There’s a definite honor in being “award-winning.” I experienced this firsthand last year when iSixSigma Magazine received editorial excellence honors. The awards provided an opportunity for us to pause and recognize the work that goes into our editorial efforts and to celebrate the accomplishments. But, as I said in my Editor’s Notes following the announcement, entering a competition is more than just a pat on the back. It also reinforces what you want to do tomorrow and the next day and the day after.

Recognition and reinforcement are just a couple of the reasons to enter the iSixSigma Live! Awards. Here are a few more reasons:

1. Just being nominated is a boost for an individual or team
2. Finalist and winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in South Beach, Fla., Feb. 3, in iSixSigma Magazine, and on iSixSigma.com.
3. This year, the awards ceremony will be accompanied by music. Think YouTube sensation, wedding entrance dance. (OK, maybe not exactly like that, but there will be fun music.)
4. The ceremony is held in conjunction with the iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards, Feb. 1-4. You won’t want to miss the great program lineup, networking opportunities, and sunshine of South Beach.

Award categories include:

* iSixSigma's Six Sigma Hall of Fame
* Largest-Breakthrough Improvement Projects (Categories: Transactional, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Service)
* Most Successful Lean Six Sigma Start-up or Re-energized Lean Six Sigma Program

Get more details on the awards categories and learn how to submit. The deadline for your chance to be “award-winning” is Nov. 30.

But don’t wait until then. The first step of the submission process is a simple form, followed by submission of a storyboard or other support materials, depending on award category. So complete the first step now, and work on your materials over the coming weeks. Good luck!

You may have seen the cover of the September/October issue of iSixSigma Magazine, featuring J.D. Sicilia and “The DoD Roundup.” The western theme continued into the DoD Breakthrough Convention, Oct. 14 to 16.

Here’s a sneak peak of the fun: Jeannine Hall, director of events, taking a hand at roping a bull. Yes, this may look like a bale of hay with plastic horns, but use your imagination, as we did, and you’ll soon be envisioning City Slickers – in suits. Note: This is not a professional photograph, but some iPhone handiwork by Mike Cyger.

Imagination was just one of the topics at the second annual event. More than 350 process improvement leaders from across the U.S. Department of Defense gathered in Lansdowne, Va., at the National Conference Center. One of my favorite facts about the DoD is that it is larger than the top five Fortune 500 companies combined. In an organization that large, building a continuous process improvement culture enterprise wide is, needless to say, no small feat.

The Breakthrough Convention is one of the ways that the Defense Department is continuing to unite its Lean Six Sigma initiative under a common vision. Presenters hailed from several of the DoD services and agencies, as well as from other federal organizations, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs.

You can get a glimpse of the photos of the presentations and networking receptions here. (And more roping photos here.)

And find out more about the DoD’s performance improvement efforts by reading “The DoD Roundup” on the iSixSigma Military Channel.

The deadline to submit a speaking proposal for the second annual iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards has been extended one week. If you were on the fence about submitting an idea, now’s the time to take action.

More than 200 of the world’s top business leaders and operational experts will gather, Feb. 1-4, 2010, in Miami, Fla., USA at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. The theme is "Practices That Make Profits.” Don’t miss this chance to share your related inspirational stories, concrete examples and actionable strategies.

Extended deadline for proposals: Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. Visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IUanv83qkQ3wpNlWCZF_2faQ_3d_3d to learn more.

Again and again, culture change comes up as one of the most important aspects of a successful Six Sigma deployment and reaching maturity. Yet effecting culture change is one of the most difficult parts to master. Almost 50 percent of respondents to a recent iSixSigma survey said their company was far from achieving its desired culture change.

Bringing the topic to the stage at the Energy Forum for Process Excellence is Stephen P. Tomlinson, vice president, operations support, for Cameron. The company provides flow equipment products, systems and services to worldwide oil, gas and process industries through its 11 operating divisions.

