Make The Most Of Your Business Relationships

By Craig Calvin

When you work in an office, one of the most important skills you can have is your inter-personal skills. How you relate to your co-workers and business associates is not only critical to your day to day responsibilities, but it can also help if you are looking for a new job.

The number of unemployed individuals in the U.S. is the highest it has been in a long time. There are more companies reducing the size of their staff then there are companies who are hiring new employees. If there are jobs available that you are interested in, or are qualified for, the competition for these jobs is probably going to be tougher then it has ever been before. You need every advantage you can get to help you get noticed by companies that are hiring, and if you have a strong business network, someone in that network may be able to help.

The use of networking has been a well established business practice for generations. If you need to get something done at your current job, are just looking to see what things are like at other companies, or are actively looking for a new job, the individuals in your network are traditionally an excellent resource to help you achieve your goal. If you can make connections within your company, across companies, even across industries, and cultivate these relationships, it can prove to be very beneficial. The more you offer to help others, the more likely they will be able to help you when you need it, and with today's job market, if you are looking for a job, you may never need it more. The people in your network may know of jobs that have not been well publicized, they may be able to provide a reference for you if you are applying for a job at their company, or they may be able to make sure that your resume is seen by the right people.

Social networking is another great way to connect with people who may be in a position to help you find employment. There are more and more professionals who are part of Facebook and MySpace now and the numbers keep growing. Maybe you can re-connect with someone from high school or college who knows of a job opening that would be perfect for you. The more people you are connected with via social networking, the more people you have who can keep their eyes and ears open for you, and help you get your foot in the door if a position is available.

Between the tried and true methods and the rapid-growing popularity of the new social sites, there has never been a better time to ask for help. - 32179

About the Author:

There are various stages to the six sigma program. From yellow belt to six sigma balck belt you can find all you need to know by going to www.sixsigmaonline.org.

How to Maximize The Results of Your Six Sigma Project

By Craig Calvin

An effective Six Sigma Process cannot be achieved without proper support of the improvements that will be made. When it comes to planning Six Sigma Projects, it is essential to ask anyone with a vested interest in the company or organization which projects they think the company is most in need of. This includes getting the input and approval of management, employees, customers, and even shareholders or others with some interest in the company, no matter how small.

Human nature is to resist change, people tend to like things the way they are. But for your business change is often necessary if you want to succeed, and continue to grow. In business, the best way to eliminate resistance to change, and to convince your stakeholders to instead embrace change, is to include the stakeholders in the process from the beginning. When your stakeholders are included in the decision making process, and have their say as to what should change and how, they will not resist the changes. In addition, including your stakeholders in this process will allow for more ideas and give you a better understanding of where the problems are, which should produce more complete solution.

There are many ways to seek the input of all of your stakeholders to include them in the process. You can form focus groups of individuals from each area, to represent their larger group. You can also ask for input via e-mail, or suggestion cards, you can distribute questionnaires; there are many ways to include your stakeholders in the process. In addition to obtaining the input of all of your stakeholders, you should also make sure that you have an individual, or individuals, with advanced Six Sigma training on the project to ensure that the Six Sigma tools and methodologies are being used properly, and that the project is staying on track.

Including all of these groups in your project will most likely result in a longer design process, since there will be more suggestions, and more feedback. The longer this process takes the longer it will be before the change is implemented, and the more expensive the project becomes for your company. While there may be additional expenses during the project, due to the larger number of people, when the project is completed the company should end up with a better quality product, with less defects and waste, which will help offset the larger project costs.

If your Six Sigma project is related to the design of a new product or service, then you are probably using the Six Sigma DFSS methodology to ensure that you are designing the highest quality product possible from day one. If you are looking to continuously improve existing processes or products, through the elimination of defect and increasing efficiency then you are mist likely using the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology. In either scenario, the more input you have from every relevant group, the better your chances are for success, and the better it is for your company. - 32179

About the Author:

If you are looking to become a green belt six sigma then you should check out www.sixsigmaonline.org. On our site you will be able to find information on all available six sigma classes.

DMAIC - Help Your Company With Six Sigma

By Craig Calvin

If you are looking to improve quality, and eliminate defects in your company's products or processes then Six Sigma is the ideal solution. Six Sigma can be applied to one specific problem that your company is facing, but more importantly it can be used as a continuous improvement process that will help your business both now and in the future. Six Sigma training can be expensive for a company, so it makes sense to continue to use the training to improve as many aspects of the business as possible.

