Emerging Trends in Quality for 2017 and 2018
2017 what's different from last year and what are we looking at for 2018?
Companies are continually facing industry changes and market forces. Take a look at your smart phone for example. What version are you using, or what operating system did you just load? Six Sigma can be considered the same. It grows over time and can be used to complement any improvement activities. Six Sigma complements project management framework and business analysis framework. Newer, easier, and more robust improvements are developed every day just in the way many software companies use agile development and lean. Agile software development is a set of principles for software development in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. Lean startups are using the “lean” terms to help startups shorten their product development cycles by adopting a combination of business-hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases, and validated learning. Iterations are no different than PDSA.
Some companies are infusing a number of “customer driven” initiatives in tandem with Six Sigma. In effect using Six Sigma for the larger projects and lean for the smaller waste driven.
Take global corporate initiatives, Companies are rapidly learning there is value added to their businesses using lean processes that have built in processes to help the environment and develop consumer “good will”. The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights’ (GBI) vision is that all corporations in all parts of the world respect the dignity and rights of the people they impact and interact with. The goal is to advance human rights in a business context through cross-industry peer learning, outreach and capacity building, and by informing policy.
Global corporate initiatives show sustainability for the future and socially responsible companies who understand the investment is necessary to lead the market in the future.
Many companies are striving for operational excellence designation, certification, or recognition. The Shingo prize is an example. The Shingo Prize is the world’s highest standard for operational excellence.
The Shingo Prize is based on a complete assessment of an organization’s culture and how well it drives world-class results. Shingo examiners focus on the degree to which the Shingo Guiding Principles of the Shingo Model™ are evident in the behavior of every employee. The examiners observe behavior and determine the frequency, duration, intensity and scope of the desired principle-based behavior. They also observe the degree to which leaders focus on principles and culture, and managers focus on aligning systems to drive ideal behaviors at all levels.
This focus is unique in the world and is the most rigorous way to determine whether an organization is fundamentally improving for the long-term, or just going through the motions of another flavor-of-the-month initiative.
Organizations that receive Shingo recognition fall into three categories:
Shingo Prize - a worldwide recognized symbol of an organization’s successful establishment of a culture anchored on principles of enterprise excellence
Shingo Silver Medallion - organizations maturing on the journey with primary focus on tools and systems for improvement
Shingo Bronze Medallion – organizations in the earlier stages of cultural transformation with primary focus on tools for improvement
Most organizations do not wait to challenge for the Shingo Prize until they are likely to win it.
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