Aniruddha

Dear Vishwadeep, An outlier is an observation / value in a data set that is not a representative of the data set or is at a substantial distance from other observations / values in the data set. Simplest real life example / Analogy to understand an outlier is that of a vehicle moving either very slow or very fast than the prescribed speed limit on an highway or a vehicle moving in a wrong direction after flouting " No Entry " traffic discipline. It is important and necessary to identify outliers in a data set as they can have an adverse effect on statistical analysis and can lead to misleading results.Outliers can also provide useful information about process data so it's important to properly identify and understand them and discard them from the data set while doing a statistical analysis. There are many methods of finding outliers in a data set e.g. by using Box plots , scatter plots, Excel sheet ( Conditional formating ---> Statistical --> Outlier ) , Minitab Statistical Software etc. Best regards Aniruddha

I understand that Process maturity is the extent to which business processes in an organization are Defined, Managed, Measured, Controlled & ultimately Effective in delivering " Defect Free " Product / Service complying with Customer's Specs. / Requirement as stated in a PO or a Legal Contract. Consistency in Quality of Product / Service delivered at an agreed Cost & within agreed Delivery time is the basic indication of a matured process. However there is always a scope/room for improvement even for a matured process to stay in tune with the ever-changing business situation in terms of " Change in Customer's requirement , Change in number of Customers , Change in Product / Service necessitated due to geographic considerations ( warm woollen garments in Delhi will not be required in Chennai ) , Affordability of Customers in terms of Cost & waiting time etc. In my view, the Customer's Demand i.e. number of units required / month vis a vis organization's capacity/ability to supply the units/month is a very good indicator of the Maturity of organization's business process. Ever increasing demand or " Repeat orders " from a Customer is another indicator of process maturity. Hot selling " Royal Enfield " from Eicher Motors is the best real-life example I can think of to understand the essence of my note above. Pl. visit https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/news/two-wheelers/motorcycles/how-siddhartha-lal-turned-royal-enfield-into-a-global-brand/every-indians-bike/slideshow/61531010.cms

Hi Sachin, Answers to your questions are given below. A. Which are the organisations which provide trainings on CMMI? To the best of my knowledge there are 19 companies in North America , 14 companies in Europe and 15 companies in Asia which impart training in CMMI to software companies who want to pursue excellence in their business processes. I have all the details but due to limitations of time and space I am only indicating numbers for Asian countries. China (1) , India (7) , Japan (1) , Malaysia (2) , Saudi Arabia (1) , Singapore (1) , United Arab Emirates (2) 7 Indian companies are WIPRO, DQS India , QAI Asia, Nihilant, CyberQ Consulting, Trimentus and Allied Boston Consulting. B. Can it be implemented in every type of organisation like manufacturing, service, IT, Banking, Engineering etc. In my note above I have mentioned that CMMI is not a generic standard like ISO 9001 2008. It is primarily meant for software companies. As per my information following companies in India have achieved a CMMI 5 level as of now i.e. July 2011. There may be more companies which I may not be aware of. Cognizant Technology Solutions, Infosys , L & T Infotech Ltd, Mastek Limited , NIIT, Software Solutions , Patni Computer Systems Limited , Satyam Computer Services Limited, Sonata Software Limited , Syntel , Siemens Information Systems Limited., Tata Consultancy Services , Tata Elxsi Limited , Tata Interactive Systems , Wipro Technologies Software Paradigms International. Pursuing excellence in Business processes and achieving a CMMI level is an organizational level decision and there are formal ways to achieve certification. Hope I have answered your questions. Regards Aniruddha

Hi Kaushik, A detailed description is not possible here due to shortage of time and space but there are many ways in which you can use six sigma knowledge for analyzing sales data in numbers , functions and activities using basic DMAIC model as under 1) Define : Define your Product e.g. Is it a consumer durable product (AC , Washing m/c , Mobile phone , TV, LCD , Soft drink etc ) or industrial products like Pumps, Compressors, Motors, Gensets. 2) Measure : Generate matrix of numbers as under (A.)Monthly sales in US$ as applicable i.e. cities in India , zone wise (North , East , West , South) , country wise , region wise e.g. Americas, Europe, Middle East , Asia and Ocenia etc. (B.)Details of number of units of product sold / month to number of customers in (A) (C.)Details of shipment time from date of receipt of POs to actual delivery to customer. (D.)Matrix of cost of supply chain logistics. There can be many more such metrics depending on what is your product. 3) Analyze : You can use Pareto charts to analyze above data and see which 20% regions or customers are giving you 80 % revenues and concentrate on them. At the same time you can also analyze what are unexplored sales areas (new customers) 4) Improve : Depending on the nature and data of your product use appropriate tool in the improvement phase to improve the overall sales process. If you do above exercise logically you will have a fairly good idea of what needs to be done to increase the sales i.e. add additional capacity , resources , distribution networks, control costs , reduce delivery time. etc. etc. 5) Control : Apply appropriate tool in the control phase to output of data in Improve phase and I am sure you will have a clear picture of the entire sales process that will show you actionable items for increasing business and achieve your set sales goal / target. Best of luck Regards Aniruddha

