Vishwadeep Khatri

The sequance is understood. A flow chart needs to be created. I am waiting for Karthik's response on groups.

I have noticed poor quality of printing in a recent program. Are you not getting printing quality checked for each set of material? Regards, VK

[*]Make a list and complete it.

Steps here [*]Download all databases [*]Duplicate checks [*]Upload at new place. [*]Create auto responders before starting. [*]Start with a gmail address. Need to work on this more before I begin.

I have not been able to replicate VF success factor. I guess I should try full time jobs [*]Include VF remuneration till they get a job. [*]Keep deducting VF remuneration as they get the VF assignments but what adds up is the variable pay for each batch. [*]Need to work out the math for this approach. CHEERS

There is an absolute lack of strategy in this area. I did think of a web strategist to take care of many areas including this one. Should post a job. FAST!

Welcome message on joining the group - should be created in all groups.

20_Sep_SEO_analysis.xlsx SEO analysis shows certain Keywords that need improvement.

I noticed more openness from your side in our last interaction. I did make a mental note of certain elements from your comments about partnering in Benchmark growth. These were - [*]The offer must be very attractive for an accomplished professional to make a shift to a (kind of) startup. [*]We need a well chalked out business plan that has good likelihood of success and a clear direction. [*]Tie up with a global body or a renowned brand can do a lot of good. [*]For a bigger plan, Venture Capital or a suitable method of infusing capital may be looked into. My impression is that probably the first two are "must" and the last two are "attractive" features which should come in soon if not immediately. Let me know if I am missing something. Also, please feel free to add your thoughts in this string.

12 Noon on 20th September is ok for the telecon.

I have tested. The content is not visible to anyone else. Regards, VK

Karthik, Please provide the link and USPs of the mailing solution here. An important idea - I have more than 10000 people in aweber who did not confirm their membership. (did not click on the link that goes into their email address). Can we create a mailing list using this application to include these people for bulk mailing. I have the complete email address database. Regards. VK

Let us discuss elements related to Kickapps in this string.

Please mention the expected Institutional programs in next quarter

Please confirm 23rd september appointment ASAP so that I can book my hotel in advance. Best Regards, VK

Please upload the excel file carrying summary here. We shall continue to use project path for client specific details. All general discussions can happen here in this subgroup. Regards, VK

Dear All, These are designs for our new letterheads and visiting cards. Any comments? Letterhead__new_11.pdf Regards, VK

I have been thinking of keeping only Continuous-Continuous and Discrete-Discrete combinations in Hypothesis Testing at GB level. We can discuss more here.

Hello All, I have just uploaded material and added some useful links on Microsoft Excel (for New Users and Advanced Excel Users) at the "Refresh your basics on data analysis" today. Feel free to explore and learn. Click here for contents Cheers! VK

This section is for two types of users: BASICS - For users who are not conversant with Microsoft Excel. Also, people who know nothing about Excel and have just started using a computer. ADVANCED - People who have been using basic formulas but wish to use lookup, pivot tables and hundreds of other advanced features of Excel. It is important to know the use of Microsoft Excel formulas. If you find yourself using only Excel (instead of a calculator) for all calculations in a few days, you can congratulate and treat yourself. BASICS - For Six Sigma perspective, you need the basics given on the following link - www.free-training-tutorial.com/formulas.html Feel free to explore more on the website (beyond formulas) if you wish. ADVANCED - If you are an avid excel user and wish to learn more, you can use the following website link - www.chandoo.org/wp/learn-excel-online.html Cheers! VK

In addition to what Inderpal just mentioned above, sample size also depends on the kind of hypothesis test you plan to carry out. In case you are working with discrete data - sat vs dissat, you need larger sample sizes. If you are working with continuous data like handling time or TAT, you can manage with a smaller sample sizes. Some of you may be wondering what sample size has to do with hypothesis test. Reply to this post if you wish to know more.

Dear Ravinder, I am not sure whether you are referring to being a "Six Sigma trainer". If that is the case, you need to move up till the level of MBB moving from Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean and finally MBB doing projects along the way. If your query relates to "training skills", I am not the best person to answer this query. We, at Benchmark Six Sigma do not offer such programs (other than the module in MBB that relates to training and facilitation) Regards, VK

