Book Description

Six Sigma Tool Navigator

The Master Guide for Teams

Walter J. Michalski and Dana G. King

Six Sigma Tool Navigator is the only lean resource that provides a complete compendium of tools for teams engaged in Six Sigma improvement activities. In addition, it offers actual tools, definitions and techniques you need to move your organization closer to producing minimal defects.

Six Sigma Tool Navigator includes a complete collection of the latest improvement techniques and Six Sigma tool strings. The tool strings allow Six Sigma teams to combine Six Sigma tools to accomplish a particular outcome.

Highlights include:

· Over 70 tool string flowcharts
· More than 100 illustrated tools including tables, matrices, flowcharts, networks, and diagrams
· A Six Sigma tools cross reference section
· Comprehensive statistical tables
· 222 tools for improvement activities

Six Sigma Tool Navigator goes beyond mere definitions — It acts as a true navigator, classifying each tool by process application, description of various applications of the tool, possible links to "before and after" tools, and problem-solving phases most applicable for the tool. And all of this information and guidance is provided in an easy-to-use format.

Six Sigma Tool Navigator will enhance your team facilitation skills and assist you at every step in your diverse problem-solving and process-improvement efforts. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Excellent advice for the entire development organization
This book details common sense approaches to different aspects of software development - from defining requirements to development to software testing - that are too often overlooked or undervalued in many software shops. I am a developer, but the book contains a wealth of practical tips and techniques for project managers, developers, QA team members, and functional managers. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in software development that is looking for ways to improve the quality of the software they deliver. I never write reviews, but for me this book ranks up there with Steve McConnell's Code Complete as one of those books that I am constantly referring to in an ongoing effort to improve my ability to develop quality software.

Great insight into a company that does it right.
This was a great book outlining many of the things a company did to succeed while under pressure. I enjoyed the "Back at Work" sidebars, annecdotes about how they applied the techniques in this book.

Under Pressure and On Time
I received Under Pressure and On Time as a gift
and read through it in a weekend. I found it
funny and full of practical solutions for my own
development team.
The chapter on "scheduling" addressed most all of
my particular challenges with terrific ideas.
I plan to keep a copy and pass along a copy.

Decent Book at a low price. Common Sense in Practice
Ed Sullivan's summary of the practices that work at NuMega are a must read for any software development organization. Sure, a lot of the comments are just common sense, but from my experiences, they are rarely practiced. The project management section is trivial, obvious and better covered in other references. The details of the steps and the overall process that NuMega has successfully used are the valuable part of the text. Things like insisting on daily builds, test automation, and parallel development are the little gems that can keep you on a schedule.

A lot of people and books talk about this stuff, but few organization, (in my experience) manage to actually follow these methods. I think I would have liked working for Ed at NuMega.

Ego trip...
Wow... what a great read... that is, it's a great read if you want to read the same sentiment over and over: Ed Sullivan is a very smart guy, and all the people at NuMega (now Compuware corp.) are geniuses. If you take a look at their current product offerings you might decide that Ed's "philosphy" _might_ not be the best way to go.

Just read the sample pages included here at amazon before you decide to plunk down your money on this obvious ego trip. ... Read more

Book Description

Empowerment is essential!

Self-directed work teams create an environment that empowers employees to contribute to the improvement of products and services. In the face of this challenge, employees experience greater opportunities and greater satisfaction. And they do a better job!

Successful work teams call for a new kind of leadership and a bold new attitude about workforce organization. Self-Directed Work Teams shows how this leadership style changes the role of the supervisor and the way that work is managed.

You'll learn to help workers feel like partners in their organizations by contributing to the improvement of products and services.

Use these guiding principles, working models, key strategies, and action steps to create successful self-directed teams! ... Read more

Book Description

Are you responsible for starting new teams, providing direction, allocating resources, removing roadblocks, and serving as an all-around champion for high-performance work teams? This practical, step-by-step guide is for you! Not only does this pocket reference emphasize the importance of turning slogans and talk into action, it tells how to do it. You'll get helpful guidelines for turning the principles of team management into day-to-day actions.

