The Difference Between Typical Project Management and Six Sigma Project Management



Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. The Difference Between Typical Project Management and Six Sigma Project Management article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) became an accepted standard (as established by the Project Management Institute) that is still widely used in many industries around the world. At a basic level, many of the methodologies advocated by PMBoK and Six Sigma have a great deal in common. Both seek to establish a sound plan; identify and communicate with stakeholders; conduct regular reviews; and manage schedule, cost, and resources.

Six Sigma is not just another project management initiative or process improvement program. Six Sigma is not just a new term for project management nor is it a mere repackaging of old concepts. It is more than that because it is a robust continuous improvement strategy and process that includes cultural and statistical methodologies. Six Sigma is complementary with existing project management programs and standards but differs in significant ways. Both disciplines seek to reduce failures, prevent defects, control costs and schedules, and manage risk. Generally, professional project management attempts to achieve these goals by encouraging best practices on a project-by-project basis, often through the mechanism of a project office that promulgates policy, provides templates and advice, promotes appropriate use of tools such as critical path method, and perhaps performs periodic project reviews.

Too many project management methods have failed not because they weren't adding value but because you couldn't measure the effectiveness of the methodology or quantify the value added by process changes. Six Sigma provides a structured data-driven methodology with tools and techniques that companies can use to measure their performance both before and after Six Sigma projects. Using Six Sigma, management can measure the baseline performance of their processes and determine the root causes of variations so they can improve their processes to meet and exceed the desired performance levels.

Six Sigma allows managers to take their projects to new levels of discipline and comprehensive commitment. For standard project management ideas, you can approach them ad hoc and implement them as you learn them. You can't do Six Sigma halfheartedly, and that is a good thing. Six Sigma is not for dabblers. You can't implement it piecemeal. If you’re in, you’re in deep, and you’re in for the long haul. Again, that is a good thing because that level of commitment not only gets everyone involved and keeps them involved but also leads to more substantial and far-reaching change in your processes.

There are many challenges facing project managers: data gathering and analysis, problem solving, understanding and evaluating existing processes, developing and tracking measurements in a standardized manner, and making quantitative evaluations. Six Sigma methodology provides tools and techniques to help a manager be successful in all of these challenges. This success is accomplished by means of understanding what the methodology is, how it is applied, and how it used.

Six Sigma is not simply another supplement to an organization's existing management methods. It is a complementary management methodology that is integrated into and replaces the existing ways of determining, analyzing, and resolving/avoiding problems, as well as achieving business and customer requirements objectively and methodically. Six Sigma can be applied to operational management issues, or it can directly support strategic management development and implementation. Six Sigma's set of tools are more broadly applicable than those commonly applied within typical project management. Six Sigma is more oriented toward solutions of problems at their root cause and prevention of their recurrence rather than attempting to control potential causes of failure on a project-by-project basis.

The breadth, depth, and precision of Six Sigma also differentiate it from typical project management. Six Sigma has a well-defined project charter that outlines the scope of a project, financial targets, anticipated benefits, milestones, etc. It’s based on hard financial data and savings. In typical project management, organizations go into a project without fully knowing what the financial gains might be. Six Sigma has a solid control phase (DMAIC: Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) that makes specific measurements, identifies specific problems, and provides specific solutions that can be measured.

Six Sigma is a robust continuous improvement strategy and process that includes cultural methodologies such as Total Quality Management (TQM), process control strategies such as Statistical Process Control (SPC), and other important statistical tools. When done correctly, Six Sigma becomes a way toward organization and cultural development, but it is more than a set of tools. Six Sigma is the strategic and systematic application of the tools on targeted important projects at the appropriate time to bring about significant and lasting change in an organization as a whole.

Peter Peterka is President of Six Sigma us. For additional information on Six Sigma Green Belt or other Six Sigma Certification project programs contact Peter Peterka.



Science Fair Projects Made Easy. - Science Fair Project eBook.
Astral Projection Ultimate Technique. - Quickly learn the secrets to start your own Astral Travel. You can be on your way to Astral Projection within 8 minutes.

Eileen Chen

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

DISCUSSION: Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

Eileen, you have a promising history of significant impact and contribution to society, the community, education, research and the ICT industry as an undergraduate. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights with our audience.

