In the News
How Innovation Can Be Too Much of a Good Thing, Wall Street Journal
By George Anders, Wall Street Journal, Page B3, June 11, 2007
Reducing the number of innovation projects can speed the introduction of new product lines.
Army Secretary addresses Soldiers at AUSA annual meeting
By Dennis Ryan, Fort Meyer Pentagram, October 11, 2006
Soldiers’ minds, hearts, characters and sense of purpose must all be strong, Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey said Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting as a video of Soldiers training and fighting played in the background.
Many Companies Still Cling to Big Hits To Drive Earnings
By Lee Gomes, Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2006
As companies watch the Web grow, and hear promises of greatly expanded niche sales, it's tempting for them to expand inventory to get in on the supposed land rush. But Matthew P. Reilly, with George Group Consulting of Dallas, says doing so could be a "recipe for disaster" at companies that make tangible, as opposed to purely digital, products -- if only because of the inevitable increase in execution risks they face in expanding their inventories. "The iTunes model doesn't work for most companies," he adds.
8th Army's first Lean Six Sigma grads on mission to cut costs in Korea
By Terri Weaver, Stars and Stripes, August 1, 2006
The 8th US Army graduated its first class of 22 Lean Six Sigma trainees this week. Just as the Army is changing the way it fights and deploys, it is looking for ways to rethink everyday work and find more efficiency.
Army centralizes Lean Six Sigma curriculum
By Chad Jones, Army News Service, July 26, 2006
Diane Gilbert, senior consultant with George Group, reviews the final exam with graduates of the first Lean Six Sigma course using a curriculum approved by the Department of the Army.
Army Continues to Make Progress in Business Transformation
Army Public Affairs, July 25, 2006
The U.S. Army Forces in Korea will graduate their first class of Lean Six Sigma Black Belts July 28, as part of the Army's business-transformation efforts. Using Lean Six Sigma as the enabling process, this business transformation effort is changing the Army business culture.
Lean Six Sigma eases fiscal constraint challenges
By Beth Reece, Army News Service, July 20, 2006
As commanders throughout the Army look for ways to cut operating costs, business practices of Lean Six Sigma are reducing expenses and improving productivity throughout manufacturing, contracting, administrative services and even recruiting.
Lean and Mean
By Sally B. Donnelly, Time.com, July 5, 2006
In a dramatic experiment, the army is remaking itself using theories perfected by business. Can Lean Six Sigma build a better, faster force?
Lean, mean, Six Sigma machines
By Tam Harbert -- Electronic Business, 6/1/2006
Their improved business results are a direct result of Lean Six, and they are looking to increase those results by applying Lean Six beyond their manufacturing divisions and even beyond their companies to customers and suppliers. And the evidence appears to strongly support the claim.
Cardinal Health Revamps IT Organization
By Jody Davids, executive VP and CIO at Cardinal Health,
InformationWeek, May 22, 2006
These multiple requirements led us to an operational excellence initiative designed to build new skills among our 55,000 employees and improve quality and management practices across the business. They also resulted in a redesign and overhaul of our IT operations away from a business-unit focus and toward an integrated group servicing the entire company.
Product Variety Without Tears
By Dan Chow and Andrei Perumal, BI Review Magazine, May 1, 2006
Executives need to weigh the benefits of launching new products against the often hidden and unintended costs of complexity that are sure to arise.
Leadership management graduates learn Lean Six Sigma
By Lt. Col. Bill Davisson, Army Management Staff College, Belvoir Eagle, April 6, 2006
Forty-one students from the Sustaining Base Leadership Management-Resident Class 06-01 successfully completed Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification on March 27 and 28. The initiative to get Lean Six Sigma into the SBLM curriculum is based on the great success of Lean Six Sigma implementation in Army organizations.
How IT Drives Product Proliferation: Keeping Complexity at Bay
By Matt Reilly and Stephen Wilson, Insurance & Technology, April 5, 2006
Competitive pressures are driving the need for more product development. But the industry is plagued by complexity-related issues. Why IT may be part of the problem and why the solution may be less versus more.
8th Army learning to cut waste, save millions
By T.D. Flack, Stars and Stripes, March 21, 2006
Lean Six Sigma initiative takes cues from civilian methods. Eighth U.S. Army officials are training a group of about 25 subject matter experts who will lead the push in using a new management tool to improve Army missions, products and services while reducing costs.
