), memberships (e.g. healthcare providers as well as trade and professional associations such as chambers of commerce), and charitable support (e.g. non profit, tax exempt 501 (c) 3 organizations such as college and universities). Chapter One introduces the book's core concept, DMAIC, an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. A chapter is then devoted to each of the five separate but related process components. Rath and Strong explain how this process will guide and inform efforts to increase the ROI of resources to achieve whatever the desired objectives may be. One of this guide's greatest benefits is its ease of use: It can easily be carried within an attaché case, coat pocket, or purse, always available for direct and immediate access whenever needed. Now more than ever before, decision-makers are under great pressure to produce more and better results in less time, and with fewer resources. Hence the importance of improving first pass yield and cycle time, for example. Hence the importance, also, of enabling everyone within a given organization to understand how and why her or his efforts can -- and should -- contribute to the organization's operational excellence. For most executives, Rath and Strong offer a concise, easy-to-access, and well-written source of guidance to effectively defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling various stages of production of ideas as well as products and services.

Puh-lease
Ok, there is no sense in buying this book, when there are plenty of others to buy instead. Although it is an easy read, it is not a good book for anyone looking to implement the Six Sigma methodology.
Instead, I recommend the new Six Sigma Business Scorecard. It is insightful, and incredibly creative in its new approach.

Not a teaching tool
Excellent pocket lingo guide to Six Sigma Terms - great for "translations" to trainees, managers, etc. ... Read more

Book Description

* Includes new and expanded coverage of Six Sigma infrastructure building and benchmarking.
* Provides plans, checklists, metrics, and pitfalls. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

A clear roadmap to successful Six Sigma implementation
Forrest Breyfogle's new text, "Implementing Six Sigma", provides clear and well-defined examples, case studies and guidelines for the justification, design and "smarter" implementation of Six Sigma methodologies in any organization. The practical examples of "Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods" show how organizations can enhance the bottom-line benefits of Six Sigma implementation through the innovative application of proven concepts. Breyfogle's real world experience in assisting clients like IBM, Motorola and Dell is evident on every page.

The unique value of the book is in it's multi-tiered approach to each of these issues. Concepts are introduced, discussed and documented in several levels of detail, each suitable to a different reader, from the non-technical senior executive, through the implementing functional manager, to the working quality engineer.

An excellent glossary and extensive reference tables make this book a valuable addition to any professional reference library. Pragmatic "how to" guidelines make it an easy to follow roadmap for successful Six Sigma implementation.

A "Must Have" for Six Sigma and QE Practitioners
The first edition of Implementing Six Sigma was the best book available for Six Sigma practitioners and quality engineers. The second edition increases the lead over other contenders.

First of all, Six Sigma is defined as a system that improves business performance through cost reduction and revenue growth by improving all business processes and increasing customer satisfaction. It is not just a quality improvement system.

Second, all of the statistical tools are described, explained and illustrated with real world examples. And in addition:
• The Seven Management Tools to analyze "idea data"
• Lean tools to reduce waste as defined by Taichi Ohno
• Theory of Constraints to identify and break bottlenecks
• Project Management and Change Management
• Team effectiveness
• Creativity
are all integrated into "Smarter Six Sigma Solutions" to provide a holistic approach to business improvement.

In other words, if you want to make real improvements in real life business situations, this is the book to show you how to do it. Also, if you want to pass the ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt certification exam, there is no better text.

A Very Comprehensive Source
I bought this book directly from the author out of the trunk of his car, so I can tell you that you definitely get a better price from amazon.com. Anyway, this is without a doubt, the most comprehensive book on the subject. Breyfogle has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that he has covered all aspects of Six Sigma in sufficient detail that the reader will be able to apply these methodologies successfully from the start. One of the key ingredients he spends a lot of time on is the idea of focusing and aligning efforts with corporate or organizational goals and metrics. These he refers to as the "satellite level"*. There are lower operational levels (30,000 foot and below) that need to be aligned with the satellite level in order that six sigma projects are driven for most effectiveness to the organization.

Forrest Breyfogle has been a quality leader in our community (Austin, Texas) for a number of years. I knew him since his days at IBM in the early '90s. That doesn't mean that I can't give an unbiased view of this book, however. Note I'm not giving it 5 stars as some have done. I am trying to give it a fair assessment, however. I've seen many technical books of this nature written in a more conversational way that are a little easier to read with better vocabulary, grammar, and organization. But if you want a book that covers it all, there is nothing out there I know of that can beat this one.

This book claims to focus on both product and service quality. However, as with many books that claim to cover the service sector, it is a little weak in that area. There are some books that cover services better than this one, I think, and so if that is your specialty, you may want to use one of those books to supplement the treatment of six sigma in this book. I like "Ultimate Six Sigma" by Keki Bhote. That book uses the concept of NOAC (Next Operation As Customer) to drive interdepartmental process improvement. Bhote is a big fan of Dorian Shainin, the consummate engineer of quality tools, and he is now arrogantly calling some of the Shainin tools "Shainin/Bhote" tools. But I've seen a lot of books that look like advertising brochures for consultants. His and Breyfogle's book both have that fault. But I have to like them simply because they are comprehensive, authoritative, and useful. I think the advertising brochure syndrome is really the fault of publishers that let authors get away with it. I would think a respected technical publisher like Wiley would not accept that kind of tone in any of its books. But like "Coke C2" and low carb bread, we are swamped with advertising from every direction and it only gets worse.

