Candidates preparing for the PMP exam should consider using a pmp simulation program to prepare. There are many options project managers can consider to use in studying to pass the pmp exam on their first try. Study options include books, cds, seminars, software or just using the plain old PMBOK. You can use just one tool to study or you can combine several to maximize your chances to pass. Each person has their own unique learning style and process information in different ways. The main issue about the pmp exam is that the exam is administered on the computer, so its probably best to study in that same environment. Plan on answering a lot of questions about the project plan when you take the pmp exam because it is an often tested subject. Think about how the project manager must work with the project stakeholders for successful completion of the objectives.

PMI exam questions often involve focus on several knowledge areas that overlap and involve combining strategies of several areas. The project plan is the playbook for your project and will guide your efforts and resources. The project team, stakeholders and management all work together on the plan until successful completion. As changes occur, the project manager will update, add and modify information on the project plan. The plan could begin as a broad overview and as time goes by and things change, the plan could become more detailed. The plan of the project will guide the manager through the project execution and project control groups, for the plan to provide helpful references, there must be an agreement between both the project manager and stakeholders. The project plan maintains control over the entire project and ensures the project stays in line with requirements. The plan provides a documented start to finish reference of everything needed for the project, all involved and the responsibilities of all involved. Everyone involved can easily follow the plan and see where they need to be and follow in a logical order what needs to be started, what is in progress and what has been completed.

What are the quality requirements of the project. These requirements should be clearly laid out in the project plan and in line with the stakeholders expectations, no more, no less. The targets given by the stakeholders should be obtainable, documented and ethical. The organization that the project manager is attached to will have their own set of standards and these also must be taken into account. Standards can involve team members, use of materials and documentation.

Special
pmp exam simulation offer to help you pass the PMP exam on your first try. http://www.pmsimulation.com

Jacquelyn Donner, PMP

If you are the owner of a hotel, motel or some other type of large commercial building then when it comes time to paint there are some special considerations when you are going to hire a professional commercial painting contractor to complete your painting project. In this article we will look at some of the most important areas.

The first thing that you as the owner should consider is the experience level of the painting contractor that you are considering hiring. Painting a large commercial building is much different than painting smaller structures. This not only includes the various application techniques that painting a commercial building has, but also includes the different safety issues, materials, paints, licensing and proper insurance that the painting contractor will need for a large commercial building. We will look at some of these a little closer.

There are several application techniques for painting a large commercial building. The most basic are of course brushing, rolling and spraying. But there are other techniques used for painting commercial buildings. On many newer buildings today more and more people are opting for using knock-down on interior walls. Basically, knock-down is just joint compound which has been diluted and sprayed directly on walls to give it a stipple effect. Knock-down also has a very nice look and is becoming more and more popular. On the exteriors of commercial buildings the most popular coating is a elastromeric coating. It is a very durable coating which expands and shrinks with the various tempatures and last longer than ordinary paint. It is also very good to use on split faced block because it helps to seal the block from water. Using knock-down on interiors and elastomeric coatings on exteriors are both best done by hiring a painting contractor who has experience in commercial settings using both of these techniques.

Insurance should also be a concern when you are going to hire a commercial painting contractor. The contractor should carry a minimum of two million dollar liability insurance as well as workers compensation insurance on all of their employees. This is the absolute minimum and may require more according to the size of the job. Also, you should be certain to obtain a certificate of insurance from the painting contractors insurance agent. This is the most common way to verify insurance and the agent can fax you a copy with all of the insurance information that you will need.

Always take at least three bids from commercial painting contractors so that you can see the difference in pricing between the different companies. Make certain that you make the specifications of your job very clear to each contractor and always keep the communication line open in case any of the contractors have questions. You do not want to have someone complain that the bid process was unfair because they never got their question answered.

Always ask for references from every contractor you accept bids from and always check those references. You do not need to check references on every contractor that supplies you with a bid, but you will always need to check the references on the painting contractor that you are planning on awarding the job to.

These are just a few of the most important considerations when hiring a professional commercial painting contractor.

The author is the owner of Pigeon Forge Painting in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and has over twenty five years experience as a professional painting contractor. For more information visit
Pigeon Forge Painting

Using Six Sigma quality management systems, Motorola became the first company to achieve near-perfect business processes that did not have more than 3.4 defects per million events that potentially existed for such defects to occur.

