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Most problems have already been solved. Find best practices and current topics of interest in today’s business and economic climate.


 Featured Articles

RPA Decision Tree
Summary Alex Sugimoto Summary Alex Sugimoto

RPA Decision Tree

As you may have already experienced, process automation and machine intelligence is taking off exponentially across all industries. Just like day trading the stock market, one has to be careful where to play and how to play.

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Getting Hosed by Lean?
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

Getting Hosed by Lean?

A couple of weeks ago I taught a two-day introduction to Lean Six Sigma at one of our hubs. It brought me back to the confusion participants experience when they entertain the topic of process lead time versus process throughput.

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Decoding Gage R&R Output
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

Decoding Gage R&R Output

Removing measurement system error from total observed error can be what I call a “quick win”. Who couldn’t use a quick win these days? If you look at a process distribution, we ask ourselves, what percent of this variation is assigned to measurement system variation?

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10 Things All Leaders Should Know
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

10 Things All Leaders Should Know

Whether you're involved in continuous improvement, operational excellence, innovation or lean six sigma, don't forget to capture the voice of the most important stakeholder in the organization - your employees.

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Is Your Process at Best or at Rest?
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

Is Your Process at Best or at Rest?

The purpose of this article is to provide readers with some insight to the shape of two common process distributions and to quickly understand whether their target process is currently at "Best" (close to entitlement) or at "Rest" (much room for improvement). This is especially important for operational leaders.

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The Four Agreements
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

The Four Agreements

Ground rules for meetings or events can get laissez-faire at times. Some common ground rules such as "one conversation at a time" or "laptops closed" may only scratch the surface. Let's spice this list up with some creativity, shall we?!

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Data Collection Blind Spots
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

Data Collection Blind Spots

In a previous article, “Are You Ready for AI?”, I posed the question if organizations were ready for Artificial Intelligence or Data Analytics based on how they would sequence the 5 Post-Its in figure 1 below.

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Data: The Chicken or The Egg?
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

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%.

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What is Rational Sampling?
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

What is Rational Sampling?

In my years in operations and consulting, I've seen varying successes in the implementation of statistical process control topics. The Shewhart Chart or more commonly referred to "Process Control Chart" is a particular challenge.

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What Color is Your Thinking Cap?
Alex Sugimoto Alex Sugimoto

What Color is Your Thinking Cap?

6 Thinking Hats can be used to direct team creativity when techniques such as brainstorming dry out. This technique has been used world wide, in a variety of corporations.

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