Another good book you might want to consider is "Lean Six Sigma for Service" by Michael L. George. This book specializes in only the service sector and is therefore, a very good book for that kind of work with some excellent case studies.

*Service Mark of Smarter Solutions

Hastily Assembled and Poorly Organized
When my wife brought this home from her Six Sigma Green Belt training, I eagerly opened it and spent a couple hours reviewing it's "treasures". I was disappointed.

As a provider of Six Sigma Training and a certifed Black Belt myself, I had expected better from one of the most recognized names in the field. Breyfogle and his team have assembled several meaningful aspects of the Six Sigma art. However, any sense of flow or logical progression were interrupted by commercials for his company's "unique" approach. His team's frequent use of poorly defined vocabulary added to the confusion. Most disturbing, however, was the characterization of the value of the "wisdom of the organization", which could mislead potential implementers of the method to minimize the critical need for empirical data collection and analysis. They seem to promote the the more typical, "Ask Larry, he knows".

Typos, confusing sentence structure, and poor publishing practices lead me to wonder if Dr. B reads his own defect reduction philosophies. The Voice of the Customer in this instance says: el Stinko.

If you buy this book, you will find use in it. It's a good collection of techniques and ideas, and many of the examples are helpful. However, I would suggest looking for something cheaper and more professionally executed. The price may lead you to believe that this is the consumate work of the field. If it is, I guess that's good news for you and me. Without much effort, we could write and publish a better Six Sigma book than this shallow collection of Clip Art, rambling prose, and poorly referenced diagrams.

Better than Ever
The second edition of Implementing Six Sigma, by Forrest Breyfogle, substantially updates and enriches the original work. In it's current form it may very well be the most comprehensive source of information about the practical application of statistical techniques in Six Sigma work.

Like the previous edition, it is a highly informative book that illustrates how to tightly integrate balanced scorecard metrics with improvement techniques, to include Lean, Six Sigma, and theory of constraints (TOC) tools. Breyfogle's expanded step-by-step project execution roadmap illustrates when Lean/Six Sigma tools can be used to significant effect throughout the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) improvement cycle in a variety of settings.

Other reviewers in the field have found the new book to be of significant value as well.
Writing in the February 2004 ASQ "Six Sigma Forum Magazine", Roger Hoerl, Manager of the Applied Statistics Laboratory at GE's Global Research Center categorized the work as "an excellent text for a technically oriented course for Black Belts or Master Black Belts...the most complete compilation of Six Sigma tools on the market."

In the same publication, William Parr, Department of Statistics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, stated "This is the best overall reference, providing encyclopedic coverage of statistical and statistically related topics that are of use in Six Sigma work.

With this well-deserved professional recognition, Breyfogle firmly positions himself as a world-class authority in the application of successful techniques to the implementation of Six Sigma - and his latest work as the "how to" guide to success. ... Read more

Book Description

The most comprehensive Six Sigma reference available, now revised and expanded

Completely rewritten and reorganized, this second edition of The Six Sigma Handbookcovers all the basic statistics and qualityimprovement tools of the Six Sigma quality management system. This new edition reflects the developments in Six Sigma over the past few years and will help maintain the book's position as the leading comprehensive guide to Six Sigma.

Key changes to this edition include:

• New chapters on DFSS (Design for Six Sigma); Minitab, the most popular statistical software for Six Sigma; Six Sigma philosophy and values; flowcharting; and SIPOC
• Coverage of the core problem-solving technique DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
• Dozens of downloadable, customizable Six Sigma work sheets
• New material on important advanced Six Sigma tools such as FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

Reviews (13)

The Complete Guide to Six Sigma
The title says it all. Thomas Pyzdek covers everything that one needs to know to successfully implement six sigma concepts. After a brief introduction of the history behind six sigma, Pyzdek provides a detailed summary of the tools, methodologies and techniques necessary to successfuly tackle a six sigma project. Both "soft and hard" tools are described. The methodology is understandable. Pyzdek takes special care to explain where specific techniques can (and cannot) be applied. This is especially helpful for the reader that has forgotten more then they remember about statistics.

Pyzdek is ideallly suited to write this book. He is one of a limited few authors that has a strong statitical education coupled with an in-depth knowledge of business. PLUS he can write.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone that is serious about making improvements through the application of six sigma methodology. Everything that ones needs to know is here in one book. And for those that need additional information the references are excellent.

Not Just Another Statistics Tome
I have been doing Six Sigma projects for GE worldwide for over six years. I was very pleased to find a book that doesn't pontificate about the benefits of Six Sigma without telling the practitioner what to do on a Monday morning. The organization of the tools using the DMAIC framework is especially useful for the beginning BB who is trying to make sense of the weeks of training while they are executing their projects.

Some sections, such as the TVM and Risk and Reliability analysis, are missing from the usual BB training and are welcome additions for extending the traditional Six Sigma methodology to 'Lean' type projects.

Screen shots of Minitab and Excel make it a useful resource for refreshing techniques learned long ago.

The application of reliability analysis to call center abandonment rates is an interesting application of known techniques to a new area.

"The Six Sigma Handbook" is one of only a few reference books on Six Sigma that I have at my desk.

Reviewing for CSSBB? - use Breyfogle
If you are studying for the Six Sigma Black Belt certificate I recommend you use Breyfogle's book as your general reference. Breyfogle's book is more complete and structured in the exams format so its easier to study and reference during the exam.

