Scope and Size
Coaches and their players constantly guard against “scope creep,” that insidious tendency to include more into a project than is do-able. Unhappily, we frequently go for the “low-hanging fruit” or the “big score.” That is, we congratulate projects and teams that move quickly to success and/or have a significant financial impact.
There are a couple of traps here. First, easy wins from low hanging fruit are usually carbs rather than protein. That is, you cannot make a diet out of just fruit. Said another way, management should rightly wonder why an expensive six sigma initiative is needed if management were really doing their job to eliminate simple problems.
As for the big score, when mobilizing a six sigma initiative some managers may want to establish a requirement that projects need to anticipate a net $250,000 benefit improvement before they are approved to be undertaken. The thinking is that will help focus on those areas that will garner the larger savings and impress the bean counters who track and challenge the investment in six sigma. The way to achieve that savings, however, essentially requires large, elaborate and/or complicated projects.
A more measured approach is to focus on projects that will score between $75K and $125K. The rationale is these projects are completed much more quickly, people can really focus on a smaller scope, and they clearly understand the pieces and eliminate the complexity of larger projects. And, most importantly, the changes people must adapt to as the result of smaller projects are much easier to accept.
Essentially, it is possible to complete three or four smaller projects in less time, with fewer glitches, less change management turmoil and to achieve greater financial gains. Also, if one small project fails to deliver that is not as significant a problem as if a large project with large investments of time and resources does not deliver expected results.
Question: “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: “One bite at a time.”
Recently a local television channel ran the 1954 movie with John Wayne “The High and the Mighty.” The plot is that a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles looses an engine along with significant fuel at the point of no return. In order to lighten their load, Wayne starts throwing anything not nailed down out the rear door. The metaphor is a good one for six sigma coaches and their players. The prime goal of any project is to complete the project and live to fly (do another project) another day. Or, as they say, the best things come in small packages.
This blog is a service of The Six Sigma Coach, LLC. We provide coaching training to experienced six sigma practitioners. Visit our website at http://www.TheSixSigmaCoach.com or for more information email us at russ@thesixsigmacoach.com
There are a couple of traps here. First, easy wins from low hanging fruit are usually carbs rather than protein. That is, you cannot make a diet out of just fruit. Said another way, management should rightly wonder why an expensive six sigma initiative is needed if management were really doing their job to eliminate simple problems.
As for the big score, when mobilizing a six sigma initiative some managers may want to establish a requirement that projects need to anticipate a net $250,000 benefit improvement before they are approved to be undertaken. The thinking is that will help focus on those areas that will garner the larger savings and impress the bean counters who track and challenge the investment in six sigma. The way to achieve that savings, however, essentially requires large, elaborate and/or complicated projects.
A more measured approach is to focus on projects that will score between $75K and $125K. The rationale is these projects are completed much more quickly, people can really focus on a smaller scope, and they clearly understand the pieces and eliminate the complexity of larger projects. And, most importantly, the changes people must adapt to as the result of smaller projects are much easier to accept.
Essentially, it is possible to complete three or four smaller projects in less time, with fewer glitches, less change management turmoil and to achieve greater financial gains. Also, if one small project fails to deliver that is not as significant a problem as if a large project with large investments of time and resources does not deliver expected results.
Question: “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: “One bite at a time.”
Recently a local television channel ran the 1954 movie with John Wayne “The High and the Mighty.” The plot is that a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles looses an engine along with significant fuel at the point of no return. In order to lighten their load, Wayne starts throwing anything not nailed down out the rear door. The metaphor is a good one for six sigma coaches and their players. The prime goal of any project is to complete the project and live to fly (do another project) another day. Or, as they say, the best things come in small packages.
This blog is a service of The Six Sigma Coach, LLC. We provide coaching training to experienced six sigma practitioners. Visit our website at http://www.TheSixSigmaCoach.com or for more information email us at russ@thesixsigmacoach.com
posted by The Six Sigma Coach | 3/08/2006 08:09:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home