Updated June 14, 2008

*** SPECIAL ***

SUMMER ANNOUNCEMENT

 To accommodate the summer vacation schedules of our speakers and members, the ASQ Lean Six Sigma SIG will also take a vacation June – August 2008. 

Our dual objective is to bring top speakers to talk about topics relevant to your business and to maximize meeting attendance for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.  Please join us at our next meeting on September 24^th 2008 (the last Wednesday of each month).  As usual, you can look forward to:

•  Engaging with professionals in the NCR about Six Sigma as it is applied to the Transactional Service Sector and related topics ...
• Meeting others like yourself seeking to further their knowledge and experience in the Quality arena ...
• Learning the latest news and development about the ASQ Six Sigma Certifications and Body of Knowledge ...

 Please mark your calendar and look for more details in our September Flyer.

Your competitors will be here.  Your clients will be here.  Shouldn’t you be here too?

Previous Six Sigma for Service Meeting Announcements:

• May 2008 Lean Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• April 2008 Lean Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• March 2008 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• February 2008 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• January 2008 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• November 2007 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• October 2007 Six Sigma SIG Announcement
• September 2007 Six Sigma SIG Meeting
• May 2007 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• April 2007 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement
• March 2007 Six Sigma SIG Meeting Announcement

Scope

Surging demand (government) is driving supply (contractors) of Six Sigma services in the National Capital Region (NCR) – Washington D.C. and surrounding MD/VA areas.  The demand is also driving the translation of Six Sigma to Transactional Service from Manufacturing.  Growing pains are inevitable.  To mitigate the impact of this transition, communication not only between government and contractors but also among contractors is critical to effective and proper implementation of Six Sigma projects.  In this market of cooperative competition (“co-opetition”), the SIG serves as a neutral, competition-free zone for the balanced exchange of ideas, best-practices and lessons learned to benefit all market parties.

Vision

To promote the furtherance, understanding and standardization of the Six Sigma industry Body of Knowledge (BoK) by and for Six Sigma professionals in the Transactional Service Sector.

Mission

The SIG exists to serve the interests and needs of the Six Sigma professional community around the National Capital Region.  Monthly meetings with expert speakers highlight topics that matter to you and your business.  Periodic electronic newsletters alert you to relevant news and trends.  Simply put, the SIG’s mission is to help you ...

1. Be in-the-loop: Information is key. Monthly meetings help you stay in-the-know about high-relevance and high-impact issues affecting the Six Sigma community.

2. Be well-connected: It’s what you know, but also who you know. Network with current and prospective clients, colleagues and competitors. 

3. Be resource-full: Treat others as you’d like to be treated. Count on the SIG’s loose network of professionals for resources and be recognized among your peers as a go-to expert.

4. Be wise: Don’t repeat mistakes, benchmark! Share and learn lessons and best-practices from those in the same boat and those who’ve been there done that. 

5. Be innovative: Let diverse expert speakers from business and academia challenge and inspire your Six Sigma thinking with a fusion of new ideas and unique perspectives.

6. Be...long: You’re not alone. Meet like-minded professionals equally passionate about their work in an open, friendly atmosphere of learning and professional growth.

Arising in the mid ‘80s, then sweeping major industries and sectors throughout the world in the ‘90s, the Six Sigma has demonstrated impressive Returns on Investment (ROI).  Although the specific definition of Six Sigma actually varies in nuance per industry, sector and practitioner, a basic description is that it is both a business improvement philosophy and a robust set of analytical tools/methodologies to regulate quality and extract cost-savings and time-savings.  The most well known and popularized Six Sigma framework is DMAIC (pronounced “duh-MAY-ic”) – acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control – which is one of many frameworks currently in use (again, specific to industry, sector and practitioner).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will the SIG discuss Lean Six Sigma?
Yes.  In fact, the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Body of Knowledge (BoK)already includes Lean concepts (section “IX”) under the umbrella term of “Six Sigma.”  In this regard, the distinction between “Six Sigma” and “Lean Six Sigma” is a distinction without a difference, i.e. the former and latter terms are used interchangeably. 

If the terms “Six Sigma” and “Lean Six Sigma” mean the same, why is there so much buzz around the NCR about Lean Six Sigma?
The reasons depend on who you ask.  One conceivable explanation is that the prefix “Lean” helps to bring Lean concepts to the forefront, emphasizing a more service-friendly application of Six Sigma methodologies.  Another explanation relates to a snow-ball effect, starting with government Requests for Proposal (RFPs) explicitly using the terms Lean Six Sigma as opposed to Six Sigma. 

Why is the SIG named “Six Sigma for Service” not Lean Six Sigma?
The first two words “Six Sigma” set the agenda of the SIG, grounded in core methodologies of the Six Sigma body of knowledge.  The next two words “for Service” tacitly imply Lean, while still leaving the focus broad enough to address relevant overlaps with ISO 9000, CMMI, Balanced Scorecard or other business frameworks.  Furthermore “for Service” acknowledges the difference in application of Six Sigma methodologies when in a Manufacturing environment vs. Transactional Service environment around the National Capital Region.

Does the SIG discuss issues specific to the government business?
The SIG focuses on the Transactional Service Sector, which around the National Capital Region happens to be mostly government/public sector. 

What is the difference between (a) Lean, (b) Six Sigma and (c) Lean Six Sigma?
There is a plethora of information in the literature.  Here’s one simplified comparison matrix:

Who is ASQ?
In a nutshell, American Society for Quality (ASQ) is an independent, nonprofit in the business of professional standards, training and certifications since 1946.  It has current memberships in over 122 countries as well as administers the U.S. Malcolm Baldrige Award and over a dozen Quality Certifications (Engineers, Auditors, Inspectors, etc.).  It provides a forum for quality topics such as ISO 9000, TQM, Six Sigma, Lean and Benchmarking.  For information directly from the source, visit ASQ at http://www.asq.org/about-asq/who-we-are/index.html.

More content added soon ... please check back periodically.

For questions about ASQ Section 509’s Six Sigma for Service SIG, please contact Mr. Minh B. Tran at SixsigmaSIG @ asq509.org (Note: Remove spaces around @).