What is worth mentioning is that Motorola developed such systems for use in the manufacturing sector; and at that time, nobody in the company ever thought that these systems will one day play an equally important role in the services sector as well.

With the development of new concepts and techniques, Six Sigma quality management systems are now being used widely in the services sector that includes everything from healthcare to Information Technology, Telecommunications and many others.

All this is enough to prove the versatility and compatibility of the Six Sigma quality methodology.

The Changing Face Of Six Sigma Quality Management Systems

As far as the basic concepts are concerned, not much has actually changed over the years. Significant changes have however happened in the way these systems are utilized. From being used as a standalone quality improvement technique in their early years, these systems are now being increasingly integrated with the overall management framework that might exist in an organization.

What this basically means is that these systems can now easily be deployed across all the functional departments of an organization, which may include everything from sales to purchase, production, inventory, accounts, and others.

Quite a lot of businesses have already achieved this feat, and the wide ranging benefits that they have derived and are deriving are enough to prove the reliability of such systems.

The Deployment Process

The deployment process starts with an assessment of the existing quality levels in an organization. Existing quality levels are described in terms of Six Sigma quality levels that can be anywhere between sigma 1 and sigma 6 depending on the organization.

Whatever the existing level, the main objective is to move on from there and gradually achieve the highest quality level, i.e. Six Sigma. It may seem as if the deployment process ends at Six Sigma quality levels, but it is not so because Six Sigma quality levels just signify the near-perfect defect rate of 3.4.

Other important objectives such as cost reductions and operational efficiency improvements have no such limitations - and this is why the deployment process never actually ends, even though it may seem so.

Apart from cost and defect rate reductions, the Six Sigma methodology also aims at reducing the work load of employees and improving their immediate work environment. It does so by stressing the use of advanced IT tools and techniques and by standardizing work processes.

All this helps in creating a motivated and dedicated workforce, which is essential for ensuring the long-term success of any organization.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

This, however, became a possibility only after the development of advanced quality improvement concepts and methodologies such as Six Sigma. Six Sigma started out as a means to deliver quality improvements in existing business processes, but over the years many new branches were added to it - one of the most noteworthy being DFSS, short for Design For Six Sigma.

Since its inception, DFSS has catered specifically to the design and development of new products and services and still continues to do the same, albeit much more successfully than earlier.

What Exactly Is DFSS?

DFSS is quite similar to other popular Six Sigma methodologies, with the only difference that it is deployed only when there is a need for the design and development of a new product or service.

In effect, we can say that DFSS treats the design and development of a new product or service as a business process and tries to make improvements in that process using Six Sigma concepts and methodologies.

DFSS has been quite successful, probably because it stresses understanding customer needs and expectations prior to the actual development of a product or service. This helps a lot-, obviously because when customer needs, requirements, and expectations are integrated into a new product or service, it significantly reduces the probability that the product or service will fail to generate the requisite interest among the target audience.

This is why many products and services backed by DFSS have turned out to be huge successes.

Explaining the DFSS Process

The DFSS process starts with the collection of critical data and information related to customer needs and expectations as applicable to the basic design or nature of a given product or service.

The data, most of which is usually based on human emotions, is then classified, analyzed, processed and quantified in order to make it usable for the design and development of the targeted product or service. The thing to remember here is that only the most comprehensive of needs and expectations are targeted, obviously because there can never be a product or service that can suit all the varying tastes and preferences of potential customers.

Once comprehensive needs and expectations have been identified, DFSS then tries to integrate those in the targeted product or service design.

Just like other Six Sigma methodologies, DFSS is also a continuous process. It happens to be continuous because customer needs, requirements and expectations are things that keep changing with time.

In effect, we can say that the DFSS process stops only when a new product or service achieves its targeted goals - and when it may not be possible to make any more productive quality improvements.

That’s the stage when the search for a completely new product or service starts all over again, resulting in the need for DFSS.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

In effect, it means that Six Sigma also has its risks, even though it has successfully delivered on many loftier goals and objectives, such as bringing down the defect rate to not more than 3.4 per million opportunities that might exist for such defects to occur.

So, what exactly can businesses do for reducing the quantum of risks associated with Six Sigma implementations? Well, for the right answer, you simply have to look at the existing trends in the business world, which is increasingly making its preferences felt in Pilot Six Sigma projects.

