IBM Lean Organization Changes

IBM deploys lean into its enterprise, which results in some pruning of the organization. ...

... "IBM, however, confirms that Lean is simply a Six Sigma business practices effort that has nothing to do with layoffs. Lean is a collection of Six Sigma business processes used by a number of leading companies to improve speed, quality and responsiveness to customers ... " ...

Via The Register: IBM Redefines With Lean

Printing Machinery Lean Manufacturing

The Canterbury Press sees success in the print market through lean techniques that drive operational efficiency. The company also invests in new machinery and automation to enable it to compete effectively in the marketplace. ...

... "Canterbury was an early adopter of lean manufacturing practices to cut costs and speed production. The ROLAND 700 will help the company's employee-owners notch that advantage up further to make production even more efficient and timely. " ...

Via What They Think: Read

Food Processing Lean Manufacturing Speed

Food processors see benefits from lean manufacturing, but must focus on cycle time reduction to increase the speed. ...

... "They are moving to lean manufacturing, to reduce waste, by incorporating shorter runs, faster change-overs and smaller inventories. However, where processors reduce waste with lean manufacturing, they lose production through downtime consumed by change-overs. " ...

Via Food Production Daily Europe: Read

Toyota Kaizen Culture: Texas Style

Toyota Texas plant builds new Tundra truck with kaizen culture ...

... "Reminders of the automaker's culture of kaizen -- or continuous improvement -- are everywhere as workers with Team Texas badges run slow-speed test production of the Tundra ... " ...

Via Reuters UK: Link

Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce info on Toyota Texas Plant ...

Lean Flow Sheds Waste ...

Modern day lean flow has its roots in the early auto industry assembly line. Today's enterprises leverage Lean and Six Sigma to eliminate waste and solve problem to reduce variability, increase speed, and delight the customer. ...

... "Ford likened his Lean Flow process -- also called Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Flow and Just-In-Time Manufacturing -- to a river that flowed continuously. Anything that disrupted the flow was a waste that had to be eliminated. " ...

Via Public CIO: Trimming Waste Fast

Lockheed Martin Lean Six Sigma: Plant Recognized ...

Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant is ranked among best plants. The site have leveraged Lean Six Sigma to increase speed-to-market across its supply chain. ...

... "Through the implementation of Lean/Six Sigma principles, the average total production lead time on these complex systems has been reduced from 18 months to 12 months, from customer contract award to first delivery. This is significant considering the fact that lead time is driven not only by Lockheed Martin's internal processes, but also by domestic and foreign major subcontractors and suppliers, who produce critical components. Camden Operations' personnel worked closely with the supplier base to assure that manufacturing efficiencies were driven down to all levels of the supply chain. "

LOCKHEED MARTIN CAMDEN OPERATIONS NAMED ONE OF AMERICA'S TOP TEN BEST PLANTS BY INDUSTRYWEEK MAGAZINE ...

Lean Manufacturing The Dell Front Office ...

Dell's lean manufacturing prowess finally shifts to the front office as it works to simplify its pricing model. ...

... "in dealing with Dell as a customer several years ago, I was dismayed that a company that is known for its lean manufacturing operations and direct-sales model had such Byzantine ordering and customer service processes. " ...

Lean Manufacturing The Dell Front Office: Via Motley Fool: Dell Switches Pistols ...

Dell pricing model announcement:

Via Dell: Dell To Simplify Pricing, Reduce Mail-In Rebate Offers: "Dell announced it will simplify its pricing structure and promotional offers, including reducing the number of mail-in rebates on products and services it sells to consumers and small businesses in the United States. The moves — part of the company’s efforts to make buying easier and improve the overall customer experience — will occur over 12 to 18 months, beginning in August with the reduction of mail-in rebates on InspironTM notebook computers and DellTM televisions. Dell will also reduce the frequency and complexity of promotions tied to the sale of DimensionTM desktop and Inspiron notebook computers, and other products such as televisions and services. Over time, the company projects a 70 percent reduction in the number of promotions per product line and about an 80 percent reduction in the number of promotions tied to a single product. "

Dell's implementation of lean allows it to be fast and adapt to changes in its marketplace, even though its supply chain model comes with some risks. Dell has shown success in dealing with the business cycles in its industry. ...

