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	<title>Soarent Vision &#187; lean six sigma</title>
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	<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog</link>
	<description>Lean Six Sigma and Business Execution Thoughts and Information</description>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma Careers in Mining</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-careers-in-mining/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-careers-in-mining/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:18:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=1002</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is tremendous opportunity for a career in the Mining industry, even if you do not have mining skills or qualifications.]]></description>
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<p>by George Lee Sye</p>
<p>It&#8217;s been spoken about in political circles, it&#8217;s mentioned in finance news, it&#8217;s a situation that will benefit those who are in a position to capitalize on it and will cause misery for those who aren&#8217;t.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">Australia&#8217;s Two Speed Economy</span></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-careers-in-mining/attachment/mining2/" rel="attachment wp-att-1007"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1007" title="mining2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/mining2.jpg" alt="mining2 Lean Six Sigma Careers in Mining" width="550" height="275" /></a></p>
<p>The <strong>Mining and Energy sector has experienced tremendous growth</strong> over the past decade, and it&#8217;s on the back of this growth that Australia&#8217;s economy has remained solid while other countries struggle. The Australian Newspaper reported that construction work on new resource projects rose by 31 percent during 2011.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also very clear that this sector is where the growth will continue to be for the foreseeable future, particularly in Western Australia.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">Therein Lies the Opportunity for Action Takers</span></h3>
<p>The question is how can a <strong>non-miner without any obvious mining industry skill or qualifications</strong> enter and build a career in this sector?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-careers-in-mining/attachment/opportunity1/" rel="attachment wp-att-1008"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1008" title="opportunity1" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/opportunity1.jpg" alt="opportunity1 Lean Six Sigma Careers in Mining" width="550" height="268" /></a></p>
<p>Here&#8217;s how, let me tell you about my friend Mick.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">A New Career in Mining</span></h3>
<p>Mick was working for the Queensland Government in a community service role. His military background had positioned him perfectly for his job.</p>
<p>He approached Soarent Vision in 2010 seeking to develop his skills further so he participated in our <a title="Soarent Vision's Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank">Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training program</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Mick&#8217;s participation served him in a number of ways:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Number 1</strong> &#8211; He learnt the application of a highly valued methodology now implemented in all major mining companies today, it is also growing rapidly in popularity for the junior mining companies.</p>
<p><strong>Number 2</strong> &#8211; He developed a skill set that allows him to work in industries and processes which are foreign to him &#8211; in this case the Mining sector.</p>
<p><strong>Number 3</strong> &#8211; He chose a training program that was specifically designed for and is recognised as the preferred training for this industry &#8211; mining.</p>
<p><strong>Number 4</strong> &#8211; He developed a network of contacts that would serve him later.</p>
<p>Not only did Mick do the Lean Six Sigma training, <strong>he also took action that accelerated his entry</strong> into a career within the mining industry.</p>
<ol>
<li>He chased opportunity to apply his new skills by volunteering to help a small manufacturing business to improve their processes &#8211; this gave him some runs on the board and demonstrated his initiative and drive.</li>
<li>He maintained his network of contacts.</li>
<li>When an opportunity was presented to him … he took it.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Mick now works for one of the largest mining companies in the world!</strong></p>
<p>He has held three positions during his tenure with the organisation, is now financially much better off than he was two years ago, and his career prospects grow as he learns more about mining businesses and their processes.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-careers-in-mining/attachment/career2/" rel="attachment wp-att-1009"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1009" title="career2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/career2.jpg" alt="career2 Lean Six Sigma Careers in Mining" width="550" height="153" /></a></p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">Do You Want a Career in Mining?</span></h3>
<p>If you do not have mining skills or qualifications, one of the most effective ways to <strong>enter and build a career in the mining industry today</strong> is through becoming a <a title="Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Program" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-black-belt" target="_blank">Lean Six Sigma Black Belt</a>.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s why:<br />
