The Adonis Blog
Using Histograms & Descriptive Statistics to Investigate Process Data
Using Histograms & Descriptive Statistics to Investigate Process Data A simple summary of descriptive statistics is often the first step in investigating what the data have to say about the process being studied during process improvement initiatives. Questions...
What Is a Discovery Assessment & Why Is It Important?
What Is a Discovery Assessment & Why It Could be Right for You A discovery assessment is a structured process that aims to gather information and insights broadly about an organizational function, or more specifically, about a known challenge or pain point. It...
Top 3 Root Cause Analysis Techniques To Help Solve Problems
3 Key Root Cause Analysis Techniques Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a process used to identify a problem or unexpected occurrence, such as a product not being received as expected. There are multiple ways to conduct a root cause analysis, but the ultimate aim is to...
How To Overcome Challenges in an Acquisition to Achieve Change Management Success
Overcome Challenges in an Acquisition to Achieve Change Management Success Making the Most of Your New Acquisition You and your teams have spent countless hours building your investment thesis, completing your due diligence, arranging your financing, clearing the...
What To Look For In A Process Improvement Practitioner
What To Look For in a Process Improvement PractitionerWhen looking for a process improvement practitioner, there are several key qualities and skills for consideration. Some key areas to focus on, but not limited to, are: Strong Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:...
Hypothesis Testing: Looking for Statistical Significance
Hypothesis Testing: Looking for Statistical SignificanceHypothesis Testing is a statistical procedure that looks into proving (or not) a constructed hypothesis. Also known as Significance Tests, they are powerful in investigating and validating changes in central...
Three Types of ISO Audits
ISO AuditsISO, also known as the International Organization for Standardization, is an international organization initially started in 1946. Originally starting with delegates from 25 different countries, ISO currently has 162 countries represented by its members. The...
Control Charts: Their Uses and the 4 Process States Within
Control Charts: Their Uses and the 4 Process States WithinControl charts were originally used in the deployment of Statistical Process Control (SPC) and later adopted into the Six Sigma framework. Also known as Shewart charts (after Walter A. Shewart), these charts...
Knowledge-Sharing’s Success Impact on Business Improvement
Knowledge-Sharing’s Success Impact on Business ImprovementPeople, Process and Knowledge - Part 3 of 3: Transferring Knowledge The popular saying, “Knowledge is Power,” is very true when it comes to empowering a team to reach organizational goals - whether to drive...
Using Boxplots for Data Visualization & Process Insights
Using Boxplots for Data Visualization and Process InsightsWhat Are Boxplots Through the visual representation of a dataset, boxplots are very informative and very useful when comparing distributions between two or more processes. Essentially, boxplots summarize the...
Hybrid Ways of Working – Top 3 Applications
Hybrid Work Arrangements - Top 3 Applications for SuccessPeople, Process and Knowledge - Part 2 of 3: Evolving Hybrid Ways of Working The COVID-19 pandemic brought remote and hybrid work arrangements to the forefront of business development discussions. Now, three...
Best Practices for Addressing Company Turnover
Best Practices for Addressing Company TurnoverPeople, Process and Knowledge - Part 1 of 3 An organization’s success is inherently tied to its employees. The strength and resilience of an organization is dependent on the knowledge, skills, and dedication of its...
Translating the Voice of Customer (VoC)
Translating the Voice of Customer (VoC)Customer focus drives questions for an organization to think strategically and align cross functional teams. Strategic questions such as Why are we in business? Where do we need to be in the future? and What is the source of our...
Identifying Wastes in a Process
Identifying Wastes in a ProcessThe elimination of waste is a core principle behind a lean-driven organization’s efforts toward process excellence. Waste goes beyond tangible and visual defects at the end of the line – even when the “line” is one out of a transactional...
Leveraging FMEA for Risk Mitigation
Leveraging FMEA for Risk MitigationFMEA, short for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is a forward-thinking and powerful risk mitigation tool that Continuous Improvement practitioners use. It is a living document, used to anticipate and prevent failure from occurring....
Knowing Your Data
Knowing Your DataKnowing Your Data Inevitably, all Continuous Improvement practitioners (especially those leading projects) will come across a set of data related to a specific process or sample being studied. Data analytics is indeed a key part of understanding the...
Using Gemba
Going to GembaGo to the Gemba! Gemba has been widely used, for some time now, by Continuous Improvement (CI) practitioners around the globe. But what does it mean and how important is this concept in our continued journey towards operational excellence? The word Gemba...
Using SIPOC in M&A
Using SIPOC in M&AWhat is SIPOC? SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers. It is a high-level process mapping tool utilized mainly to map out what goes in and out of a given process, and how the key steps to run the process are...
Error Proofing with Technology
Error Proofing with Technology What is Error Proofing? Also known as Poka-Yoke, from poka (inadvertent errors) and yokeru (to avoid), error proofing is the technique continuous improvement practitioners use to prevent errors that ultimately lead to defects in a...
Analyzing the Happy Path
Analyzing the Happy PathAnalyzing the Happy Path The happy path is an error-free workflow and an analysis of it helps you understand what a process can achieve and identify opportunities for improvement. Often, we initiate problem-solving discussions by focusing on...
Baselining a Project
Baselining a ProjectNearly almost all Lean Six Sigma projects that experience a successful outcome are based on an understandable, quantifiable, agreed-upon, data-collectable baseline. Lewis Carroll gave us the heads-up in Alice in Wonderland and George Harrison, the...
