Frequently Asked Questions

A Question Panel was held at a recent seminar organised by Integrated Document Technology and the Six Sigma Group. Below are some of the Frequently Asked Questions about Six Sigma answered by Stephen Walsh and Stuart Smith of the Six Sigma Group. They reflect the concerns, curiosity, cynicism and craving for knowledge about this dynamic, developing approach to process improvement. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 What is the difference between Lean and Six Sigma? How do you sell the concept/cultural revolution to the organisation and overcome the Whats in it for me? from stakeholders? How do you overcome the image of applicable to high volume manufacturing environment that the Six Sigma title brings with some senior managers? Doesnt the act of measurement improve the process anyway? Is developing an initial application to help gather the actual statistics/data for input to a Six Sigma project a leap of faith? A process is only as good as the people using it. How can a business enforce the usage, when back doors are available (i.e. they buck the system)? How do you measure how good your process is? What techniques and methods will give/provide most effective results? (For example the mortgage application form.) What are your methods of training? [What are the] Steps to reduce variation e.g. review reasons for rework, complaint causes? What level of realistic savings can most organisations expect to achieve through the application of Six Sigma? Processes vary from the whole thing (the restaurant bill) to a high overview of thousands of sub-processes (the phone that doesnt crash). Do you have a particular approach to grouping/layering the processes into a manageable structure? What have proved to be typical barriers to success? At what level in the business should Six Sigma be aimed e.g. Board, management? Many people are uncomfortable with changes to their day-to-day work. How do you prepare departments for rapidly changing processes?

7.

8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14.

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QUESTION 1 What is the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?
We in the Six Sigma Group prefer to think of Lean, Six Sigma, kaizen, corrective action, et al, as being all perspectives of the same process: the process for improving processes. DMAICT is a methodological approach to organise how one approaches a project-based task that has as its objective the improvement of a given aspect of a process. The six phases and within them the iterative steps are a refinement of Demings notable PlanDo-Check-Act cycle, which is at the heart of all process improvement activity. It comes down to the complexity of the problems/issues that you are addressing on the shallow slopes, walking boots and stick are adequate equipment, but as the slope gets steeper, you have to bring out the crampons and axe. We also describe it as the low hanging fruit analogy, but be careful of the limitations of the graphic you would climb a tree bottom-up, but in a business, you will need to address issues at every level. Complex problems wont wait for you to pick out all the easy ones first! Typically, lean is seen as providing the tools for waste elimination and cycle time reduction, whilst deeper Six Sigma analysis focuses further on understanding and removing the root causes of variation and reducing process defects by a considerable amount.
SIX SIGMA AS AN APPROACH

DESIGN for SIX SIGMA

DMADV IDOV

5 4 2 3

SIX SIGMA PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

The DMAICT methodology

LEAN WORKING
Process streamlining Process acceleration Waste elimination

CORRECTIVE ACTION
Kaizen blitz Error proofing Problem solving

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PRIORITISATION MATRIX
Quick Hits Waste Elimination, Blitz Kaizen

Six Sigma Process Improvement Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma

Another view is to consider the nature of the issue as a matrix of ease-benefit.

High

Benefit

Low

Corrective Action, Kaizen

Low High

Effort
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QUESTION 2 How do you sell the concept/cultural revolution to the organisation and overcome the Whats in it for me? from stakeholders?
In the first instance, Six Sigma is a top-down approach and so early introduction involves the education and commitment-building of the senior management. They in turn should be developing a communication strategy that suits their business. Being project-based, Six Sigma activity will focus on improvements to processes (and so to the benefits of reducing costs, errors, improving customer satisfaction) that ought to be on the corporate agenda anyhow and have a pressing need to be addressed. Some of the early work with the senior team is about identifying the issues to be addressed and developing a project cascade to scope bite-sized projects that will be meaningful to the business. Business strategy tools like Hoshin Kanri (creating goal congruence vertically), Quality Function Deployment, Balanced Scorecards, EFQM Excellence Model assessments are all helpful here. In one sense whats in it for me should be: its part of your objectives as set by senior management, because they see this as important (because of the goal congruence). At a more personal level and at the buy-in stage of project input from stakeholders its about addressing local pain-points, solving problems and winning more business. Stakeholder management and analysis is a key tool in the Six Sigma tool portfolio. Six Sigma is a proven methodology with a track record for delivering real, measurable benefits that include significant cost savings, compressed time cycles, predictable and reliable processes and satisfied customers (see Question 10 and Question 13).