- You <strong>do not need to be a content expert or a miner</strong>; rather you facilitate process and engage with people who are content experts<br />
- You can <strong>quickly generate quantifiable value</strong> for an organisation, value that is recognised at the highest levels<br />
- You <strong>learn the business</strong> rapidly by understanding its processes<br />
- You have <strong>room to move</strong> around the various functions of the business<br />
- You quickly <strong>build a network</strong> within the business</p>
<p><strong>The opportunity is there for the taking!</strong></p>
<p>Take care.<br />
&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-in-brisbane/attachment/svicon_title-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-913"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-913" title="SVIcon_Title" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SVIcon_Title1.png" alt="SVIcon Title1 Lean Six Sigma Careers in Mining" width="118" height="120" /></a>Soarent Vision provides the best <strong>Lean Six Sigma Training and Support for Mining and Energy companies</strong> in the world today.</p>
<p>It’s accredited, it’s not delivered by academics but people who use it, it’s not cheap but fair value for money, it’s designed purposefully for the Mining and Energy sector, and it can generate enormous value for both the course participant and the host company if they play their part.</p>
<p>For more information about the training, visit here – <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery">http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery</a></p>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:53:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leadership training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What benefits or returns will Lean Six Sigma Training bring to your organisation? Read on to find out why that is clearly the wrong question for a business leader to ask.]]></description>
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<p>by George Lee Sye</p>
<h3>I am often asked this question &#8230;</h3>
<p><strong>&#8220;What value will we get in return for training people in lean six sigma?&#8221;</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/attachment/training-icon/" rel="attachment wp-att-976"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-976" title="training-icon" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/training-icon1.png" alt="training icon1 Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns" width="118" height="120" /></a>Fair question I guess.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the answer &#8230;. NONE!</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s cut through the crap and use a little blunt force trauma &#8230;<span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong> training NEVER generates a return!</strong></span></p>
<p>If a manager thinks that training somebody is going to suddenly impact the bottom line, they&#8217;ve missed the point entirely.</p>
<p>The ONLY thing that will generate some return is the <strong>utilisation</strong> of what it is one learns.</p>
<p>Therein lies the problem I see in many [if not most] improvement and leadership training programs today; people learn something and then return to work and go straight back to their old job and ingrained ways of behaving.  Hmmm, George, don&#8217;t open that can of worms.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s instead refine the question and ask this &#8230;</p>
<p><strong>What quantifiable value will we get if we implement and effectively utilise an appropriate business improvement strategy (which might include Lean, Kaizen, TOC, Six Sigma or any combination of methodologies)?</strong></p>
<p>Much better question!</p>
<p>Let me attempt to answer it this way.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">What do the numbers tell us?</span></h3>
<p><strong>PART 1 &#8211; THE FINANCIAL RETURNS CAN POTENTIALLY BE SIGNIFICANT</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/attachment/dollar-sign-icon/" rel="attachment wp-att-952"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-952" title="dollar-sign-icon" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dollar-sign-icon.png" alt="dollar sign icon Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns" width="118" height="120" /></a>In the 2nd edition of my book, <a title="Process Alchemy 2nd Edition" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-books" target="_blank">Process Alchemy</a>, I quoted figures drawn from the publicly available financial reports of some major companies. (refer to page 54 of Process Alchemy &#8211; 2nd Edition)</p>
<p>Those figures are a bit old now, particularly if we focus on the $ values. So let&#8217;s not do that.</p>
<p>The problem with $ values is they vary so greatly and we can&#8217;t really compare conpanies against one another because of the variation in size and situations.</p>
<p>We can instead focus on a <strong>metric</strong> which is <strong>more appropriate across <em>all</em> organisations</strong>.</p>
<p>That metric is the <strong>$ value of bottom line impact converted into a &#8216;percentage of revenue&#8217;</strong>. Now we begin to get a clearer picture which we might use to understand impact on our own companies.</p>
<p>The returns experience by companies who do it properly are reportedly up to about 3 percent of revenues.</p>
<ul>
<li>General Electric &#8211; 0.35 to 1.79 percent (1996 to 1999)</li>
<li>Motorola &#8211; 0.44 percent (1986 to 2001)</li>
<li>BHP Billiton &#8211; 0.23 to 0.74 percent (2001 to 2003)</li>
<li>Black and Decker &#8211; 1.91 to 2.27 percent (2001 to 2002)</li>
<li>Honeywell &#8211; 2.11 to 2.80 percent (1998 to 2000)</li>
<li>American Express &#8211; 0.84 percent (2002)</li>
</ul>
