Uncommon Sense - Tools to Improve your Work Forever

Does data collection feel like a tedious, time-consuming hurdle in your improvement projects? It doesn’t have to be.

Join Niall Coney, Consultant at PMI, for a 15-minute masterclass in smarter data collection that delivers reliable insights without wasting time or resources. Learn how to choose the right sampling strategy, ensure accuracy with the right measurement systems, and leverage data simulation effectively.

More resources:

• On Demand Webinar: Data Collection Techniques
• Podcast: The Value of Capability Analysis
• Blog: How to Identify Your First Green Belt Project

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

Your improvement team is assembled, the project is underway, but something’s off. Misalignment keeps surfacing, engagement is lacking, and stalled progress feels inevitable.

Join PMI Consultant and improvement project expert Mark Allison, as he shares the essential steps for setting your team up for success, with practical techniques to build clarity, confidence, and collaboration from day one. Take the time to consider your onboarding process and ensure that your next project kicks off with a team that’s engaged, motivated, and ready to contribute.

Related resources:

• Podcast: Identifying the Right People for Your Improvement Team
• Toolbox: Roles in Process Management
• Template: Project Charter & Contract 

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

When you spot a difference in your data, is it because something has genuinely changed, or is it just chance?

Join Niall Coney, Consultant at PMI, as he demystifies hypothesis testing: one of the most misunderstood tools in improvement. From p-values to t-tests, Niall breaks it down in practical terms, showing how the right statistical ‘screwdriver’ can give you the confidence to act on your data. 

Plus, a relatable lesson in learning to trust the numbers, even when they don’t tell you what you want to hear! Listen now and take the guesswork out of improvement.

More resources:

• Black Belt Tools for Success
• What is a Black Belt Project?
• Managing Variation with Heijunka

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

If you’re making decisions based on assumptions, this episode could change everything.

Join PMI Consultant Dennis Crommentuijn-Marsh for a real-world case study where Capability Analysis exposed a costly blind spot for an unsuspecting organisation. As he shares valuable lessons learned from the experience, discover why process stability is just the beginning, how to avoid misleading conclusions, and the crucial role of strong supplier relationships for success.

More resources:

• Understanding Capability in Process Performance 
• Control Charts: Walter Shewhart’s Gift to Quality
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to Measure Performance

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

Struggling with team dynamics? When it comes to building a successful improvement team, skills matter, but the right people are everything.

Join PMI Consultant and improvement project expert Mark Allison as he shares his proven approach to assembling a team that delivers. He explains why passion and intrinsic motivation are more important than expertise, and why at least half your team should consist of process operators.

This episode could be the game-changer you need for success in your next improvement project.

More resources:

• How to Get The Best Out of Your Improvement Team
• Roles in Process Management Toolbox
• Project Charter & Contract Template

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

How confident are you that the processes you rely on can delight your customers? 

Capability studies will provide the answer by revealing whether your processes are delivering what your customers truly want or simply what they’re willing to tolerate. Join PMI Director Consultant Warren Knight as he shares the principles, practices, and real-world insights that will empower your teams to move beyond "good enough" and consistently deliver excellence.

More resources:

• Control Charts: Driving Sustainable Performance Gains
• Accelerate Your Performance: Tools for Rapid Problem Solving
• 5 Ways to Boost Operational Performance 

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

The patterns in your data can hold the key to better business decisions.

Histograms go beyond simple bar charts, offering a clear view of data distribution to uncover trends, probabilities, and hidden opportunities in your processes. Join PMI Director Consultant, Warren Knight, as he shares real-world examples and actionable tips to help you use histograms to uncover issues, enhance performance and deliver greater value to your customers. Tune in and discover the insights you’ve missed.


More resources:

• Podcast: SPC Charts: Driving Sustainable Performance Gains
• On Demand Webinar: Data Collection Techniques
• Blog: Future-Proof Your Organisation

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

Stop chasing symptoms and start driving sustainable performance gains.

PMI Director Consultant Warren Knight shares how SPC Charts can unlock powerful insights into any metric, whether it’s sales conversion rates, recruitment timelines, or customer response times. This versatile tool goes beyond short-term results, revealing long-term trends that help distinguish normal variation from real performance issues.

With Warren’s personal insights, practical tips, and real-world examples, this conversation showcases how understanding variation leads to smarter decisions, prevents reactive management, and drives meaningful process improvements.


More resources on this topic:

• Podcast: Reporting and Reviewing Performance 
• On Demand Webinar: Accelerate Your Performance 
• Blog: 5 Challenges of Embedding Control Charts in Daily Process Management

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

Are sales up this month? Have we produced more product this week than last week? Did we exceed our KPIs? Understanding how we’re performing against targets is a fundamental measure and is often reported using visual signals – green for ‘we’re doing great’, red for ‘we have a problem’.

But what this system doesn’t tell us is how our performance is varying over time. Join PMI Director Consultant Warren Knight, as he talks about common cause variation, and how responding to every signal can lead to increased inconsistency and frustration in your processes.


More resources on this topic:

• Accelerate Your Performance: Tools for Rapid Problem Solving
• Drive Your CI Performance with AI
• Maximising Inputs; Fuelling Growth; Balancing Value – PMI’s Managing Partners Discuss

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>

Your Quality Improvement activity isn’t delivering the value you want.

Business is fast-paced and complex, but your success can’t be sustained if you’re not focusing on what’s important. PMI Partner Consultant Des Kelly invites you to rethink your approach to Quality with insights from over four decades of industry transformation.

We explore how organisations have moved from a product-centric to a customer-first mindset, and why Continuous Improvement and employee engagement are key to delivering real value. Plus, you’ll hear why sustainability and ethics have a growing role of in shaping Quality strategies, and how digital tools are enabling a shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive, real-time solutions.

Ensure that your Quality efforts are focused on what genuinely drives impact with these valuable perspectives that could change the way you approach Quality.


More resources on this topic:

• Blog: 5 Things That Quality Is (and Isn’t): A Guide for Practitioners
• Podcast: Quality Driven Agile
• Minisode: Driving Quality, Empowering Teams

More from PMI:

• Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographics
• Join us for a PMI LIVE Webinar
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Take your improvement career to the next level with PMI's Lean Six Sigma Certifications - now available in two new and accessible formats, built around you. 

• Explore On Demand >>
• Explore Distance Learning >>