Tuesday, June 06, 2006
ConSource
On Constitution Day this year (Sept 17), http://www.consource.org is scheduled to launch their database of scanned images of original documents related to the Constitution. This is going to include letters and things related to the creation and signing of the document. It seems like it will be a valuable resource and a template for other services in the future. This is one of the great benefits of the internet, making valuable resources available to everyone.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Six Sigma - Define
One responsibility in my new job is implementing a Six Sigma project. For those not familiar, Six Sigma is a metric for measuring and reducing defects. (Wikipedia) It was first implemented at Motorola and then General Electric. It involves looking at the processes within the company, finding some areas that need improvement, measuring the defect rate and then taking steps to reduce that rate. There is an acronym for the order of specific stages, but I'll go into that later. The first stage is Define and for anyone that will be implementing a Six Sigma project, here are a few things you may want to know about the Define stage.
1. The Process Map - To create the process maps, I use one of my favorite programs, the free download of Yed(Click to Download) from YWorks.com. This program is nice because you can move the nodes and bend the flows and everything stays connected. I especially like this program for projects that organize relationships, but most Six Sigma projects will not require that feature.
2. The Charter - I've created a charter which anyone can use as a template. Just email me to get a copy.
3. The sit down meeting to define - The defining stage pretty much requires a sit down meeting led by upper management in which the potential projects are discussed and selected. Even though this is a meeting where no fingers are supposed to be pointing, I found that this was not the case. Almost the entire meeting was finger pointing. Expect individuals to be defensive if their responsibilities are brought up as potential weak points and expect them to find a root cause in someone else's area of influence. Make sure that upper management is present and someone not emotionally involved who can help facilitate the discussion.
We are fast tracking this project, so updates will come often. I don't recommend fast tracking. This should take time and be done right. However, we have other situations which warrant this. The next stage is to measure, where we will create and implement measurements of our defect rate in the area we selected as our project.
1. The Process Map - To create the process maps, I use one of my favorite programs, the free download of Yed(Click to Download) from YWorks.com. This program is nice because you can move the nodes and bend the flows and everything stays connected. I especially like this program for projects that organize relationships, but most Six Sigma projects will not require that feature.
2. The Charter - I've created a charter which anyone can use as a template. Just email me to get a copy.
3. The sit down meeting to define - The defining stage pretty much requires a sit down meeting led by upper management in which the potential projects are discussed and selected. Even though this is a meeting where no fingers are supposed to be pointing, I found that this was not the case. Almost the entire meeting was finger pointing. Expect individuals to be defensive if their responsibilities are brought up as potential weak points and expect them to find a root cause in someone else's area of influence. Make sure that upper management is present and someone not emotionally involved who can help facilitate the discussion.
We are fast tracking this project, so updates will come often. I don't recommend fast tracking. This should take time and be done right. However, we have other situations which warrant this. The next stage is to measure, where we will create and implement measurements of our defect rate in the area we selected as our project.