Via Fast Company: Living in Dell Time: "Fortunately, the same ethos of speed and flexibility that seems to put Dell at the mercy of disruptions also helps it deal with them. ... "

Via Quality Mag: Get Lean and Improve Quality: "Dell Computer Corp. uses lean manufacturing to build computers. For Dell, lean manufacturing has helped them weather an economic downturn ... "

Via Lean Blog: Once Again, Dell is Not TPS: "Their factories are great examples of flow, raw material comes in one side, finished product comes out the other, with minimal WIP in between. ... "

Lean Manufacturing Machine Tool Inspection Process ...

System enables machine tool inspection, contributing to lean manufacturing process. ...

... "Metrolosys allows manufacturers to use any probe-ready CNC milling machine in the same way they would utilize a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). This powerful CAD-based programming and reporting system for machined parts supports ISO 17025, ASME B5.54, and NIST traceability standards. Metrolosys provides independent volumetric error mapping, advanced high-speed probing methods, and automatically generates Inspection G-code. Metrolosys 9.5 ushered in a new era for Lean Manufacturing by reducing machine-tool downtime up to 75%. A user can program a CNC machine using a touch probe to measure a part, and can drastically reduce the process to less than 10 keystrokes when creating the part inspection G-code probing program. Metrolosys enables the machine tool to perform the inspection without tearing down the job for first article inspection or any other inspection requirement. After machining a part, it is already setup for in-place inspection, thus introducing a major contribution to the Lean Manufacturing process. CMM-type alignments of the machine tool to the machined part and its corresponding 3D CAD model are easily accomplished using Metrolosys. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Machine Tool Inspection Process: Via Creative Products Company: Metrolosys Inspection Software Under New Management of Creative Products Company: Aims-enabled Inspection Software Converts Machine Tools into Coordinate Measuring Machines ...

Six Sigma Change Initiative ...

Six Sigma is a major change initiative ...

... "Larry Bossidy, while CEO of AlliedSignal, preceded the Six Sigma initiative with two smaller initiatives: Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Quality for Speed (TQS). Using these first two initiatives, he taught the $14 billion company how to launch initiatives. " ...

Six Sigma Change Initiative: Via InformIT: Six Sigma in 90 Days: The Initiative, the Deployment, the Technology ...

Lean Pharma Practitioner Recognized ...

Lean Pharma exec recognized as ASQ chapter president. ...

... "Mr. Chatterjee is Chief Operations Officer of Pharmatech Associates, a full service consultancy serving the regulated life-sciences industry, providing validation services and quality process project management. Pharmatech Associates has managed and successfully deployed Lean and Six Sigma projects for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices/diagnostic customers. The pharmaceutical industry must show continued growth and sustain profits as it faces public pressure to control the skyrocketing costs of therapeutics, Mr. Chatterjee said. Our industry has to seek new ways to increase production and decrease time to market. The application of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodology, specifically adapted to the pharmaceutical industry, constitutes a unique way to improve business, drive down costs and speed time-to-market. Mr. Chatterjee is a certified ISO 9000 Lead Assessor and Six-Sigma Master Black Belt with extensive experience in the design and implementation of quality systems. Mr. Chatterjee holds a B.A. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego. " ...

Lean Pharma Practitioner Recognized: Via PharmaTech Associates: Bikash Chatterjee Elected President of ASQ Golden Gate Chapter 2006-2007; Seminar: Applying Optimization Methodologies to the Process Industry ...

Six Sigma Industrial Engineer Position ...

Industrial engineer position is available ...

... "An understanding of Six Sigma in a manufacturing environment is preferred; previous experience in a high speed assembly manufacturing environment is also a plus. " ...

Six Sigma Industrial Engineer Position: Via Spokesmanreview: Classifieds

Xerox Lean SixSigma Services Create Innovative Solutions ...

Xerox provides Lean Six Sigma services to create innovative solutions for library. ...

... "Xerox deployed a team of specialized Lean Six Sigma consultants to the library to analyze and measure operations -- ranging from computer reservations to circulation -- at four Branch Library locations that represented a service population sampling for the system. Following the collaborative assessment process, Xerox presented the Houston Public Library earlier this month with a report that offered some innovative solutions and recommendations for efficiency gains to best service their customers. Lean Six Sigma is a rigorous, data-driven, results-oriented approach to process improvement. It combines two industry-recognized management methodologies evolved by companies like General Electric Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and Motorola Corp. By integrating the tools of Lean and Six Sigma, Xerox is helping customers improve quality, efficiency and speed in every aspect of their business. " ...

Xerox Lean SixSigma Services Create Innovative Solutions: Via Xerox: Xerox Services Help Houston Library Solve Staffing Issues: Xerox consulting services put to work to help library improve productivity ...

SixSigma Banking and Insurance Services ...

Siemens offers insights into their Six Sigma servies for insurance and banking at CeBIT ...

... "For optimizing banking and insurance processes, Siemens Business Services presents two solution approaches: industrialization and Six Sigma. With industrialization, back-office processes in particular can be standardized and made more consistent, leading to more efficient workflows, lower costs and greater customer satisfaction. The Six Sigma management system helps banks and insurance companies to continuously improve their processes. The goal is to achieve a zero-error rate in payment transactions or claims management, and to speed up processing times. Together with its partner SAP the Siemens subsidiary helps financial service providers with the integration or migration of core banking systems and also operates these systems. " ...

SixSigma Banking and Insurance Services: Via Siemens: Siemens Business Services GmbH & Co. OHG - Siemens Business Services to present innovative solutions at CeBIT

Kaizen Automotive: Speed and Flexibility ...

Kaizen is not enough to be competitive in the global automotive industry today. Speed and flexibility are critical success factors. ...

... "He said the industry used to talk about kaizen, or continuous improvement. But that's no longer enough to survive in today's environment, he said. " ...

Kaizen Automotive: Speed and Flexibility: Via Automotive News: Suppliers stress vital need to be fast and flexible ...

Lean Manufacturing: Supply Chain Intelligence ...

Software company provides supply chain intelligence for lean manufacturers. ...

... "Open Ratings, the intelligence behind dozens of stable, high performing supply chains, introduces a major upgrade to its flagship solution for supply risk management, SBManager. With this latest version, Open Ratings delivers the most reliable and easy-to-use predictive indicator for ensuring stability in the supply base, critical for today's competitive and often lean manufacturing operations. Available later this month, SBManager 4.5 can significantly improve a company's ability to reduce risk in the supply base. The Web-based solution helps manufacturers escalate action quickly in advance of potential disruptions, with new levels of context for analyzing and understanding alerted changes in a supplier's stability rating. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Supply Chain Intelligence: Via Open Ratings: Open Ratings Launches SBManager 4.5; Advanced Features Speed Time to Action in Mitigating Supplier Risk ...

Public Sector Six Sigma ...

In governments around the world, there is acknowledgement of the need to be more efficient, especially with enabling citizen services. Many governments are adopting e-government technology to solve their problem. This may be necessary, but not sufficient in streamlining processes for speed, eliminating waste, and delivering the best performance at the appropriate cost. Six Sigma is a methodology that can be truly transformative in improvement of public sector business processes. Andre Pope proposes an invigorating approach to improving performance in the public sector, leveraging Six Sigma methodology. ...

... "I am proposing the establishment of a National Public Corporation Commission with the objective of helping the various public corporations achieve financial and operational excellence through the introduction of Six Sigma methodologies and programs. Six Sigma, which is outlined with some specificity later in this paper, is a process or methodology that has and continues to be used by some of the largest and more innovative private companies across the globe, particularly in North America, Europe and Asia, to achieve breakthrough results. " ...

