Lean Blog by Jay Arthur

Improvement Insights Blog

Latest "Lean" Posts

Agile Electric Guitar Development

Frying Pan Guitar

In 1931, George Beauchamp combined a guitar with a microphone to create the first electric guitar called the “Frying Pan.” Without it, we wouldn’t have rock-and-roll, country and blues. This is how transitions begin, with a prototype that catapults transition to a new way of doing things.

Isn’t it time to start doing the same thing with Lean Six Sigma? Not amplification, but acceleration?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Agile Lean Six Sigma, Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Agile Scaling Up In Corporations

HBR’s article on Agile At Scale predicts the future of business and Lean Six Sigma. Here’s what I learned:

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Agile Lean Six Sigma, Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Shift from Manufacturing to Supply Chain

The July-August, 2018 Inc. magazine has an article (pg. 22) about manufacturing vs supply chain service jobs. From 1999-2015:

  • Manufacturing jobs declined from 12.5 million to 8.2. Supply chain jobs increased from 13.4 million to 20.0.
  • Manufacturing salaries climbed only slightly from $54,800 to 59,800 while supply chain jobs rose from $72,600 to $85,200.

With increasing manufacturing automation, more jobs are being created around supporting production than actual production. Something to think about.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Jay Arthur Blog, Lean, Manufacturing.

Agile Process Innovation

I’ve lived through Business Process Reengineering which often stumbled because it was impossible to take a complex system and “reengineer” it. The only method I’ve found that works consistently is Agile Process Innovation. Here’s how it works:

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Team Communication Costs

People often ask me, how big should an improvement team be? My answer: as small as possible.

In Fred Brooks’ Mythical Man Month, he points out that communication pathways increase in a nonlinear fashion. The formula is simple:

(n2-n)/2

Where n is the number of people on a team.

  • 2 people = 1 connection (4-2)/2
  • 3 people = 3 connections (9-3)/2
  • 4 people = 6 connections (16-4)/2
  • 5 people = 10 connections (25-5)/2
  • 6 people = 15 connections (36-6)/2
  • 7 people = 21 connections (49-7)/2

The bigger the team, the more time is spent on discussion and communication, not progress.

Posted by Jay Arthur in Jay Arthur Blog, Lean, Six Sigma.

DMAIC from Waterfall to Agile

DMAIC is similar to software’s Waterfall methodology that has been replaced by Agile.

We can do the same thing with DMAIC. Here’s how.

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Agile Lean Six Sigma, Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Agile Lean Six Sigma

hbr cover image

The cover of the May-June 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review highlights “Agile” as the future of business. This is the way business is going to stay competitive in the future. Speed is the killer app!

Lean Six Sigma can no longer cling to its old-fashioned way of doing things: weeks of training, months for improvement teams. Here’s why:

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Agile Lean Six Sigma, Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Lean Graduation Ceremonies

Last week, our grandson graduated from Colorado College and our granddaughter graduated from Rock Canyon High School.

Jake’s graduating class of 500 went single file to the podium to receive their diploma.

Rachel’s graduating class of 500 came from four directions simultaneously. Four name callers, four people handing out diplomas.

Which one do you think went faster?

Posted by Jay Arthur in Jay Arthur Blog, Lean, QI Macros, Service.

Going In and Out of Lean Six Sigma?

Do you know people who only dabble in Lean Six Sigma? They get in, get certified and get out?

You can use the tools of quality everywhere in your life and work for the rest of your life.

Why stop?

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.

Is Cognitive Dissonance Stopping Your Six Sigma Projects?

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, QI Macros, Six Sigma.