Good luck.

Complete and Helpful
We have taken the time to extensively read and assess the best selling texts on the topic of Six Sigma. We find this text to be the most complete and helpful for those who desire to be certified as a six sigma professional and for those who are certified and need a complete manual to use as a reference. Our firm uses it for all three levels of Six Sigma Certification training. The value ad of this text is that it also includes valuable topics all managers need if they want to improve the performance of their divisions, departments or lines of supervision. Thumb through it and let your own curiosities be your judge. You will not be disappointed.

Six Sigma Handbook That Gets Used 6 times a week
I've had more than a few occasions to use this text. It is excellently
written and provides a great mix of pragmatic and technical topics that
have helped me on several different 6S teams I'm working. Can't say that
I've read it cover to cover, but can say that it is an excellent handbook.
I'll bet I'm averaging a half-dozen accesses a week.

Joe Maciulla
Manager, Engineering and Advanced Programs QA
Raytheon Missile Systems ... Read more

Book Description

The Memory Jogger II is an easy-to-use pocket guide that describes tools to help you make continuous improvements in an organization. The tools help people at all levels participate in identifying and solving problems; eliminating rework; streamlining processes; improving cross-functional communication; decreasing costs; and measuring results. The guide supports organization-wide consistency and participation in creating organizational breakthroughs and improvements. It measures 3.5" x 5.5". ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The guide for all
I first used this as a high school student then later at univerity doing engineering. Now I use it as an engineer. It's so worn it's due for replacement. Handy size, useful tools, practical.

US Navy Leadership School
This US Navy uses this book in the Leadership School for PO1s/E-6s. It's a great hip pocket book.

Great customer service
Great customer service. Arrived within 3 days, no problems getting the product ordered. Highly recommended!

A management book that's meant to be USED!!!
This little book omits all the BS and jargon of textbooks and compresses the actual TOOLS for planning, process improvement, and quality control into just the information that you need to select and implement the appropriate management tools. Keep it in a desk drawer where it's handy to use, instead of on a bookshelf! I bought it for a class (in Project Management), but I USE it at work!

It is NOT a book that will give you all the theory behind the methods, nor the history of how they were developed and have evolved. It SIMPLY (and that's the beauty of it) describes when, why, and how to use the variety of tools, and gives very helpful examples showing them in action.

This ... book is worth more to me than most of my $100 textbooks combined -- and it's one I'll keep and not resell.

Great little book on CPI
This little book can go anywhere, and gives excellent examples of continuous process improvement tools. The explanations are straightforward, and you don't need to be an engineer or statistician to understand and apply the tools, techniques, and concepts presented. ... Read more

Book Description

The methodology engineers need to plan and conduct experiments to quantify cause-and-effect mechanisms in complex systems

Updated to include the latest in experiment design, this breakthrough resource offers a comprehensive framework for the sequential building of knowledge -- a model for improvement -- that is key to making improvements. Step by step, you discover the tools and properties of sound experiments, the methods of planned experiments, and their application to the design of new and improved products and services.

Case studies of experiments in action, and forms and checklists facilitate the adoption of the methods into your daily work. The Second Edition includes new and expanded coverage of how to:

* Test changes to products, processes, and systems
*Evaluate the measurement process
* Extend planned experiments to large systems
*Apply experiments to new product design ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A serious book for quality practitioners
This is a book about quality improvement via proven techniques of statistical experiment design. It is full of illustrative examples, with mathematical details kept to a minimum. It is an excellent source of reference for industry personnel interested in improving the performance of products and processes beyond the deployment of the usual technical (engineering) approaches. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Worth the time
This book is an excellenct introduction for those who just need to 'catch up' with eveyone else talking Six Sigma. It is an easy-read, well-written synopsis of Six Sigma and Six Sigma implementation. It is not an indepth look at statisitcs, SPC or implementation--there are plenty of books out there for that, several by the same author, but it is a very helpful book that I will keep in my library and have already worn the cover by lending it to colleagues.

Six Sigma Overview
If you are looking for a book to take you from no knowledge of Six Sigma to a very elementary level of knowledge, this could be useful. I found myself feeling like I was reading a company brochure for Six Sigma that was too long. The book falls into a middle ground of not having enough information to be useful in implementing Six Sigma yet might have too much for the average person.
I originally thought this would be a great book to give to people that congratulate me on being a Six Sigma Black Belt, that they once took Karate but never got that far, to understand Six Sigma. After thinking about the level of knowledge of many people regarding basic statistics I think as simple as this book is it may be over the general person's comfort level. I'm afraid it might cause people to shut down from feeling overwhelmed. If they have basic statistical skills, they should have no problem understanding this though.
Maybe the book is perfect for people being asked to participate in Six Sigma initiatives or working with a company that is implementing Six Sigma. I would be uncomfortable giving this to somebody with no Six Sigma knowledge and not being available to discuss it with them, hold their hand through it. If you have a real interest in Six Sigma, pick up one of the "heavier" books, including The Six Sigma Way by the same author. You can skim through it and get this same information. If you want more information it will be there, no need to buy another book.

Interesting, But Apparently Not Sufficiently Persuasive
This book circulated at my company while decisions were being made as to what management consultant vehicle to pursue. I thought it was quite interesting, and was ready to seek the training, become a black belt and so forth -- but our firm decided to go with Three Rho, because it's twice as efficient for half the price. Such is life. Rho Rho Rho.