When implementing Six Sigma in your company, and applying its use to projects, it is ideal to focus on one certain aspect of a project to improve. If you are trying to implement Six Sigma processes across an entire project then it become a very large effort, and you will not realize the benefits of the Six Sigma process. If you continue to focus on smaller projects, or specific aspects of a larger effort then you will improve the quality of what you are working on. If you continue to do this over and over, on numerous projects you will see significant benefits for your company.

There are several different Six Sigma processes, that are geared torwards different projects or efforts. The DMAIC process is the Six Sigma process that is geared towards continuous improvement. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. When you apply the DMAIC principals and tools towards a specific aspect of a project or process you can help improve the quality of that process or project and eliminate defects.

Consider the following example: If you are a company that makes widgets you can start looking at the asssemble process for your widgets. You can try to streamline the process, eliminating steps that create a lot of waste, and combining steps where appropriate to increase efficency. You can also help eliminate defects in the production process by making the process more simple. You can analyze where the most defects occur in the process, and then modify that part of the process to eliminate the defects.

Another benefit of using continuous improvement processes is that you can learn from one quality improvement project and use those principles on the next Six Sigma Projects that your company undertakes. For example, if you find an analysis tool that is especially helpful, or virtually useless for that matter, you can relay that information to make sure that all future projects are aware of the benefits or disadvantages of that tool. Ultimately, DMAIC presents the perfect model to be used for continuing efforts with Six Sigma Projects rather than it being a one-time thing. - 32179

About the Author:

If you are wanting to boost your career potential, think about six sigma classes. Acquiring black belt six sigma certification could be just what you are lacking.

DFSS - The Best Way To Design A High Quality Product

By Craig Calvin

Many businesses are already familiar with Six Sigma, and how it can help improve the quality of existing products and processes within your organization. When a business is looking to improve quality, and eliminate defects, they can use the Six Sigma DMAIC method to help improve their business. The DMAIC method stands for define, measure, analyze, improve, control. This method is great when you are looking to improve something that is already in place, but is not ideal when designing a new product or process. When you are looking to introduce a new product to your business you should use DFSS, Design for Six Sigma.

If your organization is considering adding a new product or service, the decision to use DFSS should be made at the start of the design process. DFSS can be an instrumental part of your new design, however trying to implement DFSS in the middle of your design, or at the end, is not a very efficient use of the method. The purpose of DFSS is to eliminate defects in your new product or service from the very beginning, and its use requires the expertise of individuals who have had advanced Six Sigma training. DFSS may extend your design process, and it may create more work, but in the end the product or service you are implementing will be greatly improved for it.

Design for Six Sigma is actually comprised of several different methodologies. While the goals of each methodology are the same, design the highest quality product or process possible, the steps in each methodology are a little different. This allows you to choose the best methodology for your business. Some of the different DFSS methodologies are:

-IDOV: Identify, Design, Optimize, and Validate. This process allows for optimization of the process or product through modeling, simulation, and statistics. These Six Sigma Tools are used to predict and optimize the performance and design of the product or process.

-DAMDV: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify. The need of customers is defined based on research, and then that need is measured and bench marked based on the competition or other industries already meeting the same needs. The options are analyzed, and the design is created and its performance is verified.

Define, Customer Concept, Design, and Implement (DCCDI). The DCCDI methodology also focuses on defining customers needs, but there is an added emphasis on the implementation phase of the effort. The implementation phase is where the product or process will be created and rolled out to your customers.

If your company is looking to design a new product or process, and you are looking to optimize the quality and efficiency of this product from the very beginning, then you should strongly consider the use of DFSS. DFSS will optimize your product's quality, and there are many different DFSS strategies, which allows you to pick the strategy that best meets the needs of your business. - 32179

About the Author:

6 sigma is a process used by many companies to increase productivity and employee performance. To learn more on the topic take a look at www.sixsigmaonline.org. Here you will find information on lean six sigma, as well as the different belt levels and more.

