Vishwadeep Khatri

Dear Vishnu, LSSGB is a value added qualification which provides you a distinctive edge over other candidates for the job. It may not fetch you a higher salary than others but an edge over others vying for same position. For a job in Quality department, it enhances your awareness levels about most powerful methods in use today in corporate world and shows to the employer that you are willing and committed to building competence for such job. It also shows that you are more job-ready than others.

Dear Raghav, Food wastage and effective utilization of cabs seem to be two unrelated focus areas. Check which if any of these has a strong business case. If yes, create a project charterand seek approval. Even if the projects turns out to be DMADV, it is fine to progress with it. You can always post questions and seek answers here. Best Wishes for your project!

Hi Raghavendran, Do you have any queries? Feel free to post questions or initiate a discussion.

Hi Arvindh, SLA is acronym for Service Level Agreement. SLA's are external (with clients) and internal (with employees or internal teams). Meeting an SLA means carrying out a process with no defects or delays (or with acceptable levels of defects). Hope this helps.

Here are the software tools that participants will learn and practice during VCE program. Demand forecasting - GMDH Shell - Multivariate Time Series, Regression, Simulation as used in forecasting Customer Relationship Management - Salesforce.com - Understanding Sales cycle and forecasts for demand management. Operations scheduling For manufacturing - Max scheduler For services - World class manpower scheduling software solution shall be used for learning and practice. Resource Management - Netsuite Open Air - Managing multi-skilled environment, managing resource across different geographies, forecasting and reporting on resources.

Yes, agree with Somanathan. To add, a Lean Six Sigma professional with Value Chain Expertise can broaden his application area to include the supply side and demand side in his list of possible projects. Also, a professional of Value Chain/ Supply Chain areas can deep dive into the latest tools usage and practical applications by attending our VCE program.

Lean uses value stream mapping which considers activities WITHIN the company’s scope of control and operations. It has been found that many opportunities exist outside the company or in the support functions as highlighted in the definition of value chain above. While Lean Six Sigma projects can be done very well across value chains, it requires a good understanding of components of Value Chain for an LSS professional to be able to drive results (or to participate well in such projects)

A Value Chain Expert is a person who appreciates the contribution of parties involved in the value chain and has reasonable subject matter and application knowledge in Demand forecasting, Capacity Management, Operations scheduling, CRM, and SRM as a minimum: Demand Forecasting The ability to forecast demand is a key aspect to the planning of operations and information sharing with other partners in the chain. It is well understood that over-estimating or under-estimating demand can have serious consequences. In the VCE program, you shall learn predictive analytics, time series forecasting, knowledge discovery and curve fitting with the use of world class software. Operations Scheduling & Capacity Management – The planning and scheduling of operations include timing and quantities (this could refer to material or information or human resource depending on the industry). You will learn how to use exceptional scheduling software for your needs. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Demand management is feasible if we are aware of near term sales events that are likely to occur. This requires learning and usage of some crucial CRM tools on world class software that provides a great set of opportunities to be cashed at the most appropriate time. In the VCE program, you shall learn about the world's leading CRM solution and the key possibilities it provides. Supplier Relationship Management The most successful organizations have always found ways to partner with suppliers in a way that they grow and win as partners. The key elements that drive Supplier Relationship shall be covered in the program.

There is nothing truer than the fact that “Customers always purchase a benefit or a solution when they buy a product or service.� We may like to take this one step further by saying that customer buys something that provides acceptable value at the time of purchase. The value derived by a customer is a sum total of value added by a chain of entities. Most companies have other firms or persons on the supply side (vendors, partners, infrastructure providers, material and information providers, manpower providers, and the like). Similarly, there are entities on the customer side (integrators, marketing partners, distributors, dealers, agents, buyers, purchasers, influencers, end users) The entire set comprising of the supplier sequences, the company, and the customer sequences create the value chain. The efficiency and the effectiveness of this value chain decide whether the customer will perceive and derive value (an acceptable combination of quality and prices) from the offering. Here are some examples of effective users of Value Chain in services and in manufacturing- GE considered its value chain pro-actively and ensured that suppliers developed world class abilities to enhance end user value. Airtel has been considering a large value chain of partners via outsourcing and insourcing activities. A credit card company finds that the agencies who bring in applicants are key value chain partners crucial for its success. BPO & KPO organizations see that forecasting, scheduling, resource management form key drivers of business and some of the best business impacting projects have been those that engaged the client (who is also the supplier). Some of the best cargo and logistics companies have worked with partners on both sides (supplier side and customer side) to achieve benchmarks in excellence. Online sellers like eBay depend on partner capabilities to ensure great delivery for their tangible goods. Automotive giants are very detail oriented users of value chain learning. Value Chain includes interlinked value adding activities and consists of inbound distribution, internal operations, outbound distribution, marketing & selling, and after sales service. These are supported by purchasing or procurement, research and development, human resource development (HRD), and corporate infrastructure.