Public Sector Six Sigma: Via The Perspective: Using Six Sigma to Reinvigorate Public Corporations

Relevant resources on Six Sigma experiences in the public sector:

Quality Digest Magazine: "Six Sigma has proven its worth to the manufacturing industry, causing the education, health care and service industries to sit up and take note. Governments, though, have been slower to respond to the methodology's potential. This is understandable. Governments, whether local or federal, have huge and entrenched bureaucracies, and they lack the all-important market incentive for change. "

Challenge: "Following a pilot project where seven public sector agencies applied Six Sigma to selected work areas, the August forum, organised by the MFE office, was a good opportunity to showcase the findings and success stories. "

QW: Public sector? So what?: "What about six sigma in the public sector? Well, the term itself is potentially misleading, because the high-frequency operations that make this statistic meaningful (eg 3.4 defects per million opportunities) are rare in public sector organisations. QW published an article (in January 2001) on six sigma in a courts service although the piece admitted that in this instance achievement of just 2.8 sigma was the main target. "

Ministry Of Finance: "Six Sigma, a management tool which has made significant impact in private sector companies worldwide such as Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Motorola and 3M, is now being applied in the Singapore Public Sector. The use of Six Sigma by public sector organisations has started to offer significant improvements in service quality and reductions in cost."

Chrysler Lasorda Lean: Fast Efficient Smart ...

The lean manufacturing environment is clean and organized, which drives speed and effiency. Lean is a smart way of working that enables fast decision making. Sharon Silke Carty explores the characteristics of new Chrysler Group CEO, Tom LaSorda, who is described as a clean and people-oriented leader. ...

Chrysler Lasorda Lean: Fast Efficient Smart: Via USAToday: New CEO at Chrysler has cars in his veins ...

... "But disciples of lean manufacturing processes have learned that cleanliness is a sign things are operating efficiently in a factory. And efficiency is what LaSorda is about. " ...

Agile Manufacturing: Profit Velocity ...

Agile manufacturers focus visibility on the profit velocity of the product being produced. Adoption of lean manufacturing principles can be leveraged for agile performance ...

Via Innovation in Canada: The Canadian Manufacturing Processes Sector

... "The proponents of agile state that the goal of manufacturing is to drive as much profit as possible through the facility in the least amount of time. This concept has been termed Profit Velocity. It incorporates the idea that the goal of Customer Relations Management is win-win success, with a higher value to end customers and strong profits throughout the supply chain. Although phrased differently, it emphasizes some of the same basic concepts as lean, which include innovation, creativity, alignment, focus, collaboration, speed and change. " ...

Reference material on the use of profit velocity in agile manufacturing:

... "Agile Manufacturing: Activities are described both financial and non-financial measures. It makes distinctions between absolute profitability and profitability per unit of time.This is achieved through using profit velocity. Profit velocity is based on the observation that company profitability is a function of the absolute profitability and the number of products that can be produced during a period of time. " ...

... "Journey towards agility: Flexible assets and systems refer to facilities, systems and software. This includes buildings, services, production layout, technologies, IT, equipment and control systems. Assets and systems need to be lean – having a minimum of waste with an organisation designed to improve the effectiveness of all aspects of the operations ... " ...

Six Sigma Engineering TabletPC

Six Sigma Engineering TabletPC: Xplore’s Rugged Tablet PC’s Selected for Streamlined Service: The iX104C2D™ Tablet PC’s deployed by Shell’s engineering functions in the UK ...

