Too Many Six Sigma Tools, Too Little Time
Posted: 08/26/2009 2:00:00 PM EDT | 16
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In my previous two articles on the topic of why Six Sigma training does not work ("Are Group Dynamics Problems Compromising the Effectiveness of Your Six Sigma Projects" and "Six Sigma Failures: Why Does Six Sigma Training Fail?"), I talked about our failure to build adequate practice time into most Six Sigma training curriculums and the lack of time that is devoted to the topic of effective group dynamics management. The third key reason that explains why Six Sigma training does not work is directly related to these two problem areas. In short, we spend so much of our limited training time covering a multitude of Six Sigma tools, which one probably will rarely use, that we leave little time for skill practice, including the practice of group dynamics skills.
Think about it—how many Six Sigma tools does one really need to learn to use in order to effectively use DMAIC to make process improvements? I have seen Six Sigma curriculums that cover more than 30 different tools in one week’s time. That is a rate of almost one Six Sigma tool per hour. At best, the course attendee might get to practice using each Six Sigma tool one time on an example application, which may, or may not, be related to the types of processes they will attempt to improve post-training. In a similar vein, I have seen 70 percent of a 40 hour course be spent on statistical concepts, which most people will barely understand, let alone retain and effectively use.
Don’t get me wrong. I recognize that there is a small subset of processes where ANOVA analysis, two-tail tests and design of experiments approaches are applicable. My real life work experiences, however, have shown me that in a large majority of applications, we rarely have enough raw data integrity to use these Six Sigma tools, if we remember how to use them in the first place. The typical Six Sigma project leaders will rarely come across an application where the use of such high level tools is warranted, and if they do, they will be challenged to obtain data of a high enough quality to make the use of these tools statistically meaningful. Worse yet, in those cases where I had quality data and was able to use these Six Sigma tools, my managers felt that I was showing them up because they did not understand the tools themselves. They thought I was trying to make them look bad.
Teaching Basic Six Sigma Tools: A Good Place to Start
But I digress—the primary question still remains unanswered. How many Six Sigma tools does one really need to learn to use in order to effectively use DMAIC to make process improvements? I would suggest that one starts with the basics—the seven original quality tools and the seven management planning tools. We wouldn’t be seeing so many of our problems continuing to come back, instead of going away for good, if we had a lot of people at work who really knew how to use these basic tools. If you are mistakenly thinking that there are many certified Black and Green Belts out there who know how to use these basic tools, take a quick look at how they have used them. I will almost bet that you will find people who only used a Pareto chart one or two times, who can’t tell you when they last changed the limits on their control charts or who have rarely taken the bones on their fishbone diagram out to two levels, let alone five levels via the use of effective 5 Why questioning like Ishikawa used to teach.
This situation is analogous to the golfer who carries 14 or more clubs in his bag, but never really learns to hit more than three or four of them very well (I am including the putter in this latter count). He may be able to swing each of the nine different irons, the three different woods, the pitching wedge and the putter, but he often uses the wrong club in the wrong situation, and he never really learns to use each club effectively when the right situation presents itself. If you can relate to this story, you are also probably familiar with the results such an approach gives you. The only difference here is that poorly used clubs end up in the pond and poorly used process improvement tools end up forgotten and misapplied.
Too many people leave Six Sigma training not even knowing how to use a Gantt chart to create a project plan. Too many people would struggle to describe where in the Six Sigma DMAIC process each of the seven quality tools are used. Too many people would be unable to demonstrate how they have used these key process improvement tools more than five times each in the past three years. If you have witnessed this form of Six Sigma training breakdown yourself relative to just these basic tools, just imagine how problematic this situation becomes when a whole bunch of other tools are also crammed into a 40, or even 80, hour workshop. From my perspective, it approaches the point of being truly ridiculous, and I am being very politically correct when I make that statement.
