Lean Six Sigma Bursts

I finished writing an article about two sustainability certification programs that require continuous improvement, but don't give guidance on how to do that. I explain why I think Lean is the best method to adopt for these mission-driven organizations. I also share examples below in the links about why I think Toyota is a leader in community engagement and environmental causes, not just financial performance.

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Toyota

I had a call this week helping out with a Black Belt project, and I was reminded about the Standardize-Do-Check-Act model that should be implemented first, before trying to make improvements to a process using the PDCA model (Plan-Do-Check-Act)

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I received two questions from Mark Graban about my first episode. He is a well-known Lean consultant with expertise in the healthcare industry, and has authored multiple books, including Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen and Measures of Success. He is also the host of multiple podcasts, including Lean Blog and My Favorite Mistake. Learn more about him at MarkGraban.com

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During Lean and Six Sigma classes, I meet a lot of people who are good problem solvers already, and they mention that the topics are similar to how they approach problems. Here are some of my observations about my interactions with them, and what takeaways I gathered.

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I share exciting news that we have digital access to Norman Bodek's past PRODUCTIVITY newsletters from 1980-1993. He lived in Vancouver, Washington (near Portland), but was moving to Japan permanently, and we have scanned in the documents for you to search, download and review.

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I discuss the simple visual management templates called SQDC (also called QDIP). These visuals help simplify the daily management for a process area, to quickly bring attention to areas that need help. A video of the discussion is available on the product page in the link below

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I discuss the Lean at Home contest being run by Lean Portland. We are giving away $200 in prizes to those who submit an improvement project at home that was completed in the last 6 months. We also have a free online course you can take if you need some help!

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I explain what Pareto charts are, and why they should be used more often than they are. I also summarize an older article I wrote about changing the way to display these charts.

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I explain how and when hypothesis tests can be used, based on a recent article I wrote, which looked at the racial inequities brought up by football players at the University of Iowa and the data that can support these claims.

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I created a video that accompanies this quick explanation of DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. DMAIC is the core structure used in Six Sigma projects

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