Hemant Pratap Singh

Dear Nitika, The other day I stumbled upon an article about Six Sigma for technical writers, I guess you would like to go through it, the link is mentioned below: http://www.stc.org/c...STC49-00029.pdf If you want to know more about Six Sigma and various courses offered, you can write to [email protected] or you could call at 1800 102 3003. Hope this will help. Thanks! Hemant

Hi Prem, Six Sigma and ITIL complement each other very well. If you look at the home page of ITIL.org you will find the following content - ITIL is the abbreviation for the IT Infrastructure Library guideline that was developed by the OGC (Office of Governance Commerce) in Norwich (England) on behalf of the British government. Today, ITIL is the de-facto global standard in the area of Service Management, and contains a comprehensive and publicly available technical documentation for the planning, provision and support of IT services. The ITIL books thereby represent a Best Practice guideline for Service Management, in which the "WHAT", and not the "HOW", is described. The "HOW" is to be coordinated and implemented according to the size, the internal culture and, above all, the requirements of one's own company. The external viewpoint of the experienced and tried-and -tested consultant can thereby help one to break out of gridlocked structures and to follow new paths. IMPORTANT NOTE - It is the HOW part of ITIL that is addressed very well by Six Sigma. Six Sigma describes the HOW and not the WHAT.

I think you should have a look at the message posted by Mr. Karur V in the discussion at http://forum.benchma...__fromsearch__1

Hi Aditi, Please have a look at this link, i hope it might help. http://forum.benchma...ravel-industry/

Different companies have different criteria for GB approval. GB and PMP are two criteria widely required for someone to lead teams and projects in software industry. Benefits of Green Belt are three fold. 1. Understanding of important concepts of process, quality and defects - These are useful for everyone. 2. Application of Six Sigma techniques to resolve operational issues. These are applicable for everyone. 3. Carrying out DMAIC projects with team to address reasonable challenges. This is one application which may require a module lead designation in your company.

Architects have lot of task sequences that can be called processes. For example they have a process for planning a project, they have a process for appointing agencies, they have a process for approving drawings, they have a process for managing construction progress, they have a process behind project completion and handing over. Wherever there is a process, there is a need for Six Sigma. Have a look at the following link to understand more. http://forum.benchma...-and-six-sigma/

Being a Subject Matter Expert, you would have good process competence. This means that you have great opportunities to lead improvement projects. A Six Sigma project normally requires a team that involves one Green Belt and a SME. If the SME himself is a GB, he can handle improvements with fewer team members.

If your role is limited to creating MIS reports, you may not have much opportunity. But as your message suggests, you are responsible for cost controlling, procurement of parts etc. This means you are involved in processes that can provide better results if you carry out improvement projects using uncommon but tried and tested management techniques. Please note that for a problem, if the solution is already known, it is not considered a worthwhile Six Sigma project. For complex situations like yours that require cost reduction or control, Six Sigma techniques are extremely useful.

Six Sigma and ITIL complement each other very well. If you look at the home page of ITIL.org you will find the following content - ITIL is the abbreviation for the IT Infrastructure Library guideline that was developed by the OGC (Office of Governance Commerce) in Norwich (England) on behalf of the British government. Today, ITIL is the de-facto global standard in the area of Service Management, and contains a comprehensive and publicly available technical documentation for the planning, provision and support of IT services. The ITIL books thereby represent a Best Practice guideline for Service Management, in which the "WHAT", and not the "HOW", is described. The "HOW" is to be coordinated and implemented according to the size, the internal culture and, above all, the requirements of one's own company. The external viewpoint of the experienced and tried-and -tested consultant can thereby help one to break out of gridlocked structures and to follow new paths. IMPORTANT NOTE - It is the HOW part of ITIL that is addressed very well by Six Sigma. Six Sigma describes the HOW and not the WHAT. NOW, to understand Six Sigma vs. PMP, have a look at http://forum.benchmarksixsigma.com/topic/762-six-sigma-or-pmp/

ITIL provides a framework (WHAT) while Six Sigma provides the methodology (HOW) for improvement. Similarly PMP is a project management body of knowledge which can be complemented by Six Sigma effectively. Have a look at the following articles 1. Example Six Sigma projects in IT - http://forum.benchmarksixsigma.com/topic/775-example-lean-six-sigma-projects-in-it/page__hl__%2Bdoes+%2Bproject+%2Bmanagement 2. Six Sigma and Software development - http://forum.benchmarksixsigma.com/topic/774-six-sigma-and-software-development/ 3. How does Project Management fit with Lean and Six Sigma? - http://forum.benchmarksixsigma.com/topic/673-how-does-project-management-fit-with-lean-and-six-sigma/page__hl__%2Bdoes+%2Bproject+%2Bmanagement Also the most recognised body in Software Engineering is SEI (Software Engineering Institute) of USA. They have published an article on Six Sigma being as effective as SEI-CMMI. CMMI (stands for Capability Maturity Model Integrated) Here is an article from SEI which is impressive for Software Professionals. http://www.sei.cmu.e...cmmi6sigma.html If you do a cost benefit analysis, the benefits are much more than the costs as Six Sigma gives you versatility - ability to cross industries and be more acceptable in senior roles sooner. Green Belt is considered an important requirement for project managers.

