Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Six Sigma

We have all been there. Another way to do a project. Another fantastic idea to create new procedures. Another way to rationalize how we do what we do.

Six Sigma. It's not a new way of thinking. It's been used and battered around for years but it is newish to our company. Believe or not - I actually like it.

I think the biggest difference - you beat the 'current state' of your process or whatever the issue is to death. Detail is important. But what really is the most important - the voice of the customer.

How many times have I been on projects to fix something 'broken' or make something work smoother? Very rarely did we consider how it affected the 'customer'! We thought - hmmm - this saves money - this saves our department time - this saves head count. BUT - how does it help or hinder the 'customer' (in my case - an agent in the field) - never really considered that part.

So that is my big lesson over my two days of class. Ask - ask - ask. Why - why - why. Don't solve the problem without truly knowing the problem from the perspective of those people that are affected.

What a concept!

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