QuikSigma Professional Software is the new standard for Six
Sigma. Learn about the time saving, productivity enhancing
software package for Six Sigma professionals of all levels.
What's magic about QuikSigma® is that
the Six Sigma belts get thru the first couple of projects quickly and correctly.
They experience the power of using the methodology in concert with statistical tools and capture the vision.
Klint Washburn - Vice President, Promontory Management Group
Read why all programs struggle and how QuikSigma® solves it!
All Six Sigma programs stumble over the same barrier!
Ideally every belt trained will master the statistical tools and the
methodology that empowers them to span departmental or intercontinental
boundaries and resolve the toughest issues a company faces.
All good Six Sigma programs stumble here, nobody is even coming close!
Studies show:
less than 10% of all belts trained are reaching this level of mastery
about 30% are proficient with the statistical tools but still solve problems the old way
the remaining do not use the methodology or the statistical tools but benefit from Six Sigma principles
Despite these staggeringly low percentages Six Sigma programs are producing very impressive results.
Imagine what the impact of doubling or tripling these statistics would be,
that's exactly
what QuikSigma® Does!
Belts that quickly and correctly make it thru their first projects are very likely to
gain the vision and eventually master Six Sigma.
Most belts don't get thru the first project! and those that do usually not correctly. Keep in mind that these
studies were done with companies that have strong Six Sigma programs.
The impact on a weak program will be even greater.
The "Five S's" that make belts stumble
Students spend a full week in training “drinking from the fire hose” just to spend
the next week scrambling to make up for work time lost while in class. By the time they start
working on the project they forget much of what they learn in class. If they do not get prompt mentoring
the project remains stagnant indefinitely. All programs compensate with extensive mentoring,
reworking the learning process.
The "Five S" stumbling blocks:
Straying from the roadmap - In most completed 1st projects the belts skip the Six Sigma methodology.
Mentors spend a lot of time redirecting belts back to the team based tools so they
aren't solving problems the old cowboy way.
It is hard to remember how to proceed so rather than follow the roadmap belts skip to more enjoyable tools that
they recall from class like T- tests or DOE.
Software: Aside from QuikSigma® all Six Sigma software is confusing, it is written
for statistics students not for completing Six Sigma projects!
Software is too hard to learn - Over 30% of class time is
wasted
in the software navigating menus and memorizing what to do and
what to ignore. There is typically a second instructor in the back of class
whose sole responsibility is to get lost students back on track. The students constantly protest
that the instructor is going too fast. This is mostly non value add time that
should be spent covering fundamentals or doing hands on learning.
Software is not made for Six Sigma - Statistical software is presented like a college text, not
like a project. You can see the progression of chapters in the text. first there are basic stats, then one factor tools
like T-Test and one way ANOVA, then there are multiple factor test like multiple regression, then advanced topics like DOE,
and finally an assortment of exotic tests necessary for completing a college course but not applicable in 99.9% of Six Sigma projects.
Statistical analysis steps too hard to remember - Outside of class belts struggle to remember important
steps in the analysis. They may get the ANOVA P values and effects plots to generate but leave out sample size,
residual analysis, equal variance testing, normality testing, and so forth depending on the nature of the test.
The student can easily draw wrong conclusions and not know it!
Swamped Master Belts - Rather than fix the problem at the source (in the class room) Master Belts have to rework the
learning process in mentoring sessions. The Six Sigma mentors are being swamped with the simple things. The mentors are not able
to perform their more natural role of helping belts with tough problems that require more sophisticated analysis. Because of this
there is not time to mentor all the belts, in fact usually only the most self motivated belts intercept the mentors and get decent help.
Struggling Champions- Champions struggle trying to direct belt growth. They too learn in high speed mode and
struggle to remember project structure. It is difficult for the Champion to recognize when a belt has left the roadmap or has poorly
analyzed important data. They just aren't sure when to intervene and call in the mentor. There is no easy way to get a summary report
without the belt wasting hours and even days of valuable time in some application like PowerPoint tm.
The bottom line is that belts are struggling with retention. It is impossible to remember the Six Sigma roadmap, to keep
analysis steps straight, and to find time to get reworked in a mentoring session with the way Six
Sigma is delivered currently. The software is at the core, that is where QuikSigma® makes all the difference!
Read how QuikSigma® solves it!
QuikSigma® is created for Six Sigma, it is packed full of features that enable belts to succeed like never before.
QuikSigma® projects are completed in record time. The quality of projects is far greater than before.
Belts are doing many successful projects in parallel. The percent of belts completing
projects is higher than we have ever seen. QuikSigma® is working,
things are different now !
QuikSigma® is written in project format. There is a
project navigator that is always in view to keep
new belts on the DMAIC roadmap. The project navigator provides instant feedback on project status. At a glance the belt
can know what to do next, and the champion can see if master belt intervention is necessary.
Instructors are raving about how QuikSigma®
strengthens the belts as team leaders:
They are better leaders,
their teams are responding well because the
leader knows what to do.
The confidence they take into their team meetings shows in the teams engagement.
As belts use the Project Navigator to follow the DMAIC roadmap they get help all along the way. It’s like having a
Master Belt mentor as your constant companion. First the belt will have summary screens to remind them what to do in each
phase and why they are doing it. Then they will have lead in screens within each phase to help them know what tool to use and when.
Finally as they are using a specific tool they will have light bulb help screens to remind them how to set up the tool and how to
interpret results. All the summary, lead in, and help screens are HTML based and easily customizable with examples from your company or industry.
QuikSigma® is making a huge impact on the
belts ability to master Six Sigma. Here is what instructors are saying:
We were blown away during project reviews in week two of the first class
using QuikSigma®. Every student had complete team involvement with team members appropriately representing
areas of expertise throughout the organization. The methodology was being followed to the true nature of mapping, funneling,
and defining an action plan without over burdening the team. The excitement of each belt was unprecedented.
It was clear that the belts were learning and being converted to the power of the team based tools on their first project.
Many of the projects were being completed or very near completion by the third month from start of training.
Many of the students got it and were on their second projects while still in training.
To make this all possible we embedded the methodology tools into the software.
The methodology tools pass information forward from one tool to the next to further reduce the burden on the team.
Using principles of the Toyota Production System we made the project execution visual and we applied 5S.
Only the tools and options that get used are presented and the tools are placed where they are needed.
Time is no longer wasted in class navigating menus and memorizing where things are in the software.
One of our clients marveled:
It was a real eye opener, in week three we realized the second
instructor in the back of the class hadn’t had to get up to keep students on track at all.
With QuikSigma® statistical tools are easy and smart. Graphical gauges inform Green Belts when important
assumptions are violated so they can solicit the help of a senior belt. Graphical gauges provide visual representations
of statistical effects, they are much more intuitive than interpreting p values and other statistical indices.
Operations that can be performed by the computer are, freeing the belt from having to memorize all steps.
Graphs are generated to enhance intuitive understanding. All appropriate steps and assumptions are generated automatically.
This is a Poke yoke for statistical tool analysis, we have mistake proofed it. Now the belts can put their energy into
making profound discoveries instead of stressing about how to proceed and whether or not they did it right.
The effect of QuikSigma® between classes is huge as one instructor relates:
With QuikSigma® the students are leaving week one and immediately following the DMAIC road map.
Then they are coming to week two class with mapping and C&E and FMEA put together. They all have
healthy participating teams.
This is not the way it used to be. They are now coming to week two full of great week one questions and they are mentally hungry
for the week two material. It is amazingly effective to teach students in this state of mind.
