SQT Blog

An analysis of the projects chosen by 275 Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course attendees, reveals the following:

Project type and frequency
Waste reduction/elimination 63
Cycle time reduction 41
Process yield improvement 34
Process improvement 19
Reduction in NVA activities 19
Increase in process throughput 13
Process control 8
Cost reduction 6
Customer satisfaction 6
Process risk reduction 6
Quality improvement 6
Improving process capability 5
Cost savings 4
Design change 4
Defect reduction 3
Risk exposure 3
Compliance 2
Improved staff utilisation 2
Process leveling 2
Process stability 2
Other 27

Total 275

The following is a graphical display of above information.

What’s interesting is that lean type projects were more popular. By way of context, 81% of the the projects were completed in financial services and pharma companies.

We carried out an analysis on projects chosen by people who attended our Lean Six Sigma Black Belt courses.

Firstly there was a broad cross section of companies represented as shown in the following graph. Financial services and pharma accounted for 55% of companies.

An analysis of project type revealed the following:

Project type and frequency

Process yield improvement 16
Waste elimination or reduction 9
Cycle time reduction 5
Reduction in NVA activities 5
Improvement in customer satisfaction 3
Improving process capability 3
Increase in process capacity 2
Cost reduction 1
Design change 1
Process reliability improvement 1
Process risk reduction 1

Total 47

Process yield improvement and Waste elimination/reduction account for 53% of all project types. The following graph displays the above data.

Tomorrow I will post on Green Belt project selection.

If you find yourself in Limerick with ten minutes to spare, pop into the Hunt Museum to see this free exhibition of photographs by James Fennell and Turtle Bunbury, (Turtle – what an unusual name!)

It’s a series of portraits of ‘characters’ from an Ireland that is rapidly passing … old men, old women. The detail, the lighting are amazing. Click here and you will get an idea.

Quoting from the Hunt Museum’s website:

In Vanishing Ireland: Recollections of our Changing Times, award-winning photographer James Fennell and bestselling author Turtle Bunbury once again journey the length and breadth of Ireland to bring us an extraordinary, powerful new collection of poignant interviews from ordinary men and women who share with us their memories, providing us with an invaluable link to our past.

Through words and stunningly evocative photographs, we meet the people of Ireland who lived through adversity and hardship during the formative decades of independent Ireland, yet whose courage, kindness and humour remains intact. We talk with those who watched friends and family sail for foreign shores, and lose ourselves in a world where life was simpler, yet somehow happier; where storytelling, fiddle playing, céilís and communal pastimes cemented the deep friendships that became the lifeblood of each community.

The exhibition continues until 23rd October. Definitely worth a visit.