Hi Binith, A detailed explanation of differences is not possible to write here due to limitations of time and space. To put it in simple words ISO,CMMI & Six Sigma are primarily 3 distinct approaches for improving Quality of Products and Services by organizations. 1) ISO 9001 2008 : Scope : This International Standard Specifies requirements for a Management system where an organization a) Needs to demonstrate its ability to provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and Aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. It is a generic standard & can be applied to many types of industries /organization e.g. Manufacturing , Service, Healthcare , Banking , Process etc . regardless of type of product / service and size of organization. Compliance to requirements of ISO 9001 2008 is periodically checked , audited & certified by an competent , independent third party agency e.g. TUV, BVQI etc. 2) Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach whose goal is to help organizations to improve their performance. CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration and it is a process improvement maturity model that has been developed by the Software Engineering Institute, SEI, at Carnegie Mellon. CMMi defines what Processes and Activities need to be done and not how these processes and activities are done. This is because "Operational part " and implemention ( how to do it ? ) is left to the organization. The goal of CMMi is process improvement and CMMi can be thought of as a Software Process Improvement, SPI, framework. CMMI is not a generic standard like ISO 9001 2008. CMMI has 5 capability maturity levels CMMI 0 = Incomplete , CMMI 1 = Performed , CMM 2 = Managed , CMMI 3 = Defined , CMMI 4 = Quantitively managed & CMMI 5 = Optimizing. Compliance to requirements of CMMI is periodically checked , audited & certified by an competent , independent third party agency e.g. TUV, BVQI etc. 3) Six Sigma : Since you are a membar of Benchmark Six sigma there is no need for me to tell you about what is six sigma. Certification : One basic difference in ISO 9001 2008, CMMI & Six Sigma is that organizations are audited and certified for ISO 9001 2008 and CMMI whereas in Six Sigma qualified people (GBs, BBs & MBBs) identify projects and work for the organization for achieving desired (ideally 6 sigma levels i.e. reducing defect levels to 3.4 /million). Organizations may achieve a six sigma level but it will not be certified by any external agency. Hope this basic information helps you to understand the differences in ISO 9001 2008, CMMI & Six Sigma. Much more information is available on the internet. If you go through it you will have a very clear idea of the differences betwen the three. Regards Aniruddha

Ashish, 1) Due to space and time limitations I am not explaining the difference in details here. Just type in "Difference between the Cp and Cpk? " in Google search and you will get reference to over 70,000 links. You need to read info in 15 - 20 links in order to correctly understand the fundamental difference between Cp and Cpk. Pl. see http://elsmar.com/Cp_vs_Cpk.html for a very good visual animation of Cp & Cpk. 2) I am not very clear as to what do you mean by " Machine Capability " ? Do you mean " Machine Specification " ? Different machines ( e.g. Electric motors , Pumps , Compressors, Petrol & Diesel Engines , Lathe , CNC machine etc.) are specified in different ways. The term Process capability in very simple terms (i.e. without mathematical jargons ) means what your Process can deliver. For example to produce 200 machined parts /day we may have to carry out different operations on 4 or 5 machines. Dimensions of final product will be measured and compared with the part drawing / specs . Parts whose dimensions do not conform to drawing will be rejected. Hope with above explanation you will not mix and confuse " Machine specifications " with Process capability. Thanks Aniruddha

Ahmed, Few more examples of Inspection are 1) Inspection of an overload / undervoltage protection device for an electrical appliance. 2) Inspection of a swimming pool for ascertaining safety measures as per the law. 3) Inspection of a lift in a multistorey building for safe operation. 4) Inspection of a mutisory building for safety against fire. 5) Inspection of critical care facilities for a patient in a hospital. 6) Inspection of nuclear reactors for safe operation by competent authorities. 7) Inspection of a crime scene by police investigators for collecting important clues and evidence. Many more examples can be given but I hope these are enough for understanding basic concept of inspection. Regards Aniruddha