Defining Pilot Six Sigma Projects

To start with, you need to know that Pilot Six Sigma projects are nothing but toned- down versions of full-scale Six Sigma implementation projects. You can compare them with the clinical trials of an experimental vaccine, medicine or diagnostic tool that has not yet been cleared for commercial production.

In effect, Six Sigma Pilot projects are basically experimentations that a business conducts in order to check for compatibility and to get a hang of the real thing. The best thing about Six Sigma Pilot projects is that the business benefits, irrespective of the success or failure of the Pilot project.

If the project succeeds, the business gains because it then becomes eligible for full scale Six Sigma implementations. And it gains even in the event of a failure, because a failed Pilot project provides a good opportunity to identify the latent shortcomings of the business that may be difficult to point out in the due course.

Who Are The Most Prominent Beneficiaries?

Over the years, Six Sigma Pilot projects have been carried out by almost all types of businesses, large and small. Benefits, it seems, have also been distributed equally, irrespective of the size or nature of the business.

However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it’s the small businesses that have benefited the most, obviously because they are the ones who often do not have the financial muscle to sustain the grave business risks that can easily become a possibility during full-scale Six Sigma implementations.

Six Sigma Pilot projects have helped these businesses in reducing risks associated with full-scale Six Sigma implementations. Large businesses may be doing the same, but since they often have many other options to choose from, they are not completely dependent on Six Sigma Pilot projects.

Small businesses, on the other hand, hardly have any other option - and this is why they are the ones who stand to gain the most from Six Sigma Pilot implementation projects.

For deriving the best possible benefits from Six Sigma Pilot projects, businesses should make an effort to identify processes that have comparatively lesser risks associated with them.

This way, the day to day functioning of the business will not get affected even if the Pilot project fails to take off. This is applicable for all types of businesses, large and small.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Now, arguing against the role played by Six Sigma professionals would certainly tantamount to undermining the importance of their skills sets and knowledge, but you should never forget that there are other factors as well that play an equally important role in determining the success of Six Sigma implementations.

One such crucial role is played by advanced software systems, which have now become an inseparable part of each and every Six Sigma deployment. However, they fail to share the limelight - obviously because they are not human enough to do so.

So, How Exactly Do Software Systems Help?

Well, it may all seem too good to be true, but the reality is that software systems are utilized at every stage of Six Sigma implementations.

From the initial stages wherein data is collected, summarized, classified and analyzed to advanced stages wherein crucial decisions such as those related to process improvement changes are taken, software systems work tirelessly to ensure that everything gets done most accurately and most efficiently.

All this helps because when critical quality improvement decisions are backed by accurate and reliable data, it significantly reduces the probability of errors and inaccuracies. In effect, it basically paves the way for the perfect amalgamation of professional skills with critical data and information such as those related to business processes and customer needs, requirements and expectations.

Growing Importance of Software Systems

As compared to earlier times, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that as far as Six Sigma implementations are concerned, software systems have managed to increase their clout quite significantly in recent years. However, this hardly comes as a surprise because it was inevitable.

As processes became more and more complex, it was only natural for them to generate even greater amounts of data. And since Six Sigma is largely a statistical approach to quality improvement, it automatically necessitated the use of advanced software systems having virtually unlimited data crunching capabilities.

Advanced software systems made it easier for Six Sigma professionals to carry out even the most complex of calculations in just a few seconds, thereby enabling them to take the most critical of quality improvement decisions in the shortest timeframe.

Anticipated Future Trends

As with all quality improvement tools and techniques, Six Sigma implementations are also most likely to witness increasing reliance on advanced software systems. They may or may not share the limelight, but one thing is for certain; as long as business processes continue to become more and more complex in nature, the use of software systems will become even more integrated with Six Sigma implementations.

That’s the most likely scenario to emerge in the near future.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Well, although it seems magical, there is certainly no magic involved. It’s just that Six Sigma happens to have some advanced weaponry in its arsenal - technically referred to as Six Sigma methodologies.

Among many, the two methodologies that are most commonly used include the DMAIC and the DMADV methodologies. For better understanding, we’ll compare these two methodologies.

The DMAIC Six Sigma Methodology

Starting with DMAIC Six Sigma methodology, the first thing you need to know is that it stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. These terms are nothing but the different stages of the DMAIC process - in that particular order.