Each chapter begins with a set of questions that the sponsor must ask before starting any team. The answers to these questions provide the keys to whether the project or activity actually warrants the effort that goes into a successful team. Once the need for the team has been clearly established, a checklist outlines the necessary actions the sponsor must take to successfully start and maintain the team. The remainder of each chapter provides the details and specific instructions for carrying out the activities on the checklist. Many of the steps include exercises, activities, or assignments to enhance the learning points. Covers the three most common types of teams

Temporary or project teams
Standing or committee-type teams
Natural work teams ... Read more

Reviews (1)

sponsership
How can I put a plan for geting sponser for our workshop? ... Read more

Book Description

This book places current and future work team practices inhistorical context. Researchers from 10 countries have contributedchapters that represent developments specific to their regions andthat illustrate the way ideas spread around the world. Some principlesof effective teaming were independently discovered in differentcountries, and some principles emerged from the work of researcherslike Trist, Emery, and Lewin and spread around the world. But all ofthe practices were driven by the dynamic tension between thepsychology of the employee and business necessities. Theories andcases describe autonomous work groups, self-managed work teams, cellteams, and other collaborative work structures. Contributions to thedesign of such structures came from psychology, management, sociology,industrial engineering, and manufacturing. Because of the challengesinherent in reorganising work around teams instead of individuals,organizations are at different stages in evolving into 21st centurywork systems. ... Read more

Book Description

An action guide for team members to strengthen performance.A step-by-step approach to identifying the key elements of effective teams."Teams at Work" offers a clear model for diagnosing and strengthening a team.This book provides practical tools to help team members master concepts and put their knowledge into action. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Used book and Training Materials at two corporations in NJ
After seeing the power of "Teams At Work" in two different corporations I feel this is a must read, must use book. If a group is looking for results and knows the power a well functioning team can provide, the program Dr. Zoglio offers is a winner. Programs and trainings come and go, but this one will stick!

Our road map to Success!
5 years ago, our plant shifted from a "top down" style of management to a team-based format. We selected as our model, Suzanne Zoglio's "Teams At Work" book. It not only became the sole resource for development of our employees into the team concept, but we have revisited this book countless times as a reference for staying on track in today's ever changing business world. A well worn copy sits on my desk today. I wouldn't be without it. Superior Guidance from Suzanne!!

Teams At Work
The idea - and advantages - of working together as a team is not new to me. But developing and implementing these ideas, with individuals coming out of an established non-team environment, will be more than challenging. TEAMS AT WORK gave me 7 basic fundamentals to use as a foundation to get started. More importantly, as the teams become integrated and work toward common goals, it will be a valuable resource to have on hand.

A Must Read Learning Application
Team at Work focuses on practical, innovative techniques for developing the interpersonal and technical skills of workteams. The 7 Keys to Success were invaluable in our journey from a traditional structure to a team-based organization. Even today, our teams revisit Teams at Work, thus maintaining the strong foundation Suzanne Zoglio helped us to achieve. An excellent read and learning application!

Practical Guidance for Any Team
In this day of limited resources and time, I look for tools that one can simply give to a team for self-development. "Teams at Work" is one of those rare offerings that is so complete, simple, and practical that almost anyone can develop a functioning team by using it. For example, developing a team mission. The book walks team members through several practical steps and exercises to help them develop a team mission. The same with a team vision, and then translating this vision into team goals. Many books will discuss these in principle, but few actually offer an exercise and steps for the team to follow. And it is this way with every chapter of the book. If you want deep theory, don't buy this book. If you want something you can hand to a team and say "go to it," then this is the tool for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Tools for Teams shows today's manager how to gain the benefits of powerful and coherent teamwork. From crafting a strategic vision and managing change to dealing with the nitty-gritty of interpersonal conflict and poor performance, this book provides the skills, techniques and programs that will develop trust, committment and results. It will serve as an excellent guide for any manager to the art and science of building a team. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Want to fire up creativity in your company? When Sparks Fly just might be the fuel you're looking for. Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap describe a method that can help people become more innovative and better at teamwork. "Whether you lead a group of three in a nonprofit foundation or 300,000 in a Fortune 500 business, the basic process of creativity is the same," write Leonard, a Harvard Business School professor, and Swap, a Tufts University dean. The process involves five steps: selecting the right mix of people to spark creativity; identifying the problem needing novel ideas; developing alternatives; taking time to consider choices; and selecting one option.

