Vishwadeep Khatri

Whether machines can behave like humans or not has been an intriguing question for a long time. Why do we want to know this? The quest can be divided into into two parts - 1. Can machines behave as rationally as humans can? Since IBM’s Deep Blue had beaten Kasparov in a game of chess, more powerful computers have come in. The latest chess software called Komodo has an Elo rating as high as 3304 which is 450 above any human. Such evaluation and mastery is certainly of interest to the excellence community. 2. Can machines imitate humans and be similar even in irrational behaviours? This question is of interest to security experts who want to know if certain actions are being taken by computer (viruses, for example) instead of humans. Many times computers fail to behave irrationally and give away their presence due to patterns. As an example, computer virus can bring in thousands of fictitious members into a forum or online community by creating fake email ids and even clicking on verification emails by logging in to those email addresses. Google and other online companies have been creating anti spam solutions by figuring out patterns that the computers fail to match with humans. Most of the times computers tend to be more rational than humans as they have an algorithm driving them. Only time will tell if the fight with viruses will be won by well meaning humans or not.

Some of tools that allow for customisation and enhancements in themselves are as follows - Kanban board - This provides endless opportunities for improvement in terms of breaking up of tasks, marking expedite lanes, adding tasks on kanban cards etc. Online Kanban board platforms provide even more methods of customisation and tool improvement. Future VSM - The extent and format of details that are to be captured in a future VSM have unlimited opportunities for improvement. Andon Boards - Andon boards have infinite methods of adding details in terms of who should get alerts of what kind with what kind of escalation and how will resolution feedback be re-circulated (etc) Kaizen - The way in which Kaizens are identified, planned, executed and the way feedback and efficiency is tracked provides continuous improvement opportunities. The Lean Champion needs to be on the lookout for methods and approaches that make Lean tools more effective and therein lies the opportunity of maximising the value generation for a Lean Enterprise.

Q. 142 Turing test checks if a machine can imitate intelligent and unintelligent behaviors of humans. While it makes sense to test if artificial intelligence is delivering business expectations, what could be the value in determining if machines can behave like humans or not?  Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 141 While Lean is about continuous improvement in processes, some of the Lean Tools are such that they have a significant scope of “Continuous Improvement” in terms of how they are used. Provide examples of few such Lean tools which encourage very good scope of almost unending customization and enhancement in themselves.  Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 140 There have been different ways to look at Six Sigma. Six Sigma has evolved a lot in the last 32 years. It all started with a metric. Six Sigma Metric - Sigma level and Sigma shift (Z scores and Z shift). Lean Six Sigma Methodologies -DMAIC, DMADV, IDOV, DFSS, TLC etc. Lean Six Sigma Management Systems -Competence building, Curricula, Certification, Projects, Business cases, Business value generation, Strategic linkages, MBB becoming a requirement for leadership roles etc. Lean Six Sigma Philosophy -Zero defect thinking, Preventive approaches, Process thinking, Design for Six Sigma, Robust Design, Quality by Design, Predictive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, Zero waste thinking etc. We have been recommending the use of the above in the order of increasing importance. We emphasize that the performance assessment with Z score is not a priority, and that Six Sigma has evolved a lot in each of the 3 areas - Methodologies (they got integrated with others), Management Systems (People have various competencies to learn), and Philosophy (Six Sigma works wonderfully today with Analytics and RPA). You will still see some individuals talking about Six Sigma from the short-sighted metric viewpoint of 1987. The Question is - Do you agree that just focusing on the Sigma Level metric is the wrong way of looking at "Lean Six Sigma" which is highly successful as a Methodology, Management System and a Philosophy?  Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

As mentioned by Venugopal, there may be a need to use Hypothesis testing in any of the phases. Some examples are given below 1. Define phase - To check if the current performance is indeed below the expected performance. improvement (difference from existing performance) 2. Measure phase - During MSA as mentioned by Venugopal. After capability assessment - to verify if the Goal really indicates a significant improvement over the current performance. 3. Analyze Phase - To verify root causes. 4. Improve Phase - To compare before and after improvement performances. 5. Control Phase - To check if improved performance has been sustained and no difference is found after controls are put in place.