<p>How does that relate to your situation? I&#8217;ll leave it for you to do the maths.</p>
<p><strong>If you are seeking this type of quantifiable return, my advice is this.</strong></p>
<p>1. Clearly understand the performance of your VALUE STREAMS &#8211; a business unit leader or line manager who cannot refer to or analyse a value stream map of their business will never realize the potential of their business</p>
<p>2. Write your BUSINESS PLAN (I mean at the business unit / asset level) around profitability targets and any other appropriate business objectives</p>
<p>3. Identify where you need to make PROCESS PERFORMANCE SHIFTS in order to achieve that plan &#8211; your PROJECT PIPELINE will eminate from these focal points</p>
<p>4. If you need to train people to close the PROCESS IMPROVEMENT SKILL gap, do it properly &#8211; develop them according to your needs, don&#8217;t just copy somebody else or reinvent the wheel to satisfy somebody&#8217;s ego</p>
<p>5. If you have trained improvement people (green belts and black belts), get line managers to USE THEM for projects that are going to make process improvements related to achieving business plan objectives</p>
<p><strong>Always remember this</strong> &#8230; Lean Six Sigma today is a <strong>business execution strategy</strong>, not speculation about where you might save a few dollars by training people.</p>
<p><strong>PART 2 &#8211; FEW ACTUALLY SUCCEED</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/attachment/failure-icon/" rel="attachment wp-att-975"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-975" title="failure-icon" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/failure-icon.png" alt="failure icon Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns" width="118" height="120" /></a>It would be impossible to get a true picture of company failures and successes with lean six sigma initiatives.</p>
<p>Even so, I have heard it claimed consistely around the traps by consultants and industry experts that the failure rate is in the vicinity of 80 percent.</p>
<p>Only <strong>20 percent succeed</strong>? Seriously &#8230; that&#8217;s ridiculous!</p>
<p>Towards the end of the GFC (the first one I mean), I spoke to representatives of 126 companies around australia and asked them one question &#8211; Have you increased, decreased, maintained the same or eliminated your efforts in business improvement in response to the GFC?</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what I learned &#8211; <strong>92 companies</strong> had either REDUCED the size of the business improvement team (and the financial commitment that went with that) or had ELIMINATED it completely.</p>
<p>I know one guy who was given 30 minutes notice that he was now redundant!</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>I have one thought here &#8230; if business leaders / executives in those companies believed BI was generating a genuine $ return, they would <strong>never decrease their efforts or investment</strong> in it.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">If you want to kill your BI initiative do this!</span></h3>
<p><strong>Number 1.</strong> Just TRAIN PEOPLE (Western Mining Corporation did this when they trained some 15 black belts during 2004 &#8211; not one project was completed in the 12 months I observed them and only 1 of those black belts was still at the company 12 months later)</p>
<p><strong>Number 2.</strong> Don&#8217;t drive your improvement PROJECT PIPELINE from a value stream perspective, do it piecemeal and without any real framework behind it</p>
<p><strong>Number 3.</strong> Do not SYSTEMISE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT nor make it part of the business execution process &#8211; let it sit out there on its own as a bolt on and another thing to do</p>
<p><strong>Number 4.</strong> Set it up so it only survives and thrives on the back of a HIGHLY MOTIVATED INDIVIDUAL and hope they stay in your company</p>
<p><strong>Number 5.</strong> Take on as many projects as you can and create a STATE OF CONTINUOUS CHANGE and initiative overload &#8211; don&#8217;t worry about that control phase [of DMAIC] where we lock in change and stability</p>
<p><strong>Number 6.</strong> And finally &#8230; if you do train green belts and black belts, LEAVE THEM IN THEIR OLD JOBS and pray they use their newly learned skills to make business related improvements</p>
<p>It&#8217;s depressing to see this so often in businesses in Australia.</p>
<p>Anyway, enough of that, let&#8217;s take a quick look at real business improvement benefits.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">Benefits you can (and must) decisively set out to achieve.</span></h3>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/lean-six-sigma-training-zero-returns/attachment/process-alchemy-icon/" rel="attachment wp-att-979"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-979" title="process-alchemy-icon" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/process-alchemy-icon.png" alt="process alchemy icon Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns" width="118" height="120" /></a>1. Increase Earnings</strong> (cost reduction and / or revenue increases visible on the profit and loss statement)</p>
<p>- Reduce fixed and variable costs (i.e. power, insurance, maintenance, cost per unit produced, rework, life of non capital assets, interest paid)</p>
<p>- Increase revenue (i.e. process yield, unit sales volume, interest earned, unit price)</p>
<p><strong>2. Convert Current Assets Into Cash</strong> (move balance sheet $ into the bank as cash)</p>
<p>- Reduce debtors (i.e. payment cycle time, accounts receivable)</p>
<p>- Reduce inventory (i.e. parts, work in progress, stockpiles)</p>
<p><strong>3. Defer or Prevent Capital Outlay</strong></p>
<p>- Increase the useful life of plant and machinery</p>
