http://www.a1articles.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Value Stream Mapping is a proven tool that helps eliminating waste. Well suited for a broad range of industries and processes, VSM is ideal for creating positive organizational changes, developing efficient future states, and producing system-wide benefit... http://www.a1articles.com/common-pitfalls-of-value-stream-mapping-64997.html 21st June 2006 Kaizen is a proven performance improvement tool. Adopted from modern Japanese manufacturers, like Toyota, Kaizen generates breakthrough improvements quickly, without huge capital investments and/or extensive commitments of employ time. Kaizen is an effici... http://www.a1articles.com/five-reasons-to-implement-kaizen-in-nonmanufacturing-64996.html 21st June 2006 The word Kaizen means continuous improvement. Implementation of a quality process does not mean that there is no need for any further improvements of changes. In fact, most quality processes are reviewed at frequent intervals and findings are then impleme... http://www.a1articles.com/do-kaizen-events-help-in-nonmanufacturing-units-63037.html 16th June 2006 5s is another well known business process management principles and quality control certification and has got extensive support in the manufacturing sector. 5S works mostly towards removal of wasteful processes and products within an organization, and has... http://www.a1articles.com/explaining-5s-implementation-for-the-nonmanufacturing-sector-63036.html 16th June 2006 Lean is no longer the propriety process and quality management mantra for manufacturing units. The success of Lean management in manufacturing units was bound to percolate to non-manufacturing processes sooner or later. Needless to add, success stories ab... http://www.a1articles.com/benefits-of-a-lean-office-is-it-for-you-55199.html 21st May 2006 Imagine a river. Then visualize all that the river carries with it. Apart from the water and fish, there are other elements which form the river. Processes are very much like a river. They flow in a natural direction and carry information with them from o... http://www.a1articles.com/value-stream-mapping-explained-55198.html 21st May 2006 Business Processes are a group of activities which are recurring in nature and contribute significantly to the growth and development of the business. Managing these activities efficiently so that maximum business benefit can be captured is better known a... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management-50855.html 07th May 2006 Six Sigma is powered by principles which are governed by continuous improvement. In pure terms, Six Sigma helps manufacturing organizations reduce the number of errors or reduce the number of defective products manufactured by them. This is achieved by a ... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management-and-6-sigma-50854.html 07th May 2006 What is Business Process Management?To stay competitive in the marketplace a business needs to be cost effective. This is largely accomplished by streamlining the operations of the business and making sure the processes are running at peak efficiency. All... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management--streamline-your-business-44871.html 18th April 2006 Managing a business entails a wide variety of responsibilities and project managers have to be up to the task. Fortunately, there are Business Process Management technologies in place to help processes run more smoothly. However, Six Sigma does more than ... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management--the-six-sigma-approach-44870.html 18th April 2006 Six Sigma is about numbers. Six Sigma produces a flood of data about your process that are critical to your success. If you don't measure it and understand what you are measuring, you can't manage it. Six Sigma's clear strength is a data-driven analysis a... http://www.a1articles.com/statistical-software-in-six-sigma-by-peter-peterka-41706.html 04th April 2006 Today's IT executives want the best software available. With business process management that means finding solutions that provide key benefits. In addition to facilitating system integration, these solutions must minimize costs, protect software investme... http://www.a1articles.com/bpm-and-web-services-39861.html 01st April 2006 Companies are just discovering the benefits of combining BPM and Six Sigma. Ideal for enhancing the long-term performance of business processes, the BPM/Six Sigma union helps companies better characterize, understand, and manage entire value chains. It al... http://www.a1articles.com/the-marriage-of-bpm-and-six-sigma-by-thomas-gomez-39860.html 01st April 2006 Business corporations are now facing one of the most competitive eras ever. With globalization and technology, businesses need to identify various areas for improvement in order to stay relevant. Although increasing revenue and profits year on year are es... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management-101-by-thomas-gomez-39518.html 29th March 2006 The concept of Six Sigma was first developed by Motorola Corporation as an approach to address the high defect rates within the company's manufacturing processes. With the success of Six Sigma, Motorola has registered the Six Sigma brand name to the corpo... http://www.a1articles.com/integrating-six-sigma-with-business-process-management-by-thomas-gomez-39517.html 29th March 2006 Business Process Management argues that management by common sense cannot be exemplified as management at all!! Analysis and objective study tends to bring balance to this equation, as well as our business practice and endeavor. Both BPM and Six Sigma d... http://www.a1articles.com/optimizing-bpm-and-six-sigma-or-bpi-38582.html 26th March 2006 Lean enterprise and business process improvement, business optimization, cost cutting TQM, quality, Six Sigma, business reengineering and other such-like initiatives, falls within the cadre of business process management. It forms the cradle, feeding gr... http://www.a1articles.com/business-process-management-101-bpm-defined-by-peter-peterka-38488.html 25th March 2006 The key to efficiency in any business or organization is its processes. By processes, we mean the steps and actions that must occur for a particular outcome to be achieved. When those processes go wrong, occur too slowly, or simply don't work, the busines... http://www.a1articles.com/the-basics-of-business-process-management-34958.html 12th March 2006 Connections: Business Process Management and Six Sigma by Peter Peterka One of the most powerful ways to improve business processes is combining business process management (BPM) strategies with Six Sigma strategies. BPM strategies emphasize process i... http://www.a1articles.com/connections-business-process-management-and-six-sigma-33291.html 05th March 2006 Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is the application of Six Sigma principles to the design of products and their manufacturing and support processes. Whereas Six Sigma by definition focuses on the production phase of a product, DFSS focuses on research, design,... http://www.a1articles.com/design-for-six-sigma-by-peter-peterka-26990.html 02nd February 2006 No grouping of human beings is without some amount of politics. Managing deployment of Six Sigma in your organization will unavoidably run into some personal issues and conflict. However, with deft handling of the personal and political issues that come u... http://www.a1articles.com/company-politics-and-six-sigma-by-peter-peterka-25927.html 31st January 2006 Deploying Six Sigma means entering a period of significant change in your organization. Productivity and morale almost always suffers in times of great change. The requirements of change and adaptation and the very human fear of the unknown add to stresse... http://www.a1articles.com/communication-in-six-sigma-by-peter-peterka-25803.html 30th January 2006 Six Sigma is a powerful business improvement strategy. It helps your organization to identify, reduce, and eliminate defects from any product, process, or transaction. More than a "quality" program, Six Sigma is a flexible and dynamic continuous improveme... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-solves-problems-with-an-unknown-solution-by-peter-peterka-25547.html 26th January 2006 Online training is known by numerous names and acronyms—computer-based training (CBT), web-based training (WBT), cyber-training, distance learning, e-learning, etc. By whatever name, online training is a method of delivering training through an electronic... http://www.a1articles.com/the-effectiveness-of-online-training-by-peter-peterka-24952.html 21st January 2006 Six Sigma is not just for large multinational corporations. While there are difficulties inherent in implementing Six Sigma in a small company rather than a large business they can be overcome. Six Sigma can work in any size business because the nature of... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-deployment-in-smaller-organizations-by-peter-peterka-17137.html 25th November 2005 In the implementation of Six Sigma, an effective infrastructure lays the foundation for success. An effective infrastructure for your Six Sigma or Lean Flow change initiative in an organization requires a clear strategy and comprehensive planning. Str... http://www.a1articles.com/what-is-six-sigma-deployment-by-peter-peterka-16097.html 17th November 2005 Although both Six Sigma and Lean Flow have their roots in manufacturing, it works just as effectively in service industries. Much of the U.S. economy is now based on services rather than manufacturing and many service organization managers are wondering h... http://www.a1articles.com/applying-lean-six-sigma-to-service-by-peter-peterka-13939.html 01st November 2005 Lean Six Sigma combines the quality improvements that come from using Six Sigma with the speed improvements that come from using Lean manufacturing principles . Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects in an... http://www.a1articles.com/what-is-lean-six-sigma-by-peter-peterka-13577.html 28th October 2005 The DMAIC Method in Six Sigma The Six Sigma DMAIC process methodology is a system that brings measurable and significant improvement to existing processes that are falling below specifications. The DMAIC methodology can be used when a product or proces... http://www.a1articles.com/the-dmaic-method-in-six-sigma-13171.html 24th October 2005 Six Sigma doesn't improve the customer experience. It may seem that Six Sigma turns the focus away from the customer because it is driven by data. In so many companies, quality improvement is driven by the latest customer complaint, or some manager's late... http://www.a1articles.com/exploding-six-sigma-myths-12923.html 21st October 2005 One of the many benefits of Six Sigma is how it helps to develop people. The dual processes of Six Sigma training and Six Sigma projects cultivate excellence in not only product quality and financial savings but also in the knowledge, confidence, and qual... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-as-a-way-to-develop-people-12742.html 19th October 2005 The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) became an accepted standard (as established by the Project Management Institute) that is still widely used in many industries around the world. At a basic level, many of the methodologies advocated by PMBoK... http://www.a1articles.com/the-difference-between-typical-project-management-and-six-sigma-project-management-9810.html 24th September 2005 Top executives who know only that Six Sigma is famous and popular have called for the implementation of Six Sigma programs, and, of course, want to see numbers. They may become very enamored with the copious numbers that Six Sigma produces. Unfortunately,... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-is-about-more-than-just-number-crunching-9694.html 23rd September 2005 Although Six Sigma has its roots in manufacturing, it works just as effectively in service industries. It's no secret that service environments, such as financial organizations, healthcare providers, retail companies, and hospitality organizations have a ... http://www.a1articles.com/why-six-sigma-will-work-in-service-environments-9352.html 20th September 2005 The short answer is, "Yes!" The longer answer is, "Yes, and here's why." Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of working where management does not fully realize or understand the value of investing the extra time and effort required for qua... http://www.a1articles.com/does-six-sigma-need-to-have-the-support-of-upper-management-9270.html 20th September 2005 Six Sigma is not just a new term for Total Quality Management (TQM) . They have many similarities and are compatible in many business environments. TQM has brought great improvements and value to many companies. Six Sigma can do more. TQM is the develo... http://www.a1articles.com/why-six-sigma-will-outlast-total-quality-management-9160.html 19th September 2005 Managing a Six Sigma team is a considerable responsibility. Six Sigma is a team process and requires cooperation at many levels. No one person can manage a Six Sigma project on their own. Just as it is the organization that benefits from Six Sigma, it is ... http://www.a1articles.com/managing-teams-and-six-sigma-8582.html 11th September 2005 One of the more ambiguous elements of a Six Sigma project is the level and type of compensation the organization should give to its Six Sigma leaders and team members. On the one hand, setting compensation is not an integral part of any stage of a Six Sig... http://www.a1articles.com/compensation-and-six-sigma-black-belts-7408.html 31st August 2005 Many are surprised that Six Sigma refers to their trained experts as "Belts." There are Green Belts and Black Belts in Six Sigma, referring to a level of training they have achieved. The term Black Belt is not an empty buzzword nor is it a mockery of orga... http://www.a1articles.com/why-do-we-call-these-people-black-belts-5610.html 18th August 2005 Government bodies at any level, local, state, and Federal, can implement Six Sigma to improve customer service and increase the effectiveness of government. Although Six Sigma has its roots in private-sector manufacturing, it works just as effectively in ... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-can-improve-government-practices-5040.html 15th August 2005 It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six Sigma as being only for large corporations. Major corporations such as Allied Signal, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Son... http://www.a1articles.com/six-sigma-for-small-business-4670.html 12th August 2005 If ever there were an industry where we want zero defects, it's healthcare. Patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators all want mistakes eliminated and quality and efficiency improved. Although most industries have undergone some type ... http://www.a1articles.com/why-six-sigma-will-work-in-healthcare----by-peter-peterka-4002.html 06th August 2005