Page 182 - The Six Sigma Project Planner

Chapter 7

A Tutorial on Project

Selection and Management

The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question:
How can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer’s success? Learning the
answer to that question and learning how to provide the solution is the only focus we need.
―Jack Welch, CEO, General Electric
I made a number of assumptions in writing The Six Sigma Project Planner. One
assumption was that the user of the Planner was a Black Belt or Green Belt who had
received training in the tools and techniques of Six Sigma, including project
management training. Another assumption was that the reader was provided with a
candidate project by the organization’s leadership. The Planner is designed to help such
users determine if the project is feasible and, if so, to execute the project’s charter.
My experience in coaching many people on projects is that the level of understanding
individuals bring to the project is highly variable, even if they have received adequate
training. Given this state of affairs, it seems reasonable to provide background materials
as part of the Planner, to help those who need a refresher on the fundamentals of project
selection and tracking results. This is not intended to be a substitute for in-depth study
of the subject, but it should prove useful to many users. I restrict my discussion to
subjects directly related to project selection and management. For a complete discussion
of Six Sigma topics, I refer you to my text, The Six Sigma Handbook.

Projects are the core activity driving change in the Six Sigma organization. Although
change also takes place due to other efforts, such as Kaizen, project-based change is the
force that drives breakthrough and cultural transformation. In a typical Six Sigma
organization, about 1% of the employees are engaged full time in change activities and
each of these change agents will complete between three and seven projects in a year. In
addition there are another 5% or so part-time change agents, each of whom will complete
about two smaller projects per year. In an organization with 1,000 employees, the
mathematics translate to about 50 major projects and 100 smaller projects in any given
year. Clearly, learning how to effectively deal with projects is critical to Six Sigma success.

Choosing the Right Projects
Projects must be focused on the right goals. This is the responsibility of the senior
leadership, e.g., the project sponsor, Six Sigma Executive Council, or equivalent group.
Senior leadership is the only group with the authority and perspective to designate

165

Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.