Have a look at the following articles 1. Example Six Sigma projects in IT - http://forum.benchma...t+%2Bmanagement 2. Six Sigma and Software development - http://forum.benchma...re-development/ 3. How does Project Management fit with Lean and Six Sigma? - http://forum.benchma...t+%2Bmanagement Also the most recognised body in Software Engineering is SEI (Software Engineering Institute) of USA. They have published an article on Six Sigma being as effective as SEI-CMMI. CMMI (stands for Capability Maturity Model Integrated) Here is an article from SEI which is impressive for Software Professionals. http://www.sei.cmu.e...cmmi6sigma.html

To copy from SAP's website - this is what SAP is - As the world's leading provider of business software*, SAP delivers products and services that help accelerate business innovation for our customers. We believe that doing so will unleash growth and create significant new value - for our customers, SAP, and ultimately, entire industries and the economy at large. Today, customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications - from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. Founded in 1972, SAP has a rich history of innovation and growth as a true industry leader. SAP currently has sales and development locations in more than 50 countries worldwide and is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses Our vision is for companies of all sizes to become best-run businesses. In today's challenging business environment, best-run companies have clarity across all aspects of their business, which allows them to act quickly with increased insight, efficiency, and flexibility. By using SAP solutions, companies of all sizes - including small businesses and midsize companies - can reduce costs, optimize performance, and gain the insight and agility needed to close the gap between strategy and execution. To help our customers get the most out of their IT investments so that they can maximize their business performance, our professionals deliver the highest level of service and support. So you can see that SAP is a solution provider that helps in customized solution for clients in all industries. Just as salesforce.com has a sales module, SAP provides modules and integration abilities for all type of industries and functionalities. People who go through SAP training have learnt one of the two things 1. Developer training - knows how to integrate SAP for companies. - JUST AS WE CUSTOMIZED salesforce.com 2. User training - knows how to work in a SAP atmosphere. Six Sigma provides overall management philosophy and provides you methodology for identifying and completing powerful improvement projects. From this perspective, when you need to collect data in measure phase, if a company is using SAP, they shall be able to extract data and measure the current performance. Similarly in Improve phase, well configured SAP can help in validating improvements. For improvements Six Sigma provides WHERE TO FOCUS, WHAT TO MEASURE, HOW TO IMPROVE, HOW TO SUSTAIN. Six Sigma provides fundamentals of ststiatical techniques which are used in some of the SAP modules. For example, one needs to know fundamentals of HYPOTHESIS TESTING to create improvement ideas and test them. One needs to knoe fundamentals of control charts before choosing the right ones and using them. To make it simple SAP is one powerful platform that can help in Six Sigma implementation in several ways including 1. Data collection 2. Improvement validation 3. Sustenance checks 4. Mistake proofing (through configurations in SAP) SAP certified professional can derive more benefits from a Six Sigma programs as compared to others. By learning Six Sigma philosophy they can integrate key Six Sigma concepts in their SAP abilities and provide higher value to users.

Good Six Sigma projects can be carried out with following objectives in IT networking/hardware domain 1. Reducing errors in requisition capturing process. 2. Reducing time taken in approval process. 3. Improving procurement processes in times of timeliness and accuracy. 4. Decreasing hardware downtime. 5. Improving re-deployment accuracy and timeliness. 6. reducing networking downtime

Software testing mainly includes the following - A testing plan of the actual testing tasks that will need to be execute to carry out the test strategy. Test cases that have been prepared in advance in the form of detailed examples you will use to check that the software will actually meet its requirements Test data consisting of both input test data and database test data to use while you are executing your test cases A test environment which you will use to carry out your testing A test strategy that indicates what types of testing and the amount of testing that will work best at finding the defects lurking in the software.If your involvement is only with the last two, you may be using some of the quantitative techniques, but if you wish to be involved with the first three, you shall need most of the remaining as well. Examples You can use hypothesis testing to analyze data related to tests. You need to use regressions, ANOVA, t tests, chi-quare tests and the like. You may use hypothesis testing to compare different testing programs or solutions or platforms and reach the right conclusion using statistics.Hypothesis testing is useful in simulated tests as well. You can compare performance of testing engineers or teams over time to verify whether their performance has improved over time. You can monitor performance using control charts. You can use a Six Sigma tool called DOE for creation of the right test cases that can reduce your testing time. Green Belt program shall have high utility for you if you wish to build up your analytical abilities and wish to move up the ladder.

Six Sigma Green Belt and PMP are two qualifications that are considered equally important for Project Managers in IT companies. You can go for them in any order. Have a look at the following articles 1. Example Six Sigma projects in IT - http://forum.benchma...t+%2Bmanagement 2. Six Sigma and Software development - http://forum.benchma...re-development/ 3. How does Project Management fit with Lean and Six Sigma? - http://forum.benchma...t+%2Bmanagement