:00:43:
Tell us more about yourself?
"....I am a junior from New York City in the Schreyer Honors College majoring in information sciences and technology and minoring in Supply Chain and IST at Penn State....I am currently a research assistant for the College of IST (specifically working with the Center for Enterprise Architecture)....The research I am doing is helping me develop my honors thesis about applying EA (Enterprise Architecture) to supply chain planning and design...."

:01:40:
Which honors are you particularly proud of and why?
"....I am really proud to have received the David Suarez Memorial Scholarship for my last two years of college....He is the kind of person I aspire to be...."

:02:20:
One of the big challenges in the industry right now in ICT is getting diversity, especially a higher penetration of women into the field. What prompted you to get into computing?
"....I think my love for technology stems from my amazement of how it is always changing and growing and it could be used to benefit so many aspects of life...."

:04:02:
Can you share your experiences with THON and what is it?
"....THON is short for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance MaraTHON, a year-long effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. It is also the largest student run philanthropy in the world and we’ve currently raised more than $78 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. I am currently a technology captain as a developer for THON.org....I am also an administrator for an organization called Bee House - an organization that my friends and I started in our freshman year and we solely fundraise for THON...."

:05:27:
How are you passionate about community service?
"....I just love giving back. I was fortunate to have had a happy childhood and blessed with great family, friends, and education....I see social inequality in the world and I think everyone deserves a better quality of life, especially children...."

:06:08:
Tell us more about your current studies and how you will apply this knowledge into industry?
"....Our IST courses are very group based and I think that's a really great way to learn not only the material but to learn how to act on teams. What I probably learned the most was how to learn, communicate, work with different people and how to analyze problems creatively...."

:07:34:
What value will you deliver through your honors thesis?
"....I am doing my honors thesis on applying enterprise architecture with supply chain planning and design. I hope to eventually map the SCOR model with the TOGAF model....EA can be used for anything and my job is to see how that idea would fit with supply chain...."

:08:27:
Who are the originators of the 2 models that you talked about?
"....SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) was developed by the Supply Chain Council and TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Forum) is produced by the Open Group...."

:09:09:
What value are you providing to FEAPO (Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organization)?
"....I am currently working with FEAPO's communications committee....I hope to help support FEAPO's goals by promoting FEAPO...."

:09:41:
You are an honors student and you have a lot of additional activities and responsibilities you've taken on, how do you find the time?
"....I think that's my biggest challenge. I think it's very important to time manage everything....and knowing what you can and cannot do....Everything that I am doing right now are things that I am extremely passionate about...."

:10:54:
What are your top challenges and opportunities?
"....My top challenges are all about time....Greatest opportunities: Getting involved with so many wonderful things that has helped me grow professionally and personally....Meeting so many great people....Being able to just enjoy life...."

:11:45:
How will you accomplish your top goals and how will you measure success for each of these goals?
"....I measure success by how happy I am with each goal. If I feel like I'm doing the right things and I like what I'm doing and where I am going I think I'm pretty successful at those things...."

:12:11:
In your current research and studies, what are your top 3 challenges and top 3 opportunities? How will the challenges be solved and the opportunities be actioned?
"....Top 3 challenges: Learning both enterprise architecture and supply chain in deep levels with such a short amount of time....Finding the information I'm exactly looking for....Putting it all together....The opportunities: Become really knowledgeable about EA and supply chain....Find out new things while doing my research....Learning how to organize and communicate a lot of information in one document..."

:14:12:
Describe three areas of controversy or much discussion in the areas that you research and in your studies.
"....First and second, many people don't think TOGAF or SCOR is very useful....Third, EA cannot be specifically defined...."

:14:45:
You are still in your undergraduate years but you are starting to get a sense of what's happening through social media and all the innovation that's occurring worldwide. If I were to ask you to make some predictions what would they be? For example for IT practitioners what specific technologies should they embrace today and into the future?
"....I think IT practitioners should embrace enterprise architecture....I think EA has so much to offer to the whole of the organization and more people should get involved with it....Also Cloud computing...."

:15:38:
What specific technologies should businesses embrace today and into the future?
"....Embracing EA and cloud computing...."

:16:12:
What are your thoughts on computing as a recognized profession like accounting, medicine and law, with demonstrated professional development, adherence to a code of ethics, and recognized credentials?
[See www.ipthree.org and the Global Industry Council, http://www.ipthree.org/about-ip3/global-advisory-council ]
"....We already have knowledgeable students with great potential to change the IT world. It could really help them go farther knowing that they are in a valued and respected field that has the structure for them to implement their ideas...."

