Special Issue New Directions For Six Sigma In The New Millenium

Seeks to improve communication between managers and professionals in OR/MS.

This book is designed to walk the reader through the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Body of Knowledge (BoK) at a medium level of detail. It follows the nine sections of the BoK exactly, from enterprise-wide deployment, organizational process management and measures, and team management, to detailed coverage of each stage of the DMAIC process. With more than 25 tables and 80 figures, the various concepts can not only be read about but “seen.” The appendices include all the statistical tables that test-takers and also those in the field will need. New to this edition is material that shows the Black Belt candidate how to work through some standard statistical tests—just the kind he or she might expect to see on the certification exam. The author has used this material for several years, continually refining it based on students’ questions and also his own experiences at an electronics manufacturing plant. This is truly the guidebook for the new millennium of lean and Six Sigma!

This book follows the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Body of Knowledge exactly and is designed to walk the reader through at a medium-level of detail. Organization of the material is completely straightforward— broken down into "bite-size" chunks with the student in mind. While a plethora of books claim some relation to Six Sigma, unfortunately very few of them support the body of knowledge explicitly.The author supplies the Black Belt candidate with enough information to pursue the CSSBB examination aggressively, with the material in the book and also the ancillary works referenced. At the end of each chapter are one or two titles for further reading, works that the author owns personally and uses for both work and formal examination study.The book can serve as an intense, high-speed tutorial for the CSSBB examination, a reference for the working Black Belt, or a resource to find further reading. Trainers could use it in their Black Belt certification preparation classes.

This book presents a new way for educators at all levels - from early years to university - to think about curriculum priorities. It focuses on the curriculum as a form of specialised knowledge, optimally designed to enable students to gain access to the best knowledge available in any field. Papers jointly written by the authors over the last eight years are revised for this volume. It draws on the sociology of knowledge and in particular the work of Emile Durkheim and Basil Bernstein, opening up the possibilities for collaborative inter-disciplinary enquiry with historians, philosophers and psychologists. Although primarily directed to researchers, university teachers and graduate students, its arguments about specialised knowledge have profound implications for policy makers.

Organizations are continuously trying to improve by reducing cost, increasing customer satisfaction, and creating an environment of empowered employees who continuously strive for excellence in each process and product. In much the same way, governments are continuously required to do “more with less,” enhance budget and organizational performance, and identify innovative ways to increase their impact. There are challenges to applying the Lean-Six Sigma (LSS) tools in the public sector. Examples of these challenges include hierarchical environments, a lack of common goals, and the complexity of working in the public sector. The information included as part of this book provides over 30 spotlights highlighting project examples, lessons learned, and tips and tricks for using LSS in the public sector. These spotlights are based on interviews facilitated with a robust sampling of senior operations strategy practitioners. The LSS methodology focuses on eliminating waste (lean) and then reducing variation (Six Sigma) in a process or product that contains no waste. The information covered in this book will allow someone to have an immediate impact in any public sector organization. It describes some of the most powerful continuous process improvement tools that can be used, with limited training required. This is further enhanced by showing direct correlations to the LSS tools and the challenges that will be faced. Because the public sector spans such a diverse range of organizational charters (such as transportation, education, and defense), this book does not focus solely on either manufacturing or services. Rather, it provides a balanced approach to utilizing LSS in all environments.

We used the first edition and it is the most thorough review of HR Technology on the market.