Reviews (2)

This book will not get you there
This book is written as the product of an Institute of Medicine initiative to reduce the mortality and morbidity from errors in the American healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine is a private organization created by congressional charter to advise the federal government on specific matters. Their mission statement is to "advance and disseminate knowledge to improve human health." This book is the final report of the Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America. Their homepage is available by searching the Internet using the full committee name. Membership of the committee and sponsors of the project are available at that web site.

The format of the book is to present evidence for quality problems in healthcare in America and make recommendations. The operational definition of quality used in the book is "The degree to which health care services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." There are thirteen recommendations presented initially and are discussed in relevant chapters. The recommendations vary in scope from suggesting that multiple parties need to be committed to quality as a way to decrease the burden of disease to suggestions that specific agencies fund pilot studies to look at how reimbursement can be aligned with quality. Six major parameters are discussed as guiding quality and it is suggested that 15 specific conditions be a focus for improving quality.

There is no difficulty in identifying literature studies that demonstrate quality problems in hospital and clinical populations. A survey of current research is included in Appendix A. A review of the tables in this appendix show the types of quality markers that are typically studied in the literature. The authors make the argument that errors due to quality lapses or deficiencies need to be actively worked on and that the current high error rates are not acceptable. Health care has become a major political issue and the political factions are shaping up to be government and business on one side and physicians and other health care providers on the other. There has been a major revamping of the health care system in the past decade to control costs. That required the active cooperation of the insurance industry and government. There is still medical inflation and limited access with 40 million Americans uninsured. Should we believe that another cooperative effort between industry and government will improve quality any more than it has controlled cost or improved access?

The authors acknowledge weaknesses in their suggestions about changing the face of American medicine, but they minimize the adverse impact of the current funding mechanisms for medical care and the issue of information systems integration and security. A good example can be found in their application of engineering principles to clinical settings - - where teams see patients for four hours of direct contact time and the remaining time is for documentation and returning calls. That plan would not be economically feasible in many settings. The high cost and lack of flexibility of the current reimbursement schemes are not mentioned as a potential reason why these plans won't work.

Information technology is seen as a way to enhance both productivity and safety. The authors suggest that e-mail can lead to productive exchanges between physicians and patients. Many physicians have been doing this for years. Many have also stopped with the advent of security concerns about medical privacy. With larger IT systems the critical issue is backward compatability with older systems. That usually requires custom designs that are extremely expensive. Those problems usually need to be solved before bedside computing and decision support can be developed. Security is acknowledged as a problem that needs to be solved. In spite of a federal initiative in this area, the important precedent to remember is how the financial privacy of Americans was protected. The authors point out that medical privacy requirements need to be more stringent than other industries. At the same time they point out that some opinions suggest that there is a trade off between privacy protections and the need to advance information technology in health care. If they are suggesting that the Internet should be at the heart of this infrastructure and the Internet is not secure, what does that mean?

A practical approach might be to focus on the areas where data is entered into computer systems and make sure that non-human analysis occurs at those levels. For example, all hospitals enter pharmacy orders into computer systems. Many hospitals require that physicians write separate discharge orders. Both of these points are areas where there could be immediate improvements in accuracy. A focused study and solution could be engineered now. The necessary software and hardware requirements could be placed on a central web site and available for download by hospital and clinic IT staff. Existing reviewers could be charged with documenting the baseline level of errors and the degree of improvement.

This book succeeds as a broad survey of what has been done about quality in certain settings. It contains some interesting ideas about what can possibly be accomplished by applying conceptual advances from other fields. It does not discuss the significant drawbacks of evidence based medicine. It lacks a practical plan for transitioning to a new system and in effect creates a new chasm. With a work like this, whether you like the conclusions depends a lot on your interpretation of the evidence and your personal experience. As a practicing physician and a previous quality reviewer I have significant areas of disagreement with what is presented in this book. Areas of controversy are not elaborated upon. I suppose you could say that level of analysis is not required, but recommendations about the future of health care in America should at least meet the criteria of "evidence based" and all the evidence should be discussed.

George Dawson, MD

Essential Reading for Everyone in Health Care
If you are in anyway involved in health care, this is essential reading. Physicians, hospital administrators, purchasers, health plan execs, and grad students must immediately put this on the top of their reading list. Lives may depend on it.

In it, the highly respected Institute of Medicine builds a powerful case for how the current health care system is severely broken and how it has produced a "chasm" between what we known must be done for patients (based on current science of medicine) and what is actually done. The information conveyed is shocking but true. Even more importantly, the Institute gives us a plan for building a new, more accountable quality-driven approach to health care.

Read it and perhaps you too will be motivated to take action to improve health care delivery in America. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A Helpful Guide and Reference
Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma with Lean Speed
By Michael George

This latest book by Michael George has been an extremely helpful guide and reference for our implementation team members and myself. For seven years we have been in the most critical part of our journey toward a Lean Enterprise. An enterprise where the management system includes the principles of total quality, variation management, value creation, and just-in-time production. I have been recommending Michael George's book to freshman implementers and company executives to help them deal with the perceived dilemma many are experiencing. Do they pursue 'Lean' or do they pursue 'Six Sigma Quality'? And of course the answer is 'yes'. The rush to operational productivity in the last decade has distilled many of the key components and techniques of a 'Lean Enterprise' and marketed them as a complete 'Lean Manufacturing' recipe. Unfortunately this selective design has resulted in diluted capabilities and mediocre results for most. The same is true for those who solely depend on managing by constraints or reducing variation incrementally as their core activity. What Michael George offers in his book is a straightforward and field-tested approach for bringing the critical pieces of the 'Lean/JIT' business model, metrics, and leadership behaviors back into perspective. A perspective that helps either the new implementer or the experienced implementer clear up this perceived dilemma. Michael George says the purpose of the book is to show that the combination of Lean and Six Sigma - when focused on the highest-value projects... can produce remarkable results... This is his simple straightforward message that no one else recently has bothered to tackle.