Before you delve deeper into the various stages, you also need to know that the DMAIC process deals exclusively with business processes that are already there. It does not cater to business processes that are in the design and development phase.

Moving along to the various stages of the DMAIC process, you need to know that the first stage (i.e., the Define stage) deals with the identification of problems that might be affecting the efficiency of the targeted business process. In the second phase, the Measure stage, the overall affect of each of the identified problems is measured; based on which they are classified into different categories, ranging from the most severe of problems to the least severe.

After this comes the Analyze stage, where the most severe of identified problems are analyzed in detail so as to devise effective solutions that can take care of those problems. The solutions so devised are implemented in the Improve stage and their effects are studied in the last stage - the Control stage.

If the results are satisfactory, the process ends there; but if not, it is referred back to the start of the DMAIC process (i.e., the Define stage).

The DMADV Six Sigma Methodology

The DMADV Six Sigma methodology stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. The first thing you need to know about this methodology is that it deals exclusively with the design and development of completely new products or services.

The first three stages are basically the same as DMAIC, with the only difference that here process related problems get replaced by customer needs, requirements and expectations. So, after customer needs and requirements have been properly ascertained during the first three stages, the same are integrated into the basic design of the targeted product or service in the fourth stage, the Design stage.

After this comes the Verify stage, in which actual results are compared to set standards. Here also the process ends if results are satisfactory, but if not, it is referred back either to the DMADV process or to the DMAIC process, depending on the situation.

By now, you should have developed a basic understanding of the two most commonly used Six Sigma methodologies. However, there’s plenty more to these two methodologies; and as such, you may have to learn a lot more, especially if you are planning to make a career in Six Sigma quality management.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Six Sigma’s Contribution to Cutting Costs

Six Sigma has never been a cost cutting tool; however, a proper implementation of the various tools and techniques of Six Sigma can help businesses reduce the costs of operations.

Reduction of Defects and Rejections

A major factor in cutting costs is the reduction of defects. By listening to the appropriate voice of the customer (VOC), the customer requirements can be well understood.

The quality of a product is not perceived from the point of view of the person designing, manufacturing or selling it. Rather, it is determined according by the customer. By making product and process improvements from this point of view, it will lead to reductions in cost incurred due to customer rejection.

This in turn will help cut costs on certain processes that may add a feature to the product that is actually not necessary, or on the absence of a process that is leading to rejection of the product.

Process Stabilization

Six Sigma brings about stability in processes (i.e., it aims at reducing variations). In a manufacturing unit, reduction in variations saves a lot of costs incurred on the incorrect conversion of raw material. Variations lead to rejection. Rejection leads to rework on the material or scrapping of the same.

These costs would be saved when there is a standard process and controls in place to ensure that the variations are minimal. In spite of personnel changes in manufacturing the product, the standard process will ensure continuity in production.

This is true for the service industry as well. Additionally, moving on to achieve a sigma level of 3 to 4 or higher means even more savings by achieving almost zero rejections.

Risk Management

Six Sigma teams can devise better risk management plans through early identification of risk factors. Using FMEA and other tools, the risk of failures can be identified on time and plans can be prepared to mitigate such risk before they become causes for higher cost levels.

This helps prioritize processes that need action to improve a given situation. The teams work towards achievement of the intended quality in processes and product designs.
For example, in a healthcare scenario, by combining FMEA and Six Sigma, safer environments are ensured for patients. Improvement in efficiency is also achieved, and this leads to reduction in costs.

Cost cutting is not achieved immediately after implementing a Six Sigma initiative. It takes some time to bring about a change in organizational culture. The efficient utilization of the tools and techniques of Six Sigma means the businesses can realize a good return on investment.

Investments will be costs incurred on the entire change process, teams and so on. However, over a period of time and with the utilization of appropriate controls, significant cost savings can be achieved.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Well, if not then read on.

To start with, you need to know that Six Sigma basically signifies near-perfect business processes that do not generate more than 3.4 defects per million defect-free units of a manufactured product or delivered service.

When such near-perfect business processes are achieved, it automatically results in substantial cost savings and improved efficiencies. This is the reason why Six Sigma has now become the preferred choice of businesses worldwide.

The Tools and Techniques Used

Six Sigma relies heavily on factual data and information for taking critical process improvement decisions. This automatically eliminates the probability of errors and inaccuracies, thereby paving the way for successful process improvements.