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QUESTION 3 How do you overcome the image of applicable to high volume manufacturing environment that the Six Sigma title brings with some senior managers?
The most direct retort is to show examples of businesses that are actively using Six Sigma and who are not manufacturing companies. Our clientele illustrate a selection of small to large organisations from a wide variety of sectors, some of which are very low volume. Whilst it is true to say that in the 1990s Six Sigma was being practised by manufacturing organisations, the New Millennium has seen banks, building societies, insurance companies, the police and hospitals applying Six Sigma to improve their processes, i.e. reduce costs, improve timeliness and quality of service and so improve customer satisfaction. All businesses have processes and all processes can be improved. GE, the worlds largest engineering organisation, is often quoted as saving over $2 billion through a concerted effort to improve processes using the Six Sigma methodology. What is not as well known is that two thirds of that was saved in the transactional processes, such as in purchasing, recruiting, finance.

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QUESTION 4 Doesnt the act of measurement improve the process anyway?
The well-known Hawthorne Experiments demonstrated the effect that just being measured caused people to improve their performance! Six Sigma process improvement, however, intends to fix processes permanently and sustainability is a key consideration in the Control phase of DMAICT. Thinking back to the fruit tree analogy described in Question 1 (What is the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?), the fact of the matter is that there is a great deal of issues in any company that are easily fixed, but for the want of attention and a bit of brain application. It would be true to say that the act of measuring a process will flush out quick wins, where a process is very broke. This is where the Blitz Kaizen approach can complement Six Sigma very well, by addressing the low hanging fruit, of which there is always plenty, and creating a clearer picture of the more complex issues. Blitz Kaizen comes under several names including Workout, 5-day DMAICT and rapid improvement workshops.

TYPES OF IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Apply DMAICT Methodology to find the root cause

More complex problems will not have a staring-you-in-the-face solution, however, and it will take data analysis just to understand whats going on. The matrix opposite is another way of thinking about it.

Unknown

Ex

ce lle

Problem
Known

nc eP

ro j ec

ts

Apply DMAICT Methodology to verify the root cause and then develop solution

Known

Unknown

Solution

When you start to try to understand the sources of variation in the output of a process (invariably because this is creating dissatisfaction in the customer of the process), you often discover that the existing data measured is limited to the outputs (in Six Sigma we call them Ys). To understand the sources of variation you have to establish the root causes of variation which are buried within the process and its inputs (which we call Xs).

X1 X2

X3, X4 Y = f (X1, X2, X3 . . . . . Xn)

The phases of Measure and Analyse incorporate tools to establish the relationship between the output Y and the input and process Xs.

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QUESTION 5 Is developing an initial application to help gather the actual statistics/ data for input to a Six Sigma project a leap of faith?
If you are troubled by a process problem, you will have to be able to quantify it, if you are to understand it. Collecting data is just sound common sense. Some problems are not complex and we would not advocate a sledgehammer approach to all issues. However, be cautious of the impatience for results that seduces people to jump directly to a solution. Six Sigma is powerful in that it draws conclusions from data decisions are made from facts. Where problems are complex, the causes are not always obvious and the temptation to put in a fix may at best give a reprieve and at worst cost a lot of money and heart-ache without giving any improved results. Sometimes the decision to gather data around a problem yields the conclusion that a problem was not actually real but a false perception and there is no fix to be had. This marks a good result, as it means we do not have to waste our valuable time pursuing a mirage. Collected data aids understanding and gives a base line performance measure of the as is process prerequisites to making process changes that actually address the root causes. Without as is data it will be an act of faith to boast that any changes have improved a situation. Collecting the right data is an issue (you could spend a lifetime gathering data) and the tools employed in Measure and Analyse are intended to ensure that data is efficiently and effectively gathered. These include sampling, data collection planning, FMEA, to name a few.

