To be or not to be?

I am currently organizing my line of thoughts. I have this idea on how to save lives, essentially a medical application that can be accessible to professional and consumers alike. The question is shall I venture on fields outside of my comfort zone? In the past I have had involvement in medical solutions such as walking aids for various patient symptoms, its an area that I feel I can give back to the human race and establish a lasting legacy.

Back to reality, I have received numerous offers to join various organizations in varying capacity, the question is do I jump ship or do I stay put? Do I cash out and do something else, something more meaningful outside of my comfort zone or do I keep on walking the same path and try to reach the same goals?

What are my goals? as a kid growing up I always wanted to contribute one meaningful legacy to mankind, a word, a phrase, an action, an invention... something that future generations will remember me by. That's a tall order considering I am as ordinary as everybody else.

Ahh, that very elusive single brilliant idea it is in the corner I can sense it.., I just need to grab it...

Implementing Lean Six Sigma without the cost

In AmanziTel we practice the principles of Lean Six Sigma, it is evident in our operations from corporate to software development. In our software development this is evident in the methods we use such as distributed development environment, customer driven development, agile development environment and continuous integration. On our corporate development it is evident on our strategies to minimize cost by operating as lean as possible including benefits from open source software and various distribution methodologies.

For most companies implementing Lean Six Sigma is never a low cost exercise, there is the expensive training, certifications and consultants who assists and advise on implementation and change management. For large companies that have deep pockets this is not an issue since the gains far outweigh the costs. However for companies that do not have the big budgets for implementation often shun the change since they do not see the immediate benefit, a decision that in most cases causes their own downfall. There is of course a simple answer, you can implement Lean Six Sigma without the cost. How can this be done?

These is achieved by keeping things simple by starting from the very top and end at the very top. For Lean Six Sigma to be successful, the management must accept it, embrace it, advocate it and live it. It should become the very air they breathe. But how does it help? The success is in the strategies they choose and the decisions they make. By adopting the principles of Lean Six Sigma as their own it will trickle down to the entire organization and becomes ingrained in the corporate culture. This approach of course is most effective and works only in small organizations, or does it apply to all?

Six Sigma, does it still work?

This week I was reading a news release that Motorola has spin-out its mobility division since it is loss making. We all know that Motorola pioneered Six Sigma. The question that comes to mind on this recent transaction is "Does Six Sigma still work?”… It’s a valid question since the pioneer of the business practice has consistently faltered in the past years.

I was going over a due diligence issue the past days and the news get me thinking if Six Sigma practice is the right way. Six Sigma is of course based on a few principles where:
- Results are determined by inputs
- To improve results the inputs must be controlled
- Minimize variations
- Performance indicators create consistent improvements
- Focus on critical inputs that have significant effect on the output

Six Sigma originated in production and manufacturing then trickled down to every imaginable industry. The question in my mind stemmed from the fact that in highly developed economies production and manufacturing is no longer the preferred industry. Maybe that's the source Motorola's problems... it is a high tech company in a highly developed economy employing management practice on a business that does not suit where it is located. The argument is of course not valid since production and manufacturing can now be outsourced to any where in the world.

Do you think Six Sigma still work for industries powered by design and innovations?

The more interesting question to me of course is whether Six Sigma also applies to knowledge-based operations such as software development. Please share your thoughts.

I am an advocate of lean operations, customer driven agile development, continuous integration, continuous improvement and open innovations. Is there a place for such practices in the current information age? Only time will tell...

For a knowledge base, high technology industry which methodology do you think works best?