I have been holding quarterly fireside chats with my fellow alums. These alums work in different industries, including non-profit organizations. One of the alums was from a non-profit org, and the conversation drifted towards the use of funds and the challenges faced by such organizations. This was especially so since many of us supported different charities and were, at the […]
. . . Why it is more relevant than ever before If you haven’t been living under a rock, you would be hearing Microservices for the gazzillionth time. People have tried to tie Microservices with everything under the sun. From Re-usability to silver bullet design pattern; from agility, to defining your org structure based on Microservices, we have seen it […]
. . . And the role of intuition The big data revolution is requiring a seismic shift inside organizations, both in the way we build relationships and the way we make decisions. Each is now driven by data rather than intuition.In general, decision making is accomplished via a thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In a […]
Black Belts could use predictive analytics to transform the convenience store industry Convenience stores are located on most street corners the world over. These small enterprises offer customers a wide variety of items and often have gas pumps outside as well. Considering how long convenience stores have been around and the quantity of items they carry, you’d expect them to […]
Make the most of your Black Belts Regression equations,try fitted lines, and sampling are familiar terms to people in the quality field. There are tools that we use (i.e., planning matrices, tree diagrams, and flowcharts) to help our organizations optimize processes. These tools aren’t new, and their use isn’t limited to the quality profession. They’re being employed more frequently as […]
Applying design of experiments to marketing Design of experiments (DOE) is a term familiar to most quality professionals. Some use it on a regular basis and others try their best to avoid it. Most of those who employ this problem-solving tool have done so mainly on behalf of quality improvement projects. Limiting DOE to just these areas or types of […]
Determine constraints to achieve competitive advantage In today’s world, it’s almost expected that product or service innovation will yield competitive advantage. So how does one innovate? One approach is to hire genius employees and to combine the attributes of a number of tools (e.g., theory of constraints or experimentation), or use specific methodologies such as TRIZ (innovative problem solving). Surprisingly, your […]
An important concept within TRIZ is that someone, somewhere, has already solved your problem. Of course, the problem has to be clearly stated, and in a generic sense to enable the recognition of existing valid solutions. TRIZ is not alone in recognizing this need. ‘Stating the problem clearly’ is something that was recognized by the formulators of the Six Sigma […]
Finding the root cause vs. treating the symptom The TRIZ executive council group had taken a break during summer and were now meeting after almost three months. There were the usual exchanges about vacations and work challenges, cialis but Joel was excited and wanted to share something he believed would be of benefit to every member of the council. He […]
By electing President Obama in 2008, the people of the United States opted for change. In the May 2014 elections in India, the people of India opted for change by nominating N. Modi for Prime Minister after a long run by the Congress Party. The recent surges in polls and a realignment of leadership throughout the world are a clear […]