<p>- Increase plant capacity (i.e. reduce defect production rate, increase production capability)</p>
<p><strong>4. Increase Asset Value</strong></p>
<p>- Increase future growth potential (i.e. customer data base, future production, management capacity, staff capacity, process capacity)</p>
<p>- Reduce business risk (i.e. key person risk, cash flow smoothing, potential liability etc)</p>
<h3><span style="color: #3366ff;">Here&#8217;s some tips to consider so you don&#8217;t waste your money!</span></h3>
<p>TIP 1. If <strong>you</strong> <strong>plan to do some training</strong> and have no idea what the return will be, <strong>don&#8217;t do the training</strong> till you do.</p>
<p>TIP 2. Get <strong>support in developing the framework</strong> that will drive quantifiable financial success with this improvement thing we all talk about.</p>
<p>TIP 3. <strong>One size does not fit</strong> all &#8230; Six Sigma may well be the correct methodology to introduce first in a manufacturing business, Lean is more appropriate in the first instance in an organisation where throughput is the main issue.</p>
<p>TIP 4. <strong>One size does not fit</strong> all &#8230; Lean Six Sigma for manufacturing is not Lean Six Sigma for mining or energy.</p>
<p>TIP 5. If <strong>leaders and line managers</strong> are not going to take responsibility and drive this, forget it. Invest your money in rental property instead.</p>
<p>TIP 6. The initiative <strong>must impact the key variables</strong> that in turn positively affect (a) the <strong>multiple of valuation</strong> (Price Earnings Ratio or PER) and (b) company <strong>earnings</strong> &#8230; only then will you get corporate executive support.</p>
<p>- Note &#8211; if you&#8217;re not sure what this means, get a copy of <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-books" target="_blank">How to Create Wealth IN Business</a> &#8211; for Kindle or iPad only</p>
<p>TIP 7. Put energy into <strong>project pipeline development and management</strong>.</p>
<p>- Note &#8211; some good learnings can be gleaned from <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-books" target="_blank">How To Select Great Improvement Projects</a> &#8211; available for Kindle and iPad</p>
<p>That&#8217;s it!</p>
<p>Until next time, take care</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/delivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia/attachment/svicon_title/" rel="attachment wp-att-910"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-910" title="SVIcon_Title" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SVIcon_Title.png" alt="SVIcon Title Lean Six Sigma Training Produces ZERO Returns" width="118" height="120" /></a>Soarent Vision is the provider of nationally accredited Lean Six Sigma Training in Australia under the governance of &#8230;.. hang on a minute, that is so boring. Let me start again.</p>
<p>Soarent Vision provides the best <strong>Lean Six Sigma Training and Support for Mining and Energy companies</strong> in the world today. I gotta call it as I see it.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s accredited, it&#8217;s not delivered by academics but people who use it, it&#8217;s not cheap but fair value for money, it&#8217;s designed purposefully for the Mining and Energy sector, and it can easily convert into an investment IF you play your part.</p>
<p>For more information about the training, visit here &#8211; <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery">http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery</a></p>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Brisbane</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-in-brisbane/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-in-brisbane/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:50:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=550</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first 2012 cycle of Soarent Vision's Lean Six Sigma training program for Mining and Energy is now locked in for Brisbane delivery.]]></description>
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<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?attachment_id=908"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-908" title="icon-lean-six-sigma-training-brisbane" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/icon-lean-six-sigma-training-brisbane.png" alt="icon lean six sigma training brisbane Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Brisbane" width="118" height="120" /></a>Soarent Vision&#8217;s nationally accredited <strong>Lean Six Sigma Green Belt</strong> (Diploma in Business Improvement Leadership) training program for Mining and Energy companies is now locked in for public delivery in Brisbane, the sunny capital of Queensland.</p>
<p>On the back of it&#8217;s consistent success in generating returns for host companies, the program has grown from strength to strength since it&#8217;s first delivery in Queensland during 2002.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">The Next Training Cycle</span></p>
<p>The next cycle of training begins in February 2012 and some places are still available.</p>
<p>GREEN BELT / DIPLOMA</p>
<ul>
<li>Module GB1 &#8211; Lean Thinking Foundations</li>
<li>Module GB2 &#8211; Six Sigma Fundamentals</li>
<li>Module GB3 &#8211; Diploma Bridging Course</li>
</ul>
<p>BLACK BELT / ADVANCED DIPLOMA</p>
<ul>
<li>Module BB1 &#8211; Quantitative Decision Making</li>
<li>Module BB2 &#8211; Quality Function Deployment</li>
</ul>
<h3>Training Schedule and Registration Options</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Online</strong> &#8211; visit here <a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/courses" target="_blank">www.soarent.com.au/courses</a></li>
<li><strong>Phone</strong> &#8211; Call us on 1300 551 294 (Australia only)  or  61-7-3377 0824</li>
</ul>