Don A. Blake, Director
Boeing Production System Implementation
Quality & Process Improvement Dept.
Boeing Wichita Division

Packed with Knowledge!
Six Sigma devotees may dispute the need to add anything to Six Sigma, but a shot of lean thinking provides a production boost. Author Michael L. George contends that Six Sigma reduces product quality variation but does nothing to improve delivery time. That may not be strictly true, and certainly is not beyond cavil. Nonetheless, the author's analysis and presentation of the Lean Six Sigma approach is lucid and straightforward. He explains Six Sigma itself much more clearly than some other writers on the subject. Even Six Sigma devotees will find nothing to object to in his treatment, and he provides some compelling examples of the success of the Lean Six Sigma approach. We recommend this book primarily to leaders and managers of firms that rely on factories and other production units. However, the author supplies practical information that may also be relevant to service providers and to every company that cares about customer service, efficient production and the bottom line.

Lean Six Sigma or a selling technique
Well I can say the book is ok. However, I do feel like this book is more about them trying to sell their services to me than to teach or explain Lean Six Sigma... If I wanted to buy consulting or training services I would rather not have it shoved down my throat in a book. .

Dissatisfied
If you are seeking substance and wish to learn, there are other products that better serve that purpose.
If you are interested in improving operations through Lean/6 sigma and have little or no concept of what is involved, this book may provide an adequate overview. In my opinion, however, the overview would be more effective if the book didn't try to keep putting it's foot in the door

An Excellent Book
I truly enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Lean or Six Sigma. Well worth the money!! ... Read more

Book Description

EXTREME SIX SIGMA:
A new series that takes Six Sigma to the next level

The Six Sigma Operational Methods Series goes beyond simply explaining Six Sigma basics to interested managers--these are hard-core working tools of statistical methods, quantitative and intense, aimed at mathematically sophisticated Six Sigma practitioners unwilling to settle for anything less than peak performance in manufacturing and services.

Written by four instructors from the world-renowned Motorola University, this handbook provides the tools Six Sigma Black Belts and Master Black Belts need to deal with the most intractable business problems.The authors show how to integrate research and development, manufacturing, human resources, finance, marketing, quality, and customer service with corporate vision, mission, and key strategies.

* Tools for estimating quality project cost on a project by project basis
* A complete guide to understanding and writing financial reports
* Methodologies for leading multiple projects
* Problem-solving tools like Design for Six Sigma and TRIZ

Contents: Strategy: Planning for Six Sigma * Project Management * Performance Reporting * Leadership for Six Sigma: Organizing for Six Sigma * Team Leader’s Tools * Team Measurement Concepts * Corporate Initiatives: Six Sigma * Lean Thinking * Human Resources Management: Organizational Alignment * Compensation and Recognition * Methodology Tools: Define * Measure * Analyze * Improve * Triz * Control * Design for Six Sigma * Financial Measurements: Financial * Operational * Reporting * By Industry: Service * Transaction * Manufacturing * Healthcare * Human Resources Management ... Read more

Book Description

This direct, straightforward book provides readers with material that focuses on making the theories and principles of total quality practical and useful. It covers all of the elements of total quality, including several that receive little or no attention in other total quality books. Practitioners in a corporate setting will find it a valuable guide in helping them understand and implement total quality. Topics which are covered include Quality and Global Competitiveness, Strategic Management: Planning and Execution, Quality Management and Ethics, and Communication and Interpersonal Relations.For settings in which people want to learn to be effective agents of the total quality approach, or are attempting to implement total quality. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

quality management...
ordered for used book but received brand new book with half the price.... i am more than satisfied with this product..

Highly recommended -- excellent training resource
Excellent text book and reference material for anyone in manufacturing. Straight forward, useful implementation roadmap. ... Read more

Book Description

THE BRIEFCASE BOOKS SERIES

Now translated into nine languages! This reader-friendly, icon-rich series is must reading for all managers at every level.

All managers, whether brand new to their positions or well established in the corporate hierarchy, can use a little "brushing up" now and then. The skills-based Briefcase Books series is filled with ideas and strategies to help managers become more capable, efficient, effective, and valuable to their corporations.

Six Sigma­­one of the hottest topics in today's manufacturing circles­­is a statistical concept that characterizes nearly zero defects in any process. But its successful implementation involves a whole new set of management practices. Six Sigma for Managers will help managers better understand this concept and how to facilitate the learning, cooperation, skills improvement, and commitment required to make Six Sigma processes a reality in any organization.

Reviews (7)

Not credible
Thought I would get a good overview of the topic, to understand what it is, so I can decide when to dive in deeper.

But after reading the first two chapters the author has lost total credibility, and I won't waste my time on the rest of the book. It talks all about the wonderful savings Six Sigma will give you, and totally ommits that there is cost involved in doing it. If done well, yes there's positive bottom-line impact, but especially as a manager I want to know what the ROI is, and not just get glory words on the upside, but also a realistic view of the downside.

What killed it for me was the side bar that assumed that if a employee costs $50K, and her activities produce $100K in revenue that the ROI of having this employee is 100%!! If the activities would have produced $100K in net profit, then this would be more accurate. So lets get the basics right, so that we have credibility to talk about the rest.