All The 6 Sigma Basics and Just the Basics
Of the Six Sigma books I've read, this is the one I'd recommend most highly. It will give you the basic "tools" of Six Sigma in a compact, useable form. I feel that this would be an excellent text for corporate training on Six Sigma, certainly for an introductory course.

A quick read of the reviews on Amazon will give you a feel for why people are skeptical of 6 Sigma: the feel-good tone of most writing on 6 Sigma and the insistence that it "is not a flavor-of-the-month management trend" make many of us suspect that 6 Sigma is not much more than hollow jargon and acronyms.

Lets accept that these criticisms are valid and further that many "practitioners" are just self-aggrandizing or worse. But that still leaves us with the essential difficulties of positive change in any organization: you need to overcome assumptions that your organization's subculture may not even realize it has. What a corporation does by accepting Six Sigma is that it empowers people to gather data to challenge what "everybody knows". Most importantly, it sets a very high quality standard, which reinforces the sanctioning of data-driven change.

The authors of "What is Six Sigma" put it very well early on: "proactive management means making habits out of what are, too often, neglected business practices: defining ambitious goals and reviewing them frequently, setting clear priorities, focusing on problem prevention rather than firefighting, and questioning why we do things instead of blindly defending them."

I feel that the greatest flaw in Six Sigma is that many practitioners and even the books permit the basics to be lost in the shuffle. If one listens to people talk about Six Sigma, its easy to forget that a critical part of Six Sigma is that the data comes first, not the solution. I often hear co-workers say "we need to finish this project to improve our six sigmas" or "if we could get rid of this server we'll all get our green belts".

The term Six Sigma is derived from statistics and many books gloss over the statistics and move right on to basic project management techniques or how to overcome objections to Six Sigma. This book gives a clear and brief explanation of how to calculate standard deviations and includes a handy table to help with determine "sigma levels". Every Six Sigma book should respond to the challenge raised by this book and also include this information in the first 10 pages.

Finally, I recommend this book because it is concise and to-the-point. I feel that the fluff and/or Machiavellian advice in many of the other books just feed into people's healthy skepticism and distract people from the beauty of Six Sigma: the challenge to strive for near-perfect quality and the sanction to use statistics to cut through the inertia in our work lives.

I would also recommend Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" (ISBN 0393057658) as a companion book. Lewis (author of "Liar's Poker") uses Wall Street trading as an analogy to explain why the Oakland As baseball team is one of the successful teams with much less money than most. But I also see an analogy relevant to the topic of Six Sigma. "Moneyball" shows how one can achieve superior results by testing what everyone thinks they know with fact gathering and rigorous analyses. Moneyball and "What is Six Sigma" may prove to be an inspiring combination.

Perfect Company Primer
This short but insightful guide is the perfect reading assignment prior to a Six Sigma implementation. The book provides a brief overview of what Six Sigma is, who does what and how the most successful companies have implemented Six Sigma using the DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Input, and Control)
If you are thinking of implementing Six Sigma. Keep this little book on your desk or in your back pocket for immediate reference. We use a copy at my office to gain an organizational understanding of Six Sigma. In the future we will implement Six Sigma, using some of the basic principles outlined here. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Insightful!
Continual improvement is the key to survival in today's business climate, and as companies like GE and Motorola have proven, Six Sigma is a useful tool for ingraining the quest for perfection in an organization. After reading The Six Sigma Way, you'll probably be ready to jump out of your chair and immediately follow in these companies' footsteps by launching a Six Sigma initiative of your own. The authors, three consultants who teach firms to implement Six Sigma efforts, convincingly extol the money-saving and efficiency-enhancing virtues of the holistic approach. This book offers a lot of jargon and complex concepts, but the material is presented in easily understood charts and lists, and there are plenty of concrete examples. We [...] recommend The Six Sigma Way to managers who have heard wondrous tales of Six Sigma, but would like a more down-to-earth explanation of how it can be used and the benefits it offers.

How to Achieve "Practically-Perfect Quality of Performance"
Over the years, I have worked with dozens of small-to-midsize companies, all of which were in dire need of improving one or more of the following: cost reduction, culture change, customer retention, cycle-time reduction, defect reduction, market-share growth, productivity improvement, and product-service development. You can thus understand why I was curious to know to what extent (if any) Six Sigma could be helpful to small-to-midsize companies.

By now we have become well aware of the success of Six Sigma initiatives at major international corporations such as ABB, Allied Signal/Honeywell, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, SONY, and Toshiba. Once having read this book, I am convinced that -- with certain modifications -- Six Sigma could perhaps be even more valuable to small-to-midsize companies which, obviously, have fewer resources. What exactly is Six Sigma? The authors provide this definition: "A comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success. Six Sigma is uniquely driven by close understanding of consumer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes."

The authors identify what they call "hidden truths" about Six Sigma:

1. You can apply Six Sigma to many different business activities and challenges -- from strategic planning to operations to customer service -- and maximize the impact of your efforts.

2. The benefits of Six Sigma will be accessible whether you lead an entire organization or a department. Moreover, you'll be able to scale your efforts, from tackling specific problems to renewing the entire business.

3. You'll be prepared to achieve breakthroughs in these untapped gold mines of opportunity -- and to broaden Six Sigma beyond the realm of the engineering community.

