Data: The Chicken or The Egg?

If you can pass this five Post-It quiz 100%, then you “may be ready” for Lean Six Sigma or Process Analytics. Most people I’ve taught and coached in the Lean Six Sigma and Data Science world do not pass this 100%.

But first, let me tell you a small story of how I came to love this quiz.

A few years ago I taught a two-day "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma" course at a client site. As I routinely do during introductions, I ask my participants for their expectations for the course. One person startled me by asking, “…. What tool or concept will I learn that I can apply in my every day work?”

I uttered to myself …. “In a two day class?!!!!”

After tap dancing for the remainder of the introductions, I discovered just the tool that has proven to be a profound wake up call to most of my clients to this day. So, here we go. Here are the secret instructions.

• I write up the Post-It Notes as shown above and randomly place them on a flip-chart. 

• I then ask each table team to duplicate these Post-It Notes for their table team and place them randomly on their flip-chart.

• Each table team is then given 5 minutes to place these Post-It Notes in the order they believe is the correct sequence of how they should occur. But do not share your work with the other table teams.

• When the last table team is finished, each team will then present the order they believe is the correct sequence and defend their rationale with the rest of the class.

Typical Outcome: Every table team presents a different order. After a brief class discussion, we all agree to the final answer.

The lesson is simple but profound. The proper order is important but not as important as the ensuing discussion and the revelation of how people understand this important topic.

Now, it’s your turn. Take the quiz with your colleagues or friends. See if you agree to the correct order, and if not, what are the lessons to be learned as you embark on data driven initiatives. Feel free to post your answers, comments or emotional outbursts on the LinkedIn post.

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