Excellent Introduction to Six Sigma
I was asked by my CEO to find a good boot camp book to give to key employees of the company. This was a great introduction to Six Sigma. We have contacted the author to help guide our company on our six sigma journey. I would recommend this as the starter book into the six sigma world. By the way, after 6 months with the authors company (SSC) we have over $2 million in savings.

There must be better out there
Bought this as a first introduction. It's very, very, high level. Maybe to the point of useless. Six Sigma does have, at it's core, some statistics - it would be useful for anyone trying to learn the approach to understand a few of the basic statistical concepts. There are mistakes in the few numerical examples that are offered, probably creating more confusion than insight.

Excellent birds-eye view of Six Sigma
As a manager with a 4-year background in Statistical Process Control, I cannot agree with the two reviewers that bashed this book. I can't say it's in depth, because that's one thing that it isn't: don't expect it in your Black or Green Belt's curriculum. But if you stick to the title, it will reward its readers (mostly managers, I'd hope). It deals in very clear and easy-to-follow words (even for those of you that have been out of school for many, many years) with what is Six Sigma, what it entails (in terms of cost, benefits, cultural mindset change), how to implement and sustain, etc. It even devotes an entire section to an overview of the statistical tools required to get your arms around Six Sigma for the first time.

Again, I'd not use it as a reference for in depth matters, but as a primer on the topic, I think it does an excellent job.

Good starting point for management
In a world where the tech heads like to spin a basic concept such as Six Sigma into a incomprehensible philosophical maelstrom - Six Sigma for Managers has managed to get the basic concepts on paper in a comprehensible format. If you are looking for a book that is a statistical reference this is the wrong book. That wasn't the intention of the book. This is a good starting point for a manager who is trying to understand what Six Sigma is about. We meet managers with almost daily who have been duped by "guru's." Six Sigma for Managers keeps it simple and basic. A manager will walk away with the ability to make their own decisions about Six Sigma based on the basic concepts they have just learned. ... Read more

Book Description

Bring the miracle of Lean Six Sigma improvement out of manufacturing and into services

Much of the U.S. economy is now based on services rather than manufacturing. Yet the majority of books on Six Sigma and Lean--today's major quality improvement initiatives--explain only how to implement these techniques in a manufacturing environment.

Lean Six Sigma for Services fills the need for a service-based approach, explaining how companies of all types can cost-effectively translate manufacturing-oriented Lean Six Sigma tools into the service delivery process.

Filled with case studies detailing dramatic service improvements in organizations from Lockheed Martin to Stanford University Hospital, this bottom-line book provides executives and managers with the knowledge they need to:

• Reduce service costs by 30 to 60 percent
• Improve service delivery time by 50 percent
• Expand capacity by 20 percent without adding staff

Reviews (3)

Initiatives for Quality Improvement
A customer is the King ! If there is Quality product, the customer satisfaction ratio level rises up. Customer chooses its high-end needs and service follows. This is the point when this Book comes in too informative to fill in service based approach. With the case studies, the book provides the Executives to go for a solution to satisfy a customer not only with quality but with the service to boost up the sales thereby with cost cutting factors and provide transactions quick and easier with added services and yet not adding the staff. The delivery process can be made much effective with the cost cuts with the clear examples and like other Six Sigma in Business, this one is sure pick for all Manufacturing unit Executives who also believe in Quality Service. Good Read.

Innovative Approach to Lean Six Sigma in Service
I admire Michael George for coming up with another innovative solution by applying the Lean Six Sigma approach to Service Industry. As Lean Six Sigma has helped companies in the manufacturing industry, this book will help the Service industry.

Praveen Gupta
Author of Six Sigma Business Scorecard

Lean Six Sigma for Service
"Lockheed Martin is driving operating excellence in all work that we do. We recognized that our business support processes have as much opportunity for improvement as our design and build areas. By applying Lean process speed and Six Sigma quality tools to all elements of work, such as marketing, legal, contract administration, procurement, etc., we can drive competitive advantage. The lessons learned and practical case studies contained in Lean Six Sigma for Service provide a template which can create great value for customers, employees and shareholders."

---Mike Joyce, Vice President, LM 21
Lockheed-Martin ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great book for practical applications
I bought this book hoping to learn DOE using Taguchi Methods and apply what I learned to real life problems in my work. It was very helpful. Not only did it help me learn the methods I needed to perform my testing at work but I did it in only 8 days of reading. The book was very easy to read and the examples helped me understand everything I needed to know to apply this method to real situations. A great buy for anyone looking to learn Taguchi Methods.

An Introduction to More Effective Experimentation
The challenge that all research directors and senior scientists face is that virtually all scientists are originally trained to believe that the only proper way to conduct an experiment is to vary only one factor at a time while holding all other variables fixed. This belief, which can be shown mathematically to be totally incorrect, has been a drag on the scientific community for decades, causing experimental science to be much less productive than it should be. In fact, by properly designing experiments in which several factors are varied in a carefully thought out, predetermined pattern, much more information can be obtained with far fewer experiments.

What Dr. Roy has achieved in his book on experimental design is to clearly explain why this is so and to provide the tools which allows his readers to overcome their ingrained beliefs and adopt a more effective method of designing their own experimental programs.

Of particular interest is his discussion of experimental design using orthogonal arrays (Chapter 4) for it is in this part of the book that the full power of modern approaches to experimentation become most evident. Here, he illustrates how a set of as few as eight experiments can be used to determine how three presumable independent factors, such as time, temperature and concentration, can be studied to obtain detailed information not only on how each factor individually effects the quality of the final product, but also on the extent to which the factors interact.