With more than 300 Black Belts and 750 Green Belts, Cameron is moving from a culture of anecdotally based problem solving and improvement to one of a “classic Six Sigma.” The company’s goal is to take Six Sigma to every employee, instilling process improvement at all levels. Takeaways of the presentation:

• Settling on overarching themes
• Considering the new role of Black Belts and Master Black Belts
• The importance of metrics
• Deciding on a rollout strategy

Tomlinson’s insight into how 16,000-employee Cameron is energizing improvement in its more than 250 locations through Lean Six Sigma promises to be an informative, engaging presentation.

With a timely theme of “Completing the Chain,” the May/June 2009 issue of iSixSigma Magazine mailed last week. The cover story, “A Stronger Chain,” focuses on how companies are wielding Six Sigma and Lean to strengthen their supply chains. As companies examine how to get the most out of their efforts, they are reaching outside their walls to reduce waste and variation, and cut costs.

“Working with our suppliers is becoming a more strategic tactic with the toughening economy,” said Mark Wallace, executive vice president of operations for Pratt Corp., a $67 million company that provides in-store marketing and display materials to retailers.

Key Research Findings
The research feature, “The Demand for Six Sigma in the Supply Chain,” explores what factors contribute to success and failure in applying Six Sigma in the supply chain. Some key findings:

• 63 percent of respondents said their company uses Six Sigma to optimize its supply chain
• 59 percent of respondents said their company uses Lean to optimize its supply chain
• Top success factors for applying Six Sigma to the supply chain include support, having reliable data, supplier involvement and teamwork
• Top potential failure modes for applying Six Sigma to the supply chain include lack of support for the initiative, not having enough data and limited resources available

You’ll find these features and much more, including the Final Tollgate project review on a DMADV project, and articles on forecasting, Kano analysis and goal setting. Plus, don’t miss a take from Lynn Kelley, vice president of Textron Six Sigma & Quality, on intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.

If you’re a subscriber, watch for yours in the mail or log in to the digital edition at www.isixsigma-magazine.com/de. Want to sign up? Click here.

There’s no time like the present to study up and learn a few new strategies. I’m a big fan of continuing education and benchmarking best-in-class practices. That’s why I’m excited about the upcoming workshops at the Energy Forum for Process Excellence. Just one problem: I’m having hard time figuring out how to be in more than one place at one time!

Workshop A: Lean Labor Strategies – Uncovering Hidden Costs and Applying Best Practices From Operations to HR
Presented by John W. Frehse, chief strategist and partner, Core Practice LLC, this workshop will start with a foundational education on operations and HR strategies, and end with new insights in low cost labor strategies, flexible scheduling for seasonal environments and specific energy sector solutions.

Workshop B: Lean Six Sigma Practices: How to Maintain Operational Excellence in an Unstable Economic Environment
Sally Ulman, president, Variance Reduction International Inc., will present on the company’s 7 principles to achieving Operational Excellence. Attendees will review how to apply quality tools and simple statistics to core processes of the oil and gas industry to achieve cost reductions across the entire value stream.

Executive Workshop: Lean Six Sigma for Executives – Driving Revolutionary Change in the Energy Industry
Bob Silvers, managing director, SSA & Company, will talk about the company’s next-stage model for continuous business improvement, Strategic Process Management, and how some of the world's leading companies are leveraging this new methodology to enhance their already strong process cultures to drive their business performance.

Let me know what’s keeping you up at night and what you’d like to attend a workshop on, even if you can’t make it to Houston.

That’s the question that will be answered at one of the anticipated presentations at the Energy Forum for Process Excellence in May (live.isixsigma.com/energy). Presenting will be Steve Wells, Internal Continuous Improvement Consultant at Luminant. The power generation company received the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence last year.

The Martin Lake Complex, a lignite-fueled plant and mine complex, received the Silver Medallion and the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (pictured) the Bronze Medallion, in their first attempts at the Shingo Prize. They prove that this award, often associated with manufacturing operations, is not out of reach for energy companies.

Wells, who has been an examiner since 1999, was instrumental in setting up the program at Luminant and prepared the organizations to be assessed. He will share how the Shingo Prize can be used as a model for guiding and assessing continuous improvement efforts.