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QUESTION 6 A process is only as good as the people using it. How can a business enforce the usage, when back doors are available (i.e. they buck the system)?
To quote W Edwards Deming, the eminent quality guru:

Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure to meet customer expectations are related to deficiencies in systems and process . . . rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badger individuals to do better.
People will buck the process for a variety of reasons, not least of which is when the process is poor and they have found a more efficient and effective way of achieving the same output, in which case that should be recognised and the process altered to suit. Of course, if bucking the procedures leads to errors, then there is an issue. Why do people use the back door ? It may be instilled behaviour through the way in which they are measured (I know a bus driver who jumps red lights to keep to the scheduled timetable because he is measured on bus stop arrival times!); it may be complexity, it may be ignorance, it may be home time. The trick is to make the process the preferred way of doing it (like lightening, people will follow the path of least resistance), to measure the things you want as output (such as quality), to be sure that people understand what and why something is important and appreciate the process steps up and downstream of themselves and to make the process difficult to get wrong by using an approach we call Poka Yoke. Poka Yoke means mistake-proofing the process identify the steps that you must critically get right (a tool called Failure Modes and Effects Analysis can be helpful there) and (re)design the process so that it becomes very difficult if not impossible to get it wrong. There are simple, every day examples if you leave your car lights on, you get a warning buzzer; you cant fit a diesel fuel dispenser into an unleaded tank (or is it the other way around . . .); window envelopes eliminate the possibility of putting an addressed letter or invoice into an envelope that is differently labeled (could be embarrassing at best, you might never get paid or perhaps sued at worst); mandatory fields on computer-based forms that defy you to jump to the next page of an application. The author of the question is right: processes especially transactional processes fall down where people are involved. Part of solutions design, then, is to create processes that minimise the errors and the impact of those errors. (It will have occurred to you that part of the solution is to automate the process and eliminate the people factor . . . valid in some cases, e.g. doing cheque runs, but impossible to achieve completely and this is the realm of BPM.) If you involve the process members themselves in the redesign, you will build commitment for the new process procedure and they are less likely to use back doors. As Tom Peters puts it with every pair of hands you get a free brain.

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QUESTION 7 How do you measure how good your process is? What techniques and methods will give/provide most effective results? (For example the mortgage application form.)
The (R)DMAICT methodology provides the route map for first understanding the given process under scrutiny and then changing that process to attain a targeted or required improvement. The Recognise, Define and Measure phases provide a clear set of tools and approach to measuring how good your process is. In the first instance it will have been Recognised that a particular process requires attention and this is a pre-define phase in which projects are identified and selected for the DMAICT treatment. As part of Define there is a Voice of the Customer translation conducted, out of which we identify the CTQs the Critical to Quality issues that a customer (the recipient of the output of the process) cares about and which we can measure. We also draw a high-level process map, known as a SIPOC, to scope the process (i.e. where does it start and end) and so scope the project size. If the process we were looking to improve was that of completing mortgage application forms without spoils for example, we would need to define who is the customer (is it the approvals department, say, who accept/reject an application) and then we would focus on an aspect of the process, in this case we would have to decide where we felt the process began when a sales rep sat with an applicant and filled out the form? What was that process from that point to the point where the form was deemed to be rejected? What counts as a reject (i.e. as a spoilt application)? The CTQ definitions will give us a defect definition. We can also estimate the size of the prize if spoilt papers requires that the process be done again, returning to the applicant and refilling the form, say, then there will be an estimable cost of that first-time failure. If this happened five forms in a hundred, we could declare the cost associated with that particular error and estimate the savings if we reduced the rejection rate. The CTQs form the basis for the process measurements from which we can then assess how good a process is. Each CTQ will relate to an output measure we call a Y and the variation in the Y is a result of the variation in the process inputs and what we in the process do with those inputs. These we call Xs.

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CTQs, Ys and Xs
Voice of Customer
Their key issues in their speak

VoC Translation

Issues

The key issues in our speak

CTQs

The key issues expressed in a way that can be measured

X Measures
The process/product and input measures that will influence Y

Y Measures
The process output or product measures relating to that CTQ

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The Measure phase deals with establishing a data collection plan to collect data relating to the Xs (and the Ys) and then proceeds to collect the data. In the example, the Y might be number of unspoilt applications in a given time period. The Xs would include many things and are typically captured on a fishbone diagram:

FISHBONE DIAGRAMS
What is it?
A simple tool that can be used to structure and group the causes that lead to an effect

How to do it
Use PEMME as prompts for identifying the potential Xs People
X X X X X X X X X X X

Equipment

Environment
X X X

Effect

Put the Y as the effect

Methods

Materials
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Typical Xs might include: the sales rep, the time of day, the mode of interview (over the phone, face-to-face), mode of capture (pen and paper, computer . . .) and each of these will break down still further. Some of these will eventually be identified as the root causes of the spoils the sources of variation.