... "One of the priorities for Shell’s Six Sigma project was to upgrade the engineering department from paper-based job scheduling and order entry systems to an electronic solution. Xplore’s iX104C2D Tablet PC systems were selected by Shell and recommended by EACS Ltd. with their development partner FluentIT Ltd. based on the overall ruggedness and functionality. The major hardware requirements for Shell’s application were robustness, large display size to view forms and drawings, true mobility and high-speed performance. Shell’s engineers are equipped with Xplore’s iX104C2D tablets with 512MB RAM, integrated GPRS, active X-dock vehicle dock and external USB keyboard. The tablets are sealed and protected, have ATEX and UL1604 certification for use in hazardous environments and provide over 30 unique rugged characteristics that counteract and minimize damage in harsh environments. Shell GAS provides gas delivery service as well as maintenance and installation service of gas vessels at customer sites. Xplore tablets are primarily used for engineering functions to maintain the vessels at the customer’s location, install new LPG vessels into new customer properties, and remove them when they are no longer needed. Engineers can complete orders onsite at the customer location and send finalized work order forms back to the office real-time. The original paper-based method, when documents were sent by fax or mail was slow; and the forms did not always include all the vital details. Utilizing the conditional format of the electronic forms, Shell GAS receives all the required data. Due to the streamlined process, the company achieves a higher level of customer satisfaction. " ...

Xplore Technologies Corp, founded in 1996, is an innovative leader in the rugged Tablet PC industry. Xplore, which is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TSX: XPL, has offices in Austin Texas and Helsinki Finland. Its rugged iX104™ family of hardware solutions incorporate leading-edge technology, and are designed based on years of customer design input. Xplore’s diverse customer base comes from the public safety, retail and wholesale warehousing, utility, military, field service and transportation industries.

DOD Lean Six Sigma: Streamline Practices ...

DOD Lean Six Sigma: Streamline Practices: Via DefenseLINK News: DoD Adopts New Business Practices to Manage Supply Chain

... "Also, Krieg said, he intends to introduce Lean Six Sigma techniques, a widely used business strategy, to further streamline AT&L's practices. Lean Six Sigma emphasizes speed and efficiency in improving business processes and transactions. I intend to use its principles to consider the effectiveness and efficiency of the administrative processes of acquisition documentation, he said, allowing our staff to streamline their procedures and free their time to focus on other customer needs. He added that AT&L will seek to apply Lean Six Sigma techniques to its business activities. " ...

Six Sigma Financial Process Design is Service Differentiator ...

Six Sigma Financial Process Design is Service Differentiator: Via Ocwen Financial Corporation: Ocwen Offers 24-Hour Due Diligence Services to Mortgage Backed Securities Investors ...

... "Ocwen's due diligence facility in the U.S. receives physical files from mortgage originators and uses high-speed scanners to image all documents. Our advanced imaging capabilities combined with workflow management and Six Sigma process design allow us to multi-task on a single file eliminating bottlenecks and speeding the entire process. This gives Ocwen the ability to leverage our 24-hour global workforce to simultaneously perform all due diligence exercises, eliminating delays and increased expenses of step-by-step, sequential processing from hard copies, Mr. Faris said. " ...

Ocwen Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services holding company with headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida and operations in Canada, Germany, India, Japan and Taiwan. Ocwen Financial Corporation is principally engaged in servicing and origination processing services for the loan industry. Ocwen Financial Corporation is a global leader in customer service excellence as a result of our company-wide commitment to quality, integrity and accountability.

Six Sigma Education: Center Learning Innovation ...

Via North Shore LIJ Health System: Hofstra Partners With North Shore-LIJ Health System To Launch New Healthcare MBA Programs: New Programs Indicative of a Growing Trend; Programs First of Their Kind on Long Island ...

... "The North Shore-LIJ Health System has demonstrated a strong commitment to educating its healthcare professionals as part of its ongoing mission of delivering superior quality healthcare to those it serves. In cooperation with GE Medical Systems and the Harvard School of Public Health, the health system has fostered a culture of lifelong learning among its employees through its Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI). The CLI is modeled after successful corporate universities in the business sector and is the largest of its kind in the healthcare industry. It includes a Six Sigma Institute to manage process improvement, change management, and a wide variety of clinical, management education and leadership development programs. " ...