For collecting, categorizing, processing and analyzing data and information in the most accurate and efficient manner, Six Sigma makes use of a wide range of statistical tools and techniques that include everything from Fishbone Diagrams to Ishikawa Diagrams, Design of experiments (DOE), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Process Flow Diagrams and Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (R&R) studies.

Other tools and techniques that are commonly utilized include Control Charts, Defect Measurement Matrices, Pareto Diagram, Process Mapping, Root-Cause Analysis, and Statistical Process Control.

Concepts and Methodologies

The above tools and techniques just aid the Six Sigma implementations - and as such, they cannot be classified as complete business solutions. What they do stand for are the nuts and bolts of commonly used Six Sigma concepts and methodologies such as DMAIC and DMADV.

The first thing you need to know about two of these most commonly used Six Sigma methodologies is that DMAIC is short for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control whereas DMAIC is short for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. They may appear to be the same, but you will be surprised to know that they are, in fact, a world apart.

The most basic difference is that whereas DMAIC is used exclusively for making improvements in existing business processes, DMADV is used exclusively for designing and developing completely new products or services from scratch.

The other prominent difference is that whereas DMAIC does not have variations, DMADV has quite a lot of them, such as DMADOV (define, measure, analyze, design, optimize, verify), DCCDI (Define, Customer Concept, Design and Implement), IDOV (Identify, Design, Optimize and Validate), and DMEDI (design, measure, explore, develop, and implement).

All these tools, techniques, concepts and methodologies have their own specific use and importance - but when it comes to ensuring the success of Six Sigma implementation projects, it becomes necessary for businesses to make the right choice from all available options.

Businesses that fail to do so will not be able to conclude their Six Sigma implementations; and as such, they may be deprived of the wide ranging benefits associated with successful Six Sigma implementations.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

In recent times, one of the most notable offshoots has been none other than Lean Six Sigma - it is already being touted as the next big thing in the world of quality improvement concepts, methodologies and systems.

It would not be wrong to say that Lean Six Sigma Training is an advanced version of older variations of Six Sigma Training, because wherever possible it not only helps in reducing the defect rate but also helps in improving overall efficiency business processes by identifying and eliminating unnecessary subprocesses.

For this, Lean Six Sigma depends on a wide variety of tools and techniques, some of which are described below.

Statistical Lean Six Sigma Training Tools and Techniques

There are many Lean tools available under this category, but the one that is most commonly used is the CPM, short for Critical Path Method. Speaking of CPM, it is be worth mentioning that this tool was never designed specifically for Lean Six Sigma.

CPM was in use even before Lean concepts came into existence, but experts categorize it as a Lean tool because its full potential was realized only when it was used during Lean Six Sigma implementations. CPM helps by scheduling the initialization and completion of each and every sub-process, something that makes it easier for Six Sigma professionals to keep track of ongoing Lean process improvement projects.

Other Lean statistical tools that play an equally important role include FMEA (Failure mode and Effects Analysis), used for identifying and eliminating potential problems and issues, VOC Requirements Translation and Kano Analysis, both of which are utilized for quantifying vague customer input and feedback into measurable terms.

Lean Six Sigma Software Tools

Lean Six Sigma software tools use the very same concepts and techniques as described above, with the only difference that achieving the desired objectives becomes a lot easier and faster with them.

This automatically improves efficiency, one of the primary objectives of Lean Six Sigma. Some of the most commonly deployed Lean software tools include MiniTab, SixNet Intelligence, Six Sigma Calculator and RapAnalyst, which is used alongside Design of Experiments (DOE) and data mining projects.

Judgmental Lean Tools and Techniques

If Lean Six Sigma is described as a human body, then judgmental Lean tools and techniques would certainly be described as its backbone. This is so because these tools play an important part in the decision-making process, wherein Six Sigma professionals are required to identify reasons for common problems and also to devise effective solutions for identified issues.

Some of the most common judgmental Lean tools and techniques used by Six Sigma professionals include the Ishikawa Root Cause Analysis Diagram (Fishbone diagram), Thought Maps, Regulation Diagrams, and Brain Storming & Affinity Group Tool.

For achieving the desired Lean Six Sigma goals and objectives, all the above described tools are usually deployed simultaneously. However, it may vary depending on the type of Lean Six Sigma implementation project and the preferences of Six Sigma professionals.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.