http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/ Process Excellence Network : A division of IQPC, (formerly known as Six Sigma IQ) provides access to a treasure chest of relevant content for Process Excellence practitioners. &nbsp; Providing critical knowledge on the development of Process Excellence including Business Process Management (BPM), Lean , Change Management , Operational Excellence , Six Sigma , Risk Management , Customer Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:53:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/five-barriers-to-continuous-improvement-vote-for-t/ Mirror, mirror on the wall, what&rsquo;s the greatest barrier of all? Continuous process improvement is increasingly being touted as a competitive differentiator, but all too often companies are their own worst enemies, write Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/process-mapping-with-flowcharts/ Trying to map the flow of your process before improving it? Here&#39;s a primer on the 3 different kinds of flowcharts you can use.&nbsp;Includes step by step instructions on creating Top-Down, Deployment and Detailed flowcharts. A flowchart is an outline or schematic drawi Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/a-smarter-way-to-cut-costs/ With the economy in the doldrums and many companies cautiously approaching the year ahead &ndash; cutbacks, layoffs and cost cutting appear to be back on the agenda. But is there a right and a wrong way to make cost savings? <p style="text-align: justi Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/if-love-is-a-process-how-can-we-improve-it/ Can you apply process improvement tools to improve human relationships? Yes, writes Rod Hill, Six Sigma Master Black Belt Manager for JEA, in this special article for Valentine&rsquo;s Day. Here&rsquo;s how. I received Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/using-mistake-proofing-principles-to-improve-data/ As a Black Belt, have you ever worked on projects where data quality was a major contributor to your defect? Diana Hernandez shares ideas on how you can &quot;mistake-proof&quot;&nbsp;your data.&nbsp; I recently worked on a corporate-wide initiative involving&nbsp;all retur Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/lean-processes-in-modern-manufacturing/ The principles of lean manufacturing can - by their very nature - shake businesses to their very core, with full integration of Six Sigma working practices invariably requiring firms to completely re-evaluate the way they look at output and efficiency. But the fundamentals of lean Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/overcoming-resistance-to-the-lean-office-interview/ It has been a difficult couple of years for financial services companies. The global economic outlook has gone from worse to worse after recent ratings downgrades&nbsp;of major Eurozone economies including France, Italy, Austria and Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/following-a-six-sigma-approach-towards-customer-ce/ Customer Centricity is not a one-time effort, carried out by a small project team and quickly filed away and forgotten, writes Elena Mircoli Marietti. Here&rsquo;s how to embed customer centricity within your Six Sigma approach. Customer Centricity is a goal to which most Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/the-trouble-with-inventory-a-quick-primer/ Is excess inventory the root of all evil? In this article, Melissa Connolly explains how&nbsp;excess inventory weakens a business&rsquo; competitiveness by increasing operating cost and decreasing margin. Editor&rsquo;s note: this article elaborates on some of the conc Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/not-just-for-hr-3-reasons-you-should-be-thinking-a/ Performance management is recognised a key activity for business success across the globe &ndash; and this thinking is not just found in HR departments. As a process which addresses how the effective management of people - the lifeblood of an organisation &ndash; can achieve strong Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/the-pdca-cycle-for-a-change-leader/ Change is critical to the survival of organizations, says contributor John W. Moran. Unfortunately all organizations have &ldquo;antibodies&rdquo; that resist change. Here&rsquo;s how PDCA can help you if you&#39;re leading change. &quot;Only the wisest and stupidest of men Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/business-intelligence-is-a-key-part-of-process-exc/ When it comes to making the best decisions about process management, it is important that business leaders are armed with the facts and figures they need to make an informed decision. Here&#39;s what you should know about business intelligence and data management. The journ Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/interpretting-box-plots/ Box-and-whisker diagrams are useful&nbsp;when you&#39;ve got a relatively small amount of quantitative data, especially if you need&nbsp;compare the output of two processes creating the same characteristic or to track improvement in a single process. Steve Bonacorsi explains&nbsp;how to us Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/ict-outsourcing-to-top-process-management-agenda-i/ Businesses are facing an uncertain future across the eurozone with tighter budgets, while many decision-makers find themselves under greater pressure to demonstrate return on investment. In this context, the stakes are higher when it comes to process management decisions and failure to Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/process-excellence-at-cable-wireless/ Slower growth in the telecommunications industry means that there is increasing pressure on profit margins, says Mark Zirbser, Head of Process Excellence at global telecommunications company Cable &amp; Wireless, so improving process efficiency to drive growth has become a critical role of Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/a-brief-history-of-quality-approaches-to-quality/ Organisations have continually looked for new ways to improve consistency and quality in their products and services. Management fads may come and go but many of the underlying ideas around quality remain the same. Here&#39;s how the works of Deming, Juran and Crosby remain at the heart of Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-improvement-case-studies/articles/case-study-using-six-sigma-to-reduce-excess-invent/ In 2009, Unison Industries, a worldwide provider of electrical and mechanical aviation components and systems, had a problem common to many manufacturers: an excess amount of inventory. Contributor Melissa Connolly describes&nbsp;how Six Sigma helped&nbsp;to get the excess inventory under Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/critical-path-mapping-with-activity-network-diagra/ Got something to do and want to know the tasks that are critical to on-time&nbsp;completion? Here&#39;s how critical path mapping with&nbsp;activity network diagrams can help help by determine where little extra effort to will have the greatest payoff. <p style="text-align: cente Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/the-non-strategy-how-some-strategies-are-not-strat/ Lack of a proper strategy is a serious problem that can result in ad hoc improvements that don&#39;t&nbsp; contribute to overall organizational needs, says John S. Hamalian. The trouble is many organisations think they&#39;ve got a strategy when they don&#39;t. Do you recognize any of thes Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/a-brief-history-of-quality-how-the-concept-of-qual/ Recent research from YouGov for the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI), which polled hundreds of the most influential people in the public and private sectors, found that 83 percent of them&nbsp;characterised quality as being either critical or important to their organisation. But just what Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/3-reasons-why-process-excellence-matters-to-pharma/ Did you know that 90% of time is wasted waiting for equipment to free up in pharmaceutical companies and in the last 5 years R&amp;D costs doubled? Here are&nbsp;three&nbsp;reasons process excellence matters to pharmaceutical companies. <strong Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-improvement-case-studies/articles/leadership-and-lean-six-sigma-at-chevron-europ/ Eric Sirgo, General Manager of Operations at Chevron Europe, joins Process Excellence Network to talk about their Six Sigma Programme, and how they engage with their leadership teams. Editor&#39;s Note: This is a transcript of&nbsp;a <a href="http://www.processexcellenc Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/insider-s-guide-to-using-histograms/ Want to understand variation within a process at a glance? Look no further than a histogram. Contributor Steve Bonacorsi explains everything you ever wanted to know about this statistical tool but probably didn&#39;t know to ask. An important aspect of total quality is the Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/why-bpm-isn-t-an-it-project/ BPM is about getting business done more efficiently, more effectively , says independent analyst Ian Leaver at Forward Look. That means&nbsp;it&rsquo;s not always about&nbsp;IT. Here&#39;s why.&nbsp; PEX Networ Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/process-excellence-in-2012-interview-with-gregory/ What does the coming year hold in store for Lean Six Sigma and process improvement practitioners? Today, the risks are higher and the pace of change is faster than even a couple of years ago, says Gregory North, Vice President of Corporate Lean Six Sigma at Xero Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/how-to-lead-effective-process-improvement-teams/ Whether newly trained in a continuous improvement methodology or a seasoned professional the success of your team depends on how you approach your leadership role, writes contributor Dennis Narlock. It&rsquo;s important to remember that continuous improvement is something that you do WITH Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/q-a-with-world-s-first-lean-comedian-introducing-d/ Pad Thai diagrams and sustainable laughter with the world&#39;s first Lean comedian? Here in a PEX Network exclusive interview, Dr. Les Muda shares the secrets of Just-in-Time comedy, the impossibility of error-proofing