Historically, learning this type of technique for designing experiments has been a daunting task since somewhat tedious mathematically manipulations are required for both the design of the experiment and the analyses of the resulting data. However, included with Dr. Roy's book is complete software which eliminates the need for the experimenter to either manually solve the handful of equations needed to extract the results in useful form, or to develop custom spreadsheets in an attempt to automate the process. The software is easy to use and includes all of the tables and data which are used in the book to illustrate the principles of experimental design. The software is also capable of assisting the experimenter in designing sets of up to eight concurrent experiments, rapidly analyzing the data and generating graphical and tabular presentations which greatly aid in the interpretation of the results.

This is an extremely useful book which can have a major beneficial effect on the productivity of any laboratory engaged in experimental process research such as crystal growth, chemical synthesis or manufacturing. By allowing the reader to overcome his innate aversion to varying more than one experimental factor at a time, the book makes it possible for the reader to become a much more productive scientist or engineer and become a role model for his coworkers to emulate.

Must have for Quality Control Professionals and Educators
First, I completely agree with all the good things mentioned in the other reviews, but wish to add the following comments:

1. The discussion group (usenet) hosted by Dr Roy is fantastic. If by chance you don't "get it" from reading the book, a simple question posted to the usenet frequently gets you an answer, often within a few hours (its a vocal crowd!!). Many times, the author himself responds to usenet questions. And, on at least one instance, after I repeatdly asked my question, he began exchanging emails with me, which then led to some pleasant phone disscussions.

2. User friendly software and support. See above.

3. Taguichi is frequently attacked by full blown Design of Experiments statistical types who miss the whole point. I strongly encourage all professionals interested in gauging quality control to try out his books and the free software downloads....

An excellent book with powerful software and support......

Reads like a winner, looks like a winner, performs likes a winner....... need I say more...

Auburn Alabama

User friendly
Dr.Roy's book is amazing. He has covered almost everything you need to know about the Taguchi method - even meticulous things. This book will suite both for beginners as well as for experts. The CD which comes along with this book is very helpful in understanding the concept behind the analysis with more than 50 examples. If at all you are looking for a book about Taguchi design of Experiments - I highly recommend one and all to buy Dr.Roy's book and benefit through his work.
I started as a beginner and now Iam an expert in Taguchi analysis - and the credit goes to Dr.Roy - he also helps personally in answering your questions.
Thank you very much Dr.Roy.
Three CHEERS to Dr.Roy!

Brief review of DOE using Taguchi approach by R. Roy
Dr. Roy has been able to translate into everyday language some of the most difficult concepts of the Taguchi methodology. Whereas the book does not provide the reader with much theoretical background, it doeas provide ample examples and practical approaches to the methodology. Excellent sections are the discussions about the OAs and the modified arrays as well as the ANOVA. The references to the CD ROM are well placed.

The shortcomings of the book are the very poor screens from the software package. In fact, in some cases they are unreadable. Another shortcoming is the absence of any discussion of tolerance design using the Taguchi methodology.

Overall: a good book for reference. ... Read more

Book Description

This book introduces fundamental quality concepts of statistical process control and the application of these concepts to issues arising in industry.This book covers all aspects of quality from the basics—identifying quality, the evolution of quality, quality advocates—to advanced topics such as reliability, quality costs, and product liability. For professionals interested in a book on quality that emphasizes the understanding, use, and interpretation of statistical process control principles, concepts, and results throughout the problem-solving process. ... Read more

Book Description

Never before has a business initiative transformed corporations so dramatically.While it has been credited with improving productivity, slashing costs, and improving profit margins, it can cause much angst among employees.This fictionalized tale simplifies a complicated topic and explains the way Six Sigma works in a non threatening, easy to understand way.

The Power of Six Sigma will help everyone in the organization understand what Six Sigma is, how it can benefit your company, and most of all, how it can benefit you, as an employee of an organization implementing or thinking about implementing Six Sigma. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Good Overview of the Six Sigma Concept
The Power of Six Sigma provides a very accessible way to get a basic understanding of the six sigma concept. Presented as a discussion between a failed manager at an 'old-style' management division and a shooting star at a six sigma division of a food company, the book outlines the six sigma concept and provides fictional examples of how the six sigma process can help in real-life situations.

The book is written as a primer for those who are considering using six sigma within their organization as well as for those participating as black belts (six sigma trained implementers), project sponsors or participating workers (called green belts). It identifies the rewards possible both for the organization and the implementers, and makes a strong case for trying it.

If you're looking for a brief, easy-to-read, overview this book fits the bill. If you are looking for instructions on how to lead a six sigma project, this book may serve as a good introduction, but does not contain the depth necessary to actually implement six sigma.

Excellent!!! Finally A Book on Six Sigma for All of Us
Six Sigma is a NEW management initiative which has been successful in GE, Allied Signal etc. I always wanted to learn about the subject; and bought 2 previously published books on Six Sigma and all are DIFFICULT to understand as I am not from Quality field. I always embrace any book which explains in a simple tone.

The Power of Six Sigma is an EXCELLENT book that explains the complex subject in a non-threatning way for anyone to understand. The book reminded me 3 books: "THE GOAL", WHO MOVED MY CHEESE" or "FISH". If someone wants to understand what is the true power behind Six Sigma, please READ THIS BOOK. This is a STORY BOOK, which is for blue collars to white collars - for everyone.