<p>NOTE: If you are registering for the full <a title="Green Belt (Diploma) Program" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-green-belt" target="_blank">Diploma in BIL</a> or <a title="Black Belt (Advanced Diploma) Program" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-black-belt" target="_blank">Advanced Diploma in BIL</a> qualifications, call us first to enrol.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-in-brisbane/attachment/svicon_title-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-913"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-913" title="SVIcon_Title" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SVIcon_Title1.png" alt="SVIcon Title1 Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Brisbane" width="118" height="120" /></a>Soarent Vision is the<em> provider</em> of <strong>nationally accredited Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy</strong> companies in Australia under the governance of its Academy of Process Mastery and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). For more information about this world-class training visit here -<a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href=" http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank">http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery</a></p>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Perth</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/delivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/delivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:19:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=164</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The main expectation of industry is to receive Lean Six Sigma that can be applied immediately after training has been delivered. Leading mining companies in Perth utilise the modular framework of Soarent Vision's program to achieve this outcome.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Fdelivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Fdelivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Perth" alt=" Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Perth" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?attachment_id=909"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-909" title="icon-lean-six-sigma-training-perth" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/icon-lean-six-sigma-training-perth.png" alt="icon lean six sigma training perth Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Perth" width="118" height="120" /></a>Since it&#8217;s first delivery in Perth (Western Australia) in 2010, attendance at Soarent Vision&#8217;s nationally accredited <strong>Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (Diploma) and Black Belt (Advanced Diploma) program</strong> has grown beyond expectations.</p>
<p>It is now a part of the Business Improvement staff development strategy for a number of major companies including Fortescue Metals Group, Anglo American, Woodside Energy, Citic Pacific Mining and Western Power.</p>
<p>The main expectation of industry is to receive content that can be applied <em>immediately after training</em> has been delivered to generate value. The fact that Soarent Vision meets this expectation and these are also <strong>AQF accredited Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications</strong> has been the biggest differentiator.</p>
<h3>The Next Cycle of Training</h3>
<p>Registrations are now open for the next cycle of training which begins in Perth during February 2012.</p>
<p>GREEN BELT / DIPLOMA</p>
<ul>
<li>Module GB1 &#8211; Lean Thinking Foundations</li>
<li>Module GB2 &#8211; Six Sigma Fundamentals</li>
<li>Module GB3 &#8211; Diploma Bridging Course</li>
</ul>
<p>BLACK BELT / ADVANCED DIPLOMA</p>
<ul>
<li>Module BB1 &#8211; Quantitative Decision Making</li>
<li>Module BB2 &#8211; Quality Function Deployment</li>
</ul>
<h3>Training Schedule and Registration Options</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Online</strong> &#8211; visit here <a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/courses" target="_blank">www.soarent.com.au/courses</a></li>
<li><strong>Phone</strong> &#8211; Call us on 1300 551 294 (Australia only)  or  61-7-3377 0824</li>
</ul>
<p>NOTE: If you are registering for the full <a title="Green Belt (Diploma) Program" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-green-belt" target="_blank">Diploma in BIL</a> or <a title="Black Belt (Advanced Diploma) Program" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-black-belt" target="_blank">Advanced Diploma in BIL</a> qualifications, call us first to enrol.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/delivering-lean-six-sigma-education-for-mining-in-perth-western-australia/attachment/svicon_title/" rel="attachment wp-att-910"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-910" title="SVIcon_Title" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SVIcon_Title.png" alt="SVIcon Title Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining and Energy in Perth" width="118" height="120" /></a>Soarent Vision is the <em>provider</em> of nationally accredited <strong>Lean Six Sigma Training for Mining in Australia</strong> under the governance of its Academy of Process Mastery and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). For more information about this world-class training visit here -<a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href=" http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank"> http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery</a></p>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma for Mining and Energy Gets Better</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-and-energy-in-australia-gets-better/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-and-energy-in-australia-gets-better/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:57:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[certification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[master black belt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=846</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Checkout Soarent Vision's 2012 schedule and the Lean Six Sigma training improvements planned for the year.