【翻译】第四十篇 The Champion's Role In Successful Six Sigma Deployments
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本篇文章由shijie0181提供
The Champion's Role InSuccessful Six Sigma Deployments
Champions have a much larger role indeploying Six Sigma or any other initiative than just removing roadblocks.Champions must be integrated into the business, select projects accurately,adjust the speed of the deployment as necessary, and take responsibility forimplementation.
For a Six Sigma deployment to produce theexpected results, organizational roles and responsibilities must be clearlydefined and aligned. If Executives and Champions are trained and Black Beltsand Green Belts aren't, the probability of success decreases to virtuallynothing. The reverse is true as well. None of these situations will produce thetype of results that will occur when Six Sigma practitioners are placed in thecorrect support environment.
The Six Sigma Support Structure
The core structure at an operational levelis Black Belts supported by Master Black Belts. The Black Belts are trained inthe basic problem-solving strategy and methodology. When Black Belts havedemonstrated a proclivity for solving difficult projects, are self-starters,are self-reliant to a reasonable extent and put in the time commensurate with thetask, they are considered for additional training as Master Black Belts. Thereis no universally accepted standard for the Master Black Belt curriculum.Additional training is intended to broaden, not necessarily raise the level of,the tool sets that are at the disposal of Master Black Belts. The strategy isto provide Master Black Belts with a wider array of skill sets so they canassist in projects that may become stalled.
Six Sigma Green Belts are critical to theprocess because they are the key to creating a culture shift. If the shift isattempted by training huge numbers of Black Belts, Black Belts will spend mostof their time tripping over each other as they scramble to create the"number of projects" or "dollars saved" metrics imposed bymanagement to motivate them.
A popular theory is that in a changeprocess, one-third is on the fence, one-third is holding back, and one-third isjumping at the new opportunity. These numbers will fluctuate based on thecompany culture. A conservative company culture will create more fence sittersand resistors. A dynamic company culture will increase the number of peoplejumping at the new opportunity. Before you can comprehend what the numberactually is, you must understand the company culture. Green Belts, in the longrun, are the ones who shift the culture.
The relationship between Master BlackBelts, Black Belts and Green Belts is well understood due to the intuitivenature of the titles. Getting just this much of the structure bolsters thesuccess model. So what is the rest of the structure?
In most organizations they are referred toas Champions. If you ask people what a Champion does, they will quickly reply,"they remove roadblocks." Superficially, that is true. Championsshould remove roadblocks. Champions need to be in a position to defuse anyissues that may arise between a Black Belt and another person in theorganization, particularly if the issue is with someone with a higher formalposition in the company. The Champion should be the buffer that keeps a BlackBelt out of a head-to-head confrontation with Managers, Vice Presidents andDirectors in the company, allowing Black Belts the freedom to focus on theproblem, not engage in some inane territorial dispute. This is the mostfundamental function of the Champion.
The Extended Six Sigma Champion
One critical characteristic for successfulSix Sigma Champions is that they are some hybrid of Henry Kissinger and Xena,the Warrior Princess. It may actually be easier to find the mutant offspring ofthese two leaders than it is to find the complete Champion. Being the completeChampion requires more than diplomatic and warrior skill sets. Champions mustbe proficient in four other areas:
1.Business and operations interface
2.Project selection
3.Pace mediation
4.Results implementation
Many companies have invoked the BalancedScore Card to assure this alignment. It is a good tool to apply metrics toChampions. It can be used as a measurement tool to quantify the performance ofChampions in this role.
Again, alignment is the key. If theorganization truly understands and practices alignment, project selectionbecomes less of a threat. Furthermore, if the alignment is augmented withprocess data it is an even easier task. The threatening question is defused tobecome a discussion of the alignment methods or the data that was used. Thepersonal implications become a non-issue.
One should also realize the risksassociated with choosing an internal sponsor. The resulting plan will be adirect function of the sponsor's level of Six Sigma knowledge. Manyorganizations have taken to hiring an Internal Master Black Belt to lead theorganizational charge. The risk here is the same as previously mentioned: ifthe total deployment experience is one deployment, they still have a limitedscope. It is the basic calculation for a confidence interval using attributedata and a sample size of one - it is better than zero but probably not asignificant difference. The optimum Six Sigma deployment plan is derived from acombination of an internal expert (Business, Six Sigma and Change) and the SixSigma provider.
Once a plan has been generated and sold atthe C-Level it is difficult to modify. Internal people will rarely adjust theplan. Very few deployments are initiated with metrics that quantify theprogram's results and lead to a decision to accelerate or slow the program.Slowing a Six Sigma initiative too much may cause it to die - no sense ofurgency will deprioritize any initiative regardless of which initiative it is.The real issue comes from a person or persons so committed to driving a planthat they see only completion as the success metric. Frequently these programsare quantified in terms of numbers of people trained. This will turn the focusfrom a results-driven program to a training program.