What Is the Shingo Prize?
The honor is named for Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo who helped create and write about many aspects of the manufacturing practices that comprise the Toyota Production System. Established in 1988, the prize promotes awareness of Lean manufacturing concepts and recognizes companies that achieve world-class manufacturing status and business performance.

We have two great tours planned for the Energy Forum for Process Excellence. On Friday, May 22, in Houston, attendees will have the chance to see:

A. Halliburton Drill Bit Manufacturing Plant – Woodlands Facility

B. Cameron Gas Compressor Manufacturing Plant

Picking which one to go to will be a tough decision. And there are a limited number of spots on each.(Also, note: site tour hosts have reserved the right to decline attendees they consider competitors.)

See the full lineup of the four-day Energy Forum at:
http://live.isixsigma.com/events/forum/houston/2009/agenda.html

Hope to see you there!

Winning isn’t everything; in fact, many times a “win” is in finishing the race or improving the score, whether that means fewer defects, decreased cycle time and/or improved customer satisfaction. But there are times when a win is a win and calls for more attention than is usually given to the everyday job well done. Such an instance recently happened.

iSixSigma Magazine was honored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) in its 30th Annual Awards of Excellence. The magazine received two regional awards among publications under 80,000 in circulation:

1. Gold in the original research category for “Six Sigma Saves a Fortune” (January/February 2007)
2. Bronze in the case history category for “Processing of Damaged Inventory” (March/April 2007)

For a national organization to recognize our work as outstanding is indeed an honor. Entries are judged by experienced business editors across the country and in varying industries.

The fact that these two entries garnered the esteem of the judges is no surprise. We entered the Final Tollgate project review and Research report because those features are favorites of readers and of ours. The authors and team members invest a significant amount of time and effort on them. In particular, Research Manager Michael Marx and Executive Editor Erin Ducceschi pour hours into ensuring that the information is relevant, complete, accurate and useful. And that’s just the bones – much more goes into polishing an article before it’s published.

Working with such a knowledgeable, talented team is exciting. And it’s even more exciting to get to brag about their accomplishments.

Check out the articles in the digital edition:

"Six Sigma Saves a Fortune”
"Processing of Damaged Inventory”

If you aren’t a subscriber, you can sign up at isixsigma-magazine.com.

Speaking of awards, don’t miss your chance to be “award winning.” iSixSigma is accepting entries until Nov. 1 for several awards that will recognize breakthrough improvement:

• iSixSigma’s Six Sigma Hall of Fame
• Largest Breakthrough Improvement projects in several categories
• Lean Six Sigma Start-up or Re-energized Six Sigma Program

Find out more at live.isixsigma.com/awards.

An arbitrary and statistically flawed tie-breaking rule cost Nastia Liukin of the United States the gold medal in the women’s uneven bars competition at the Olympics earlier this month, according to Dr. Prasad Raje, CEO of Instantis.

After looking at the tied scores of gymnasts Liukin and He Kexin of China, Raje figures that Liukin actually had a “statistically superior score because there was less variance in the judge’s opinions on who performed better.”

The gymnasts scored the same down to the third decimal place by using the average score from six judges and throwing out the high and low score. So Liukin had scores of 9, 9, 9 and 9.1, and Kexin had scores of 9.1, 9.1, 8.9 and 9. According to the tie-break rule, the winner is determined by throwing out the low score of the four valid remaining scores. As a result, a 9.0 was dropped from Liukin’s scores and an 8.9 from Kexin’s. This meant the outcome was based on the opinions of only three judges – and tilted the gold in favor of Kexin.

Instead of throwing out data points, the judges should have kept all the valid data points, and done a statistical analysis of the “quality” of the data, Raje says. Here’s a figure he developed:

The statistical spread in Liukin’s scores is significantly lower (0.0500) than that of Kexin’s (0.0954). Therefore, according to Raje, Liukin should have got the gold medal.

This shows that those who run the Olympics might find it to their advantage to add a Six Sigma practitioner to their rules committee.