Leonard and Swap bolster their ideas with real-life examples of corporate creativity and analysis of dozens of psychological studies about human innovation. The Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), for instance, generates breakthrough ideas by teaming up such diverse people as artists, anthropologists, and computer scientists. And to support diversity's role in creativity, they cite a 1992 study of 199 bank CEOs. The research found that top management teams are more innovative if they include people with varying expertise. Each of the book's chapters begins with a fictional management scenario and concludes with a summary of key points. It also includes chapters on designing the best physical and psychological environments for igniting new ideas. When Sparks Fly is a good tool for managers and others interested in fanning the flames of creativity. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Book Description

Group communication through the way of council is increasinglybecoming the choice of teachers therapists community members businessorganizations families and couples who want to move from anAUTHORity-led format to one in which education responsibility andleadership are shared by the whole circle.includes a basicintroduction to council extensive material about leading councils andchapters on the use of council in various settings.This long awaitedTITLE provides the focus on leadership training and the breadth ofapplications of council and focuses particularly on education communitybusiness family and intimate relationships ... Read more

Book Description

In Global Solutions for Teams, Sylvia B. Odenwald breaks new ground with strategies multinational work groups can use to overcome distance and cultural differences in accomplishing common goals. Readers will find several examples of how General Electric and other companies have turned their internatiional teams into a competitive advantage. Written by one of the foremost authorities on international management training issues, this guide shows how to: implement productive cross-functional and cross-location teams; successfully manage the three phases of multinational teaming: collision, coexistence, and collaboration; select and lead teams of individuals from diverse cultures in developing productive work systems. ... Read more

Book Description

Staff groups-those within organizations that perform internal functionssuch as human resources, finance, legal, quality, information systems,and others-live with the constant threat that, as overhead-identifiedcosts, theirs are sure to be the first positions eliminated in any kindof crunch. Joel Henning shows that staff groups are more important thanever for the survival of today's organizations. He offersa new andvital vision for developing staff groups in organizations-one thatfocuses on accountability for their survival and contribution to theorganization.

Corporate staff have been the neglected resource in the overall corporatearsenal and Joel Henning makes a powerful argument that current marketrealities require that they can no longer be ignored. The Future of StaffGroupsis an illuminating book about corporate staff groups withinorganizations and the impact that they can have on the prosperity andsuccess of the organizations they serve. In it, Joel Henning: * Shows how staff groups can shed old patterns and roles * Teaches staff groups how to speak directly to the concerns of theirclients, their managers, and each other * Provides a viable alternative to eliminating or outsourcing corporatestaff functions ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Insightful!
Joel P. Henning's diagnosis of the growing irrelevancy of business staff groups is right on the money. Simply put, staff members have for too long cozied up to management, ignoring the critical line units that they are supposed to serve. As a result, it's the staff gets laid off first when times get tough. Likewise, Henning's prescriptions for revamping staff groups into effective support units merit careful study. Although sections of this book are thin in substance, we from getAbstract recommend this insightful analysis of corporate structure to all business leaders. ... Read more

Book Description

Clearly written and packed with practical team training exercises from the author's experience in over 25 years of working with teams, TOOLS FOR TEAM EXCELLENCE provides comprehnsive information on building, assessing, and improving team performance. Crafted specifically for use by team members, these exercises, normally available only through professional corporate trainers, cannot be found in any other source.

Going beyond the purely philosophical approaches or trendy fads outlined in current management literature, TOOLS FOR TEAM ECELLENCE describes seven key components necessary for creating effective teams: specific targets, appropriate talent, clear roles and responsibilities, efficient procedures, constructive interpersonal relations, active reinforcement, and diplomatic ties with other parts of the organization.

Addressing the gap that often appears between theory and practice, this book provides a host of strategies, techniques, and team-building tools honed by experience--exercises and worksheets, questionnaires, assessment techniques, problem-solving guidelines, and troubleshooting tips. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tools for Team Excellence
Dr. Gregg Huszczo provides a great road map for team development. He has laid out practical exercises for Steering teams to follow through out the journey to teams- from assessing the need for team development, getting ready for teams, and implementing, evaluating and nurturing team success.

Huszczo delivers common sense information much like he delivers in person, in a simple pragmatic way- he is easy to understand by all levels in an organization.

This book provides a hands-on guide for team development and teamwork. If you are considering implementing teams this is a good easy read and you'll want to use it weekly as a guide.

I hope to write back one year from now and document how this hands-on guide helped in our process of team development. There are so many unknowns and directions teams can take- "Tools for Team Excellence" provides a roadmap.