The counterargument to my complaints above makes sense, but rarely occurs. This argument is simple—the purpose of the certification project, or projects, is to practice using these Six Sigma tools. That is a great argument, but it only holds water if one’s use of these tools is monitored by a coach who has learned to successfully apply each Six Sigma tool and that coach gives value added feedback as the tool is being practiced. All too often, completing a Six Sigma project becomes more of a formality than a practice field, and in turn, little helpful feedback is given and the Black or Green belt rarely moves closer to tool proficiency.
Stick With The Six Sigma Tools That Will Make a Difference
The solution to this particular problem is simple—only teach the Six Sigma tools that are most applicable for the processes you are trying to improve, and allow for at least two hours of in-class practice time on work-related examples for each tool. I realize that if you commit to this approach you won’t have time to cover all of the fancy tools that are found in many Six Sigma curriculums, but at the same time, you might actually end up with some Six Sigma Black and Green Belts who can actually use these tools to make a lasting difference. It’s your choice—how many Six Sigma tools do you really need to become proficient using?
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Contributor: Kevin McManus |
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Forget classroom training - it's ineffective and inefficient. "Sheepdip / shotgun training" all the tools, methods, dynamics, etc. - just in case they're needed...sometime...later...down the road...maybe...by which time the "training" is forgotten.
Use Project-Driven Learning instead...it works for all the right reasons. |
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Hi Kevin,
Nice article.
Which are the seven original quality tools and the seven management planning tools
you are talking about ?
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Kevin - great discussion - I agree completely - thanks for driving the disussion into focus. This is really about the natural life cycle of any methodology, technology, industry, etc... With time there is a proliferation and too often we only increase complexity. It sounds like training could use a little practice of what it preaches. All the tools are great and they only prove that there are multple routes to the same objective - as long as you do not get lost on the way. . |
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i would offer that the most fundamental tool for operational improvement projects and one that people don't always apply effectively is the process mapping. I would advocate a high-level SIPOC, a more detailed swimlane map and potentially a value stream map as core tools that need to be mastered by Green Belts. |
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Firstly, it seems to this participant that we often fall into this trap of narrow definitions - trying to determine what is or what is not a "prescribed" tool for Six Sigma! As an Industrial Engineer and Operations Research (OR) Analyst at first and later as a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, it seemed to me that one should apply a tool or tools - regardless of which tool bag it/they come from - based on the problem at hand (www.ioptsyn.com). I have quite successfully applied so-called OR tools such as Linear Programming, Monte Carlo Analysis or even Discrete Events Simulation (of course that does NOT mean that everything should look like a nail just because we have a hammer!). However, answering a question which specific tools should be taught in a Six Sigma course is not an easy one. If one learns too few tools, one may come across a situation where one will not know if a specific tool would have been more useful. There is another strategic issue at play here. Just like we do not necessarily deal with each and every subject we were taught at university (or even at high schools or wherever) in our day-to-day work, we do not necessarily have to (or even can) use all tools that are taught at a Six Sigma course at any given time. A judicious selection of tools (of course) that are taught at a Six Sigma course will definitely expand the horizon of our minds - just like those subjects in the university curricula (and the classes of which we hated to attend). If one wants to restrict the depth and/or the breadth of tools taught, then call the training for something else - such as Green Belt. Please then do not call it Black Belt training!! |
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This is VERY on target. You perfectly described my training, and exactly what has come out of it!!! I'm so glad to see others in the same boat. Although my training did have some very good modules on conflict management and project management, we never once covered how to keep a project on schedule, etc. At the end of the day, you need to know those advanced tools exist, and have MBB's available to help with them if you can use them. I can tell you in Supply Chain I never have!!! |
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Kevin, in your opinion, which tools are the best to use? Julie |
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I totally agree Kevin with the "less is more" and acknowledge the lure of diving deeper and deeper into the technical processes of Six SIgma. AND if we step out of the discussion of training and forward to the real world application of the skills by your training program graduates - superb technical tools are basically useless without the Leadership and Facilitation Skills to use them effectively with teams of real live humans on the front line. Take a small number of technical skills AND simultaneously teach the so called "Soft Skills" to use them effectively with your work teams and you have a real shot and actually creating the process improvement you seek. We call it "restoring balance to the force". Focus the technical training on the processes that are of the most value and then really emphasize the people skills that are vital to implementation.