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Flean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-and-energy-in-australia-gets-better%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Flean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-and-energy-in-australia-gets-better%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Lean Six Sigma for Mining and Energy Gets Better" alt=" Lean Six Sigma for Mining and Energy Gets Better" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>Here&#8217;s great news!</p>
<p>Soarent Vision&#8217;s new schedule of <strong>2012 LEAN SIX SIGMA TRAINING</strong> for Mining and Energy companies just gets better and better.</p>
<h3>Here are the major improvements for 2012.</h3>
<h4>1. Additional Modules are Converted to Self-Paced Training</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/study.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-865" title="Study" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/study-150x150.jpg" alt="study 150x150 Lean Six Sigma for Mining and Energy Gets Better" width="150" height="150" /></a>The <a title="Soarent Vision Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank">Diploma Bridging Course (DBC)</a> is now <span style="text-decoration: underline;">self paced</span> . It will be delivered in a similar format to the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) module now offered in the Black Belt training.</p>
<p>Students will be provided with study and assignment documents to be completed in their own time within a designated period and they will use the text provided as reference.</p>
<p>This provides the opportunity to spend more time on mentoring course participants <span style="text-decoration: underline;">without</span> increasing student fees.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>2. New Mentoring Sessions / Master Classes</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/harry-sinko-01.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-862" title="harry-sinko-01" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/harry-sinko-01-150x150.jpg" alt="harry sinko 01 150x150 Lean Six Sigma for Mining and Energy Gets Better" width="150" height="150" /></a>We are going to give students a lot more mentoring. They will now be able to attend up to Four x <strong>Soarent Vision hosted master classes</strong> throughout the year.</p>
<p>Our goals for this mentoring component of training are to:</p>
<p>(a) relieve internal pressure for mentoring for the host (your) company,</p>
<p>(b) significantly enhance the development of student capability, and</p>
<p>(c) reduce time for students to get certified.</p>
<h4>3. Industry Focus</h4>
<p>Our public training will be focused on the <strong>Mining and Energy sector</strong> processes with relevant service components included. The simulation will more closely resemble the work of this industry.  Our intention is to provide the very best training possible for our specific customer market, not be everything to everybody.</p>
<p>Soarent Vision will still provide tailored in-house training as requested.</p>
<h3>Wrap Up</h3>
<p>Give us a call if you have any questions or want more information.</p>
<p>Our entire team is looking forward to Soarent Vision being of service to you in the new year, take care.</p>
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		<title>Lean Six Sigma Training Now Even Greater Value for Money</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/greater-value-for-money-lean-six-sigma-training-in-australia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/greater-value-for-money-lean-six-sigma-training-in-australia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:07:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=559</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Soarent Vision passes on savings from its Lean Six Sigma training program to customers and the community.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Fgreater-value-for-money-lean-six-sigma-training-in-australia%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fsoarent-vision%2Fgreater-value-for-money-lean-six-sigma-training-in-australia%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Lean Six Sigma Training Now Even Greater Value for Money" alt=" Lean Six Sigma Training Now Even Greater Value for Money" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gift2.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-563" title="gift2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gift2.png" alt="gift2 Lean Six Sigma Training Now Even Greater Value for Money" width="128" height="128" /></a>The take up of Soarent Vision&#8217;s <strong>Business Execution, Change Leadership and Business Improvement Courses</strong> has been so positive that the company has been able to establish long-term contracts with venue providers. Savings generated are now being passed on to the customer so Soarent Vision offers even greater savings for its clients.</p>
<h3>Savings Passed On</h3>
<p>Effective from <strong>1st of January 2012</strong>, the NEW SCHEDULE OF COURSE RATES reflects savings as great as <strong>$2,500</strong> for some of the most valuable qualifications and education in the business improvement world today.</p>
<p>Greater savings are also available for volume participation.</p>
<p>For a <strong>Quotation</strong> or to discuss <strong>how Soarent Vision can reduce your BI costs</strong> and increase returns &#8230;.</p>
