Practical Approach to Six Sigma

ACIT

October 25, 2006

Practical Approach to Six Sigma

• What it is and what it isn’t

• Process Improvement – OIIT Team

• Process Improvement – EITS Team

• Six Sigma at Southern Poly

• Questions – Next Steps?

Change in Your Pocket

• The hallmark of a truly successful organization is its willingness to abandon what made it successful and to start fresh (Michael Hammer)

• Change for Children and Six Sigma

• Empowering “innovation”

Oh yes it is - oh no it isn’t

1. Think small, contained, and manageable scoped projects2. Think process management as repetitive, relentless, and continuous

process improvement3. Focuses on operational empowerment, proven tools and methods, and

statistical, fact-based evaluation4. Focuses on Customers and Processes to accomplish Velocity, Agility,

Measurable Quality, Flow, Balance, Variation and Defects5. Most effective on mature processes, documented or not6. Process as capable, effective, efficient, with a “quality” output=================================================1. Not big project focused unless defined as a series of contained and

prioritized steps2. Not the next flavor of change management; not quick fix3. Doesn’t drain the ocean4. Not a Program that has value by itself5. You don’t need to be a statistics wizard to use it (one on the team helps)

Process Improvement TeamLeave a Comment

Ray Lee, OIIT

AIM: Asset Inventory Management Team

• Lost Assets– Approximately 250

asset inventory pieces lost in 2005 year for a cost of $286,460 (~ 7% of inventory based on 3500 assets)

– The value for write-off in the last three years are as follows:

– 2003: $75,863 – 2004: $198,312– 2005: $286,460

– Data are misleading

$75,863

$198,312

$286,460

$0

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

$300,000

$350,000

2003 2004 2005

What are the issues? EG. Unmanaged activity

Ideal Solution

Solution EITS Control

Integrated Property Control System (Procurement, Accounting, Property Control, Surplus)

Out

Integration with software inventories and future form automation within EITS

In

Integration with ASSETs and Network Device Databases

In

Training of EITS staff In

Viewing of current data In

Summary DMAIC Stage = Implement

• Current Process

– Ineffective– Scope of full solution is large and spans departments– Employees are not given enough information

• Training• Current inventory information

• Requesting Approval and Funding to Implement Proposed Solution– Start small with a

foundation to expand• Connectivity to other

existing databases• Future reports and functionality• Immediate benefit • Give employees and managers

better tools

Phase Cost

Phase 1 $4800-8000

Phase 2 Staff hours

Phase 3 $3200-4000

UGA Process Improvement Next Steps

• Two Additional Process Improvement Team to Report– Planned Outages– Unplanned Outages

• Six Sigma Basics Website http://www.eits.uga.edu/inf/EITS_Process_Improvement_Teams.php

• Host Additional Training

(January 26, 2006 - March 30, 2006)

Lessons Learned

• Problem Statements must be narrow and focused to avoid too large of scope

• Address ONE cause at a time (work to identify the root cause)

• Focus on the data (Have you asked the right question?)

• Inexperienced teams need to be mentored by trained Six Sigma professionals