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Sep

Data Driven Problem Solving Program

Posted by: business901 | Comments (0)

Steven C. Wilson, one of the leading Lean Six Sigma trainers in the state of Iowa has released a new program, Data Driven Problem Solving. The entire program can be downloaded as a PDF and MP3 on IowaQualityTraining.com.

Data Driven Problem Solving includes a 100 page book with over 4 hours of audio. In addition, a copy of Lean Six Sigma for Leaders book is included. The Data Driven Problem Solving program is a result of material covered in a 2-day workshop presented by the author Steven C. Wilson. It was created to support the training both before and after the class. It provides many of the questions people had about problem solving utilizing DMAIC. You do not need to fully comprehending the tools of Six Sigma. With an understanding of Data Driven Problem Solving, it will allow more participation in your organization’s problem solving efforts.

Data Driven Problem Solving uses activities based approach and is comprised of multiple separate sessions, which follow the Six Sigma DMAIC approach without the need of the typical Black Belts, Green Belt hierarchy associated with Six Sigma organizations. It is presented in a unique question and answer format providing information about how to use and implement a problem solving methodology in an organization.

Topic that are covered:

Process Improvement Basics
Roles and Organization – Teamwork
What is Our Quest? – The Define Phase
How is the Current Process Performing? – Measure Phase
What are the “Deep Dive” Causes of a Problem? – Analyze Phase
What will We Change? – Improve Phase
Are We There yet? – Control Phase

About: Steven C. Wilson is the host of Quality Conversations and can be found at Wilson Consulting and Training Services, Inc (WCTS, Inc – www.stevencwilson.com). Wilson has over 20 years of experience applying quality improvement tools, methodologies, and principles in a variety of industries that include automotive, healthcare, logistics, distribution, education, and numerous manufacturing venues. He has dedicated himself to the cause by training/coaching over 600 Six Sigma practitioners in over 70 companies with an emphasis on getting results. Wilson possesses a very engaging style of leadership, training and consulting, and provides an experienced eye for companies on the road to organizational improvement.

Program is also available on Amazon:
Ring Bound:Data Driven Problem Solving
CD Format: Data Driven Problem Solving

Is there a compatible future for Lean and MRP?

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There seems to be an element of distaste from Lean Supply Chain people about MRP. Not being a Supply Chain expert it is really not for me to comment. But I did ask Carol Ptak and Chad Smith to address a few of those issues in the Business901 podcast, and in the podcast, Is Orlicky’s MRP relevant today? Think DDMRP. Below is an excerpt from the podcast on one of those questions:

First of all, we owe Lean a huge debt of gratitude to getting some critical elements in front of industry. One thing that I think is very important is the Lean crowd, I think, unfairly gets branded as anti-technology. I think that that’s unfair because, up until now, technology hasn’t worked for Lean very well. If you look at the basic rules of MRP and how it works, it doesn’t work well for Lean. If you look at the Toyota Production System, even the critical points in the Toyota Production System about technology, I think, Liker’s book, I think it’s point eight.

It says, “Use only thoroughly tested and proven technological methods for your people and processes.” Well, up until now, there haven’t been thoroughly tested or proven technological processes.

So it’s forced the Lean community, it’s forced the TOC community back into manual systems. And those manual systems are breaking down. They’re too intensive. And for larger corporations, you really lose a lot of visibility across an enterprise. In fact, for larger companies, Joe, the idea of enterprise Lean really doesn’t exist. And why? It’s because we have limitations with technology.

Now, what Carol and I are doing here is we’re saying, look. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Let’s not just throw out the promise of technology and jump all the way back to manual re-order point systems. Let’s figure out how we have to change the formal planning logic to create new rules that then foster new tools that both the formal planning crowd and the Lean crowd can embrace.

And so far, we’ve heard really good feedback from both sides of the fence here that says, “Yeah, this seems to solve the things that we need to see” and from the Lean side, it also seems to be right in line and actually even facilitate their objectives.

Below is a transcription of the entire conversation:

Introduction to Demand Driven MRP –

Carol Ptak and Chad Smith were asked to co-author the new Orlicky’s Material Requirements Planning 3/E. Carol and Chad were on previous podcasts with me, In a Supply Chain, Where is more important than How Much! and Can MRP be a Demand – Driven Tool?. They can be found at the Demand Driven Institute.

This past week I had a good time applying a few of the DDMRP concepts to sales and marketing. Exercises like this helps me stretch my thoughts a little.

Related Information:

Summary of the 6-part blog Series using DDMRP

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This is part of my blog series on using the principles of Demand Drive MRP and its five primary components and applying it to marketing. This particular blog is the summary of the series.

These five components work together to dampen, if not eliminate, the unnecessary nervousness of traditional MRP systems and the resulting bullwhip effect in complex and challenging environments. In using this approach, planners will no longer have to try to respond to every single message for every single part that is off by even one day. This approach provides real information about those parts that are truly at risk of negatively affecting the planned availability of inventory. Demand-driven MRP sorts the significant few items that require attention from the magnificent many parts that are currently being managed. Under the demand-driven MRP approach, fewer planners can make better decisions more quickly. This means that companies will be better able to leverage their working and human capital as well as the significant investments they have made in information technology.

The above is from the Orlicky’s Material Requirements Planning 3/E. written by my recent podcast (Is Orlicky’s MRP relevant today? Think DDMRP) guest Carol Ptak and Chad Smith of the Demand Driven Institute.

This exercise of taking the 5 components of DDMRP provides an interesting and innate view of the Lean Marketing perspective. I think specifically it assists in explanation of how to scale the Lean Marketing principles. So often in this world of one to one marketing or marketing singularity we forget to view the enterprise foundational need for marketing to our core customer base. There is so much talk about innovation and early adaptors and they certainly have a role in your marketing structure. However, the core customer group of an established customer is that 68% majority found in the middle of the diffusion curve.

Other companies that keep venturing to the extremities of the curve will continue to compete on price and availability. The organizations that align themselves with similar cultures if so desired will give themselves the opportunity to establish that structure that we identified in Profiling the customer by knowledge gaps. Surprisingly when we go to scale, these factor are seldom different. Establishing your presence through increase knowledge transfer will allow you to dig deeper within the structure of any company. It may take you longer to dig the hole but every shovelful will make it that much more for your competition to overcome.

Effective knowledge transfer seldom occurs without effective collaboration and in today’s world having the right tools in place plays a vital role. Dr. Graham Hill addressed this issue in a blog post, CIO view: Ten principles for effective collaboration where he said:

Companies should start to develop their collaboration capabilities before purchasing collaboration technology. This will ensure that the technology really fits the style of collaboration that has already been developed. The pace of business is getting faster and faster. Today’s competitors may not even have existed a few years ago. Improving effective collaboration is one of the few insurance policies that companies have in these hyper-competitive times.

I encourage you to read Dr. Hill’s entire post. It provides an excellent groundwork for the role of tools in collaboration.

The other blog posts in this series on DDMRP: