Harper College CE Now Offers Agile Sigma Training

Introducing: Agile Sigma Overview (LBS 0016), Friday, 9/29, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

This half-day instructor-led class is designed for business executives and managers interested in developing a basic understanding of the new Agile Sigma methodology. Learn how this new method – that combines the best features of Six Sigma with the rapid, effective results delivered via the Agile approach – can be employed to improve business process performance. Read the excerpt below (or click here for the full article) to learn more about this groundbreaking business process improvement methodology.

Register online or call 847.925.6300.

Click here to view our Harper CE Six Sigma/Project Management website.

"Agile Sigma*: New Kid on the Block"

by Harper CE Instructor Timothy Gaffney

How can the new Agile Sigma process improvement methodology help my business?

When it comes to selecting the “right” business process improvement methodology, many CEOs, CIOs, and COOs are faced with a wide array of options available including Six Sigma, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, and ISO9000. The selection process then typically focuses on evaluating business drivers and deciding on an improvement methodology that closely matches their needs to improve business process performance and meet changing customer needs.

That’s where the challenge typically occurs for many executives who are trying to find the methodology that consistently delivers significant impacts for customers and business operations – while also doing so nimbly, innovatively, and with agility. In other words, business executives today need a business process improvement methodology that enables significant, sustainable, and customer-centric process improvement results – quickly and cost-effectively.

Business executives today are feeling the “need for speed” to remain competitive going forward.

While Six Sigma programs have consistently delivered significant, sustainable, and financially accountable results – the methodology is known for being “too slow” and “too stodgy” and relatively expensive to implement and grow. Further, Six Sigma improvement projects are typically designed to be “one and done” – i.e., to deliver a singular improvement in the process performance (Sigma) level. Six Sigma projects then use controls to maintain and sustain that gain for at least a year – which by definition leaves process optimization opportunities on the table.

In contrast to Six Sigma, Lean principles and techniques have been employed in a variety of business process improvement programs, predominantly in Manufacturing to deliver rapid improvements with little investment. However, lack of sustainability and financial accountability have been criticisms leveled at the Lean approach.

Lean Six Sigma is a hybrid approach that evolved as an option to utilize the synergies between the pure Six Sigma approach of reducing process variation and defects with the Lean principles of improving flow and eliminating wastes (“muda”) to improve process performance.

So to benefit from that synergy, we’ve combined the best of Six Sigma and Agile into a single methodology we refer to as “Agile Sigma.” Development of the new methodology began in 2016, and Agile Sigma is now ready to be rolled out for use by any type of business to improve their processes significantly and quickly to deliver increased value for their customers.

Agile Sigma is a new business process improvement methodology that integrates the “best” of both Six Sigma and Agile development methods to provide a new approach that can enable business to deliver improved processes more quickly and effectively.

The new Agile Sigma approach is a four phase adaptation of the standard five phase Six Sigma DMAIC methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) - to provide a streamlined process for more efficient execution and results.

Please click here to read Timothy's article in entirety, including tables and figures.

*Agile Sigma and The Agile Sigma Methodology - © 2017 Timothy T. Gaffney

Register online or call 847.925.6300.
Click here to view our Harper CE Six Sigma/Project Management website.