Good luck in changing the culture of your organization and team development process.

Joe Boyle

Manufacturing Engineer ... Read more

Book Description

There was military project management. There was construction project management. Then there was business project management, a tool described as 'the wave of the future'. Where are architects in all this, professionals whose work has always been project-driven?




There is design management in engineering, product design, graphics, packaging, management theory and even in politics. Construction consultants talk about managing design. When are architects going to become committed to managing design?

Getting There by Design adopts an architect's view to design and project management. It sets out the fundamental principles and shows how they are applied, dealing with these two topics as one indivisible subject.

'Getting There by Design' demonstrates how to:
- make project efforts goal-oriented
- set up a planning and monitoring basis to architectural projects
- put the architect's fee calculus on a rationale basis
- diagnose your firm's practice culture
- develop successful teams

Put your practice onto a more effective basis.

Ken Allinson is an architect in private practice and principal of 'Architectural Dialogue'.He also teaches design studio and lectures on design and project management.He was formerly an associate at DEGW London and the Terry Farrell Partnership.He has practice experience in Europe, the USA and Japan and is the author of 'The Wild Card of Design' (1993).

A clear guide that helps you make project efforts goal-orientated
Learn how to set up a planning and monitoring basis to architectural projects
Be able to diagnose your firm's practice culture and develop successful teams ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good PM book for creative types
Allinson covers the bases on project management from the perspective of the creative side of the brain. This isn't a "create a WBS following these rules and get an M&M" style book. You will have to think to use the information but it is well worth while. If you are a creative type working in a project managed environment, this is a very good book. The references and his descriptions are very useful. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A text that serves the author only
This is one of the worst texts I have read. It reads more like a marketing brochure for a "team building" consultant rather than giving practical advice on actual team building. Every dilemma is resolved by consulting with a team building consultant, or facilitator.

Of much greater value is "The Wisdom of Teams" by Katzenbach and Smith - a book I would give 5 stars for thoroughness and practicality.

Powerfull and easy to digest
This book is easy to read and understand - if only teams were that easy. Dyer has covered all major topics in team development and managed to do it in a text you can acutally apply in your everyday team development efforts. Dyer explains why companies have turned to using teams and the dimensions of the team, when to use a team and what type of team you should use, what happens when teams make unhealthy agreements and the behaviors you will see. There is information on maturity, culture, organizaitons, and building healthly teams with diveristy. Easy to use suggestions, questions, and statements help you set up team building efforts and identify when a team needs help or should be disbanded. This is a handbook - every team member should own one. ... Read more

Book Description

With a focus on doing the right thing right the first time, Ireland has constructed a solid presentation on how to invest in quality throughout all the project management processes. Understanding customers’ requirements and the essential nature of planning to meet quality expectations is explored thoroughly, along with a solid discussion of the choices of resources. Other topics include human factors and the effects of internal and external demands, as well as the tools, management techniques, methodologies, and costs associated with infusing quality into project management.

The book is essential reading to learn more about one of the knowledge areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

High-level, but covers the important points
If you're seeking a solid introduction to basic quality techniques and how to apply them to project management this book will meet your needs. It starts off with a macro view of quality, starting with why quality is important and how it meets both project and business objectives within the context of competitive advantage.

There is nothing new in this book. It's the way that the critical success factors for integrating quality into projects are presented that makes it valuable. For example, the chapter on customer requirements is common sense, but the issues and challenges are exposed in the next chapter on planning for quality projects. In that chapter the elements and dimensions of a project and stakeholder requirements are dissected, which then adds insights into the previous chapter. This material is then taken to a new level in the chapter on cost of quality, which explores the cost to achieve quality, and the costs of not having quality - these are the foundation for building a business case for taking a quality-focused approach in the project. They will also provide ammunition to rebut management when they want to take short cuts as the project evolves (especially product development projects) by quantifying the ramifications of their decisions.

One chapter that I especially like is V, Statistical Concepts and Quality Tools. Not only does this chapter introduce tools and techniques that can be applied to project management, but it also introduces statistical process controls. While statistical process controls are overkill for many projects, they can serve as a dashboard at the program management office level for tracking cost and performance indices, requirements churn and other key indicators across a portfolio of projects.