I liked the following article. I would like to have a discussion on this. This article is by William Rushing As a Black Belt, I know it is easy to fall into the trap of working only non projects that cut costs. I also know that this type of "accounting" is a slippery slope that can cloud essential business goals by creating unfounded visions of savings. Don't get me wrong - cutting expenses is important. For a manager, having to explain, even with 50 well-prepared PowerPoint slides, why the group is over budget, is as painful as a root canal. Cost cutting, however, doesn't always equate to long-term profitability. During a period of declining profits, it is common for companies to begin cost-cutting efforts to trim the fat. Spending caps are imposed and projected budget expenditures are reduced. Eventually, companies turn to process improvement efforts such as Six Sigma or Lean to dig deep into processes to reduce waste. It is at this point that faulty project selection and chartering can create a mismatch between estimated savings and actual positive impact on the bottom line. To keep from heading down this path, Black Belts should ask themselves: "Who am I accountable to?" An unrealistic departmental budget? A manager who wants to shake up the department? A company that has hired a large contingency of Black Belts to cut costs and efficiencies? It's understandable for a Black Belt to be confused by who the "customer" is, especially since they are working with both internal and external customers. Too often, a Black Belt services the internal customer - the person who hired the Belt or the person the Belt works for. These internal customers may be most concerned about their particular areas. The result: The activities of a Black Belt can be soiled into departmental goals that may or may not coincide with the overall goals and vision of the company. Projects selected by the Black Belt should directly impact the external customer. It does not matter how much money projects save an organization - if the savings do not positively impact the customer, then they are worthless. Getting buy-in to the idea that cutting costs is not the primary project benefit can be trying, though. One approach is for Black Belts to make sure they are setting realistic expectations for project benefits. No postulating. No grandstanding. Just show how the customer is being positively impacted. Consider a project that resulted in a new process to recycle cardboard boxes. The process reduces both the amount of waste generated and the number of times the trash has to be dumped, saving $50,000 annually. Though the project did save money and made the company greener, did it really impact the customer? What if the company's president were to ask the Black Belt what impact this project truly had on customers? How would they answer? Here are two possible, but lame, answers: 1. "With a new green image of the company, our customers will feel that we are good stewards of the environment. Their loyalty to us will increase, which will cause sales - and profits - to increase." Of course, the company may need to spend $85,000 on a marketing campaign to let customers know it is greener. Interpretation: no positive impact. 2. "We will be able to use that $50,000 and reinvest it in new technology to provide better products to our customers." Most "savings" on projects are projections for the following 12 months. This means the company should have an extra $4,166.67 each month - a small amount to invest in new technology. Interpretation: no immediate positive impact. The bottom line: Black Belts should be accountable in the accounting of their projects. They should select those projects that positively impact external customers, and should look beyond just cutting costs when determining project benefits. Maintaining and increasing the customer base by providing quality goods and services in a timely and efficient manner will help ensure the profitability of the company. Ultimately, this also will ensure the success of the Black Belt. About the Author: William Rushing is a Black Belt and operations manager for McKesson Corp.'s distribution center in St. Louis, Mo., USA. Previously, he was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. What are your views about practicality of this approach?

How much can a graph show? Click here to see how India Ball took off late.See wealth and health of nations by clicking here. Click on Play to see how some nations picked up well, how China overtook India. Choose a country on the right and click on "Play" to see the path that stays on.To see much more in the same graph, use this tutorial by clicking here. Pictures speak larger than words. How much data do we need to explain the second graph? Even if we compiled it, how many people would like to read it?

Are you familiar with 20 Keys? This provides a good improvement checklist for Lean Manufacturing professionals. In manufacturing environments, there are many areas in which you can focus to create improvements, and systems such as the ‘%Ss' and the ‘seven Mudas' (wastes) can help you to find a focus for improvements. Iwao Kobayashi has created a somewhat longer list that include these and more, and can be used in manufacturing audits. It reads very much like a ‘whos who' of manufacturing innovations and hence makes a very useful checklist.These are: 1. Clean and tidy. Everywhere and all of the time. 2. Participative management style. Working with all people to engage their minds and hearts into their work as well as their hands. 3. Teamwork on improvement. Focused on teamwork to involve everyone in enthusiastic improvements. 4. Reduced inventory and lead time. Addressing overproduction and reducing costs and timescales. 5. Changeover reduction. Reducing times to change dies and machines to enable more flexible working. 6. Continuous improvement in the workplace. Creating improvement as a ‘way of life', constantly making work better and the workplace a better place to work. 7. Zero monitoring. Building systems that avoid the need for ‘machine minders' and instead have people who are working on maintaining a number of machines. 8. Process, cellular manufacturing. Creating interconnected cells where flow and pull are the order of the day. 9. Maintenance. Maintaining of machines by people who work on them, rather than external specialists. This allows constant adjustment and minimum downtime. 10. Disciplined, rhythmic working. Synchronised total systems where all the parts work together rather than being independently timed. 11. Defects. Management of defects, including defective parts and links into improvement. 12. Supplier partnerships. Working with suppliers, making them a part of the constantly-improving value chain, rather than fighting with them. 13. Waste. Constant identification and elimination of things that either do not add value or even destroy it. 14. Worker empowerment and training. Training workers to do the jobs of more highly skilled people, so they can increase the value they add on the job. 15. Cross-functional working. People working with others in different departments and even moving to gain experience in other areas too. 16. Scheduling. Timing of operations that creates flow and a steady stream of on-time, high-quality, low-cost products. 17. Efficiency. Balancing financial concerns with other areas which indirectly affect costs. 18. Technology. Using and teaching people about more complex technology so they can use and adapt to it, bringing in the latest machines and making them really work. 19. Conservation. Conserving energy and materials to avoid waste, both for the company and for the broader society and environment. 20. Site technology and Concurrent Engineering. Understanding and use at all levels of methods such as Concurrent Engineering and Taguchi methods. This is a useful list, but of course it still does not include everything. A practical exercise is to take this and use it either to evaluate your current workplace or as a discussion forum, ensuring people understand it all and adding to it other areas that you need to add for your company. Reference: Iwao Kobayashi, 20 Keys to Workplace Improvement, Productivity Press, Portland, 1995