What is finally important in all purchase decisions is value perception. This is a combination of quality and brand connection in one's mind. People do buy Chinese unbranded goods, many of which are not associated with great quality but definitely meet the value criteria. Take the example of remote controlled cars or mobile phones which do not last long but have extraordinary features that work for few weeks or months. At the price they are sold, they are considered to be of great value. Someone who appreciates "Apple" products for great quality may not always buy them even if he/she can afford them. To take this discussion further, the objective of Lean Six Sigma is not to enhance to quality of products or services but to increase value for the customer. This is what finally increases repeat and referral sales.

I-MR chart requires a test of normality and your data may be Non - Normal. It is okay to go with X bar for base-lining purpose.

Hi Kirthiga, Good question. I will need to know few things before answering your question. Are you taking this up as a Lean Six Sigma project? If yes, is it a DMAIC or a DMADV project? Why are you doing control charting? As a part of Measure phase or Control phase? Best Regards, VK

Value is different from Quality. The focus of Lean Six Sigma is on Value! The difference can be understood by looking at how American Customer Satisfaction Index is calculated. Value considers the investment w.r.t deliverable and not just the happiness derived by consuming/ experiencing the product/service. The key point, again, is that Lean Six Sigma, is not about Quality but about Value (which leads to satisfaction, loyalty, repeats and referrals)

"Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology that maximizes shareholder value by achieving the fastest rate of improvement in customer satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed, and invested capital" If you carry out a google search with the above text, you shall find more than 1000 recent web results highlighting the same language. The world has acceptable this as the modern definition.

Sagar, I feel it is just that people think that they will do it some other time (even if they find no reason not to do it). It is good that some people started and set examples for others. The next person should be you.

More than 50% of top ten attributes of an MBA as demanded by Recruiters connect strongly with Lean Six Sigma competence. Remaining attributes have some linkages. View the complete report here - http://poetsandquants.com/2011/05/11/in-search-of-the-mba-superman-or-wonder-woman/2/ Feel free to discuss this topic here. (Sign up is an easy two step process, you can use Facebook to login.)

While the difference in opinion is welcomed, my opinion is to go with option 6 - all (for practical purposes). I agree that "if pigeon poops happen, the use of chemicals must happen" may be considered incorrect by some of you as there is an element of choice here. Probably, there is an element of choice or availability of options at each stage. For the practical problem-solving purpose, (in this case) as the Archaeology department is conscious and committed to its objectives, and alternative cleaning solution is unavailable - I am of the opinion that pigeon poops are a sufficient cause for use of this harmful chemical. We shall soon have another discussion on the practical use of "necessary" and "sufficient" in root cause analysis and problem-solving. Meanwhile, this discussion is open for more comments and opinions.

Dear Suresh, I feel that chemical is not a mandatory effect of Pigeon poops. So, probably, Pigeon poops is not a sufficient cause to ensure use of chemicals as it (chemicals) was a human choice.

Hi everyone, A good set of responses and I appreciate your interest in this question. The three strongest contenders are Option 1, 2 and 6. Dipak, Jaya, Sachin, Viswanathan, Ayush, fcaih0, Vijayasekar, Sahil, Sagar, SKS Rao, Shoukat, Anshu Goel, Vasudha, have responded with Option 6 - All. Ankit, Inderjeet, Lalith, Sumanth have mentioned Option 2 - A, B, C, D, F Madhu, Krishnamurthy, Abir, Vidya, R S Bahadur, LM Suresh Kumar, Deepa, Sunil Nair - Option 1 - A, B, C, D and E Well, we can think and discuss more - Question related to Option 1 - Is F (Use of chemicals) necessary as well as sufficient to explain Rapid Erosion? Question related to Option 2 - Is E (Pigeon poops) necessary as well as sufficient to explain F (Use of chemicals)? Question related to Option 6 - Are all the causes (A-F) necessary and sufficient to explain their respective next steps? Finally, what is the option you prefer - 1, 2 or 6? Well, we can change our choices if we want to.

Hi, Ramkumar Your comment is absolutely on the mark. The root cause is artificial light. Small clarification here - The posed question is about the "cause" being necessary and sufficient for the "next event". Here, we are not just referring to the root cause and the end result (although, these two matter the most), we wish to refer to each cause in the series.

More news about San Fransisco Air Crash "They had set speed at 137 knots (158 mph), and he assumed that the auto-throttles were maintaining speed," Hersman said of the instructor pilot. She noted that the pilots were responsible for maintaining airspeed. "We have a flying pilot and two other pilots in the cockpit and they have a monitoring function," she said. "One of the critical things that needs to be monitored on an approach to landing is speed. So we need to understand what was going on in the cockpit and also what was going on with the aircraft." Experts said even with auto-throttle active, the pilots should have been monitoring the plane's speed every few seconds, and could have manually taken control of the engines at any time.Maintaining proper airspeed and altitude is "the most basic responsibility of the pilot, like breathing in and out," Weber said. But it could be the case, he added, that "pilots are paying attention to the computer rather than paying attention to the fundamentals." Courtesy - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-san-francisco-plane-crash-20130710,0,21943.story

Here is a story followed by a multiple choice question for everyone to opine and discuss: You might have heard this story of a Washington Monument where erosion had reached worrisome levels. The erosion at this specific monument was much faster as compared to other similar monuments. Cause analysis showed that a strong chemical was needed to clean pigeon poops and there was no alternative. This cleaning chemical was leading to erosion. The reason for the presence of pigeons in large numbers was next analyzed. It was found that Pigeons like Spiders. Spiders were present in large numbers. As the focus shifted to spiders, it was found that spiders were around due to Gnats (a type of insect) as Spiders prey on Gnats. Gnats reached the monument daily as they are attracted to artificial light at the time of dusk. Lights at this monument were usually turned on before dusk. So, it was thought that in turning lights on only after dusk should work effectively, so that Gnats do not appear to attract Spiders, absence of whom shall keep Pigeons away, that leads to no Pigeon poops so that the chemical and therefore erosion is avoided. This solution of turning the lights on only after dusk was implemented. It was found that the Pigeon poops stopped appearing on the monument and the cleaning chemicals was no more required. Observations over a period of time showed that the Monument's erosion patterns now matched those of other similar monuments and the experts concluded that the problem is completely solved. QUESTION - When we do root cause analysis, the causes can be of two types: Necessary cause(s): In absence of such cause, the event cannot happen. Sufficient cause(s): If this cause is present, the event shall surely occur. In the above stated Monument's example of problem-solving, which set of the following causes do you think to meet both the criteria (of being necessary and sufficient), for the next event? Please refer to the figure above to answer this question. A, B, C, D, and E A, B, C, D, and F A, B, D, E, and F A, C, D, E, and F B, C, D, E, and F All A, B, C, D, E, and F ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please log in to reply to this post. Please note: login is easy. You can even use facebook or google account to login.

This aircraft landed short of the runway with tail touching down first. Most passengers survived. There were 307 on board, including 16 crew. Officials said 123 escaped without injury and 181 were hospitalized or treated for injuries. Among the injured, 49 are in serious condition and five at San Francisco General Hospital, including a child, remain in critical condition. Among the 47 others at San Francisco General, several were treated for minor injuries, including fractures and abrasions, and were released Saturday night. The first crash for a Boeing 777. We wait to understand why it happened as investigations are underway.

You may like to take examples for tea/ wine tasters or those of olympic judges. You may like to do some youtube search for useful videos in these lines. Hope this helps.

Hello Chandrasekar, One common thumb rule for quality improvement projects is to target 50% defect reduction. However, a realistic target must always make business sense. (The cost of doing the project must be far lesser than the benefits obtained from it). Target setting also depends on risk taking ability of the company. When a company is new to improvement journey, bigger goals are possible but (due to risk perception) commonly smaller goals are set. The goal setting also depends on the type of project. DMADV shall commonly allow bigger goals as compared to DMAIC. My advice would be to proceed with goal setting with any subjective method but to confirm it with business sense.