All the organizations which are implementing Six Sigma MUST ADOPT THIS BOOK and MUST DISTRIBUTE THIS BOOK to EVERY EMPLOYEE. I mean every employee. I emphasize EVERYONE - because successful implementation of any major initiatives depend on everyone's acceptance. This Book WILL work as A CATALYST.

I strongly RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Packed With Knowledge!
Understand from the outset what The Power of Six Sigma is not. It is not really a story about two buddies who lunch together while they pursue management success - that's just the framework. It is not a book on how to implement Six Sigma - although it would prove a useful adjunct to any such program. Nor is it one of those books filled with consultant-ese whose primary function seems to be to advertise: "You need to hire me to help you to dispel the confusion that my book just generated." This is actually a very down-to-earth introduction to the quality enhancement strategy that is continuing to transform the corporate world. Frustrated onlookers may believe that practitioners keep the practical meaning of Six Sigma hidden, like some secret magic potion, but this powerful little book blows the lid off the caldron. Written as a lunchroom dialogue between friends, it's as user-friendly as it is insightful. We highly recommend this manual to anyone at any level involved, or becoming involved, with Six Sigma.

Deming story told in Poorly Imitated Ken Blanchard style
I was fairly excited about this new methodology, especially considering my domain of software development. However it turned out to be old information bound in a new cover.
Writing Problems
The typical Ken Blanchard/Spencer Johnson book is usually narration of a fable involving everyday people and a champion or messiah of a new ideology that is promoted in the book. Those books make for a good reading as they are devoid of buzzwords and other loaded phrases that have polluted management literature. This book tries to imitate that style but lacks the simplicity and use of metaphors and analogies so adroitly used by Blanchard/Johnson. Instead this book is full of buzzwords and promises of revolutionary results based on the magic of Six Sigma, worded in a poorly immitated style.
Problems with Six Sigma
So what's new in Six Sigma? Nothing except a concretely defined metric. Anyone who is familiar with the works/ideology of Deming would identify himself with Six Sigma immediately without requiring a philosophical or fundamental change. Avoiding mistakes has been the classic mantra of quality champions for over half a century now. Six Sigma philosophy has just set a goal while implementing the same ideology-reducing defects to the level of Six standard deviations.
What's Okay?
Anyone who doesn't have a clue about Quality and possesses minimal understanding of Deming's philosophy should read this book. Those who have an understanding of Deming's work can easily skip this work.

Six Sigma, an easy reading to learn about it
This book is small in size and number of pages but big in contents. Written in a fictional way, it shows what Six Sigma is all about, by explaining the basic concepts in an easy understandable language. You will know what champions, black belts and green belts are, together with the steps required to improve a process with Six Sigma. If you want to learn about the concepts of Six Sigma, this book is for you. If you already know about it, you better look for one of the implementation books available. Highly recommendable for Six Sigma newcomers and for business professionals that don't need to go too deep into it. ... Read more

Book Description

A veteran GE manager explains the tools of Six Sigma--in plain English

This is the first simple, low-level guide to using the powerful statistical tools of Six Sigma to solve real-world problems. Warren Brussee, a Six Sigma manager who helped his teams generate millions of dollars in savings, shows how to plot, interpret, and validate data for a Six Sigma project. The basic statistical tools in the book can be applied to manufacturing, sales, marketing, process, equipment design, and more. Best of all, no background in statistics is required to start improving quality and initiating cost-saving improvements right away.

• Features dozens of Six Sigma statistical problem-solving case studies
• Presents a simplified form of the most common Six Sigma tools
• Simplifies Greenbelt training with one concise reference
• Explains how to use Excel to make Six Sigma problem-solving calculations
• Includes all the basic Six Sigma formulas and tables

Book Description

The companion follow-up to one of the bestselling Six Sigma books ever published

An alarming number of Six Sigma projects are failing--not because of misuse of Six Sigma's statistical tools but because of internal politics and poor communication between team members and the rest of the organization.

The Rath & Strong's Six Sigma Team Pocket Guide helps team leaders and members reverse this trend, explaining the interpersonal and political skills needed to make each Six Sigma project a success.

Written in the "pocket guide" format that proved so successful with the first Rath &Strong guide, and based on the firm's popular Six Sigma training workshops, this handy reference will show Six Sigma team leaders and members how to:

• Get buy-in and cooperation from all levels of the organization
• Lead or participate in productive team meetings
• Plan the people/team side just as they would plan the technical side

Reviews (3)

We can accomplish more together than any one of us can
My comments on this pocket guide are the same as those on the other two created by Rath & Strong, except that this pocket guide is probably the one to purchase in bulk quantity so that copies can be distrbuted among everyone directly involved with process improvement initiatives. Thus far, a substantial majority of Six Six programs either failed or fell far short of expectations. Why? Lots of reasons but one of the major ones is dysfunctional teamwork. Hence the special importance of this pocket guide.

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.

Excelent pocket guide for team leaders
This is a must have for all team leaders - very useful in any case (not especially Six Sigma related).

Not just for Six Sigma
A fantastic Pocket Guide for all members of any kind of Team, not just Six Sigma Teams. ... Read more

Book Description

Many of the Six Sigma methods successfully used in manufacturing are now being utilized in the transactional and service sectors.However, business-specific issues such as customer billing, order processing, and call center management require a modified set of problem-solving and analytical tools.This resource addresses those differences and provides a roadmap for impelementing "customer-centric" Six Sigma.

