73 articles in this category
Continuous process improvement is the ongoing effort to enhance products, services, and processes through incremental or breakthrough changes. Learn key techniques like PDCA, process mapping, and Kaizen. Discover how to build a culture of innovation that empowers employees to contribute improvements and drives lasting organizational success.
Essential continuous improvement tools help identify process weaknesses and implement solutions. Discover process mapping techniques, the PDCA cycle for testing changes, root cause analysis methods, the 5 Whys questioning approach, DMAIC methodology, and how process management software ensures lasting change.
The 7 basic quality tools are graphical techniques developed by Kaoru Ishikawa for troubleshooting product and process quality issues. Learn how flow charts, histograms, cause-and-effect diagrams, and other essential tools help organizations control and improve quality.
Most Six Sigma projects fail to meet objectives, making consultant choice critical. New consultants charge $1,000-2,000 daily while experienced professionals command $2,500-5,000 per day, with project fees ranging $20,000-100,000. Interview multiple candidates, check references with other business owners, and prioritize culture fit over credentials alone.
Six Sigma targets 3.4 defects per million opportunities, dating back to Motorola in the 1980s when executive Art Sundry sought better quality consistency, eventually winning the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Four main software types exist: analysis tools, program management tools, DMAIC/Lean collaboration tools, and data collection tools feeding information directly into analysis systems.
Over half of business users check email six or more times daily, with professionals spending nearly an hour managing email overload. Tools like Unroll.me bulk promotional emails into one message, while Sanebox splits emails into important versus promotional categories. France banned after-hour emails country-wide, while Atos CEO eliminated internal email entirely using social networks instead.