Hofstra University is an independent, dynamic, private University with more than 13,000 students in more than 130 undergraduate and 140 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communications, education and allied human services, law, and honors studies. With a student-faculty ratio of 14:1, professors teach small classes that emphasize interaction, critical thinking, and development of judgment. At Hofstra, students have access to the resources they need: high-speed, readily available access to the Internet, excellent library resources, and state-of-the-art classrooms and learning and laboratory facilities. With a diverse mix of students, Hofstra University's vibrant campus hosts a wide selection of cultural, social, and athletic activities, providing students with the full college experience.

The nation's third largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System provides care for people at all stages of illness throughout Long Island, Queens and Staten Island – a service area encompassing more than five million people. The health system includes 15 hospitals, four long-term care facilities, a medical research institute, four trauma centers, five home health agencies and dozens of out-patient centers. North Shore-LIJ facilities house more than 6,000 beds, and are staffed by over 7,000 physicians, 10,000 nurses and a total workforce of more than 38,000 -- the largest employer on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City.

Six Sigma Operational Improvement Program ...

Six Sigma Operational Improvement Program: MDS Inc.: John Rogers Accelerates CEO Transition ...

... "Mr. DeFalco transformed declining sales into growth, launched over 30 new products and successfully completed a number of acquisitions and joint ventures. Mr. DeFalco's execution of a Six Sigma operational improvement program at the company was recognized with the Today's Chemist at Work Award for Quality in 2001 and the Award for Technical Innovation in 2002. " ...

MDS Inc. has more than 9,000 highly skilled people in 27 countries. We provide a diverse range of superior products and services to increase our customers' speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and disease diagnosis processes. We are a global, values-driven health and life sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative relationships as we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease.

Six Sigma Strategic Initiative

Six Sigma Strategic Initiative: JLG Organization Structure Supports Strategic Initiatives; Company Enhances Commitment to Services, Market Focus, and Six Sigma Initiatives

... "JLG Industries, Inc. (NYSE: JLG) announced today an organizational alignment that is intended to support the Company's strategic plan and specific initiatives to grow its service operations, diversify channels to market and bring increased focus to its Six Sigma program. " ...

JLG Industries, Inc. is the world's leading producer of access equipment (aerial work platforms and telehandlers) and highway-speed telescopic hydraulic excavators. The Company's diverse product portfolio encompasses leading brands such as JLG(R) aerial work platforms; JLG, SkyTrak(R), Lull(R) and Gradall(R) telehandlers; Gradall excavators; and an array of complementary accessories that increase the versatility and efficiency of these products for end users. JLG markets its products and services through a multi-channel approach that includes a highly trained sales force, and utilizes a broad range of marketing techniques, integrated supply programs and a network of distributors in the industrial, commercial, institutional and construction markets. In addition, JLG offers world-class after-sales service and support for its customers. JLG's manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Belgium, and France, with sales and service operations on six continents.

Lean Six Sigma Philosophy

Lean Six Sigma Basics

... "What is Lean? Lean is a philosophy and ongoing effort to reduce waste throughout every process. Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating non-value added activities through continuous improvement of processes. Waste elimination equates to increased process speed. " ...

Solectron Production System: Lean Six Sigma Excellence

Solectron Production System: Lean Six Sigma Excellence: Solectron Expands New Product Introduction and Low-Volume, High-Mix Capabilities to New England Region ...

... "Solectron will incorporate its Solectron Production System(TM), which includes Lean Six Sigma capabilities for world-class excellence and use this operation as a focus for serving and enhancing the needs of other LVHM customers in the New England area. Furthermore, Solectron will contribute its existing NPI and LVHM processes to those already in place to create an operation focused on world-class flexibility and speed. " ...

Solectron (www.solectron.com) provides a full range of worldwide manufacturing and integrated supply chain services to the world's premier high-tech companies. Solectron's offerings include new-product design and introduction services, materials management, product manufacturing, and after-market services support. The company is based in Milpitas, Calif., and had sales from continuing operations of $11.64 billion in fiscal 2004.

Lean Six Sigma Philosophy ...