Hi Ahmed, Depending on application one has to carefully understand and use the words Audit, Inspection and Testing. Few examples are given below. 1) Word Testing is used for Products / Systems , Weapons , Firearms , pathological lab samples etc. where the objective is to compare the Quantifyable results of testing with a known / established benchmark or standard. Examples are An AC is tested for comfort and power consumption in KW & results compared with advertised results. A vehicle may be tested for fuel economy & pollution norms i.e. Kms / Litre & BS III or IV standard & results compared with advertised results. Weapons & Firearms are tested for operational readiness & range of ammunition. Pathological lab samples are tested to arrive at a correct diagnosis of patient's illness. 2) Word Inspection is used to ascertain generic examination of a person or place with or without testing of parameters. For example An experienced doctor may advice a patient to immediately get admitted to a hospital with critical care facilities simply by looking at his face and overall condition. A leader may just inspect guard of honour or A school inspector may just inspect a school for checking facilities like black board , drinking water , teachers , sitting arrangement , ventilation, lighting etc. A courier agency may conduct a pre shipment inspection of a parcel. 3) The word Audit is used when the entire Processes or Systems in an organization are checked for Legal Compliance by internal or external auditors . Audit can be of many types e.g. Financial Audit , Technical Audit , Data security audit , Environmental audits, Quality Management Systems audit , Safety audit etc. In an organization these are generally conducted by experts who have the knowledge of process and the law. They give results of audit based on irrefutable objective evidence collected during the audit. Hope this info answers your question. Regards Aniruddha

Hi Pattabirama, Hope following terms / concepts will help you in clearing the confusion. Process Review : A set of activities whose purpose is to evaluate how well a potential product or service meets all Quality requirements. "all Quality requirements means Stated & Unstated, Explicit & Implicit Quality requirements of user / Customer. During this process problems are identified and solutions are developed and proposed Process Verification : A process whose purpose is to examine conceptual output i.e. concept Product / Service and to use Objective evidence to confirm that it meets input requirements. Product Verification may be done virtually i.e. without physically making a product with the help of 3d part modeling , 3d assembly, Finite Element Simulation , Process Simulation softwares or even using scintific calculator , excel sheet, Fortran program etc. Example : Flight paths of all space vehicles are virtually tested since no country can afford the high cost to do a prototype testing. Process Validation : A process whose purpose is to test Product / Service under service conditions and to use Objective evidence ( test results ) to confirm whether or not the product / service meets user requirements /needs. Pl. note -- In Validation a physical product / service is tested under actual service conditions and objective evidence (test results) is used to decide conformance or non conformance of product / service to user requirements /needs. Example : All critical ammunition and missiles are physically tested because " Reliability of Striking the Target " is important and has to be established. Here cost is not important. Performing following simple checks will also help you a lot in taking decisions in your future projects. 1) Interest & Approval of Top Management : Is the project approved by Top Management 2) Adequacy of Inputs and Resources : Are the requirements adequately defined & do we have competent resources to safely take on the work ? 3) Product / Service Build: Can the Design be built and will it satisfy the user requirements? 4) Delivery to customer : Are we satisfied that the intended Product / Service meets the agreed requirements and can be delivered to the customer safely? Also remember where to use a Hammer & a screw driver. Many times we have a tendency to propose or use Six sigma for routine problem that we come across. Use Six Sigma only for chronic problems where cause and solution is not known. Regards Aniruddha

Hi Gouri, In my opinion, it is mandatory to do Green Belt Certification prior to doing Black Belt Certification. It's the same way we have in the university curriculum. One must have a Bachelor's degree before pursuing higher knowledge - a Masters degree. To go up the ladder of Six Sigma Process knowledge (Black Belt) you have to start from a lower rung (Green Belt). Thanks Aniruddha

Hi Hemanth Kumar, Vishwadeep has already answered your question that 7 QC tools are covered in Yellow Belt curriculum (and also in Green Belt). In my opinion your fresher status should not matter for attending a Yellow belt training program. You can always mail your training related queries to Vishwadeep and his team at BSS who can provide necessary guidance and information. As rightly mentioned by Vishwadeep 7 QC tools forms only a very small portion of Six Sigma Green Belt program. That's the reason I wrote -- they are generally covered in a "ISO 9001 2008 Lead Auditor or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification" training program offered by reputed organizations. Have you tried finding "Difference between Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma " on Google as suggested in my mail above? If you do that all your doubts will be cleared. Regards Aniruddha Vishwadeep : Thanks for your mail. Your reply has made my job easy.

Hi Hemanth Kumar, I think you are asking most frequently asked question i.e. "What is difference between Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma". Since the subject is very vast it is not possible to cover it in an e mail. Simply type "Difference between Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma " on Google and you will get lot of information and knowledge on the subject through different links. Most frequently used 7 Quality Tools for solving quality related problems are "Histograms, Pareto Charts, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Run Charts, Scatter Diagrams, Flow Charts, Control Charts". They have unique Applications so it is important to know " How and When to use each one of them " for finding solution to a problem. To the best of my knowledge there is no separate certification available for these tools but they are generally covered in a "ISO 9001 2008 Lead Auditor or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification" training program offered by reputed organizations. Regards Aniruddha