SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of f Six Si Si Sigma T Training i i

Robert Stoddard Dave Zubrow

June 30, 2010

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

NO WARRANTY THIS CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN AS-IS" BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER , AS TO ANY MATTER INCLUDING, , BUT NOT EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, LIMITED TO, WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR PURPOSE OR MERCHANTABILITY, EXCLUSIVITY, OR RESULTS OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE MATERIAL. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO FREEDOM FROM PATENT TRADEMARK, PATENT, TRADEMARK OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. INFRINGEMENT Use of any trademarks in this presentation is not intended in any way to infringe on the rights of the trademark holder. This Presentation may be reproduced in its entirety, entirety without modification, modification and freely distributed in written or electronic form without requesting formal permission. Permission is required for any other use. Requests for permission should be directed to the Software Engineering Institute at p permission@sei.cmu.edu. @ This work was created in the performance of Federal Government Contract Number FA8721-05-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center. center The Government of the United States has a royalty royalty-free free government-purpose license to use, duplicate, or disclose the work, in whole or in part and in any manner, and to have or permit others to do so, for government purposes pursuant to the copyright license under the clause at 252.227-7013.
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SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

The Co-Authors

Robert Stoddard Senior Member of Tech Staff SEI SEMA* *SEI SEMA = Software Engineering Institute,

Dave Zubrow Senior Member of Tech Staff SEI SEMA*

Software Engineering Measurement and Analysis

Polling Question 1

H How did you h hear about b this hi webinar? bi ? 1. 1 2. 3. 4. 5. Email invitation from the SEI SEI Website Website with webinar calendar (ie www.webinar-directory.com) Social Media site ( LinkedIn, Twitter) Other

Todays Talk
Introduction Six Sigma Training Challenge History of Six Sigma Training Lessons Learned from SEI Research and Experience
Training Design Training Implementation

SEI Six Sigma Training Solutions Contact Info and Questions

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Introduction
A wide variety of sources of Six Sigma training abound making it difficult for organizational leaders to identify which training and Six Sigma implementations are best for their work situations.

Additional confusion arises due to different philosophies on how to best train practitioners and domain experts in applied Six Sigma methods.

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Six Sigma Training Challenge

Critical lessons learned, in both the content and delivery of Six Sigma training, have been identified by SEI researchers from their experiences with several large corporations.

The Challenge: Successful adoption and usage of Six Sigma for tactical process improvement versus a failed investment in Six Sigma training that i l is less useful f l and dl less practical ti l i in t todays d fast-paced business environment.
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

History of Six Sigma Training

1980s Traditional statistical training to manufacturing personnel; focus on manufacturing operational scorecards 1990s Traditional statistical training g with COTS statistical tools; ; focus moves beyond scorecards to improvement project methodology Early 2000s 2000 s Traditional statistical training to non-manufacturing non manufacturing domains; focus on new product design, development and transaction Late L t 2000s 2000 Applied A li d statistical t ti ti l t training i i with ith modern d t tools l t to a wide id variety of domains; focus on training domain experts use of statistics rather than training statisticians in domain knowledge

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Lessons Learned from SEI Research and Experience

Critical lessons learned have been identified in both the content and delivery of Six Sigma training Identified up p to 8 y years ago, g , most organizational g deployment p y champions p and Six Sigma training providers seem to be unaware of the lessons learned As such, inferior training and improper use of Six Sigma methods and tools persists in the community, resulting in false starts and disappointing b i business results lt

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Polling Question 2
How would you characterize your organizations Six Sigma methods and tools training?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very good Above Average Below Average Minimal Dont know

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Training Design

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

1) Theory & Formula vs What, When & Why

Traditional Approach: Traditional Six Sigma training forces students to learn the formulas and theory behind each technique. technique Often, this can include details of the original derivation of the technique. Lesson Learned: Taking advantage of both modern statistical packages and hands-on coaching, Six Sigma training should properly focus class time on connecting the business problem space with the appropriate technique or method. method Experience has shown that busy practitioners will not use the methods if their training focuses mostly on the theory and formulas formulas.
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2) Statistical Purism vs Practical Use

Traditional Approach: Often, Six Sigma training still gets wrapped around the axle regarding statistical purism. Thus, the training appears to ignore the fact that we are training practitioners, not college statistical students! Lesson Learned: Six Sigma courses should teach only what is needed for busy practitioners to use the methods, with occasional help from a coach. p is the on-going g g discussion within the Six Sigma g community y An example about how religious one treats the prerequisite of normality before using a number of methods, including SPC.
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3) Theoretical Examples vs Real World Problems

Traditional Approach: Many Six Sigma courses primarily offer thought experiments and theoretical examples related to the methods and tools tools. This behavior actually blurs the lines of distinction between skill training vs education vs general awareness. Lesson Learned: Six Sigma training should focus on skill building through a combination of real-world and realistic case studies. Thus, the students can learn the skills in context of specific business situations and problems.
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4) Manufacturing vs Software and Systems