Contents: Transactional Quality Benchmarks: Service Operations, Corporations and Industries * Service Performance Indicators * The Service Crisis * Transactional Six Sigma: Define and Develop, Measure and Trends, Analyze and Improve, Embed * Designing for Transactional Services: Actions of Service Design * Customer Driven Transactional Processes * Designing Transactional Processes * Optimize the Service Design to Ensure a Robust Service Package * Transactional Business * Human Capital * Implementing TSS, Six Sigma in Transactional Processes ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Fresh Look at Contructing the Business Scorecard
Finally, a pragmatic approach to developing a Business Scorecard that captures the profitability proposition through periodic measurement of critical performance. The critical thinking used to construct and evaluate each element of the hierachical measurement structure provides a keen insight into the contribution value of each functional area of the business. The concise step-by-step approach in building the overal Business Performance Index provides the guidance necessary for immediate implementation by small or large enterprizes.

Best business book since "The Goal"
Praveen, I just have to buy you a cup of coffee or a drink one day. I am just finishing your book, "Six Sigma Business Scorecard " and have to say that I haven't been this riveted to a business book since "The Goal". Books like this for me have been far and few between.

Connects the six sigma dots with your own business sense
This book connected the dots between my undergrad, mba, six sigma training and 25 years of business sense. Your first reaction might be; why haven't I been tracking and measuring the critical links to growth/profitability more closely? Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down; it was like therapy for the business mind. It breaks through all the mystery and jargon of TQM, ISO 9000 and six sigma, in simple business terms.

Must for all Corporations to evaluate themselves
This books gives the best measurement methods for determining where your organization stands. I would recommend it to all management as well as quality staff of organizations.

Six Sigma Business Scorecard
Praveen Gupta uses his knowledge, understanding, and expertise of the six sigma methodology in Six Sigma Business Scorecard. It is a useful tool for all organizations. I had the privilege of attending a six sigma class taught by Praveen, and along with this book, our company is moving toward a six sigma level. I would recommend everyone in your organization read the Six Sigma Business Scorecard. It provides an overall view of six sigma for individuals not familiar with the topic, and then explains how it can be implemented. I highly recommend this book, and I am eager to see what Praveen comes out with next. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mikel Harry and Richard Schroeder think they've figured out a management program that really works. While at Motorola in the 1980s, they helped pioneer Six Sigma, a process that "guides companies into making fewer mistakes in everything they do--from filling out a purchase order to manufacturing airplane engines." Since then, the two have left Motorola and have turned Six Sigma into a lucrative business that saw over $100 million in consulting contracts in 1998. And now the book.

In Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World's Top Corporations, Harry and Schroeder explain Six Sigma and show how it's working at companies such as General Electric, Polaroid, and Allied Signal. The authors contend that most companies today are working at a "sigma" level of between 3.5 and 4, and that with just a one-sigma shift, companies will experience "a 20 percent margin improvement, a 12 to 18 percent increase in capacity, a 12 percent reduction in the number of employees," as well as "a 10 to 30 percent capital reduction." Sigma is a quality metric that counts the number of defects per million opportunities (DPMO). For example, a sigma level of 3.5 means that a process has 22,700 DPMO; a sigma level of 4.5, 1,350 DPMO; and a perfect six sigma, 3 DPMO.

At the heart of Six Sigma is the notion that quality saves money--lots of money. Harry and Schroeder argue that for most companies "the cost of quality is roughly 25 to 40 percent of sales revenue ... at six sigma the cost of quality declines to less than one percent of sales revenue." The idea is not to create quality-assurance programs but to eliminate the need for them altogether. When a company is operating at six sigma, costs that would otherwise go to inspection, rework, warranties, and customer service drop to the bottom line. Six Sigma is a compelling concept that many companies have tied their futures to. Well written, this book is a great introduction for investors, managers, and anyone who sees Six Sigma on the horizon. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Good Orientation but....
As an Industrial Engineer I already knew many if not all of the ideas behind the "Six Sigma Strategy". These gentleman have found a way to package the IE focus into a neat little package. UNfortunatly it lacks depth. The book was a good read as an intro to the Black Belt training I had, but it does not offer any substance for those of you looking to apply any of the concepts. This book only talks on a high level about them. It acts as more of a sales pitch at best for the ideas behind six sigma. It is probably worth it but the if you are looking at trying to improve your business processes and look for solutions you would be better off hiring an Industrial Engineering Consultant. If you were to ask my opinion of a better book to read I would STRINGLY recommmend "The Goal" or "Critical Chain" both by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. His books offer a more realistic approach at solving these issues. As info Six Sigma has been a failure in our company many of which is blamed by the fact that the program requires a total commitment by upper(many companies don't have the Jack Welch type leadership)

Don't Waste Your Time
This is a poorly written 300 page piece of marketing fluff for the Six Sigma Academy consulting group. Either save your time by skipping the book and contacting the consultants directly or find a different book if you really want to learn about six sigma

Six Sigma and the Industrial Engineer
The book gives a good general overview of the Six Sigma system. It offers little real ability to do projects UNLESS you are an industrial engineer (IE), in which case it gives you a concrete case to sell your solutions to management. Six Sigma appears to be a buzz word for PART of an indutrial engineers repitoire of skills. ...

A Six Sigma Overview
Six Sigma superficially is an excellent concept and this book serves the reader well in providing a detailed description of the concept. Early chapters take the reader on a journey through various companies providing an education on the importance of benchmarking, measuring defect rates, implementation strategies, and measuring six sigma performance. When the book begins to focus on implementation and deployment in later chapters the paint strokes begin to get very broad. The ideas provided to the reader are oversimplified and basic. For example, "Companies that improve their ability to consistently meet their customer's needs will produce positive bottom-line results." Really? I believe that the 1% of managers that are unware of this concept are not reading this book. The inability of this book to lay out a detailed plan for implementation results from the fact that each business is significantly different. If after reading this book the six sigma concept is appealing one could consider employing a consultant or creating a team for implementation. In my opinion the book also applies more to businesses with easily measurable performance such as manufacturing products as opposed to service providing businesses. Although customer satisfaction can be measured it is much easier to note an increase in monthly unit production. In summary six sigma is a difficult concept to initiate without the full commitment of your management team but the individual businessman will gain some valuable managerial skills through the book's good advice.