jokes, and why he thinks his Lean comedy r Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/a-process-based-approach-to-fixing-healthcare-inte/ What can be done to fix healthcare? In this&nbsp;Process Excellence Network interview, author and MIT Professor Steven J. Spear, talks to PEXNetwork.com&#39;s editor Diana Davis&nbsp;about how the healthcare system is broken and offers his perspective on what it will take to mend it. < Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/documenting-the-impact-of-quality-improvement-inte/ How many times have you reached the end of a quality or process improvement project only to be unsure of what has actually been accomplished? Here&rsquo;s how better documentation can help, explain contributors John Moran and Elizabeth Pierson, and why it can also aid in bett Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/using-pareto-analysis-to-divide-and-conquer-impro/ A disproportionately large percentage of errors or defects in any process are usually caused by relatively few problems. Pareto analysis helps identify those significant few problems so people can target them for action. Steve Bonacorsi explains&nbsp;how. Pareto (pronounced Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/the-role-of-lean-in-business-execution/ Organizations need to learn how to link policy deployment with project execution methodologies like Six Sigma, and operational improvement processes like Lean, with measurement frameworks, like the Balanced Scorecard to create an integrated cycle of Business Execution, writes Paul Doch Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/harnessing-the-synergy-six-sigma-and-theory-of-con/ Many process improvement practitioners overlook the value of combining Six Sigma with Theory of Constraints, says contibutor Abishek Soni. Here are four ways to harness the synergy between Six Sigma&nbsp;and TOC. Many companies adopt an either/or approach to process improve Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/process-excellence-methodologies-using-prioritizat/ Lots to do but limited time and resources? Steve Bonacorsi looks at the seven steps to using prioritization matrices&nbsp;- especially useful in the project bounding and analyze phases of Lean Six Sigma quality. &nbsp; A Prioritization Matrice&nbsp;can Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/seven-deadly-sins-of-business-process-management/ You thought Business Process Management was a comparatively safe field.&nbsp; Think again!&nbsp; Stay clear of these seven deadly sins of BPM - to avoid eternal condemnation or the need to beg forgiveness.&nbsp; I should add it&rsquo;s a personal view and apol Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/applying-the-team-charter-to-a-department-of-publi/ Too often teams spend a considerable amount of their valuable resources trying to figure out what it is they are supposed to do, writes contributors John Moran, Grace Duffy and Michael Rudis. Before starting any type of a&nbsp;process improvement work, it is important to know where you&#39 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/4-common-process-mapping-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid/ Process mapping provides a structural analysis approach and a capability of delivering systematic outputs. But the effectiveness of process mapping is affected by how it is selected as the method of analysis, how it is planned and executed, says contributor Shu-Wing Pang. Here are 4 common Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/a-formula-for-calculating-the-roi-of-bpm/ Automation and standardization has benefit, but vague references to the possible&nbsp;value of Business Process Management (BPM) isn&rsquo;t enough for your management team. You need hard figures.&nbsp;So how do you get them?&nbsp; Consider some of these facts: Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/methods-for-organisational-change-process-improvem/ &nbsp; How do you get to the next level of productivity improvement?&nbsp;By not&nbsp;starting off with what you&#39;ve got, says Derek Miers, BPM industry Analyst at Forrester Research. Businesses need to think about what they should be delivering to their customers,&nbsp;says Miers, Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/technology-for-process-improvement/articles/a-primer-on-agile-and-scrum-development-techniques/ Rapidly evolving environment? Changing business needs?&nbsp;A basic primer&nbsp;on how Agile and&nbsp;Scrum development techniques&nbsp;help IT professionals&nbsp;quickly adapt to changing&nbsp;circumstances.&nbsp;&nbsp; In 2001, 17 software practitioners met to discuss sev Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/three-challenges-facing-operational-excellence-in/ Within a regulated industry like utilities, operational excellence is a key tool in the balancing act between keeping prices for consumers down and providing value for shareholders. However, market forces are combining to place hurdles in the way of utilities&#39; continuous improve Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/evolving-the-efqm-model-for-business-excellence/ What does a successful business excellence framework look like, and how does that need to be adapted to reflect the changing business environment?