Lean Six Sigma Basics

... "Lean is a philosophy and ongoing effort to reduce waste throughout every process. Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating non-value added activities through continuous improvement of processes. Waste elimination equates to increased process speed. " ...

Partnership for Merger Acquisition Acceleration ...

Partnership for Merger Acquisition Acceleration: IntraLinks and PowerSteering Software Form Strategic Partnership ...

Mergers and acquisitions can be accelerated through the use of tools integrated through this strategic partnership ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... responsible for delivering results from corporate initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, strategic sourcing, Sarbanes-Oxley and Six Sigma are able to ...

... PowerSteering, the only provider of solutions for measuring and managing strategic enterprise programs, and IntraLinks, the leading provider of virtual data rooms to the global merger and acquisition industry, today announced that they have formed a strategic partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, PowerSteering and IntraLinks will cross-sell each other's services, providing a seamless M&A process from due diligence to post-merger integration. IntraLinks Virtual Data Rooms enable dealmakers to take the M&A process online, cutting an average of 30 days off dealtime. ...

PowerSteering Software, Inc. has dramatically improved the way businesses drive, manage, and track critical corporate innovation and growth initiatives. Using PowerSteering, corporate executives responsible for delivering results from corporate initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, strategic sourcing, Sarbanes-Oxley and Six Sigma are able to easily review all projects in real-time and act on project status to ensure timely completion. PowerSteering is the only software that enables executives to tie financial savings directly to project outcomes and drive improvement in key performance metrics quickly, effectively and in real-time. The company leverages its deep experience in enterprise class quality and process improvement software to bring the speed, focus, and discipline of Six Sigma to enterprise program management. The PowerSteering suite is currently being used to manage more than $15 billion in target savings, supporting over 35,000 active users and nearly 100,000 projects. Global clients include Alpharma, Diageo, EMC, General Electric, Pitney Bowes, Raytheon, Textron and Tyco.

IntraLinks (www.intralinks.com), the leading provider of digital workspaces, connects business communities and accelerates the intelligent flow of information and documents among participants. Through IntraLinks' secure, neutral, online environments, companies are better able to compete globally by accelerating essential business processes, simplifying communication and fostering rapid workflow. IntraLinks is easily accessible anywhere, anytime using a web browser. Since April 1997, more than 200,000 participants representing over 13,000 companies worldwide have used IntraLinks digital workspaces to communicate and collaborate on more than 20,000 projects and transactions. IntraLinks has been rapidly adopted by the financial services and pharmaceutical markets. Over 250 global companies are IntraLinks clients, including AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Bank of America, Bear Stearns, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Ernst & Young, FDIC, JPMorgan Chase, TD Securities, Thomas Weisel Partners and WestLB. Founded in June 1996, IntraLinks is headquartered in New York with offices in Boston and London.

Balanced Scorecard Implementation ...

VA Testimony Before Congress ...

... "My proposed Balanced Scorecard is based on this approach of establishing goals and objectives within a corresponding framework to track progress achieved and to establish clear accountability. A Balanced Scorecard is developed using specific outcome measures and is used to monitor the results of improvement activities. The Balanced Scorecard will provide us with a strategic measurement system. The organization will look at the total service delivery picture taken together rather than just productivity, cost, or speed. We will also look at ways VBA can improve performance in these areas by sharing data and resources with other parts of VA to achieve the One-VA vision articulated in the Department's strategic plan. There is no doubt in my mind that implementing GPRA in this way will result in better benefits and services for veterans and their families, better value for the taxpayer, and greater satisfaction for our VBA employees. We have made good progress to date in implementing GPRA. We have identified performance measures for each of our six business lines, using a core set of measures focused on improving our business processes." ...

Fujio Cho Kaizen Principles ...

Fujio Cho Kaizen Principles: Toyota CEO Fujio Cho is Named FORTUNE's Asia Businessman of the ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... The dilemma, says Chandler, is how to maintain the pace without diluting what Toyota executives call their corporate DNA--a principle called kaizen, the notion ...