4. You'll gain insights into how to strike the balance between push and pull -- accommodating people and demanding performance. That balance is where real sustained improvement is found. On either side -- being "too nice" or forcing people beyond their understanding and readiness -- lie merely short-term goals or no results at all.

5. The good news is, Six Sigma is a lot more fun than root canal. Seriously, the significant financial gains from Six Sigma may be exceeded in value by the intangible benefits. In fact, the changes in attitude and enthusiasm that come from improved processes and better-informed people are often easier to observe, and more emotionally rewarding than dollar savings.

The authors organize their material as follows: Part One: An Executive Summary of Six Sigma; Part Two: Gearing Up and Adapting Six Sigma to Your Organization; Part Three: Implementing Six Sigma -- The Roadmap and Tools; and finally, The Appendices: Practical Support. According to Jack Welch, "The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question -- how can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer's success?...One thing we have discovered with certainty is that anything we do that makes the customer more successful inevitably results in a financial return for us."

If anything, it is even more important for small-to-midsize companies (than it is for the GEs of the world) to answer these two questions correctly and then track and compare their performance in terms of what their customers require. The well-publicized objective of Six Sigma is to achieve practically-perfect quality of performance (ie 3.4 defects for every million activities or "opportunities") and this is indeed an ambitious objective. Collins and Porras, authors of Built to Last, would probably view it as the biggest of Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). In that book, they assert that the most successful and admired companies have the ability -- and willingness -- to simultaneously adopt two seemingly contrary objectives at the same time. Stability and renewal, Big Picture and minute detail, creativity and rational analysis -- these forces, working together,, make organizations great. This "we can do it all" approach they call the "Genius of the And."

Pande, Neuman, and Cavanagh suggest that all manner of specific benefits can result from following "the Six Sigma way." For example, Six Sigma generates sustained success, sets a performance goal for everyone, enhances value to customers, accelerates the rate of improvement, promotes learning and "cross-pollination", and executes strategic change. All organizations (regardless of their size or nature) need to avoid or escape what the authors refer to as the "Tyranny of Or." Here in a single volume is about all they need to seek "practically-perfect quality of performance." Whether or not they ultimately reach that destination, their journey en route is certain to achieve improvement which would otherwise not be possible.

A Breakthrough in "Boundaryless Thinking"
From livejournal notrealnews

Jack Welch, the retired CEO of General Electric, has hailed his recent affair with Harvard Business Review reporter Suzy Wetlaufer as a breakthrough in the business concept of "Boundaryless Thinking". "I could have easily spent the rest of my life trapped in the narrow view that my marriage meant lifelong monogamy," said Welch, a smug look on his face, "but with boundaryless thinking, I was able to take the concept of marriage in a whole new direction. Just like the things I did at GE."

Boundaryless thinking was one of the tenants that allowed Welch to get GE out of the failing appliances business and into the credit business, which now comprises more than half of GE's corporate makeup. It was a concept Welch highly stressed and touted in his autobiography "Jack: Straight from the Gut." He intends to follow it up with a new book, "Cheating on your wife the Six Sigma Way: How CEO's of GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Extramarital Performance".

What a load of c***!
I never read the book, but the CD is such a masterfully "abridged" version of the book that it manages to tell you for hour HOW WONDERFUL six sigma is, while totally neglecting to tell you WHAT SIX SIGMA ACTUALLY IS, or HOW IT IS IMPLEMENTED. In short, the CD contains nothing but self-marketing bull. If you have money to waste, go buy it.

The Six Sigma Way
The book was very easy to follow. I found it especially helpful that the Six Sigma Way gave tips as to which chapters should be read for each level of Six Sigma implementation. Since my company already had it implemented and I was only reading the book for an understanding of what my company was doing, I was able to skip the unneeded portions about implementation. This was a big time saver. ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive guide to the latest tools & techniques for achieving performance excellence in manufacturing, distribution, and planning Now completely revised and expanded, World Class Production and Inventory Management presents the latest information on the unique tools and techniques needed to manage the planning and production of a manufacturing enterprise. Including a completely new chapter on Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), updated case studies, and additional information on manufacturing integration, this comprehensive reference includes:

• Step-by-step implementation techniques in each key area of production and inventory management
• Fresh perspectives on manufacturing integration and multiple demand stream management
• Best-in-class examples from companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Boeing, and Martin Marietta
• Proven guidelines for avoiding the most common problems and for achieving continually higher levels of performance
• Self-assessment questions helpful in measuring the performance of your company in each operating area

Reviews (4)

Good first book
I would recommend this to anyone new to operations management in a production environment. The book does a good job of covering the key concepts of inventory management and production planning in a quick and easy to read format.

Systems Implementation & Review
I read this book as part of a Masters degree, comparing actual methods with "The Proven Path". It is the only humorous book I have read on methodologies and the concepts are of relevance to all systems implementation - not just manufacturing. I thought the book was easy to read and very interesting - in short, it is excellent. A must for those pursuing a production career.

Great manufacturing management book
The book does not go into great detail but it is worth reading because it explains everything you need to understand how a manufactoring company has to work in order to achieve full controll over its business processes. The examples are very simple but very usefull. It is also a good book for people that do not have a background in manufacturing because it explains everything you need in order to understand the main subjects.