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When we have collected data, we can calculate the capability of the process as it stands and we call this a Baseline process capability. In essence, we are looking at how well the process, with the variation in its output, fits the window of acceptable limits as defined by the Customer (and is in fact the CTQ).

SIX SIGMA IN A NUTSHELL

MISSING THE WINDOW NOT ONLY DISILLUSIONS CUSTOMERS, IT COSTS THE BUSINESS MONEY Six Sigma is the process improvement approach used to move THIS scenario . . . To this scenario . . .

Lower Spec Limit

Target

Upper Spec Limit

Off target and not capable

Lower Spec Limit

Target

Upper Spec Limit

. . . resulting in more satisfied customers and reduced business costs

On target and capable

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In Six Sigma we convert this measure of fit into a Sigma Value, which effectively is representing a ratio of the area under the variation curve that fell outside of the customers limits to that which met and satisfied the customer. If, for example, out of one hundred mortgage application forms, 5% were found to have a sufficient number of errors to be declared spoilt and so were rejected on first pass, we could equate this to a Defects Per Million Opportunity (DPMO) count of 50,000, which can be equated statistically to a Sigma Value of 3.14. If we improved the error rate to just 2 in a 100, we would now have a Sigma Value of 3.55 (a Sigma Value of 6.0 would relate to only 3.4 errors in a million!) (Note: I have simplified this somewhat and the statistically minded amongst you will know that there are complexities involved, depending on what we count as errors, long term and short term data, continuous or discrete data and other factors).

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Below is an equivalence table that shows different ways of representing the process performance.

MEASURING PROCESS PERFORMANCE

Process performance is measured by any of the below

Sigma (Z)
6 5 4 3 2

YNA %
99.9997 99.977 99.379 93.32 69.20

(Long term (Short term Per Million DPMO(Defects Cp Process Ppk Process Opportunities) Capability)

Capability)

3.4 233 6,210 66,807 308,537

2.0 1.667 1.333 1.0 0.67

1.5 1.167 0.833 0.5 0.17

When starting a Six Sigma project we need to know where we are!!! We use the above to BASELINE the process
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QUESTION 8 What are your methods of training?
In the Six Sigma Group we consider that Lean principles and Six Sigma Process Improvement are two parts of a continuous spectrum of business performance improvement (that also includes at one end Kaizen and Corrective Action and at the other Design for Six Sigma). The Six Sigma Groups materials reflect this philosophy in that they incorporate both lean and the DMAICT tools and techniques under the one title of Six Sigma. We feel that to do otherwise is to present the opportunity for confusion amongst practising companies. We have included a T Transfer phase in the DMAIC methodology. This is to create an overt team activity to ensure that maximum leverage from project work is gained through the proactive sharing of knowledge with all relevant parts of the organisation. We focus our training on the business needs developing individuals skills is to serve the main objective, which is to accomplish successful improvement projects. We include change management tools and skills to enable the Green Belt and Black Belt project leaders to manage the change process. Our training materials receive praise from our clients for their clarity and comprehensiveness. We provide a complete hard copy of all necessary materials for each delegate plus a CD copy. Minitab training is integrated into our standard 10-day Green Belt and 20-day Black Belt courses and full documentation is provided together with a training version of Minitab software. The courses are modular and spread over several months (typically a module per month) and the training follows the project methodology, DMAICT. Delegates are expected to conduct a project from the outset and so benefit from some project advice each module. Our people consist of experienced trainers and consultants, who have worked on improvement projects and managed project teams in a variety of companies. The standard of tuition and project application and support that we provide is high. To maintain a high quality of delivery we ensure that a team of tutor/consultants is allocated to a contract. This enables us to get to know your organisation and encourages a team relationship to develop. The delivery team consists of a programme manager and at least one other tutor/consultant. This is typically augmented by one or two other consultants appropriate to the module subject matter (e.g. we may use a soft skills expert for parts of the change management content). Six Sigma training is undertaken at different levels to suit the role that the individual will play in an organisations improvement programme. The following diagram shows the main roles in a Six Sigma deployment.

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SIX SIGMA ROLES
Team Member / Yellow Belt
Required for knowledge of processes and improvement suggestions. Time as needed.

Green Belt
Individual from organisation that has been trained and who may spend 20% 30% of time on projects.

Black Belt
Individual with technical background and training who is full-time on projects.

Master Black Belt

Individual with technical background and training. Responsible for training and supporting other belts to deliver business objectives. Full time.