... FORTUNE announced today that Fujio Cho, CEO of Toyota, is the Asia Businessman of the Year. Cho leads a company whose model lineup features some of the U.S. market's most popular vehicles. Smart products and a sterling reputation for quality have lifted Toyota's share of the U.S. market to 12%, and many industry analysts predict it will soon pass DaimlerChrysler to join the ranks of the U.S. Big Three. Cho earns FORTUNE's nomination for his near flawless execution of Toyota's plan for global expansion. The story, "Full Speed Ahead," appears in the February 7 issue of FORTUNE, on newsstands January 24 and at www.fortune.com. ...

Additional resources on Fujio Cho's kaizen principles ...

Psychology of Change: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... You only learn it by taking the principles into your ... Assuming you can do a week-long kaizen each month ... change comes from an analogy by Fujio Cho, former head of ...

The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... Fujio Cho, President Toyota (from the Toyota Way document ... use a continuous improvement process (kaizen) to eliminate ... select few of the Toyota Way principles. ...

Human Resources Development: the following five key principles sum up ... employee conduct guidelines: Challenge, Kaizen (improvement), Genchi ... TMC President Fujio Cho is the Toyota Institute's ...

Drive Six Sigma Information Technology Efficiency Through IT Governance ...

Six Sigma Information Technology Efficiency Through IT Governance: PAETEC Reduces Information Technology Operation Cost to Half of ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... aids in compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, and it supports quality programs and process control frameworks such as Six-Sigma, CMMI (Capability ...

... Today, Mercury Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: MERQ), the global leader in business technology optimization (BTO), and PAETEC Communications, Inc., a communications solutions provider, announced that PAETEC has increased Information Technology (IT) efficiency and business results using Mercury IT Governance Center(TM). PAETEC uses Mercury's IT Governance Center to automate internal business and IT processes, significantly speeding the completion of critical tasks. ...

Mercury IT Governance Center(TM) provides the first integrated and most comprehensive transaction system for IT. It enables IT executives and CIOs to digitize and automate IT business processes from demand through production. From strategic demand to keep-the-lights-on demand to delivering projects and applications into production -- Mercury IT Governance Center puts IT executives in the best position to align IT strategy and execution with business goals, turn the dials, and make decisions to maximize IT's business value. It aids in compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, and it supports quality programs and process control frameworks such as Six-Sigma, CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration), ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), ISO-9000, and COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technologies).

Additional resources on Six Sigma IT efficiency through governance ...

Enterprise Information Technology Governance Board: IT strategy will improve organizational efficiency, streamline data ... laws do hereby establish an Enterprise Information Technology Governance Board (hereinafter ...

Six Sigma, Information Technology & You: Creating: Information technology (IT) plays a crucial role in helping ... integrated into the greater corporate Six Sigma effort. ... The goal is to ensure the efficiency of the ...

Lean, Lean Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing: six-part series on harnessing information technology to help ... and how it can integrate with Six Sigma to improve speed and efficiency while decreasing ...

Information Technology Governance and Portfolio: Information Technology Governance and Portfolio Management. Why do you need IT Governance and Portfolio ... and to achieve the efficiency and effectiveness of ...

Six Sigma Customer Information Through Quality Management Infrastructure ...

Six Sigma Customer Information: Leading Korean Telephone and Internet Service Provider Builds ...

From Yahoo News (press release) ... This strategic approach is part of KT's Six Sigma business quality initiative and enables the company to maintain consistency and accuracy of enterprise data ...

... Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today announced that KT Corp., Korea's leading telephone and Internet service provider, is using Ascential Software solutions to advance its business vision of becoming a premier global networking company. Ascential Software enables KT to gain a single view of customer information across its enterprise to improve service and maximize revenue opportunities. KT is using Ascential DataStage(TM), Ascential QualityStage(TM) and Ascential MetaStage(TM) to establish a quality management infrastructure using enterprise standards for integrating customer information into an enterprise data warehouse. ...

Korea Telecom (KT), the world's ninth largest telecommunications service provider, operates South