When a plan is constructed it should havegoals, specific targets that will increase customer success/satisfaction,competitive position, technology, etc. These should have metrics. Meeting ornot meeting metrics should be analyzed, and adjustments should be made to theprogram.
When a project is completed it should havea calculated potential savings. The finance department of the organization, notthe Six Sigma provider, should sign off on this number. The savings should notonly have a financial measurement but should also be time bounded. That numberrepresents a reduction in wasted resources for the organization. It is a metricthat the Champion should be held accountable for. If a project identifies a$50,000 savings over the next 12 months and it produces only $25,000 becausethe Champion took six months to get involved in the implementation, then themetric should reflect the lack of involvement. If the plan was executedperfectly and the financial projection was inaccurate, a metric should be inplace to reflect that inaccuracy. Just as with anything else, the metrics willdrive the performance. If you want accurate projections and timelyimplementations, you had better place a metric on them.
One of the biggest questions associatedwith Six Sigma project savings is "are they real." A decision tocredit soft savings opens the door to exaggerations. The audit functions inplace in companies today should be of a wide enough scope to assure theaccuracy of these numbers whether they are from a Six Sigma deployment or anyother program that uses cost savings as a metric. The audit function does notnecessarily lie within the accounting or finance departments. The process ofcalculating savings may be well defined, documented and incorporated into sometype of Quality System (Business System) audit. Some of the larger companieshave internal auditors who have been given responsibility for the accuracy ofthese numbers as well.
Summary
Champions have a much larger role indeploying Six Sigma or any other initiative than just removing roadblocks. Thejob requires more than just this single task. Champions must be integrated intothe business, select projects accurately, adjust the speed of the deployment asnecessary, and take responsibility for implementation.
Unless metrics are placed on allresponsibilities of a Champion, the organization is placing the deployment atrisk. Failure to execute these tasks at even a minimal level can and doespropagate turnover of the people your organization spent valuable resourcestraining.
References
1 Technology is used in its broadestgeneric sense. This is not technology exclusively as it applies to amanufacturing process. It can be the intricacies of an accounting system or howa sales forecast is constructed.
2 The Deming Management Method by MaryWalton, Pedigree Books, 1986, page 72.
3 The book Dangerous Company: ManagementConsultants and the Businesses They Save and Ruin by James O'Shea and CharlesMadigan provides many insights into the potential hazards of employing theservices of consultants.
你好，我是小编H。请对以下文章有翻译兴趣的组员留下你的预计完成时间，并发短信息联系小编H，以便小编登记翻译者信息以及文章最终完成时的奖惩工作。感谢支持翻译组！
本篇文章由shijie0181提供
The Champion's Role InSuccessful Six Sigma Deployments
Champions have a much larger role indeploying Six Sigma or any other initiative than just removing roadblocks.Champions must be integrated into the business, select projects accurately,adjust the speed of the deployment as necessary, and take responsibility forimplementation.
For a Six Sigma deployment to produce theexpected results, organizational roles and responsibilities must be clearlydefined and aligned. If Executives and Champions are trained and Black Beltsand Green Belts aren't, the probability of success decreases to virtuallynothing. The reverse is true as well. None of these situations will produce thetype of results that will occur when Six Sigma practitioners are placed in thecorrect support environment.
The Six Sigma Support Structure
The core structure at an operational levelis Black Belts supported by Master Black Belts. The Black Belts are trained inthe basic problem-solving strategy and methodology. When Black Belts havedemonstrated a proclivity for solving difficult projects, are self-starters,are self-reliant to a reasonable extent and put in the time commensurate with thetask, they are considered for additional training as Master Black Belts. Thereis no universally accepted standard for the Master Black Belt curriculum.Additional training is intended to broaden, not necessarily raise the level of,the tool sets that are at the disposal of Master Black Belts. The strategy isto provide Master Black Belts with a wider array of skill sets so they canassist in projects that may become stalled.
Six Sigma Green Belts are critical to theprocess because they are the key to creating a culture shift. If the shift isattempted by training huge numbers of Black Belts, Black Belts will spend mostof their time tripping over each other as they scramble to create the"number of projects" or "dollars saved" metrics imposed bymanagement to motivate them.
A popular theory is that in a changeprocess, one-third is on the fence, one-third is holding back, and one-third isjumping at the new opportunity. These numbers will fluctuate based on thecompany culture. A conservative company culture will create more fence sittersand resistors. A dynamic company culture will increase the number of peoplejumping at the new opportunity. Before you can comprehend what the numberactually is, you must understand the company culture. Green Belts, in the longrun, are the ones who shift the culture.
The relationship between Master BlackBelts, Black Belts and Green Belts is well understood due to the intuitivenature of the titles. Getting just this much of the structure bolsters thesuccess model. So what is the rest of the structure?