My two cents,
Dike
Dike Drummond
http://www.superteams.com |
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I think you have a great set of points about the tools. I have taught several classes in process modeling and advanced statistics to Six Sigma Black Belts. There were three problems I encountered during the classes; 1) many of the black belts did not understand the basis of the tools they were using 2) they were sruck on a methodlogy and not flexible in its delivery and 3) naive about the rigor of true financial and cost accounting.
I found myself explaining basic statistics, for example when is hypothesis testing approporiate versus collecting valid process data and what is the appropriate sample size etc. They also seem to scoff at different approaches. As a result Six Sigma can undeservedly get a black eye. It is not Six Sigma it is the competence and expertise of the people doing the delivery. "A bad workman always blames his tools"
I think the ASQ, Villanova and a few other training programs are great and can be real eye openers for even the most experienced practitioner. |
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http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/index.htm
This web site by NIST will show which STAT tools are best for which type of problems. But then you need the PROJECT MGMT tools and the Value Stream Mapping/Optimization tools. Try www.lean.org. |
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Managing expectations is nearly impossible in the face of so many massive training programs....but is that any worse than the massive financial games played out over past decade or two driven by the same force of GREED?
DOE is one of the most powerful tools in the box, and has saved manufacturing companies hundreds of millions of dollars when coupled with a process change management system that supports statistical process monitoring and adjustment methods, and CIM/IT systems that provide visibility for new product development and current process optmization effort. Its the operations manager who has to focus the team efforts, and use the few well trained engineers who have the DOE training and SPC training to do the right things in the right way.
No silver bullets. Lean is not magical, nor is Six Sigma, nor is Agile anything or Robust whatever. But without a few experts who know how to use the right tools for the right problems, and leaders that listen to the MARKETPLACE and help DESIGNERS migrate the product lines with real understanding of the factory capabilities and the application sensitivities....you are doomed to milk your investment until someone replaces you.....or waste money on the wrong sliver bullets. |
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I think a lot of the tool-mass was created in the same way we arrived at the typical 168-hour test requirement (one week); it was time-based: Originally, GE/AlliedBlack Belt training needed to be 4-solid weeks for (1 for each MAIC) and done completely offsite. So, the challenge to the MBB's, curriculum providers, and trainers was how to fill up the whole 4 weeks (now it is 5). Easy cram every Quality, management and statistical tool they could find into the curriculum (BLR, Autoregression, RSM, Split-Plot Anova's, etc). Instead of giving time and great care around the 7 BAsic (+ Quality APQP Tools & DOE's) that really matter. The time was then divided in 2 for GB training, but the division of the curriculum didn't follow... |
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The effectiveness of a training program depends largely on the main objective of the training. I think that the most important goal of a training program is to provide trainees with a learning framework, which shows what they need to know in order to effectively participate in process improvement. It is unrealistic to expect that people can develop a good mastery of the needed skills (e.g., group dynamics) in a short training program (e.g., three days, one week, or even three months). But if they know what they need to know and where they can get the knowledge, they can always learn the skills as they practice at work. |
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Yes it is very problematic trying to teach only the tools people will use on projects when an organization is certification oriented. In the manufacturing world I think the primary goal of Six Sigma training should be a thorough understanding of the DMAIC process and a high level understanding of all the statistical tools. If you do not understand the limitation of the statistical tools, often times I see the wrong tool applied.
Or you can always adopt the Donald Wheeler approach and focus on using the I-MR chart as your primary tool. |
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Couldn't agree more - particularly in the service industry. I would love to know which tools you rely on. As a person coaching black belts I frequently find myself using a shortened list. I sometime wonder if I a missing something based on my own past experience |
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Kevin,
I could not agree with you more! But how do you get passed organizations who believe the only way to participate and lead Six Sigma Projects must have a certification? I have been using the DMAIC and DMADV project methodologies for 15 years but because I do not have the "certification" I am not recognized as having the abilities. Any advice on how to get over this hurdle?
Thanks |
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