Q. 139 In which phase of DMAIC, can hypothesis testing NOT be used? Explain with reasons. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Dear Vishnu, I am unable to share experiences here but I can assure you that immense opportunities exist w.r.t improvement in Emergency Services. Projects can be identified through all the three sources - Voice of customer - Expectations, Satisfaction Levels, Referal business growth, etc. Voice of business - KPI performance, business growth, revenue growth, etc. Cost of Poor Quality - Lost opportunities, improved response times, etc. Hope this helps.

Q. 138 In many industries, it is costly to do trials while establishing solution for a problem. Verifying improved process capability with very few samples is not easy. What are the approaches for decision making with a few samples? Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 137 There are different ways and means of controlling a process and they vary in their effectiveness. Describe different type of process controls and sort them in your order of preference from best to worst. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 136 What is the best way to create a Control Plan for a process? Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Hi Ransingh, Overall Equipment Effectiveness which is the product of Availability, Performance and Quality can't be obtained via MTTR, MTBF and MTTF for the equipment. This is so because the three measures do not relate to Performance or Quality. If you know MTBF and MTTR, you should be able to calculate availability losses that are due to unplanned stoppage due to machine failure. However planned stoppages (like change over time) which are part of availability calculation in OEE will still be hidden. Also, unplanned stoppage due to other reasons like power failure (MTBF may not consider power failure as equipment failure based on a common definition which considers only equipment malfunction as failure) will also be hidden. To answer your question, OEE cannot be inferred from those numbers. OEE, for utilities, as a metric, may not be a great measure of performance but that is a different topic to discuss.

Q. 134 What are the common tools for Design Risk Analysis? Explain their usage briefly. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 133 How is FMECA different from FMEA? When is FMECA supposed to be carried out? What is the value FMECA brings if a company is already using FMEA? Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 130 Y = F(X) indicates that we need to improve inputs and improve the process to get better outputs than what we got earlier. Is it possible to let one of the two remain at a below industry average level (inputs or process) and focus heavily on the other one to generate excellent results? Give examples to explain your answer. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 129 Y=f(X) forms a very important part of a Six Sigma or DMAIC project. What are the various tools that can be used to list all possible Xs for an output Y. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 128 A consensus driven guess or SWAG is a part of Lean Terminology. Knowing fully well that we are taking a risk of wrong decision, are SWAGs unavoidable? Give example(s) to support your response. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 127 Time Series Analysis relies on historic data. When is it of very high relevance? And when should we not rely on Time Series Analysis for forecasting? Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 126 While implementing Lean, abnormalities need to be highlighted. If "Nominal conditions" are not finalized for a process, it is virtually impossible to highlight what should be considered abnormal. Explain what goes into defining "Nominal conditions" and what are common challenges in finalizing them. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 125 A capable process is one that produces an output that meets customer specifications. A stable process is one that has controlled variation and operates within the control limits. Give examples of situations when a capable and stable process may suddenly be rendered incapable. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 124 Shojinka or Flexible staffing is an approach that is often utilized in Lean Management. What are the criteria that help us decide whether flexible staffing is suitable and must be pursued? Please explain with examples. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

Q. 123 The wastes that are categorised in seven categories in Toyota and remembered as WORMPIT or TIMWOOD widely, were categorised as ten types called CLOSED MITT at Boeing. Compare and contract CLOSED MITT with the classical seven wastes. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.

While R Rajesh and Somrita have given excellent answers, Somrita has categorically mentioned that Quick Win is a permanent solution and Stop-Gap mostly is not. The winner for this one is Somrita Chatterjee.

Q. 122 "Stop Gap" arrangements usually have a negative connotation to them. How are they different than the "Quick Wins" usually identified in the Define phase of a Six Sigma project? Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term. Important Note - To be able to answer, you need to sign up or sign in

Q. 121 It is noticed that data collected for problem solving during Gemba walks is not always reliable. A useful approach for evaluating data is the "KNOT technique". Explain the utility of KNOT technique with a suitable example. Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. All questions so far can be seen here - https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/lean-six-sigma-business-excellence-questions/ Please visit the forum home page at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/ to respond to the latest question open till the next Tuesday/ Friday evening as per Indian Standard Time. The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term.