&nbsp;In this Process Excellence Network interview, Matt Fisher,&nbsp;Chief Operating Officer at EFQM,&nbsp; describes the organisation&#39;s mo Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/a-phased-approach-for-a-strategic-bpm-project/ BPM considers processes to be strategic assets of an organization that must be understood, managed, and improved to deliver value added products and services to clients, writes contributor Vinod Jain. But how do you get started? Successful service companies deliver value to Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/leading-successful-lean-transformation-at-virgin-m/ What does&nbsp;it take to lead successful Lean transformation? Virgin Media,&nbsp;one of Britain&#39;s largest commercial television and media services companies,&nbsp;won PEX Network&#39;s&nbsp;award for best Lean transformation.&nbsp;Jason Chipchase, Virgin&#39;s Head of Operational Exce Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/lean-six-sigma-improvement-through-modular-kaize/ Are your employees constantly fighting fires? &nbsp;Are the problems one-off events or predicable consequences of the way you do business? Grace L. Duffy and John W. Moran look at using Modular kaizen so that you can put out fires while still supporting strategic, system wide process impro Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/lean-six-sigma-at-the-world-s-local-bank/ The&nbsp;culture of a company should be&nbsp;the starting point for any Lean Six Sigma program, says Hemant Malhotra,&nbsp;Head of Process Improvement &amp; Quality&nbsp;at HSBC Securities in Dubai. In this Process Excellence Network interview, Hemant Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/key-issues-for-process-excellence-in-the-energy-in/ Waste and mistakes in the oil and gas industry have&nbsp; serious costs and consequences - both monetary and sometimes human. That&#39;s why operational excellence is essential if companies want to continue to grow and meet the new challenges facing the energy sector. Argua Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-excellence-news/articles/the-rise-of-chinese-manufacturing/ China has become known as the &ldquo;world&rsquo;s workshop&rdquo;. But with rising inflation, increasing labour costs, and struggling consumers in the west &nbsp;is that reputation about to change? China&#39;s manufacturing industry has been waning in recent months. The l Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/survey-continuous-improvement-are-social-tools-mak/ The business and IT press is all &quot;aTwitter&quot; with Social Media and Collaboration tools. But can such tools / techniques be harnessed for the purpose of continuous performance improvement? Take part in this survey, sponsored by BPM solution provider Nimbus,&nbsp;to find ou Mon, 08 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/using-lean-in-agile-software-development-a-compari/ Using Agile for software development? Do you feel it&#39;s quite different from Lean ? For practitioners, it is important to understand the differences and similarities between Lean and Agile in Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/using-voice-of-the-customer-to-align-processes-in/ [9] The QFD Handbook, J. ReVelle, J. Moran, and C. Cox, John Wiley &amp; Sons, &copy;19 Do you know how well your processes&nbsp;meet&nbsp;customer expectations?&nbsp;Many organizations don&#39 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/change-management-for-continuous-improvement/articles/leadership-and-the-importance-of-culture/ What does safety have to do with quality? More than you might think,&nbsp;says Andy Evans in this PEX Network interview. Many of the cultural traits that can be seen in an organisation with a good safety culture are just the traits that underpin quality improvement, says&nbsp;Evans, Head o Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/interview-with-mark-stewart-from-xerox/ We have more tools to analyse problems than to make change happen, says Mark Stewart, Lean Six Sigma Deployment Leader at Xerox Europe. I n this PEX Network&nbsp;interview, Stewart&nbsp;discusses the imperatives for rolling Lean culture out across the business and extendin Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/change-management-for-continuous-improvement/articles/the-temptation-of-a-borderless-world-interview-wit/ The mirage of a borderless world tempts businesspeople with false promises of unbounded opportunities for profit.&nbsp;But when such ambitions hit up against the reality of distances and differences, products and services don&rsquo;t quite hit the target with customers, marketing messages Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-excellence-news/articles/how-continuous-improvement-contributes-to-the-bott/ Process improvement works best when it is aligned continuously with the company&#39;s strategic aims. That&rsquo;s no less true for the energy industry. Firms that consistently focus on projects that can save their organisation millions and enhance productivity and safety immeasurably, Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/assessing-the-sigma-level-of-a-manufacturing-line/ In this PEX Network interview Feng Lei, Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Director,&nbsp;at Kraft Foods Asia Pacific&nbsp;describes the company&#39;s&nbsp;Lean Six Sigma Program, talks about the role of Lean Six Sigma in helping the company scale up for rapid growth and explains why the Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/what-does-operational-excellence-look-like-in-indi/ How does operational excellence in India compare with&nbsp;its counterparts&nbsp;in Europe and the United States?