How Complexity and Clutter Can Take Over and Ruin your Business
By Dr. Eric Clemons, Knowledge@Wharton, 3 Nov-16 Nov
An interview with Stephen Wilson, co-author of Conquering Complexity in Your Business and Matt Reilly, Vice President Client Services
Lean Six Sigma Leads Xerox
By Arthur Fornari and George Maszle, Six Sigma Forum, August 2004
Six Sigma Author Praises Richard
By Dan Stockman, The Journal Gazette, Sep. 25, 2003
Xerox Global Services Drives Quality With Six Sigma
By Emily Hollis, Chief Learning Officer, July 2, 2003
Press Releases
George Group Consulting’s Charles J. McLaughlin Named 2007—2008 White House Fellowship Regional Finalist, March 19, 2007
George Group Consulting Appoints Carl Dugdale Managing Director, Europe, as Firm Expands Aggressively in Region, September 12, 2006
George Group Consulting Shares Strategic Insights at Lean Six Sigma China Summit, June 16, 2006
George Group Consulting Brings Together Leading Fortune 500 Executives at Innovation Roundtable 2006, April 27, 2006
George Group Consulting and Knowledge@Wharton Publish Survey on Impact of Product and Service Complexity on Business, February 6, 2006
George Group Signs on with Decisioneering's Six Sigma Partner Program, June 29, 2005
Authors Detail New Approach to Conquer Business Complexity, February 25, 2004
George Group, DeLeeuw Associates and iSixSigma Partner To Advance Financial Services Quality Through Focused Six Sigma Portal, February 10, 2004
Virginia's Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Virginia Tech, and George Group Consulting Announce Alliance to Deliver Advanced Lean Six Sigma Certification, December 10, 2003
George Group Releases New Book Detailing the Fundamentals of Lean Six Sigma, December 1, 2003
Lean Six Sigma Guru and McGraw-Hill Author Featured Speaker at Financial Services Executive Roundtable, October 23, 2003
Fort Wayne Hosts Nationally-Recognized Business Leader: Mayor Richard welcomes Lean Six Sigma expert, September 22, 2003
Lean Six Sigma Expert George Group Partners with Instantis to Bring Instantis' Six Sigma Project Lifecycle Management Solution to Enterprises, May 8, 2003
George Group, Deleeuw Associates, Inc. Announce Partnership, October 7, 2002
George Group Announces Lean Six Sigma Center for Excellence, April 12, 2002
Articles
Minimizing Risks: How to Apply FMEA in Services
By Tim Williams.
FMEA, which has become widespread among Six Sigma practitioners, is a system for analyzing the design of a product or service system to identify potential failures, then taking steps to counteract or at least minimize the risks from those failures. iSixSigma Financial Services
Why a Project Team Cannot Afford to Overlook the C in DMAIC -
An iSixSigma Case Study By Tim Williams.
The initial results of a new quality improvement effort at a Midwest lockbox operation were disappointing - the error rate seemed to be increasing. When the SixSigma team got to the Control phase it began solving the problem of excessive errors. iSixSigma Financial Services
Reducing Delays in Service Processes with Rapid Setup
By Mark George.
Job processes that include non-value-added work which increase delays and extend work in progress are common in service functions. They usually are accepted as "the way work is done." But a rapid setup method can help streamline those processes. iSixSigma Financial Services
Using 'Preferred Roles' to Assure Best Team Performance
By Max Isaac and James Works.
Considering "preferred roles" and "allowable weaknesses" when planning a Six Sigma project and selecting members of the project team makes sense. It provides a more scientific approach to helping assure better team performance and project success. iSixSigma Financial Services
Pull System Speeds Up Work Flow and Project Cycle Time
By Mark Price and Kevin Simonin.
A "pull system," in which work enters a process at the same rate it exits. The result is a faster work flow and faster project cycle times. And with the "exit rate" controlled by customer demand, the customers' needs are always met. iSixSigma Financial Services
Salvaging a Call Center's Big Software Investment
By Tim Williams.
The call center handled technical problems and policy issues for a financial institution's branches across the country But complaints and cost overruns indicated problems. New software did not help. The company found the answer is a Six Sigma project. iSixSigma Financial Services
Learning to Recognize Process Waste in Financial Services
By Bill Kastle.
To help Six Sigma practitioners in financial services begin developing a "waste-sensing" ability, here is a description of seven specific types of process waste that someone is doing somewhere in virtually every company right now. iSixSigma Financial Services
Fast Start Collecting Data on Financial Service Process
By Kevin Simonin.
In any financial service process that is being studied for the first time, it's common for Six Sigma teams to spend one-third to one-half of their project time on data collection alone. Here are three tips that may help teams get a fast started. iSixSigma Financial Services
Balancing Roles and Responsibilities in Six Sigma
By Mark Price and James Works.
Organizations can avoid conflicts by using RACI to help make choices about roles and responsibilities in Six Sigma. iSixSigma Financial Services
Using Interviews to Shape a Six Sigma Deployment
By Bill Kastle and Max Isaac.
Interviews with the CEO and other key influencers can identify critical elements of success for a Six Sigma initiative. iSixSigma Financial Services
Designing Financial Services with DMEDI
By Kimberly Watson-Hemphill.
When a company wants to invent a new product or service, Six Sigma has a companion methodology to DMAIC -- it's DMEDI. iSixSigma Financial Services
Using Triage to Manage Process Workloads in Services
By Mark George.
One of the most effective tools for minimizing workflow congestion in services, and the delays it causes, is triage. iSixSigma Financial Services
Check Imaging Improvements with Lean Six Sigma
By Eric Castaline, Tony Kneisley and Stephen Wilson.
A case study in which Lean Six Sigma was used to insure the benefits of check imaging process, while limiting the risks. iSixSigma Financial Services |