A tremendous book for tomorrow's leaders, today!
This is a great book that encapsulates many of the latest innovations in manufacturing management. Including - JIT, MRP, MRPII, MPS, and many others. A must read for the forward-looking manager. ... Read more

Book Description

The market leader in quality management, this text is built upon the strength and experience of well-known authors in the field. As a past president of the Decision Sciences Institute and examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige Award, Evans is able to integrate the framework and essential content of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria throughout the text. The principles of total quality, as reflected in the Baldrige Award, provide what the authors feel is the best overall synthesis of the concept of quality. This edition continues to provide a managerially oriented, integrated view with a blend of pertinent technical topics. All chapters have been updated to reflect the most current thinking in the profession. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very comprehensive book!
This is a required book in Keller Graduate School of Management for GM588 (Managing Quality). It is an exceptionally comprehensive title.

Old School
This book is tired and out of date. It is time to retire this textbook.

It's All Beef and No Bull
This is one of the most comprehensive references on the subject of managing and controlling quality one could want -- and all under one cover. The authors' points of reference in the development of their subject matter are documented with case after case supporting their views. No light reading, this work will serve well both faculty, of undergraduate and graduate students alike, and professionals serious about the business of continuous improvement and quality. The work is also accompanied by a student CD.

A Great Textbook--Thumbs up!
After reading this book, and studying the various applications used in the study of statistical analysis of quality control; it has facilitated my understanding of the subject beyond my horizon. I highly recommend this textbook for students as well as those who value the importance in the management of quality control. ... Read more

Book Description

A quick introduction on how to use Lean Six Sigma to improve your workplace, meet your goals, and better serve your customers.

Lean Six Sigma combines the two most important improvement trends of our time: making work better (using Six Sigma) and making work faster (using Lean principles).In this plain-English guide, you’ll discover how this remarkable quality improvement method can give you the tools to identify and eliminate waste and quality problems in your own work area.

Packed with diagrams, cartoons, and real-life examples, What is Lean Six Sigma? reveals the “four keys” of Lean Six Sigma and how they apply to your own job:

• Delight your customers with speed and quality
• Improve your processes
• Work together for maximum gain
• Base decisions on data and facts

You’ll see the big picture of what your company hopes to gain with Lean Six Sigma, how it may affect your work area, and what it can mean to you personally.

Reviews (1)

A Must Read!
The authors did a great job on the book. I read it on an airplane earlier this week and really enjoyed it. It is very well written - very understandable at a novice level and insightful at the "supposed expert" level. I think it is
a "must read" for everyone in an organization deploying Lean Six Sigma or anybody interested in improving the economic value of their business. ... Read more

Book Description

The completely revised and updated "bible"of new product development: The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition.

The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition provides a comprehensive, updated picture of what you as a manager need to know for effective new product development. The book's concise, map-like detail acts as a compass, offering practical information pertaining to every stage of the product development process -- from idea generation to launch to the end of the life cycle.

Whether you're a novice or an expert, this edition is ideal as it provides both fundamentals and reliable information on advanced and emerging concepts such as accelerated product development, new product development globalization and benchmarking, and Web-based concept development. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Product Marketing Professionals - BUY THIS BOOK!
The PDMA Handbook is one of those rare and valuable books that characterizes a "body of knowledge" for a professional discipline. It was produced by the preeminent industry organization for New Product Development (NPD) professionals, the PDMA .... This text describes current, best practices in NPD and includes contributions from knowledge leaders in academia, consulting, and industry practice. If you are a CEO, COO, CTO, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, Product Planner, Engineering Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager, or any other professional involved in new product development (especially for technically complex products like hardware and software) you really need this book.

Product Managers (should) perform the nitty, gritty, roll-your-sleeves-up: opportunity analysis, business case formulation, and requirements management for new products. Research shows that judicious performance of this critical pre-work is a key determinant in the ultimate market success of new products and is usually performed inadequately. Unfortunately, most professionals in such roles have had no formal training beyond an MBA (sometimes). The PDMA Handbook provides a comprehensive treatment of virtually all the subject areas new product development (business) managers need to understand to drive the success of their endeavors. Want to know the key success factors for new products, understand value proposition, differentiation, features vs. benefits, uniqueness, sustainable competitive advantage, the fuzzy front end, pipeline management, how to plan a new product launch, manage a product portfolio, and more? This is the book you need. The PDMA Handbook is the Gray's Anatomy of product management. Buy it and READ it at least twice.

This book should have been read when it was published!
This book seem to be written by persons who really know what NPD (or NPI) really is. All those described mistakes possible to be done is made by me during last five years...this is a good book.

The area of NPD is large. Luckily people in PDMA have come to the right conclution: it is not possible for one person to handle the whole area throughly. Every chapter in this book is written by expert on his/her own area. Unfortunately the maximum size of one book restricts the possible space per one writer to include only the most vital parts into this book.

To whom I can recommend this book? --- To anyone who will to increase his/her own scope of NPD and especially to a person who already have gained some experience on this field and is able to compare his/her own experiece to this book.

Wonderful!
I purchased the PDMA Handbook on the strength of a review and have been very glad I did so.After quoting a few passage to my staff they began to borrow it, and now the Handbook has made the rounds of the office.It isworn and dog-eared, and quoted from on a daily basis.

The message of"treating each other with respect and dignity" by author Holahanet al has really struck a chord around here.Many of us believe she mustbe staunch Christian, one who lives her faith on a daily basis.

The PDMAHandbook has provided guidance in mapping out strategies for new serviceswe hope to bring to market as well as the way our organization is managed. It has changed the way we do business and the way we percieve the world.