&nbsp;&nbsp;Pankaj Aggarwal shares his views in this PEX Network interview. Pankaj has nearly two decades of experience working in Operations, Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/change-management-for-continuous-improvement/articles/why-stakeholder-resistance-is-mostly-in-your-head/ Trying to improve your organization but&nbsp;bumping up&nbsp;against a brick wall? Got a few snipers&nbsp;trying to derail all your hard work? It might be all in your head, argues Mary Federico, an expert in organizational behaviour. We tend to blame or resent stakeholders when we believe Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/has-six-sigma-failed-in-financial-services/ Six Sigma is more a culture than it is a methodology, writes contributor Moritz von Butler. And in Financial Services, where the emphasis is on short term gains, that&nbsp;has often meant that Lean is a better fit than Six Sigma. But here&rsquo;s why von Butler believes that Six Sigma has Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/german-language-business-execution-verringert-die/ F&uuml;r das obere Management jedes Unternehmens ist die wichtigste Aufgabe des Projektmanagements die erfolgreiche Umsetzung strategischer Ziele. Da das Projektmanagement jedoch vielf&auml;ltigen Risiken ausgesetzt ist, k&ouml;nnen die meisten Initiativen nicht wie gew&uuml;nscht Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/breaking-the-bottlenecks-without-the-bank-applying/ Since the 1940s, the production of automobiles and countless other modern-day commodities has been repeatedly reinvented, with a dual-focus on both quality and efficiency. Now it&#39;s spread to other industries. Here&#39;s&nbsp;how Lean is helping&nbsp;financial institutions toda Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/what-you-can-learn-from-a-terrible-leader/ It is from our mistakes that we learn the most,&nbsp;writes author Dan White. So what can the worst leadership mistakes of all time teach us? More than you might think. Here are 3 things you can learn from a terrible leader. <p style="text-align: justi Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/3-lessons-from-the-lean-transformation-of-a-small/ Lessons from the Lean Transformation of a Small Manufacturing Company Lean is often considered as a strategy for large corporations, writes contributor Vivek Naik, but in reality Lean is better suited for small businesses and Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/america-reacts-to-the-six-sigma-president/ Should the President of the United States be a black belt? That was the question we posed on social media forums following a recent podcast interview with Mike George, a Texas-based campaigner trying to get presidential candidates to sign up to a pledge to reduce the government deficit Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/green-innovation-using-one-hazardous-substance-to/ One of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in Florida came up with an interesting way of reducing its environmental impact - add hazardous waste to the water! Their project, which looked at&nbsp;reducing nitrogen discharge into the St. John&#39;s River, won JEA&nbsp;an hon Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/can-social-media-help-your-process-improvement-eff/ Social media holds huge potential for continuous improvement activities. Really? Eric Michrowski, Director of Process Improvement Centre of Excellence at TELUS, is a convert. Much has been written and observed on how dramatically social media has been reshaping our social Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/does-my-process-look-fat-in-this/ How the people side of change impacts business transformation results People are the hardest part of business change, writes Deborah Miller from Global 360. If you want to increase the chance Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-excellence-news/articles/megan-james-discusses-launch-of-lean-six-sigma-eve/ The Process Excellence Network is launching its first Lean Six Sigma summit in India later this year. Megan James, Deputy Director Portfolio at the PEX Network, has been organizing the summit and&nbsp;explains why the network felt the time was right was a Lean Six Sigma event in India, sha Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/tributes-paid-after-death-of-theory-of-constraints/ Operational Excellence practioners today paid tribute&nbsp;to the author of The Goal, Eliyahu Goldratt, after his death&nbsp;on Saturday (June 11). &ldquo;Goldratt Consulting deeply mourns the loss of our beloved visionary father, chairman, and above of all &ndash; mentor,& Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/process-excellence-news/articles/growth-of-lean-six-sigma-in-india-and-china/ For years the low wages in India and China have attracted the manufacturing &ndash; and increasingly research and development functions &ndash; of global companies. However, this will not last forever. Manufacturers and developers working in two of the world&#39;s fastest-growing ec Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/the-integrated-sipoc-the-full-power-of-system-thin/ The large majority of SIPOC have no real meaning and will make no difference in a continuous improvement Lean Six Sigma project, writes Christan Loyer, plant manager at Ecolab. Solution? Use an Integrated SIPOC for better results. The SIPOC and its Origin</st Fri, 03 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/how-bpo-provider-achieved-faster-loan-processing-t/ Jaspreet Raina, general manager at FirstSource Solutions, joins PEX Network to discuss a project that the business process outsourcing provider carried out in order to reduce the time needed to process loan applications for a major UK bank, improving the end-to-end customer experience and Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/continuous-improvement-from-concept-to-culture/ Economic turbulence has brought the concept of value back into focus, with businesses worldwide frantically searching for ways to keep costs down and avoid potentially damaging price increases. Enter continous improvement and its most important element culture. As global comm Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/lessons-from-farming-for-process-improvement/ Weeds are troublesome plants that divert precious soil resources away from more valuable crops. Sound familiar to waste in processes? Patrik Shah says that process improvement practitioners could learn a lot from farming. Farmers have to adapt to changing conditions year on Tue, 31 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/burning-platforms-why-telecoms-innovation-matters/ The burning platform memo released by Nokia chief executive officer Stephen Elop earlier this year fanned the flames of a debate about innovation and competition within the telecoms market. Apple ignited the spark with its iPhone platform, an innovation which Elop describes as &quot;re Thu, 26 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/introduction-to-the-balanced-scorecard/ Leadership challenges are more complicated then ever and successful businesses&nbsp;focus on more than just financial results.&nbsp;An introduction to&nbsp;the Balanced Scorecard&nbsp;approach.&nbsp;&nbsp; <img border="0" height="355" src="http://image.exct.net/lib/ff2e1173 Wed, 25 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/six-sigma-what-s-in-it-for-employees/ Dumidu Ranaweera,&nbsp; Process Excellence &amp; Lean Six Sigma Manager, for Sri Lankan telecommunications service provider Dialog Axiata, spoke to PEX Network&rsquo;s Bryan Camoens on the importance of. the methodology He also debunks the idea that Lean Six Sigma cannot be applied in an e Mon, 23 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/advanced-blended-learning-a-concise-primer/ Bill Hathaway, President of MoreSteam.com, argues the case for Lean Six Sigma Training to make more use of Blended Learning models. <span style Thu, 19 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/using-lean-six-sigma-to-improve-and-innovate/ Seow Hong Xuan, Deputy Director, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt for Singapore&rsquo;s largest Telco, SingTel explains the difference between the strategic and tactical deployment of Lean Six Sigma and argues the case for going the extra M.I.L.E.&nbsp; <span style="font-si Tue, 17 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/seven-questions-leaders-should-ask-before-starting/ History tells us that&nbsp;for sustained continuous improvement&nbsp;it&#39;s the long term strategies that keep delivering,&nbsp;writes Phil Brown, Business Excellence Manager at Pattonair.&nbsp;&nbsp;So don&rsquo;t even think about starting process improvement until you ask yourself thes Mon, 16 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/ge-top-down-six-sigma-implementation-explained/ Rohit Khanna, Chief Operations Officer of GE Capital, Global Banking Group,&nbsp;tells us how Lean Six Sigma builds consistency in business processes. He also explains why Six Sigma must become part of the corporate culture and how after two decades it will continue to evolve. <span Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/six-untapped-opportunities-in-six-sigma/ Process Excellence Network&rsquo;s Bryan Camoens speaks to 6 Six Sigma authorities who discuss the untapped opportunities in Six Sigma and where we will see their deployment in the coming years. Seow Hong Xuan, Deputy Director, Lean Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/the-hidden-costs-of-providing-what-your-customer-w/ Many companies fail to identify - let alone address - the hidden costs associated with providing their customer with the products they want, says Scott Atkinson, Supply Chain Continuous Improvement Manager &amp; Trading Development Manager, at one of the UK&#39;s