:17:07:
Eileen shares three stories from her research, studies and societal contributions.
"....It's amazing to see the amount of potential in younger people because they are going to be our future and they are starting to be charitable at such a young age...."

:20:21:
What do you do for fun?
"....Traveling and learning new things….Eating all different kinds of food and cooking....Playing sports....Dancing....Friends and family..."

:20:53:
If you were conducting this interview, what 3 questions would you ask, and then what would be your answers?
"....Who are your role models?....What would you like to be doing with IT when you graduate?....What are your goals in life?...."

Eileen’s Profile:

Eileen Chen is a junior studying within the College of Information Sciences and Technology at the Pennsylvania State University at University Park Main Campus. She is also in the Schreyer Honors College. She expects to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in May of 2013 with a major in the option of Integration and Application in Information Sciences and Technology and a minor in Supply Chain and Information Sciences and Technology. She received the David Suarez Memorial Scholarship (a remembrance from his colleagues at Deloitte Consulting/Deloitte & Touche), the Dipple Trustee Scholarship, the Raytheon IST Scholarship, and the Delta Gamma Lamp of Knowledge as well as achieved Deans List all semesters.

Eileen worked as a teaching intern for an introductory Java course during the Fall 2011 semester and a computer lab consultant for Penn State ITS Lab Consulting. She recently joined Dr. Brian H. Cameron, the Executive Director for the Center of Enterprise Architecture in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and the founding president of the Federation for Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations (FEAPO), as a research assistant. She is currently working with FEAPO and the Communications Committee. She also assisted Dr. Cameron in preparing for the Center for EA at Penn State Meeting, which she attended in October 2011. While learning about the innovative subject of enterprise architecture, she is also gathering research for her honors thesis.

Learning in the classroom and work environment is important to Eileen, but she also values the knowledge she gains outside her coursework. She is passionate about giving back to the community, and her main focus is bettering the quality of life for children. She currently serves as a Technology Captain for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately referred to as THON. As the largest student-run philanthropy, THON raised $9.56 million in 2011 benefitting the fight against pediatric cancer. Eileen also serves as Administrator and Website Chair for Bee House, a special interest organization with the sole purpose of fundraising for THON. Her sorority, Delta Gamma, in which she serves as the Director for Electronic Communications, also fundraises for THON and other philanthropies. In addition to THON, she has participated in the LeaderShape Institute, the General Electric Student Leadership Conference, Role of a Resident Assistant Course, the National Collegiate Honor Society, Be Engaged House (a leadership and service special living option), and intramural volleyball.



Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81


More Articles:


1. Human Resource Employee Risk Profile - Management Risks Explained By Philip Lye
Human Resource Employee Risk ProfileIs your business at risk? Do you want peace of mind?Please answer the following question honestly by drawing a circle around or shading in the column. If you can only answer part of the question in the affirmative, then you should select ‘No’ eg in Q1 if you have employment contracts for your employees and not for your management team then select ‘No’.1. I have up to date employment contracts for all employees and management Yes No2. I induct all employees …
Nieruchomosci Poznan
Ceiling Lamp

2. Get More Impact From Your Annual Conference By George Torok
How can you get more attention for your conference and your association? Use some of these Power Marketing™ tips and ideas. It won't cost much. It just takes a creative approach. The payoff can be huge. First, see everything as a marketing opportunity. Second, enlighten all staff and every member to realize their responsibility in marketing the association. Third, read "Secrets of Power Marketing".There are many ideas here. If you are already using some - wonderful! Try some new ideas this yea…

3. When Code Freeze Turns To Code Slush By Luc Richard
Time To Market (TTM) is a vital concept that every executive understands. Releasing a product to market before your competition gives you a significant first-mover advantage. As such, project managers are extremely pressured to shorten their project schedules. But does accelerating code freeze optimize TTM?All things being equal, the sooner you declare code freeze, the faster you'll reach TTM. Slipping the code freeze date will most likely result in an overall schedule slip. But declaring the …

4. If You Build It, Investors Will Come By Mike Elia
When you begin to write your business plan or a section within it, you probably ask yourself, "What should I talk about? What key points should I bring out that are important to potential investors?" The best way to answer these questions is to put your business plan trial. That’s right. Think of your potential investors as the jury and you as the defense attorney. You must prove to the jury – beyond a reasonable doubt – why they should invest in your business plan. At stake is a life or dea…