Old wine in a new bottle
As a person with exposure to Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model, I can say with conviction that the authors of this book have tried to sell the concept of Six-sigma the way corporate chieftains want to hear. i.e increase in bottom-line.

The book gives a good, superficial account of what is Six-Sigma with reference to implementations in Motorola, General Electric and Allied Signal.

While CMM is specific to software development process improvements (off-late its branching into HR aspects as well) six-sigma addressess other industries as well.

This book is a marketing tool kit for the authors' consulting practice.

I know of people who have gone through six-sigma certification process and have heard of people in GE commenting about its ineffectiveness.

Let me provide an analogy here and you will understand better.
Unless you the have the will-power to quit smoking, no amount of patch intakes will help you do that, right? Same case here...unless there's a management commitment and will-power to drive for process improvements (any model) success is hard to come by.

GE (If I recollect rightly) infact, made it mandatory to go through Six-sigma training for its employees to be promoted to a certain level higher-up.

Only such management commitment would help in process improvements (through any quality model)

I am sure many of you would be familiar with concepts and ideas of Six-Sigma. There's no doubt about it. Its plain common-sense.

In today's world, there are many industries that are head and shoulders above Six Sigma.

At the worst case, Six-sigma may be suitable for software companies whose quality practices are not something to write home about. But even then software companies have CMM. Why choose six-sigma which is more complex and expensive?

There are simpler and cost-effective techniques for smaller and medium sized companies in any industry. Such techniques evolve over a period of time with experience.

Nevertheless, this book is a good reading material that will throw lots of corporate jargons.

But please don't be misled by those jargons. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Quality Requirements by Design
The authors define development as the process of transforming someone's desires into a product that satisfies those desires. Their book deals with the early stages of the process.

It is easy, they say, if readers focus on five critical words: desire, product, people, attempt and discover.

Then why is it, to borrow statistics used by Microsoft at their Project 2002 product that 74 per cent of projects in the United States are either behind schedule or fail at a cost to industry of $74 Billion a year?

If you watch how people successfully develop systems, the authors say, you will observe that the process of developing requirements is a process of developing a team who:

1. Understand the requirements.
2. Stay together to work on the project.
3. Understand and practice teamwork.

The project, the authors say, will probably fail if one of these conditions is not met. Team members must develop and concentrate on three critical, but often ignored human aspects of the process:

1. A clear understanding of the requirements by all members
2. A sense of teamwork
3. The required skills and tools to work effectively as a team.

This conversational book is written to be read in modules or front to back. Either way, the exercises and tools provided should help rank your project with the successful 26 per cent.

Should be 6 stars!
Like Weingerg's other books (and I have read them all -- most more than once), "Exploring Requirements" is about human nature, the way we react as individual beings to problems we encounter. Anyone looking for a canned methodology or "step-by-step" process to enable a system definition or design may be disappointed. But anyone who reads this will never react to any type of communication the same way again.

This is definitely not a technical book, nor even an IT book. It should be required reading for anyone whose job involves communication -- and that's just about everyone in business today. I have recommended it to all my managers and direct reports over the years since it was first published. I have also recommended it to trainers in public speaking and executive presentation skills. The writers' style is at once entertaining and instructive. Unless you are looking for a "cookbook," you won't be disappointed.

A "must read" book for anyone who designs systems
In a world where there is strong emphasis on project management skills and design skills, this is a welcome book that emphasizes that requirements must come first. The process of defining requirements is vital to success and, with good requirements, quality is assured. I recommend this book to anyone who works on solving problems or in building systems of any kind. Gause and Weinberg are excellent in presenting complex concepts in an entertaining and informative way.

There is a human tendency to want to rush into solutions as soon as an opportunity surfaces. And... the result is usually not what was needed. Then, there is a rush to "add quality" to the result by fixing the flaws. This is costly and often fatal to the project. This book takes the reader down a different road. A road of first defining the objective that is to be attained and being sure that all parties understand and agree to the requirements. If you only have a few books in your business library, this should be one of them. I shared my copy with so many colleagues that I finally had to buy another copy.

Where is the rationale and verification for each requirement
I have developing requirements and implementing manufacturing systems for 20+ years. The last 2 years I have been using the Ivy Hooks methodology (see her book) with great success. I agree with Ivy that every requirement must have a rationale and a verification method...and this was not discussed in EXPLORING REQUIREMENTS. Only valuable thing I found was list of questions to use at beginning of project. This book is ok in that it points out the human side of requirements..but I am a believer in Ivy's methodology.

Required Reading: Gause & Weinberg teach how to ask and get
"So, what do you want it to do?"

It looks like such a simple question. But this query - posed every day about Web sites, other software, indeed about buildings and cars and furniture and all sorts of designed objects - is one of the toughest questions that can be asked of an organisation. It triggers the requirements process. A thirteen-year-old book by Donald Gause and Gerald Weinberg, "Exploring Requirements" shows how to manage that process. Most Web developers and managers haven't read it, and should.