Champion
Usually a director or senior manager, responsible for defining projects (general area of), monitoring of projects. Six Sigma trained and who may spend 20% of time on projects.
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The training for each of these roles is described in detail on our website (www.sixsigmagroup.co.uk) and is made up as follows: Yellow Belt 3-days training in the basic tools and techniques. Green Belt 10-days training in the project methodology, tools and techniques including Minitab to enable delegates to lead Green Belt projects on a part time basis. Black Belt 20-days training to full Black Belt level (advanced use of particularly the statistical tools and Minitab) to enable delegates to undertake more complex projects on a full time basis. Master Black Belt not so much training as a development process to enable coaching, training and advanced problem solving. Champion overview training in the methodology and tools together with detailed instruction on how to undertake a phase gate review, identify and select projects and help manage the program infrastructure. This also includes training on coaching and mentoring skills.

The longer training programmes are broken down into modules to align with project progress.

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QUESTION 9 [What are the] Steps to reduce variation e.g. review reasons for rework, complaint causes?
Six sigma is targeted at reducing variation in processes and therefore the steps would be the DMAICT methodology (define, measure, analyse, improve, control and transfer). Variation can only be reduced if the root causes are identified and understood in sufficient detail to enable us to make the required changes to the process. Typically this will entail identifying and quantifying process inputs and outputs and the relationships between them so that the critical inputs (known as Xs) can be addressed. Rework is often present in processes because errors occur and are discovered downstream but before the output is delivered to the customer. Rework is just one manifestation of waste and can in itself lead to variation in output (such as lead time) and certainly will cause increased cost. Six Sigma uses many lean tools within the methodology to address waste as part of the overall drive for process improvement.

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QUESTION 10 What level of realistic savings can most organisations expect to achieve through the application of Six Sigma?
Overall savings will depend on the size of the deployment e.g. how many Six Sigma projects you can run and the size of your resource in terms of trained Black Belts and Green Belts. The level of maturity of your Six Sigma people will also have a bearing, for example newly trained people will typically start with learner projects through which they can apply the tools and methodology on less complex and pressured process problems which may deliver lower levels of benefits than can be achieved by experienced belts. Typical benefits delivered by mature belts would be as follows: Black Belts (full time) 100k to 150k per project with the potential to run around four projects concurrently Green Belts (part time) around 75k per project usually run sequentially

So in order to estimate benefits you will need to consider the following: The number and type of projects you can run The number of belts you can sustain on the programme The experience of the belts The transferability of benefits from project throughout the organisation

Finally, as with all improvement approaches where you are starting from will influence your potential i.e. What is your process baseline performance? How much low hanging fruit is there? What levels of performance are you targeting? There are many examples of Six Sigma benefits across a range of sectors and industries. Motorola and GE are the most famous Six Sigma companies and their accounts will demonstrate significant benefits over the last 10 years. A summary of some companies is shown below.

DOES IT WORK?
Motorola turnaround in semiconductor manufacturing and financial performance Allied Signal Cost savings exceeding $800m annually General Electric most admired company three years running, and consistently increasing growth and profit. $2bn savings annually Network Rail changing the culture to fact based decision making and delivering significant impact on delays. Benefits delivered in 2005 27m, target in 2006 60m Visteon $100,000 per project EEV Started 2000 savings 700,000 on 100m turnover Marconi Optical Components Started 2001 savings to date 250,000 on 30m turnover General Domestic Appliances Started 2000 savings 7.8m
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QUESTION 11 Processes vary from the whole thing (the restaurant bill) to a high overview of thousands of sub-processes (the phone that doesnt crash). Do you have a particular approach to grouping/layering the processes into a manageable structure?
You are correct in raising this as an important issue when looking at processes because understanding process architecture is fundamental to structuring: How to go about your deployment Where to conduct Six Sigma projects Who is the customer

There are several approaches to undertaking this analysis but it usually starts with a process mapping or value stream mapping exercise with a cascading detail of inputs and outputs until you arrive at the right level to address using Six Sigma. The diagram below shows an example of how to drill down to the right process level using the Y cascade.

