The Six Sigma Project Planner : A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Six Sigma Project Through DMAIC [Paperback]

Thomas Pyzdek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2003

Project management strategies for meeting Six Sigma project goals--on time and on budget

The Six Sigma Project Planner shows Six Sigma Black Belts and Green Belts how to use project management tools to complete Six Sigma improvements on time and on budget.

The Planner provides dozens of reproducible project management tools for following the proven Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve- Control (DMAIC) process improvement format.

Readers who follow its guidelines will be able to quickly and effectively:

• Determine a Six Sigma project's ROI
• Correct problems in current processes
• Develop and implement entirely new processes

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Meet your Six Sigma project goals--on time and on budget

Six Sigma demands results. These results are delivered by projects that are tightly linked to customer demands and enterprise strategy. If you're leading a Six Sigma initiative in your organization, this hands-on guide is designed to help you achieve these results quickly and effectively by treating a Six Sigma project like any other project that must be managed and completed on time and within budget.

Written by leading Six Sigma expert Thomas Pyzdek, The Six Sigma Project Planner offers a project management approach to Six Sigma. You'll learn how to rigorously measure and analyze problems, implement solutions, and choose and complete the quality improvement projects that offer the largest payoff. Pyzdek provides dozens of reproducible, downloadable project management tools and worksheets for each step of the DMAIC process (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control). The step-by-step guidelines will help your team:

• Identify high-payoff projects to tackle
• Define project goals and estimated ROI
• Employ breakthrough techniques to develop and implement entirely new processes that meet project goals
• Correct problems in current processes
• Identify stalled projects and jumpstart them--or pull the plug before they consume too much time and resources
• Perform a process capability study using Statistical Process Control
• Establish control and continuous improvement systems

The Six Sigma Project Planner enables all team leaders to identify the "Critical Path" to successful project completion--while you stay on time and on budget.

About the Author

Thomas Pyzdek is among the world's leading experts in Six Sigma and TQM. The recipient of ASQ's prestigious Edwards Medal for outstanding contributions to quality management, he is the author of The Six Sigma Handbook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (March 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071411836
• ISBN-13: 978-0071411837
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #548,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas Pyzdek is a Six Sigma consultant with 30 years of experience in the field. His clients include Ford, McDonald's, Intuit, Avon Products, and many other companies. Mr. Pyzdek is a recipient of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Edwards Medal for outstanding contributions to the practice of quality management.Paul Keller is vice president of and senior consultant with Quality America, a Six Sigma Training company. Nearly 3,000 students to date have used his Six Sigma training program to achieve Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt certifications. Mr. Keller is the author of Six Sigma Demystified.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful Add-On to The Six Sigma Handbook, August 21, 2011

By 

Ed Kozak (Cicero, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Six Sigma Project Planner : A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Six Sigma Project Through DMAIC (Paperback)

After reading through The Six Sigma Handbook, there was something about the process that bothered me--beginning a project, collecting data, analyzing, and then improving. It felt that the cart was placed before the horse because I was bothered with the nagging feeling that one should already have the data in place prior to project selection showing that a system needs improvement and what the actual improvement and gains (financial, quality, etc.) would be. There's a great figure in the planner that shows exactly how and where DMAIC fits within project selection and planning and that figure made a difference. There's a chapter on project planning itself, from Charter to WBS to Schedule to Change Control Plan, but if you're already familiar with the PMBOK that won't provide you with any value. There are examples of six sigma project worksheets shown throughout the book that one can use. Unfortunately, now, eight years after the book was published, McGraw-Hill no longer provides electronic copies of those worksheets for you as is stated in the book so you'd have to create them from scratch. My suggestion to you is, until another edition of this book is made and one with a proper link to a place where you can download these files, buy a used copy or, better yet, see if your local library has one. It's a good complement to Pyzdek's Handbook, but it isn't the do-all end-all. You'll still have to look at other sources to get a better feel for things.

5.0 out of 5 stars Project planning forms and templates for 6 sigma practitioners, December 24, 2010

By 

Stephen Salaka "kenopodragon" (Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Six Sigma Project Planner : A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Six Sigma Project Through DMAIC (Paperback)

The most valuable component of this book is the series of templates and forms that can be used in many of the 6 sigma processes. One of the major issues facing organizations when adopting 6 sigma, is the design and standardization of both materials and reporting tools. This collection of tools and worksheets helps move this process along at a much quicker pace. Please note, this book is not for self teaching, nor is it designed to be a single stand alone resource on project management or the 6 sigma process. The main focus of the book is to provide SS practitioners a good source of templates and forms they can use for their SS projects.

8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little bit dissapointed, February 19, 2007

By 

Jesus Puente Esparza (San Luis Potosí, México) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Six Sigma Project Planner : A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Six Sigma Project Through DMAIC (Paperback)

I expected more from this book.

I pick "Six Sigma and Minitab: A complete toolbox guide for all Six Sigma practitioners (2nd edition) [Spiral-bound] By: Quentin Stephen Brook" as Best in Class to lead, guide an track Six Sigma Projects.