Traditional Approach: Because Six Sigma training originated in the manufacturing domain, many training providers still teach the methods strictly y in context of manufacturing. Consequently, many organizations have seen their software ft engineers i question ti the th applicability li bilit of f Six Sigma to their work. Lesson Learned: Six Sigma courses should stress the application of Six Sigma methods and tools among a wide ide variety ariet of areas areas, s such ch as b but t not limited to to: ne new product development, research, transaction processing and service, as well as, strategic planning and technical product marketing.
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5) Continuous Data vs Continuous & Discrete Data

Traditional Approach: Most Six Sigma training providers only teach methods conducive for continuous data types while excluding treatment of discrete or categorical data data. This arises because the original manufacturing application had primarily continuous data (Interval or Ratio). Lesson Learned: We recognize that software-intensive systems systems, complex systems and systems-of-systems development need to deal with all types of data. In fact, experience has shown that a majority of the data to be analyzed ma be categorical (Nominal or Ordinal) in nat may nature. re Examples: Defect type = Nominal; Severity score = Ordinal
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6) Domain Agnostic vs CMMI & Domain Specific

Traditional Approach: Some Six Sigma training providers create training materials to be reused across industries and domains domains. As a result, the concepts and skills are not taught in the domain language of the student! Lesson Learned: Six Sigma students should learn skills applicable within their specific domain and, beneficially, against a backdrop of the CMMI constellations (Development, Acquisition, and Services). Case studies from a number of domains should be included to ensure coverage of all students backgrounds.
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Polling Question 3
To what degree would these training content lessons-learned benefit your organization?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very much Often Somewhat Minimal Dont know

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Training Implementation

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

1) One Instructor vs Two Instructor Paradigm

Traditional Approach: A majority of Six Sigma training conducted today is via a single instructor and often via online or elearning. As a result result, the learning experience is significantly constrained by the single instructors experience and limited interaction with students, if any interaction at all! Lesson Learned: We believe a two two-instructor instructor approach is superior for several reasons:
1)

While one instructor is lecturing and leading the class, the other th instructor i t t can walk lk around dt to help h l with ith t tool l use, and d The two-instructor approach dramatically enriches the learning p via complementary p y instructor backgrounds. g experience
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 20 30 June 2010
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2)

2) Statistical Prerequisites vs No Prerequisites

Traditional Approach: Many Six Sigma training courses have a deeply-rooted structure of prerequisite courses, often requiring college classes in statistics statistics. As such, many domain experts find themselves excluded resulting in classes filled mostly with students from the quality function. Lesson Learned: Because domain knowledge has been shown to be more important than statistics in driving process improvement , we have seen organizations prioriti e the class seats for the domain st prioritize students dents who ho ma may ha have e no prior knowledge of statistics.
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 21 30 June 2010
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3) Manual Calculation vs Modern Tools

Traditional Approach: Most Six Sigma training offerings are still locked in the past, e.g. 1980s. They still teach students to perform heavy calculations on calculators or program formulas in spreadsheets. Lesson Learned: A healthy set of modern tools are now available to conduct applied statistical analysis and report the results. A such, we believe that the teaching focus on manual calculations is a serio s distraction from the real foc serious focus: s connecting the problem space with methods and tools!
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 22 30 June 2010
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4) Lecture vs Hands-on Practice

Traditional Approach: Much of todays Six Sigma training is still rooted in traditional classroom lecture, or unassisted elearning. elearning Both approaches have been shown to be inferior to hands-on, hands on, coached skill training. Lesson Learned: We believe a combined use of lecture, individual and group exercises, and interactive use of modern tools is superior for skill building. A seemingly superior class design guide is to limit lecture to no more than 30-40% of the class time.
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5) Use it or Lose it vs Self-Refresher Screen Shots

Traditional Approach: Traditional Six Sigma training often includes training materials that do not stand alone. As such, students often find the need to retake the training later on when the opportunity to apply a given method or tool arises! Lesson Learned: Six Sigma training should include rich information, decision flowcharts and actual screen shots of the step-by-step process for each method using a modern tool. In this fashion, students may interactively follow along during class, as well as, self-refresh on topics later on when needed.
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6) Memorization vs Laminated Color Job Aids

Traditional Approach: To this day, most Six Sigma training involves memorizing formulas, as well as, which techniques to use in different situations based on the type of available data data. This memorization requirement continues to stall Six Sigma deployments. Lesson Learned: A number of Six Sigma courses use quick reference job aids aids, which embody most of the decisions related to techniques based on the situational factors. At the SEI, we have created several laminated, color job aids that are in great demand by our students.
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7) Standard Data Sets vs Additional Student Data Sets

Traditional Approach: It is common for Six Sigma training to provide data sets to be analyzed as part of the skill building. However, these data sets are often narrowly constrained and unrealistic to the situations that the student will encounter! Lesson Learned: Students should not only utilize prepared data sets to practice the different techniques, but should be encouraged to bring their own organizational and/or project data to analyze. analyze In this manner, students can build compelling predictive models for their p needs during g the class! workplace
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8) Book Knowledge vs Self-Sufficiency

