Feds may unleash Six Sigma on Terrorism

USA Today ^ | 10/30/2002 | Del Jones

[VaBthang4]

At a time when fighting the war on terrorism has become arguably the most important issue facing the USA, authorities are looking into an unlikely weapon to aid their fight: Six Sigma.

Six Sigma is nothing like a laser-guided smart bomb but rather a statistics-heavy regimen of analyzing problems that has saved corporations billions.

[eno_]

There is LOTS of room for abuse in these systems. The danger signs are a lack of critical thinking when it comes to what these SQA systems can be applied to. For manufacturing in any statistically valid volumes, it's great. For most other things, it's a waste of time.

[WOSG]

How can someone know in advance what info is important?"

That is why some quantitative process improvement like Six Sigmna would help. The INS and other govt bureaucracies have no mechanism for fixing problems, it is like a seive. This would help get a handle on wher there a quality breakdowns, lapses, (eg why did they not deport Malvo? why did they give visas to dead terrorists? ) ... This all is management 101 type stuff, and the Federal Govt is *hopeless* if it cant even try this.

I am sure it will help if they try it sincerely and in mode of 'learning' and equally sure it is no silver bullet.

[WOSG]

THAT IS REASON #17 to VOTE REPUBLICAN ON TUESdAY!

Bush wants a Homeland security dept that defends our homeland. the Dems are using it as a patronage deal for Govt unions.

We have to help Bush make this a professional dept. that is managed and focussed on our security, not on featherbedding or ineptnes-protection rules.

[Calamari]

Zero defects,statistical process control(SPC),quality circles,TQC,TQM,6 Sigma,supply chain management,JIT,KanBans.....probably forgot some.

I wonder what was used at Arthur Anderson?

[ikka]

I see your puny "eight enigmas" and raise you ... 12 lemmas and a surd! Now beat that sonny!

[SunTzuWu]

Good-Cheap-Fast
Choose Any Two

I'm just a plumber but this is on the wall of my office and I make my customers choose before I start any job.

[kitchen]

I wonder what was used at Arthur Anderson?

Gouge and Pad. I think Anderson Consulting used Pad and Gouge, though. It was hard to remember who was AC and who was AA, but they sure let you know they were insulted if you confused the two. I think they had a cost code for client orientation on this on the monthly bills.

[FreedomPoster]

You've got to know that that ex-AA parters at Accenture are going "whew! dodged a bullet!" Or maybe a 105 round! They had to be forced kicking and screaming to lose the Anderson name, and it was the best thing they were ever forced to do.

[GeekDejure]

I see your puny "eight enigmas" and raise you ... 12 lemmas and a surd! Now beat that sonny!

No No No . . . y'gotta follow the Raise Rules . . . y'can't just bounce around from county to county like some whaco Muzzle-em sniper!!!

The next betting level for raises would be Nine N-word (Nigma) !!! ;-))

[ctdonath2]

How cute. Lets fight terrorism with software. ... Right now, this country needs to be 99.99% accurate in taking out the fanatic's - on their ground. Blow them up - on their turf.

The "software" is knowing precisely who and where the fanatics are. Calls to "blow them up" are hollow when you don't know who "them" are, and when they are typically on someone else's turf.

Once you work the software properly, all you need is 175 grains of lead per fanatic.

[r9etb]

I'll take your word for it that this works for GE. Certainly the basic idea is valid -- however, once it gets guru-ized I think it's basically a way to get the big consultant bucks, and then it has little chance of succeeding.

I've seen I don't know how many things like "six sigma" come and go. They tend to fail, because my company (and others with which I'm familiar) tends to get really big into the process crap, while losing sight of what the process is really about. Consultants sell process. Management likes to buzzword-ize, and to blindly follow process. They forget that it helps to know the business.

I would certainly hope that the terror warriors don't get so mired in process crap that they forget about the bad guys.

[r9etb]

The Truman's Atomic Bomb didn't beat Japan half as well as Demming's Quality Procedurating did.

FWIW, several years ago I read an article by Demming saying that TQM was a sham, because it left out the need to know about the processes being managed.

[tracer]

Thanks for the link to yet another crappy Orbitz pop-up from which there is no escape....8~)

[Vinomori]

Six Sigma is a good thing. It will be another advantage over the animals who don't get what it is, including some who are posting here. Intelligence (both kinds) matters. Knowledge is power.

[bribriagain]

"Van bag thang!"

Thang bag Wang? (4)

[bvw]

Is it the natural order of workplaces to become a proletariat-class of workers, a comissar-class of line management and "political officers" who go around enforcing the current fad of whatever "Little Red Book" is thrown on them by the actual owner or CEO of the company?

That is the market Six-Sigma ("SS" get it? Zig Hiel!) glories in.

When you say "Knowledge is Power", you do know, don't you, that that is the motto of many of the most fascismic-socialistic entitlementocracies of bureaucracies?

[fogarty]

What a bunch of bullsh*t this all is. GE is NOT a strong company because of it. It is a strong company because of strong leadership. In short, the PEOPLE made GE, not the process. Microsoft is a lot more financially secure than GE, and you'll find little anything Six Sigma about it. Strength is in PEOPLE, not in processes.

[Stand Watch Listen]

One must not forget 'zero defects', MBO 'Management by Objectives'

[Cobra Scott]

Show me where Six Sigma has been correctly instituted and failed...and I'll buy you an adult beverage.

Omnicom. Buy me a six-pack.

[VaBthang4]

It is laughable to watch the kneejerk contrarianite FReepers [Those are the ones Rush was talking about] pontificate about a subject they either do not comprehend or are willfully ignorant to.

Where does GE stand in the global market?

What are it's earnings?

Some guy said Six Sigma doesnt have anything to do with GE's success...leadership does. Ahem...all "all" of their leaders are promoted from within the Six Sigma community that they have created. If you arent a blackbelt, you arent gonna be leading jack past lower management. That isnt some rote line of text to place on your resume. You either are a Blackbelt or you arent. And if you are...you live Six Sigma in every area. It doesnt hinder creativity. On the contrary, it encourages it...because you know that if the idea makes it through a greebelt workup at the lower level then it is probably gonna fly company wide. GE pushes it's best and brightest towards Six Sigma. The leaders come out of that clique. Tell me if Jeffrey Immelt is a Blackbelt. Tell me if the other two CEO candidates were Blackbelts. Tell me what American CEO built it into the GE system.

The bitter types can rail on it all day long but they cannot remove it from the context of GE's overwhelming success...not just at home but globally.

Ignorance is indeed bliss for a select coterie of FReepers.

LOL

It really is funny to read some of the comments on this thing.