THE Y CASCADE: FOCUSING THE PROBLEM

Apple Juice
The taste of apple juice (the Y) is influenced by a number of potential Xs Type of apple ingredient Amount of sugar added Type of water used Amount of ice added If the apple ingredient is examined further the X variables might include these potential Xs 1 Fresh apples Liquid concentrate Frozen concentrate Powdered apple flavouring Looking at fresh apples might include these potential Xs Where the apples are grown How the apples are transported Age when squeezed How apples are squeezed

= f ( X 1 , X 2 , X 3, X 4 )

X = f ( 5 , 6 , 7, 8 )

5 = f ( x9 , x10 , x11, x12 )

Our Six Sigma project may focus here; in which case Taste is our Big Y and Age when squeezed is our Little y
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One of the main traps that people fall into when process mapping is to dive to inappropriate levels of detail too early and then lose sight of the end goal. Our advice is shown in the following diagram.

PROCESS MAPPING DETAIL

Phase Define Type of Process Map High Level Purpose of Process Map Determine scope of project by identifying extent of process Assists in identifying input and process Xs for data collection Assists in identifying Non-Value-Added Bottlenecks etc Models could be process Assists in identifying Measures for process control Should be

As is

Measure

Detailed

Analyse

Detailed

Could be

Improve Control

Very Detailed Detailed

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QUESTION 12 What have proved to be typical barriers to success?
The following diagrams show why projects can fail and what Six Sigma does to overcome the barriers.

WHY DO MOST IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS FAIL?

1. Poor change strategy

2. Lack goals and metrics

7. Treated like a Panacea

Why most improvement efforts fail

3. Weak results focus

6. Lack critical mass of involvement

5. Gaps in problem solving approach

4. Wrong scope of effort

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ADDRESSING THE PITFALLS

Why most quality efforts fail
1. Poor change strategy Effort not a priority of top management Lack of or poor diagnosis with resulting weak case for change

To Succeed with Six Sigma

CEO initial sponsor; Group management leading efforts Emphasizing proper assessment in Recognize and Define phases

2. Lack goals and metrics

Lack of quantifiable goal Lack of long term stretch goal Classic definition of defects Focus on output measures only Not linked to what is rewarded and recognized

DPMO/sigma scale 3.4 DPMO stretch goal Quality loss function Focus on inputs and outputs Link with org. bonus scheme

3. Weak results focus

Training without doing Save the world projects Doing studies for the shelf

Must have project for training 4-month project (average) Drive for implementation

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ADDRESSING THE PITFALLS

Why most quality efforts fail
4. Wrong scope of effort Balancing sufficient breadth of redesign with focused projects Quality is QA or Mfg issue Suppliers not included and purchasing narrowly defines cost 5 Gaps in problem solving approach Inconsistent; lack rigor Focus on process flow or process steps but not both Limited tools

To Succeed with Six Sigma

All functions involved Broad X-functional processes as well as focused process steps Want to involve suppliers and reinforce integrated view of costs Rigorous and striving for consistency Working to integrate statistical tools, re-engineering, kaizen/lean tools etc. Use statistical tools

6. Lack of critical mass of involvement

Defects = blame Withholding data and information Poor awareness Proactive action discouraged empowerment

Defects = learning Encourage sharing and facilitate it Must constantly work on awareness Management supports piloting, testing

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QUESTION 13 At what level in the business should Six Sigma be aimed e.g. Board, management?
Six Sigma works best when it is applied top down and bottom up. The commitment of senior management is an essential critical success factor that must be in place for Six Sigma to succeed. A companywide infrastructure framework is also essential to ensure that Belts and projects are managed properly to gain the maximum benefit and sustainability. However, Six Sigma projects are run by and with people within the business, process owners and process teams. So in order to successfully undertake Six Sigma their buy in is essential if benefits are to be delivered. (See also Question 2.)

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QUESTION 14 Many people are uncomfortable with changes to their day-to-day work. How do you prepare departments for rapidly changing processes?
Books have been written on the subject of Change Management so I wont pretend to be able to answer it here. The Six Sigma toolset within our training provides a great basis to understand the soft issues involved in change management and how to go about implementing change through people to ensure sustainability. One of my favourite examples of how to overcome resistance to change is covered in the diagram below. In this equation if any of D V or S is zero then R will always be greater than the product of the other elements making change very difficult. When you know which factor to address then there are strategies that will help you overcome them.

OVERCOME RESISTANCE TO CHANGE THE CHANGE EQUATION

D V S R = = = =

D x V x S > R

Dissatisfaction felt with the present amongst those who need to change Vision of the future needs to be attractive to the people who need to change Confidence in taking the first Steps Resistance or personal cost of changing

You can use the change equation to anticipate and manage peoples natural resistance to change
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