Like the man startled to find he had been speaking prose all his life, most of us have taken part in a requirements process, and many of us don't know it. Requirements analysis is actually a life skill that can be applied particularly often in your working life. If you've had an architect design renovations, or a friend build you a PC, or a large consulting firm build you a business reporting system, then you've been on the end of a requirement process, formal or informal. If you've ever designed or built something, and seen a disappointed look on the recipient's face, you've experienced requirements failure. If you've ever had a client rave about how great a Web site is, you've achieved requirements success.

Like that other classic, DeMarco and Lister's "Peopleware", "Exploring Requirements" makes ample use of large numbers of measurements collected over many years - like the numbers showing that programers are quite good at producing what they are actually asked to produce, if only they are asked to produce it. This data allows Gause and Weinberg to enunciate a simple principle: you'll quite likely get what you want, as long as you say what it is.

Saying what you want, though, takes surprising amounts of both discipline and technique. It requires people to think about their own needs in a ruthlessly structured way, to listen to others' needs, to understand how their business is now and imagine what it could be in five years' time. No wonder that success in IT-related requirements processes is rare, and that failure is the norm.

The continued popularity of "Exploring Requirements" springs partly from its authors' simple but thorough style: they explain the key challenges concisely and clearly. Their breadth helps too: their chapters cover everything from holding effective meetings to scoring client preferences to measuring ambiguity. Context also plays a role: Gause and Weinberg always explain why their preferred solutions work better.

And the book shows a sense of fun, notably in its periodic anecdotes about fictional and slightly dysfunctional requirements processes for a pair of products called Superchalk and Do Not Disturb.

But the enduring strength of Gause and Weinberg's book can only be fully explained by their willingness to talk about requirements at an emotional level - about what a tough, confronting, challenging task it is for so many of the people involved, and about the perils and delights of having one person understand what another person is thinking, hoping and sometimes hiding even from themselves. Mindreading is tough, and Gause and Weinberg aren't afraid to admit it.

For instance, Gause and Weinberg include an entire chapter on setting expectations, teaching designers to identify the possible and the impossible early so as to minimise a client's disappointments.

Their last substantive sentence demonstrates perhaps most clearly their focus on the emotional challenge of requirements work:

"The purpose of requirements work is to avoid making mistakes, and to do a complete job. In the end, however, you can't avoid all mistakes, and you can't be omniscient. If you can't risk being wrong, if you can't risk being inadequate to the task you've taken on, you will never succeed in requirements work. If you want the reward, you will have to take the risk."

Understanding other people is hard - hard enough to justify reading 300 well-written pages about it. These are the 300 pages to read. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Book For the Beginning Benchmarker
Bogan and English do a great job of introducing benchmarking, give great examples, and follow up with a nice set of "practice problems". They provide success stories and pitfalls to be avoided. Most importantly they give an excellent planning chapter for the company just beginning benchmarking. Great introduction to the topic.

Must reading for anyone implementing benchmarks
As a responsible management consultant, virtually every one of my engagements involves measurement and benchmarking in one form or another. This is one of several books I turn to time and again to assist me in ensuring that my clients' initiatives are (1) meeting expectations (2) providing competitive advantage and (3) delivering customer satisfaction. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - adamleft@webspan.net.

Adopt a we-can-learn-from-anyone culture or else
Bogan and English have created a blueprint for creating this we-can-learn-from-anyone culture of benchmarking that is easy to read and use. They give literally hundreds of examples and suggestions for how to select benchmarking targets, organize for rapid learning, and implement these strategies. Learning by borrowing from the best and adapting their approaches makes sense. Buy this book before your competitors do ... Read more

Book Description

Practical and state-of-the-art in approach, this book provides fundamental—yet comprehensive-coverage of quality control concepts. Sufficient theory is presented to ensure that learners gain a sound understanding of the basic principles of quality control. KEY TOPICS Specific chapter topics covers principles and practices, tools and techniques, fundamentals of statistics, control charts for variables, additional SPC techniques for variables, fundamentals of probability, control charts for attributes, lot-by-lot acceptance sampling by attributes, acceptance sampling systems, reliability, and management and planning. The substantial use of probability and statistical techniques is reduced to simple mathematics or is developed in the form of tables and charts.For quality control engineers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Quality on Quality
This is a professional's book! It covers quality control at the level that you need -- whether a novice in the field or an experienced professional. It does an excellent job of interrelating all of the aspects of quality control, while letting you focus on the topic at hand; you never feel that you are "out of place" in the process. This book is so good that we are going to use it as the reference/source for our training programs that cover not only quality control but quality control's relationship with other aspects of operations management and program management. I have even incorporated it into an undergraduate course I teach on quality management and productivity. There's something in it for every technical professional in the workplace today. ... Read more

Book Description

Acclaimed and used in over 200 colleges and universities around the country, Total Quality Management: Text, Cases and Readings has been completely revised and expanded to meet the growing demands and awareness for quality products and services in the competing domestic and global marketplaces. Since the publication of the first and second editions of this book, interest in and acceptance of TQM has continued to accelerate around the world. This edition has been thoroughly revised, updated and expanded. Some of the changes are:·A new chapter on the emerging Theory of Constraints·Expanded treatment of Process Management·Eleven new readings·Ten new cases·Chapter examples of TQM at 12 Baldrige winning organizations·End of chapter recommendations for further reading·Revised and updated textual material·The Varifilm case is retained as a comprehensive study that illustrates good and not so good practices. Each chapter contains an exercise which provides the readerwith an opportunity to apply TQM principles to the practices illustrated in each case.Based on sound principles, this practical book is an excellent text for organizational development programs aimed at practitioners responsible for developing and implementing TQM programs in their own service or manufacturing organizations. ...