Powerful New Author Appears in Useful Anthology
When reading a compilation of articles like the PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, it is much like tuning a radio looking for just the right station.Most stations are acceptable; a small number haveprogramming outside of anything to which I would listen.

But every oncein a while appears music as sweet and ethereal as Mozart's Magic Flute,where the opening bars lead to the simple floating thread of the soaringflute.The music combines with a cold, rainy day outside as the car glidessoundlessly on a road through wooded hills and life is perfect.

Thatmusic can almost be heard as the reader enters the chapter "FactorsAffecting Multifunctional Team Effectiveness" by (lead author) P.Holahan.Most of the chapters in the book are well written.The chapterby Holahan brings joy to the experience of reading.In addition, Holahanhas the gifts of insight and understanding combined with deep knowledge ofthe subject matter.It is a powerful combination and could easily lead toa new standard for learned business publications that will banish the usualdry prose forever. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is about the use of modern statistical methods for quality control and improvement. It provides comprehensive coverage of the subject from basic principles to state-of-art concepts and applications. The objective is to give the reader a sound understanding of the principles and the basis for applying them in a variety of both product and nonproduct situations. While statistical techniques are emphasized throughout, the book has a strong engineering and management orientation. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

good book worst service
the book is very good ..no doubt but the service is aweful.

1. on the website they show it is a hardcover book and so i ordered for it but got a soft cover book ...now i have to worry about return or refunds etc...

2. had to wait for 3 weeks to get the book.

3. print quality aweful ...the original book has good color print...the one i received for the same price has a black and white print with very thin see-through pages...

my advice would be to avoid abebooks.com through amazon if possible because the same book is listed for $ 33 on their own website and here they sell it for $ 41 ...so waste ur money if u want.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about SPC
As the developer of the QI Macros SPC Software for Excel, customers often call with exotic questions about statistical methods for quality control.

Montgomery's book, more often than not, is the one I turn to for answers that I can't seem to find anywhere else. Even if I do find the answer in another book, it's always easier to understand in Montgomery's. The book is written in a way that makes seemingly incomprehensible statistics understandable. And there are plenty of examples.

If you're looking for a book to help you implement quality control in a small business, Montgomery's book is a bit too much, so you might consider my book on the Small Business Guerrilla Guide to Six Sigma or Six Sigma Simplified.

A solid text on statistical quality control
The book gives an overview of the importance of quality management, the basics of statistics (variability, distributions, etc.), different methods of statistical process control, the use of control charts, capability analysis, design of experiments, process optimization, and sampling. I found all of the chapters informational and practical.

Montgomery does a great job of presenting the theory, giving examples, and helping the reader understand the big picture of various concepts. For example, Montgomery states that a "Pareto chart does not automatically identify the most important defects, but rather only those that occur most frequently," and then gives an example illustrating when this can be so. This is something that might have been overlooked if not pointed out to the reader.

While to book is rather current in introductory theory and practice, there are some relics from previous editions. For example, the inclusion of a random number table in the appendix is rather useless, since all modern calculators and spreadsheets have random number functions. This minor complaint aside, the book is solid and worth having.

An all-in-one text.
This is a rather comprehensive book on SQC. It benefits from a good introductory treatment of Design of Experiments, a subject sorely missing from most SQC texts. The arrangement of topics in the book is logical from both pedagogical and practical points of view, and the author's stress on improvement -- rather than control -- is the right one for the readers.

A college beginner's SQC textbook
This is a typical college text book which serves very well on the subject,SQC. It has provided a good coverage on SQC, in particular, as an introductory text. Each SQC subject is treated well from a newcomer perspective. If you're a beginner in the college education and looking for a book on this subject, this is IT! ... Read more

Book Description

Genichi Taguchi is one of the most respected authorities on quality management and statistical methods in the world today. His concepts originally formed the basis of the management philosophies that put Japan on top of the business and technology world during the 1980s. Much of what he has developed still forms the basis for the key concepts in use today. This landmark book features Taguchis lifes work captured under one cover. It is poised to be the most respected source for all of the methods that have driven the statistical quality revolution over the past fifty years. ... Read more

Book Description

The eagerly awaited paperback of the BusinessWeek bestseller that has sold 100,000+ copies and been translated into 20 languages. With combined sales of more than 14 million copies, the books of Ken Blanchard are a phenomenal source of business wisdom. In this international bestseller - Blanchard's first big-picture management book - he and business strategist Terry Waghorn show how to lead any organization by simultaneously focusing on the present and the future. Written in Blanchard's signature style - concise, inspiring, emotionally gripping, and always down to earth - Mission Possible reveals how to make any organizational change program a success. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Insightful!
Ken Blanchard, one of the most successful business authors of all time, teams up with Terry Waghorn in this clear, concise guide to surviving and prospering in a time of great change. The authors show you how to guide your business through the present while simultaneously preparing for and implementing changes for the future. This well-balanced book, which focuses as much on vision, intuitive processes and thinking as it does on nuts-and-bolts strategy, is a valuable guide for working and leading in the twenty-first century. We [...] recommend this book for everyone in business, and find it particularly essential for leaders, managers, and business owners.

