A company’s strategy is how it will realize its vision in the mid- to long-term. 

The strategy needs to be translated into action via strategic objectives, and operational objectives.

The achievement of both strategic and operational objectives needs to be regularly monitored to see, if the corporate strategy is on track.

The purpose of a root cause analysis is to determine the true causes of a problem to implement targeted measures.

As the picture illustrates, a problem (the tree) can have many causes (roots). Over time, the symptoms (leaves of the tree) and the problem (tree) grow larger and become more and more visible.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is used for quality control to ensure that the process produces within customer requirements.

With SPC you can detect errors early and prevent problems, rather than correct problems as they occur.

SPC also helps you to respond properly to measurement result and to address stability and capability.

«A bad process will beat a good person every time» W. Edwards Deming

How well do your process flow? Are your activities value-adding?

What do you measure to ensure good quality? 

Does everyone agree on how the process is performed?

I once had a summer job at “Sjømennenes Helsehjem”, and how to boil the eggs was a hot topic.

The residents were not always pleased with the boiled eggs. However, it was complicated to please them since some residents were very happy while others were dissatisfied, with eggs cooked exactly the same way.

"The devil is in the details"

Improving quality is about understanding and controlling variation.

Several variables influence a result. However, some variables are more important than others.

The Lead Lean conference organized by Nordic Business Forum (22nd of January 2018) was an inspiring meeting with talented speakers like Anita Krohn Traaseth, Alex Osterwalder, Dan Toma, Eric Ries & Seth Godin.

A recurring theme during the day was exploitation and exploration.

Have you tried to reach a goal or solve a problem without succeeding at your first attempt?

Maybe you fixed the symptoms, not the root cause? Perhaps the problem was not well understood? Or maybe the goal was unclear?

There may be many possible explanations. For whatever reason, a Thought Map will help you structure the way to the goal.

Lean Six Sigma helps you reduce costs, improve quality and increase productivity.

By applying the fact-based improvement method Lean Six Sigma, you achieve measurable results.

You learn how to improve flow, center processes and reduce variation.