Traditional Approach: Regretfully, many training providers, coaches and practitioners seem to be only book knowledgeable of Six Sigma techniques techniques. As such, they are disadvantaged wrt the operation and strength of the different techniques. Lesson Learned: Six Sigma training should be designed to build self-sufficiency within students through the repeated practice of individual analytical techniques and tools. We believe skill building of this nature creates more self-sufficient students who need less coaching and are more confident in applying the techniques within the workplace. workplace
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 27 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

9) One time event vs On-going coaching

Traditional Approach: Most Six Sigma training is designed as a one-time training event, in which the students must go back to the workplace and apply the concepts on their own own. Even the best training suffers without the appropriate hand holding during first real use. hand-holding Lesson Learned: Six Sigma students should be encouraged to solicit coaching for on-going advice and help, as this psychologically promotes their use of the methods without fear. Superior Six Sigma deployments achieve coaching structures within each of the major domains in their organization, such that practitioners are coached by someone in their domain domain.
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Polling Question 4
To what degree would these training implementation lessons-learned benefit your organization?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very much Often Somewhat Minimal Dont know

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 29 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

SEI Six Sigma Training Solutions

The SEI offers two courses that embody the lessons learned described in this talk.

Improving Process Performance using Six Sigma (IPPSS) Designing Products and Processes using Six Sigma (DPPSS)

SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 30 30 June 2010
2010 Carnegie Mellon University

IPPSS Course Details

Title: Improving Process Performance using Six Sigma (IPPSS) (5 days) SEI url: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p49b.cfm Aka: Green Belt training for Software and Systems Engineers Topics included:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Full treatment of the Six Sigma DMAIC process Analysis using ANOVA and Hypothesis Testing Sample size determination Predictive modeling using Regression modeling Role of these methods specifically related to the following CMMI-Dev 1.2 Process Areas: MA, QPM, OPP, CAR and OID
SEI Webinar: Critical Lessons Learned in the Content and Delivery of Six Sigma Training 31 30 June 2010
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DPPSS Course Details

Title: Designing Products and Processes using Six Sigma (DPPSS) (5 days) SEI url: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p56b.cfm Aka: Black Belt training for Software and Systems Engineers Topics included:
1 1. 2. 3 3. 4. 5 5. 6. 7.

Treatment of the Six Sigma DMADV process Voice of Customer techniques including KJ and Kano analysis Monte Carlo simulation and Optimization modeling Predictive modeling using Dummy Variable and Logistic Regression modeling Process Modeling using Discrete Event Simulation Design of Experiments for practical, short experiments, and Software Reliability y Growth Modeling g and p prediction of latent defects.
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Polling Question 5
Which of these SEI courses seem attractive and timely to meet your organizations needs?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma (IPPSS) Designing Products and Processes Using Six Sigma (DPPSS) Both of the above Neither of the above Dont know

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Open Question
Any additional questions or comments on the critical lessons learned in the content and delivery of Six Sigma training?

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Thank You for Your Attention!

Robert Stoddard
Email: rws@sei.cmu.edu rws@sei cmu edu

Dave Zubrow
E il dz@sei.cmu.edu Email: d @ i d

U.S. mail: Software Engineering Institute Customer Relations 4500 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2612 USA Customer Relations E il customerEmail: t relations@sei.cmu.edu Telephone: +1 412-268-5800 SEI Phone: +1 412-268-5800 SEI Fax: +1 412-268-6257
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2010 Carnegie Mellon University

World Wide Web: www.sei.cmu.edu i d

g the data y Are y you measuring you need? SEI Measurement and Analysis training equips i you with ith the th skills kill needed. d d

SEI Training
www.sei.cmu.edu/training
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Analyzing Project Management Indicators

Three-day course teaching managers and practitioners how to use measurement as the foundation for making informed decisions about projects. July 13 15, 2010 (SEI Arlington, VA)

Register Now:
www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p07d.cfm
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D i i P d t and dP Designing Products Processes g Six Sigma g Using

Five-day course taking a hands-on, measurement-oriented approach to product development, providing participants with a toolkit of analysis methods and leveraging industry best practices practices.

December 13 17, 2010 (SEI Arlington, VA)

Register Now:
www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p56b.cfm
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Implementing CMMI for High Performance, and Executive Seminar

One-day introductory course for executives and middle managers covers the key concepts and strategy behind the SEIs new fast track to process improvement from a management perspective perspective.

October 18, 2010 (SEI Arlington, VA)

Register Now:
www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p22b.cfm
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2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Implementing Goal-Driven Measurement

Three-day course teaching managers and practitioners how to identify and define indicators and measures that directly support an organizations business, process improvement, and project goals.

September 21 23, 2010 (SEI Arlington, VA)

Register Now:
www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p06.cfm
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2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma

Five-day course taking a hands-on, problem-solving approach to data analysis, providing participants with a toolkit of analysis methods and leveraging industry best practices such as Six Sigma and Goal-Driven Software Measurement.

20 2010 (SEI Pittsburgh PA) August 16 20,

Register Now:
www.sei.cmu.edu/training/p49b.cfm
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2010 Carnegie Mellon University

Start here

Webinar start

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2010 Carnegie Mellon University