Transforming through Lean
Transforming through LeanA lean transformation can help companies to take their business practices and evolve them to a more refined state. These transformations empower teams to work together fluidly, eliminating potential issues and striving to provide consistent...
Adapting to Visual Workplaces
Adapting to Visual WorkplacesVisual workplaces are a growing workflow style that focuses on helping teams to be more transparent with their work efforts. Able to be used by teams with different goals across different industries, this approach empowers teams to...
Coaching and Giving Feedback
Coaching and Giving FeedbackA key component of running a successful business is being able to coach and provide feedback to employees. As a leader or manager, providing proper guidance for employees ensures they can succeed in the workplace and continue to improve. In...
Navigating Organizational Politics
Navigating Organizational PoliticsOrganizational politics involves performing influence tactics for the sake of organizational or personal interests. Organizational politics can impact all levels of a company, which is why it is important to learn how to navigate...
Using Control Charts
Using Control ChartsControl charts were originally used in the deployment of Statistical Process Control (SPC) and later on adopted into the Six Sigma framework. Also known as Shewhart charts (after Walter A. Shewhart), these charts look into the process behavior as...
Mapping Value Streams
Mapping Value StreamsValue stream mapping is a lean tool developed by Toyota to eliminate waste, thereby increasing value for the customer. Value stream mapping typically involves using flowchart documents with various symbols to analyze and design the various...
Taking the Robot out of the Human
Taking the Robot out of the Human As our world advances through the 4th Industrial Revolution, many companies are realizing that they can utilize technology to automate manual processes. With COVID-19 forcing all of us to do more with less, using technology such as...
Make Project Management Practical
Make Project Management Practical Managing a project is never easy and without proper management, projects are headed for tough times or failure. Our Adonis Partners team has first-hand experience in managing small and large projects. Here’s an overview on how to make...
Taking a Problem-Solving Approach
Taking a Problem-Solving Approach Selecting a problem solving approach is one of the most important aspects to continuously improve and create sustainable processes. Having a standard process in place helps resolve problems at a faster pace and it enables your teams...
Engaging Employees
Engaging Employees To run a business to its fullest potential, it’s important to ensure that your employees are engaged with their work and see the linkage to your company’s vision. According to a study conducted by the Workplace Research Foundation, highly engaged...
Leading Individuals through Change
Leading Individuals through Change While leaders often do a great job focusing on the technical aspects of launching a new system or process, it can be easy to lose focus on the fact that change is taking place on an individual level. Anything that results in change...
Tackling Challenges by Leveraging Tiger Teams
Tackling Challenges by Leveraging Tiger Teams Tiger teams are formed by assembling cross-functional team members to solve complex issues, often in areas of IT but can be extended to almost any area of the business when there’s an urgent need to bring focus to a...
Keeping Processes Simple thru Standardization
Keeping Processes Simple thru Standardization Standardization is a process where rules are created and used to govern how people in an organization complete different tasks. In this article, we will go over different types of standardization and the benefits that...
Increasing Efficiency through PDCA
Increasing Efficiency through PDCA PDCA or the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a four-step model meant to be constantly repeated with the goal of continuous improvement of processes. Implementing the PDCA cycle helps teams avoid recurring mistakes and achieve better...
5S: What is It & Why do I Care?
5S: What is It & Why do I Care?... 5S is part of the Toyota Production System. 5S is meant to reduce waste and increase productivity by organizing spaces, keeping a clean work environment, and using visual cues to improve results. In this article, we will cover the...
Identifying & Prioritizing the Right Projects
Identifying & Prioritizing the Right Projects Identifying and prioritizing projects are two of the most important components of running a successful organization. A focused, detailed plan of action will help you identify and prioritize the right projects to stay on...
Engaging Stakeholders Effectively
Engaging Stakeholders Effectively As a project manager, one of the most important aspects of your job is to engage with stakeholders; in order to do that, you must conduct a stakeholder analysis. Stakeholders are anyone who has interest in a project or venture that...
Walking in Your Customer’s Shoes
Walking in Your Customer's ShoesMost everyone has heard the old adage that you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. This is so very true when it comes to working with people to influence change and to create better outcomes for...
Saving Money thru Supply Chain Optimization
Saving Money through Supply Chain OptimizationSupply chain optimization is all about getting the product into the customer’s hands when they want it while spending as little money as possible. Since supply chains involve so many organizations and processes to get the...
Connecting with the Hearts of People
Connecting with the Hearts of People Be PurposefulAnother way to connect with people is by implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR is a process where you incorporate social or environmental concerns into planning and operations. For instance, a company...
Adapting to COVID-19 from a Manufacturing Perspective
Adapting to COVID-19 from a Manufacturing Perspective COVID-19 has created a situation where many businesses and companies find themselves with no choice but to adapt. In this post, we will be going over how the manufacturing industry is continually adapting in...
Sustaining CI Through Challenging Times
Sustaining CI Through Challenging Times Continuous Improvement (CI) is difficult to maintain under normal circumstances, never mind when unexpected challenges arise. In this article, we will tackle some ways in which your business can continue to improve, even when...
Working Virtually
Working Virtually Adonis Partners strives to provide excellence through continuous improvement for its clients. Now that many of us are working remotely, we are placed in a position where we must learn how to improve and create excellence virtually. In this article,...
TPM: What is It & Why do I Care?
TPM: What is It & Why You Should Care What is TPM?TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance, is a maintenance program that combines equipment maintenance with the manufacturing process. TPM was originally created by Seiichi Nakajima in Japan and was first implemented...
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