Designing A New Product? DFSS Will Help Make It The Best

By Craig Calvin

Six Sigma most commonly relates to the DMAIC methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, control). This process is used to optimize existing products and processes that aren't quite up to par or could use some tweaking. However, for those who are looking to create new products or processes, the concept of DFSS is much more practical. Design for Six Sigma practices are not universal like DMAIC practices are, and are used for specific new creations that will meet customers' expectations from the start. Hence, Six Sigma DFSS is a much more 'approach-based' practice than DMAIC, which is more of an optimization process that stands alone.

When your business is looking to design a new product or service, DFSS will help you design the highest quality product possible, while eliminating the number of defects right from the start. DFSS makes use of many advanced Six Sigma tools, so it is recommended that your project team has indivduals who are experienced users of Six Sigma, with advanced training.

Within the Design for Six Sigma Methodology, there are numerous variations that can be used depending on the exact needs of the organization that is employing the DFSS process, as explained below:

-IDOV: Identify, Design, Optimize, and Validate. This process allows for optimization of the process or product through modeling, simulation, and statistics. These Six Sigma Tools are used to predict and optimize the performance and design of the product or process.

-DAMDV: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify. The need of customers is defined based on research, and then that need is measured and benchmarked based on the competition or other industries already meeting the same needs. The options are analyzed, and the design is created and its performance is verified.

The DCCDI strategy stands for Define, Customer Concept, Design, and Implement. The DCCDI strategy is comparable to the DAMDV strategy. The main difference between the two is the fact that DCCDI has an implementation phase, which is when the product or process is created and deployed.

If your company is looking to design a new product or process, and you are looking to optimize the quality and efficiency of this product from the very beginning, then you should strongly consider the use of DFSS. DFSS will optimize your product's quality, and there are many different DFSS strategies, which allows you to pick the strategy that best meets the needs of your business. - 32179

About the Author:

There are various steps to the six sigma program. From yellow belt to black belt you will find all you need to understand by checking out www.sixsigmaonline.org.

Six Sigma DFSS Explored- An In-Depth Discussion of DFSS

By Craig Calvin

Six Sigma most commonly relates to the DMAIC methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, control). This process is used to optimize existing products and processes that aren't quite up to par or could use some tweaking. However, for those who are looking to create new products or processes, the concept of DFSS is much more practical. Design for Six Sigma practices are not universal like DMAIC practices are, and are used for specific new creations that will meet customers' expectations from the start. Hence, Six Sigma DFSS is a much more 'approach-based' practice than DMAIC, which is more of an optimization process that stands alone.

If your organization is considering adding a new product or service, the decision to use DFSS should be made at the start of the design process. DFSS can be an instrumental part of your new design, however trying to implement DFSS in the middle of your design, or at the end, is not a very efficient use of the method. The purpose of DFSS is to eliminate defects in your new product or service from the very beginning, and its use requires the expertise of individuals who have had advanced Six Sigma training. DFSS may extend your design process, and it may create more work, but in the end the product or service you are implementing will be greatly improved for it.

Within the Design for Six Sigma Methodology, there are numerous variations that can be used depending on the exact needs of the organization that is employing the DFSS process, as explained below:

The IDOV strategy stands for Identify, Design, Optimize, and Validate. IDOV uses Six Sigma tools that allow the design team to model the new process or product, simulate how the process or product will perform, and then use statistical analysis to analyze the results. This process allows you to see how your process or product will perform at the early stages of the project.

Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify (DAMDV). The DAMDV methodology focuses on defining the needs of the customers in the most detailed level possible. Once the customer needs are fully defined, you can then research how other businesses are meeting these needs, and analyze how effective they are. After the analysis you should be able to determine which designs are most effective at meeting the needs of your customers, which will help you design the highest quality product or process possible.

Define, Customer Concept, Design, and Implement (DCCDI). The DCCDI methodology also focuses on definining customers needs, but there is an added emphasis on the implementation phase of the effort. The implementation phase is where the product or process will be created and rolled out to your customers.

If your company is looking to design a new product or process, and you are looking to optimize the quality and efficiency of this product from the very beginning, then you should strongly consider the use of DFSS. DFSS will optimize your product's quality, and there are many different DFSS strategies, which allows you to pick the strategy that best meets the needs of your business. - 32179

About the Author:

6 sigma is a process used by many companies to increase productivity and employee performance. To learn more on the topic log on to www.sixsigmaonline.org. Here you will find information on lean six sigma, as well as the different belt levels and more.