Attention Survivors!
Mission Possible... is a book about surviving today and recreating your organization for tomorrow. The authors use the analogy of a sand castle which faces the incoming tide. Does one leave it alone to face certain destruction and hope that it doesn't happen for a while; or does one take immediate action to build barriers along the beach for protection, which may or may not help; or does one plan for the future by redesigning the structure as well as relocate the castle? People are the key to an organization's success and the way a leader can best encourage them towards this goal is to allow them to become involved in improving the present or inventing the organization's tomorrow. It's all about the journey and the understanding of what is possible.

I used this for a reading assignment for a class and found it to be interesting. It certainly is easy to read and while others may find it's message too simple, I feel that it is the simple message that gets across easily and stays with you the longest.

Find some 21st Century spectacles - quick!
Buy the book because there is far too much useful information to take in at even two listenings. Although it starts as typical 'heard it all before' the last two sides are remarkable in their depth and panorama. There is advice and guidance for everyone here. We need to ask questions of our customers and competitors. How would our customers redesign our company? Three steps: vision - picture of what we need to become to better serve existing customers, prepare - what is the shortest path from where we are to where we need to be, deliver - change organisation to match vision. Customer facing people need to be empowered to solve problems on the spot, not refer to their managers. Your organisation is evaluated by how quickly it can respond to customer needs and problems. The person they care about is are the ones they talk to and they want top service from these people. Making all your people your business partners is a way of raising financial awareness and therefor cutting costs (story of 5c margin in restaurant). Divide into cost centres and profit centres. What is the strategic reason for performing the function of the cost centres? Should the work be outcourced? Should be spending more time managing profits not costs. Profit results from keeping needs of customers and employees paramount. 4 key managerial roles: producing - technical skills in field, make things happen, implementing - planners and administrators, maintain order and control, innovating - entrepreneurs, future looking and integrating - motivators, good at teamwork. Also 4 mismanagement styles: lone rangers - producers who cannot delegate, bureaucrats - implementers who focus on administration, process and rules, arsonists - innovators who never follow through or implement the ideas of others, super followers who cannot provide direction. In times of change are leaders willing to: relinquish 'parental control; look at both long and short term; supply resources and support; communicate and remove obstacles; help others overcome uncertainty and fear; admit that they do not have all the answers. Control kills learning, invention and commitment. Bossidy - burning platform principle, people 'jump' only when they see flames themselves. Leaders need to help people see the flames. Long term provides focus not on survival but the future. When in doubt communicate more, not less. Nelson Mandela - "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us." In order to help people manage change we need to keep everyone informed so they know what is in it for them. Change means that people feel awkward about needing to act differently, they focus on what they will lose, (what you resist, persists), they feel alone, they feel overwhelmed if there is too much change so they need to experience some successes before taking on more change. Readiness for change varies. Although people feel that they need more resources to do more - we have to do more with less. Need to keep everyone encouraged by catching people doing something right, but leaders need sufficient self-esteem to help others feel good about themselves. Discipline required managing perpetual churn (whitewater). Catch yourself doing something right - managing your self-talk. What do you want to be doing? Our problem is not what we see, but what we see with. At the brink of the 21st Century we cannot see the future with 20th Century spectacles.

Disppointing
I should have come to this site and read the reviews before purchasing the book. It was very disappointing. The chapter headings were interesting, and some were good insights. However, the author spent too much time around elaborating too many of the sub-points. There were also little case studies. Felt like the book could be condensed a lot more.

Disappointing. Should have been a lot better.
I've read several books by Blanchard. I like his approach on behavioral side of management. I bought this book, expecting to find just that. Since most of the "visionary" books deal with the organization or system perspectives, I always want to know about the "human" side. But I don't find the answer from this book. The contents are too light to provide any answer to the issue. Unlike some good books on the similar topic such as James Martin's Cybercorp which tells you in very details on how you should prepare for the future, Mission Possible does not give me anything comparable ... Read more

Book Description

A user-friendly guide to the basics of Six Sigma

From noted Six Sigma consultant and author George Eckes comes Six Sigma for Everyone, a practical guide that explains the underpinnings of the revolutionary quality assurance methodology. Appropriate for employees and top management alike, this book is the only one you need if your company is currently implementing or contemplating Six Sigma. It tells you what Six Sigma is and is not, what it does and how it does it, and what your role likely will be in the implementation process. Eckes uses straightforward definitions and in-depth examples to outline the processes, impact, and desired end result of implementation–eliminating the confusion and fear many feel when first introduced to Six Sigma. If you need to understand the basics, then this is the book for you. Topics include:

• The origins and history of Six Sigma
• Business Process Management: Six Sigma as management philosophy
• Individual and team tactics
• The ten basic tools each team member needs to succeed
• How you and your organization must change to make Six Sigma work

Reviews (4)

Highly Recommended!
George Eckes has written a concise, thorough introduction to the theory and practice of Six Sigma, the management philosophy that Jack Welch called the most important initiative of his entire career at General Electric. The book provides a look at every aspect of Six Sigma. In some places, it seems a bit too detailed for so short a book - particularly when the author introduces the variety of statistical charts, graphs and tables used in the analysis phase of Six Sigma. But that is a quibble. Eckes also gets a bit self-serving when, in the question and answer chapter, he takes a swipe at consultants who agree to work on a contingency basis, for a percentage of the savings a client achieves, instead of for a fee. In fact, we, where we are always glad to avoid a squabble, note that managers who use this book may achieve some level of business improvement without hiring any consultants at all.

Good intro readings on Six Sigma
Just finish reading this book. Good introduction-level material on the Six Sigma topic. This is not to