This seminar is for those associates who are responsible for implementing SPC in their area and for leading or overseeing process improvement project teams. Usually at least one associate from each department is trained as a facilitator.
This is a two-week seminar with one month in between the weeks to allow each participant to work on a process improvement project. It includes the software SPC for Excel (for a 20 person class, this represents $3,580 if the software were purchased individually). There is a one-day follow up after the second week for the participant to present the results of his/her project.
Objective: To train participants in the technical and people skills required to successfully implement SPC
This module introduces the seminar and tells participants what to expect over the next two months. It includes an introductory exercise to help people feel more at ease and to get to know each other better. The attendees will learn:
Selecting an appropriate process/project is the first step in successfully completing any improvement. This module describes how to select an improvement process/project and how to put together the team to work on the project. The participants will learn:
Teamwork is essential for projects to be successful. This module is designed to give you the skills you need to help build and maintain teamwork. This module looks at how to build a healthy team by balancing task (getting the job done) and maintenance (ensuring everyone feels unique and appreciated). Consensus decision-making is critical to a team''s success. This module introduces how consensus decisions are made. A survival exercise is used to practice the consensus decision-making technique. In this module, participants will learn:
This module is designed to develop an understanding of variation. It defines a process and shows why it is necessary to focus on the process for projects to be successful. Variation is introduced. This includes examining how variation has been viewed in the past and how it is viewed in process improvement. Variation is seen as coming from two distinct sources: special cause and common cause variation. Both of these sources of variation are examined in detail. The concept of consistency and predictability (statistical control) is also introduced in this module. Two exercises (the red beads and the measurement of thumbs) help drive home the key concepts of the module. In this module participants will learn:
This module teaches how to standardize the process. A standard represents the best known method of operating the current process. It is important that the best way to operate an existing process be agreed upon and used day in and day out. This makes it much easier to judge when changes to the process have actually improved a process. In this module participants will learn:
Team meetings are required to complete projects. This module teaches participants the knowledge they need to have successful meetings. To be successful, team meetings must be planned properly. In addition, behavior during team meetings must be managed to ensure that team synergy is achieved. This module teaches attendees how to do this. In this module participants will learn:
In this module, participants are introduced to critical to quality (CTQ) metrics, critical to customer (CTC) metrics and critical to schedule (CTS) metrics. Measurements are taken on a process to know where the process is operating and if a change has had an effect. Measurement systems must be accurate and precise. Process capability is used to determine if a metric is capable of meeting specifications. In this module participants will learn:
This module introduces the basic tools used to analyze a process. The check sheet is used to collect data. The Pareto diagram is used to separate the vital few from the trivial many. A histogram provides a snapshot in time of the variation in a metric. Control charts indicate whether the metric is consistent and predictable. Four types of control charts are covered. Cause and effect diagrams are used to find the causes of a problem. Scatter diagrams are used to show the relationship between two variables. In this module participants will learn how to construct and interpret:
To be successful, there must be openness in the way we communicate. This module looks at what motivates people and how the brain operates. Understanding how the brain operates is the first step to understanding how people are motivated. In this module participants will learn:
This module introduces management and planning tools that can be used individually or collectively to help analyze processes. The affinity diagram gathers large amounts of information and quickly organizes it into groupings of similar relationships. The interrelationship digraph graphically shows the logical relationships between variables. The tree diagrams are used to determine what needs to be accomplished to reach a goal. The prioritization matrices prioritize tasks based on known, weighted criteria. The matrix diagram shows the relationship between each idea in one group of items with each idea in another group of items. The process decision program chart maps out every possible event that occurs when moving from problem statement to solution. Last, the activity network diagram is used to plan complex tasks. In this module the participants will learn when to use and how to use each of the following:
This module introduces several advanced tools to help analyze processes. These statistical tools allow the comparison of means to determine if there is a difference as well as the use of the analysis of variance to look for significant differences. Regression techniques allow one to model a process. In this module participants will learn to use:
Today, changes in business are occurring at break-neck speed, and it sometimes feels as if approaches are scattered, vision is blurred and a true sense of direction is lacking. It is a challenge to stay motivated, keep operations moving and the lines of communication open. This module introduces some ideas and skills that need to be developed and used to help the organization deal with the changes ahead. Creativity and innovation are introduced. Learning to think differently, to work smarter - not harder, is the key to improvement. In this module attendees will learn:
Experimental design techniques are the cornerstone of the improve step in process management. Designed experiments are used to determine what factors have a significant impact on a variable. The focus of this module is on two level factorials and screening designs. In this module attendees will learn:
Are there people you are able to work with easily, that you often know what they are going to say (even before they say it), how they will respond, and what it will take to get them satisfied? Conversely, are there people you have a hard time relating to, who surprise you by what they say, puzzle you by how they react, and cause you to be uncertain about how to satisfy them? Cultivating and maintaining good working relationships with our internal co-workers is imperative to our success. How well we work together has a definite impact on the service we give our external customers. Key to good working relationships is knowing our own team style as well as the team styles of others around us. This module teaches attendees how to determine their own style as well as those of their co-workers and customers. In this module attendees will learn:
This module introduces two tools that help improve the process. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis examines all the possible ways that a process can fail and uses a risk priority number to determine the most likely causes of process failure. Mistake proofing is a methodology that determines how to prevent mistakes from occurring in the first place. In this module participants will learn how and when to use:
It is not enough just to be able to identify a person''s team style. To enhance teamwork and customer service, you must be able to flex to that person''s style. This module teaches attendees how to flex to all the styles. Under stress each team style has a predictable pattern of behavior. Knowing this helps you understand the actions of team members and customers under stress. In this module attendees will learn:
This module shows how you control the process after the improvement. At the heart of this process is the control plan. The control plan lays out in detail how the gains will be maintained. It usually involves continual data collection in the form of a control chart. In this module the participant will learn:
Often, a key task the SPC facilitators have is to assist in the implementation of SPC company-wide. This module helps the facilitators plan this implementation. This module shows how you can use Gantt charts and other project management tools to manage the progress of SPC implementation and projects. In this module participants will learn:
For more information on this seminar, please contact us at: training@spcforexcel.com