In most organizations they are referred toas Champions. If you ask people what a Champion does, they will quickly reply,"they remove roadblocks." Superficially, that is true. Championsshould remove roadblocks. Champions need to be in a position to defuse anyissues that may arise between a Black Belt and another person in theorganization, particularly if the issue is with someone with a higher formalposition in the company. The Champion should be the buffer that keeps a BlackBelt out of a head-to-head confrontation with Managers, Vice Presidents andDirectors in the company, allowing Black Belts the freedom to focus on theproblem, not engage in some inane territorial dispute. This is the mostfundamental function of the Champion.
The Extended Six Sigma Champion
One critical characteristic for successfulSix Sigma Champions is that they are some hybrid of Henry Kissinger and Xena,the Warrior Princess. It may actually be easier to find the mutant offspring ofthese two leaders than it is to find the complete Champion. Being the completeChampion requires more than diplomatic and warrior skill sets. Champions mustbe proficient in four other areas:
1.Business and operations interface
2.Project selection
3.Pace mediation
4.Results implementation
- Business and Operations Interface
Many companies have invoked the BalancedScore Card to assure this alignment. It is a good tool to apply metrics toChampions. It can be used as a measurement tool to quantify the performance ofChampions in this role.
- Six Sigma Project Selection
Again, alignment is the key. If theorganization truly understands and practices alignment, project selectionbecomes less of a threat. Furthermore, if the alignment is augmented withprocess data it is an even easier task. The threatening question is defused tobecome a discussion of the alignment methods or the data that was used. Thepersonal implications become a non-issue.
- Pace Mediation
One should also realize the risksassociated with choosing an internal sponsor. The resulting plan will be adirect function of the sponsor's level of Six Sigma knowledge. Manyorganizations have taken to hiring an Internal Master Black Belt to lead theorganizational charge. The risk here is the same as previously mentioned: ifthe total deployment experience is one deployment, they still have a limitedscope. It is the basic calculation for a confidence interval using attributedata and a sample size of one - it is better than zero but probably not asignificant difference. The optimum Six Sigma deployment plan is derived from acombination of an internal expert (Business, Six Sigma and Change) and the SixSigma provider.
Once a plan has been generated and sold atthe C-Level it is difficult to modify. Internal people will rarely adjust theplan. Very few deployments are initiated with metrics that quantify theprogram's results and lead to a decision to accelerate or slow the program.Slowing a Six Sigma initiative too much may cause it to die - no sense ofurgency will deprioritize any initiative regardless of which initiative it is.The real issue comes from a person or persons so committed to driving a planthat they see only completion as the success metric. Frequently these programsare quantified in terms of numbers of people trained. This will turn the focusfrom a results-driven program to a training program.
When a plan is constructed it should havegoals, specific targets that will increase customer success/satisfaction,competitive position, technology, etc. These should have metrics. Meeting ornot meeting metrics should be analyzed, and adjustments should be made to theprogram.
- Results Implementation
When a project is completed it should havea calculated potential savings. The finance department of the organization, notthe Six Sigma provider, should sign off on this number. The savings should notonly have a financial measurement but should also be time bounded. That numberrepresents a reduction in wasted resources for the organization. It is a metricthat the Champion should be held accountable for. If a project identifies a$50,000 savings over the next 12 months and it produces only $25,000 becausethe Champion took six months to get involved in the implementation, then themetric should reflect the lack of involvement. If the plan was executedperfectly and the financial projection was inaccurate, a metric should be inplace to reflect that inaccuracy. Just as with anything else, the metrics willdrive the performance. If you want accurate projections and timelyimplementations, you had better place a metric on them.
One of the biggest questions associatedwith Six Sigma project savings is "are they real." A decision tocredit soft savings opens the door to exaggerations. The audit functions inplace in companies today should be of a wide enough scope to assure theaccuracy of these numbers whether they are from a Six Sigma deployment or anyother program that uses cost savings as a metric. The audit function does notnecessarily lie within the accounting or finance departments. The process ofcalculating savings may be well defined, documented and incorporated into sometype of Quality System (Business System) audit. Some of the larger companieshave internal auditors who have been given responsibility for the accuracy ofthese numbers as well.
Summary
Champions have a much larger role indeploying Six Sigma or any other initiative than just removing roadblocks. Thejob requires more than just this single task. Champions must be integrated intothe business, select projects accurately, adjust the speed of the deployment asnecessary, and take responsibility for implementation.
Unless metrics are placed on allresponsibilities of a Champion, the organization is placing the deployment atrisk. Failure to execute these tasks at even a minimal level can and doespropagate turnover of the people your organization spent valuable resourcestraining.
References
1 Technology is used in its broadestgeneric sense. This is not technology exclusively as it applies to amanufacturing process. It can be the intricacies of an accounting system or howa sales forecast is constructed.
2 The Deming Management Method by MaryWalton, Pedigree Books, 1986, page 72.
3 The book Dangerous Company: ManagementConsultants and the Businesses They Save and Ruin by James O'Shea and CharlesMadigan provides many insights into the potential hazards of employing theservices of consultants.
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