leading discount retaile Wed, 11 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/using-the-balanced-scorecard-to-improve-retail-ope/ How one of the world&#39;s largest retailers uses the Balanced Scorecard. An inteview with George Thomas, Leader, Property division at Tescos. Tesco is a global grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in the UK. It is the third-largest retailer in the world Tue, 10 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/managers-need-not-apply-our-obsession-with-leaders/ Businesses don&rsquo;t want mere managers, they want leaders, writes PEX Network Editor Diana Davis. But why? Within the pages of just about any business magazine you&rsquo;ll see them: advertisements with smiling, well dressed people, typically wearing an expensive Rolex. Fri, 06 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/change-management-for-continuous-improvement/articles/lean-businesses-you-can-t-delegate-leadership/ Lean improvements may require changing systems, organizational structures, processes, acquiring new technologies/machines, or even altering layout of the workplace. And although all of these components are important, says Piyush Banafar, the most important area of focus for Le Wed, 04 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/the-importance-of-leadership/ Leadership is cited again and again as being a key component of business success. But traditional notions of leadership are out of touch in today&#39;s economies. The term leadership is perhaps too frequently seen as being interchangeable with the word management. However, Tue, 03 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/rob-krall/ Rob Krall, Director for Continuous Business Excellence at Progress Energy, joins PEX Network to discuss developments in Business Process Excellence in the Utilities sector. PEX Network First of all, could you tell me a little bit about your current role? < Tue, 03 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/hospitals-put-people-at-centre-of-improvement-stra/ The principles of lean Six Sigma and Kaizen are efficiency drivers that can be deployed by businesses of all shapes and sizes, as well as being applicable to virtually every industry imaginable. Healthcare is one sector which arguably requires a much greater focus on customer, or Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/a-painless-look-at-using-statistical-techniques-/ Special note: We are responding to reader requests concerning the development of a solid foundation for understanding, in very practical terms, statistical analysis.&nbsp; Many p Tue, 26 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT From the Desk of the Executive Editor http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/gkn-s-global-lean-green-projec/ Many sustainability practices have tried to reform manufacturing practices. A new Kaizen model based on Lean &amp; Green principles demonstrates the case for a new and innovative approach to the development of sustainable business, says Andrea Pampanelli, Driveline CI Leaders and Environme Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/but-we-ve-always-done-it-this-way-avoiding-the-co/ Matt Aguilar, Business Process Improvement Lead at Southern California Edison, joins Jon Wetzel from the&nbsp; Lean for Everyone blog to discuss Process Improvement implementation in the utilities Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/lean-six-sigma-for-peace-keeping-operations/ The United Nations won a notable mention at IQPC&rsquo;s Process Excellence Network&rsquo;s awards earlier this year in the category Best Start Up Lean Six Sigma Program. Donna Maxfield, Chief of Staff for the United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support, joined Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/assessing-value-the-challenge-organizations-face-/ The Lean approach to process improvement has&nbsp;been implemented in numerous organizations around the world.&nbsp; But why do so many go so wrong? The solution, writes Dennis Narlock, is making sure you&#39;ve defined value from the customer&#39;s perspective. For decades Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/future-proofing-business/ Leading companies increasingly understand how&nbsp;man-made impacts present new business risks and are starting to adapt business practices, writes Dax Lovegrove, Head of Business and Industry at WWF. But, h Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/summit-day-1/ The future is in Asia, James Bellini, futurologist and author, told delegates at the start of Process Excellence Week Europe in London last week. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re currently undergoing the biggest shift in global reality since the indust Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/winners-announced-for-european-process-excellence/ The European Process Excellence awards were announced on Tuesday evening at IQPC&rsquo;s annual PEX Week Europe and included Virgin Media, Royal Bolton Hospital, and Scottish Power. The industry awards recognize categories covering program and Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/compression-thinking-required-for-new-challenges/ Businesses need a new framework to tackle this century&#39;s new challenges, says Robert &ldquo;Doc&rdquo; Hall,&nbsp;Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, a founding member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. In this PEXNetwork.com intervew, Hall says that&nbsp;the old Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/the-green-monster-in-the-boardroom/ The environment used to be anathema to&nbsp;business as the costs of tackling things like carbon emissions were considered an expensive burden on the economy. Now, the news is full of the latest corporate initiative designed to save both the planet and boost the bottom line. Is it all just Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/retail-excellence-week-preliminary-agend/ Retailers need to respond to dynamic and&nbsp;fast changing conditions and they need to&nbsp;constantly be thinking about the next big thing &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s a product or a way of doing business. <span style= Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/final-judging-taking-place-next-week/ Final judging took place on Monday for IQPC&rsquo;s 2011 European Process Excellence Awards. The industry awards recognize finalists in categories covering both program and project success across Lean, Six Sigma &amp; BPM. So what does it take to be nominated for a PEX Award?&nbsp Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/trends-within-process-outsourcing/ India, China and Malaysia are still top when it comes to Business Process Outsourcing, according to a recently released report. But competition is heating up as shifts in currency values increase the appeal of other locations, including the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/how-to-guarantee-the-wrong-conclusions-from-polls/ More than 100 years ago H.G. Wells said: &ldquo;Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write.&rdquo; Polling of public opinion has become an industry of its own, one of our more thriving growth industries. To Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/motorola-solutions/ Six Sigma can be perceived as&nbsp;slow and arduous, says Tom Goodwin, Director of Lean Six Sigma at Motorola Mobile Devices, but it doesn&rsquo;t need to be. The key, is understanding the &quot;why&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this &nbsp;PEX Network interview, Goodwin&nbsp;s hares Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/lean/articles/gemba-kaizen/ Gemba Kaizen is a Japanese concept of continuous improvement designed for enhancing processes and reducing waste. Within a lean context, Gemba simply refers to the location where value is created, while Kaizen relates to improvements. However, the concept of Gemba Kaizen holds many Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/matrix/ You&rsquo;ve gone through the Define, Measure and Analyze phases in a Six Sigma project. There have been&nbsp;collective&nbsp;&ldquo;aha&rdquo; moments during&nbsp;the&nbsp;brainstorm and feedback sessions of your team. You have also taken the next step to identify the causes of the Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/instructor-led-vs-online-training-hegel-got-it-rig/ Predictions of the imminent&nbsp;demise of instructor-led training courses at the hands of online courses, are already contradicted by a new growth in niche market instructor-led seminars coupled with performance consulting and performance support value-added benefits.&nbsp;Here&#39;s why Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/people-performance-and-change-in-process-improveme/articles/are-you-on-top-of-talent-development/ Remember that the best people aren&#39;t always the right people for a particular role, says Christina Pritchard, Founding Director of Meta-Lucid.&nbsp;I n this&nbsp;podcast&nbsp;interview with&nbsp;Jon Wetzel from Lean for Everyone,&nbsp;Pritchard also discusses the techn Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/six-sigma-quality/articles/regression-analysis-insights/ Regression analysis is used to investigate and model the relationship between a response variable (Y) and one or more predictors (Xs). For example, the relationship between fill volume (Y) and filler nozzle setting (X1), filler table rotation speed (X2), spring tension (X3) etc. in the Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/business-process-management-bpm/articles/how-do-you-evaluate-risk-within-the-context-of-ope/ Operational excellence and risk management are two principles that have arguably increased in importance since the economic down turn hit. As Erik Udstuen, vice president of Software and Services for GE Intelligent Platforms, explained:&nbsp; &quot;Operational excellence starts with Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-strategies-for-innovation-continuou/articles/wise-up-to-the-bullshit-factor-in-business-operati/ We&#39;re now entering the first world war of talent for the&nbsp; top one percent of really leading edge players, says futurologist and author James Bellini. In this Profit through Process interview with Lean for Everyone blogger Jon Wetze Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT