What is “Value” in the 6 Sigma world, and why is everything that does not bring value categorized as “Waste”?
6 sigma is a manufacturing methodology and therefore it views “value” as anything that a customer is willing to pay for, and anything that a customer is not willing to pay for is “waste”. But this perspective is flawed as it suggests that the customer always knows when it buys a product what it is willing to pay for and not pay for. But there are times when the customer is not the person paying for the product or service, at least they are not the direct customer, they are a agent of the customer, like an insurance company paying for services or products for their client, the actual patient and customer.
Define the following terms:
- QMS (Quality Management Systems) database
- IO (Improvement Opportunities)
- Visibility
- Customer Driven Organization
- Quality Function Deployment
- Expected Quality
Table 2.1 Traditional verses Customer Driven Organizations – Review and understand the difference in perspectives and commitments.
Explain the Elements of a “Transformed Organization” – Can this be done without developing a sophisticated and committed staff?
Why is communication so important to a Lean Initiative and how much percent of time should leaders expect to devote to communication during these transitions?
Under the 6 Sigma philosophy, which entities in a organization understand how the system works and how to best improve it? Does this knowledge change with each subgroup, i.e. staff of a particular process, managers of a particular group, executive leaders – and why? Why is that no one person has all the knowledge of a business’s activities and performance?
The author suggests that only a small percent of unhappy customers will contact the company regarding their experience with a service or product. How should you interpret and manage this feedback from unhappy customers.
How does a company receive customer specific opinions about their product or service, and how reliable is this feedback from customers? How do we test to ensure that not only the feedback is accurate, but that our Lean response is resolving the issue?
Why is a QFD so critical to empowering 6 Sigma projects? When can QFD fail, and why?