Overall, this book is brief and only touches upon many of the factors for incorporating quality into project management. However, it is sufficiently detailed to teach the concepts and the value, and will point you in the right direction. ... Read more

Book Description

The problems they face are more complex than ever. The pressure to deliver the right solutions more intense. So how do teams in today's rapid-fire business environment keep up?
According to John Redding, today's teams need a new approach to achieving their goals-a radical approach. And he should know. Redding, after all, headed a five-year research project, the result of which was the radical teamwork method, a method proven to be eminently more effective than any traditional approach to teamwork. Among other innovations, the radical team method is designed to generate creative thinking, encourage risk-taking, and greatly bolster team learning to produce exceptional results. In this book, Redding translates the findings of his project into a hands-on guide you can use to create radical teams for your organization and put them to work.
You'll learn how to identify the projects in your own organization that require the radical team approach. You'll use checklists, exercises, and worksheets to master a series of action steps for applying this approach to some of today's toughest business issues. And you'll get the tools you need to implement radical teamwork throughout your organization, from selecting and training team members, to leading and coaching radical teams, and assessing their effectiveness.
Throughout the book, case studies drawn from radical team experiences in a variety of organizations bring home the practical aspects of the approach-an approach that promises to become the standard by which all organizations will tackle their most important strategic challenges. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Easy, Interesting Read
Seemed to get to the heart of leadership: know your goal, provide a vision, connect with your people. I liked the treatment of empathy. The author gives practical advice on how to communicate so that people want to listen. I enjoyed the description of how people blame others.

Excellent Leadership and Management Primer
This book covers some of the key tenents all managers and/or leaders need to develop in order to make life as pleasant and successful for all involved.

Key principles here will help you in many facets of your life; certainly in ways I didn't expect.

Best of all, it is an easy read and that you can finish over the weekend. ... Read more

Book Description

Virtual teams are the newest form of the team idea so popular in medium-sized and large organizations.It recognizes the fact that the flexibility of new office technologies combines with the pace of activity and the mobility of the people in working groups call for a new approach. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Join the 21st Century
If you're working on a project through email or groupware for the first time, this "how-to" guide will be just the thing. For beginners learning to use technology as a tool in collaborative enterprises, Virtual Teaming introduces the basics. A quick look at the benefits and drawbacks to working online will clarify some of the jargon used in email communication as well as outline the standards of netiquette. One nice feature of this short booklet is the philosophical foundation established for successful teaming in almost any setting, but specifically oriented to technology-supported communications. A set of assessments, checklists, and entertaining pages filled with humor, make this latest member in the Crisp 50-Minute Self-paced Learning Series a welcome addition. Experts in the field of online collaboration will not need what it has to offer. For our school faculty in the early stages of implementing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, it is a perfect book for teachers just starting to use email for a cooperative project.

Craig Yager ~ PYP Coordinator ~ Whittier School ~ Boulder, CO ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very good value for all who manage human resources
I found this a valuable practical book and make use of it in my work. From my notes made at the time of reading it more than a year ago I recently developed the following, much of which comes from Mankin et al:
A team is a group of people who agree: to pool and use their diverse skills and knowledge to accomplish mutual goals, to recognise the need to compromise in decision making, and to harness differences of opinion as a source of creativity rather than conflict.

A practical guide to helping project teams succeed
This book helps project team participants, leaders, and sponsors understand the factors that influence success and failure. Technology is only one of them.

To bring the subject down to earth, the authors introduce a fictional case study and follow its progress throughout the book. The case allows us to relate the subject to our own experience and helps clarify normally fuzzy concepts like "culture." The focus is always on practical solutions to real business problems, combining principles, tools, and techniques from information technology, human resources, content management, and business strategy. Lots of meat in plain English for practitioners in all four functional areas. It's one of several books I recommend to participants in my Knowledge Base Editing course. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fading Classic
This book, which has been supplanted by more recent works, is the classic American text on creating and using self-directed work teams. The authors represent the Zenger-Miller approach, one that has been well-used in many manufacturing environments.

Pros: provides very practical information about exactly how to implement self-directed teams; strongest for the manufacturing environment; provides sample materials that can easily be customized for a company.

Cons: based on models that worked in manufacturing environments of the 1960s, before downsizing and the Internet; very time-consuming - many companies now need to move faster than this; assumes time and resources that no longer exist in many companies. ... Read more