<ul>
<li>Call us on 61 &#8211; 7 &#8211; 3377 0824, or</li>
<li>Email us at home@soarent.com.au</li>
</ul>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/soarent-vision/lean-six-sigma-training-for-mining-in-brisbane/attachment/svicon_title-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-913"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-913" title="SVIcon_Title" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SVIcon_Title1.png" alt="SVIcon Title1 Lean Six Sigma Training Now Even Greater Value for Money" width="118" height="120" /></a><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/">Soarent Vision</a> arguably provides the most advanced and business relevant <a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank">Lean Six Sigma</a> and <a title="Master Black Belt Development" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/master-black-belt">Master Black Belt</a> training in the world today. Soarent Vision&#8217;s <a title="AQF" href="http://www.aqf.edu.au" target="_blank">AQF</a> accredited <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery">Lean Six Sigma</a> program for Green Belts and Black Belts integrates perfectly with the MBB program and prepares participants to become the most influential and high performance leaders on the planet.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Myths About Certification</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/certification-2/myths-about-certification/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/certification-2/myths-about-certification/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:55:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Certification with Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[certification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=886</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Completing your certification and a few myths we need to address.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fcertification-2%2Fmyths-about-certification%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Fcertification-2%2Fmyths-about-certification%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Myths About Certification" alt=" Myths About Certification" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>If you are participating in our Lean Six Sigma training program and you have not yet completed assignments for your Diploma or Advanced Diploma, this is relevant to you.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<h3>Getting Certified</h3>
<p>Certification is actually quite a simple process once you have completed the training and end of course exams. All you need to do is complete the assignments and send in your work.</p>
<p>The assignments are listed in FORM 5 in your certification kit which you can <a title="Certification Tools" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training/lean-six-sigma-certification-tools" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD HERE</a>.</p>
<h3>Myths About Certification</h3>
<h4>Myth #1: You have to do a project or projects that get you to use all of the tools listed in your assignments.</h4>
<p>Not true … all you need to do is at least 1 [value adding] improvement project that demonstrates your competence in applying the DMAIC model. You support this work with an affidavit signed by the project champion.</p>
<p>The assignments not covered in the project can be completed individually for literally any scenario.</p>
<h4>Myth #2: You have to facilitate project work with a team for all assignments.</h4>
<p>Not true … as long as you facilitate at least 1 Lean or Six Sigma project using the DMAIC model, you can complete all other assignments on your own. All you need to do is demonstrate competency in the use of the tool. Follow what FORM 5 says and you can&#8217;t go wrong.</p>
<h4>Myth #3: There is too much work to do in completing the assignments.</h4>
<p>Definitely not true … let me make 2 important points in relation to this.</p>
<p>(a) The list of course assignments is longest for module 1 (Lean) and they get progressively shorter for each course. By the time you get to the statistics portion of the Black Belt program, you only have 4 simple assignments to complete.</p>
<p>(b) At Diploma and Advanced Diploma levels, these are the highest training body accredited qualifications for Lean Six Sigma practitioners in the world today.</p>
<ul>
<li>Nobody offers an Advanced Diploma which is the equivalent of two thirds of a Bachelor Degree.</li>
<li>With a bit of effort, you can attain the Ad Dip in less than 12 months.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Certification is so important to you I just cannot stress it enough.</h4>
<p>There is already a change in the employment market, and just like what happened with MBAs, the quality of your certification and where you got it from is coming under more scrutiny.</p>
<p>If you have any questions about your certification, drop us a line here &#8211; <strong>help@soarent.com.au</strong></p>
<p>Take care.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Ask Better Questions in FMEA</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/prevent-failures-ask-better-questions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/prevent-failures-ask-better-questions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:35:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[master black belt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=818</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The standout leaders and facilitators of the world know this one thing - the quality of your questions determines the quality of your answers. We all absolutely must get better at asking great questions. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Flean-six-sigma-2%2Fprevent-failures-ask-better-questions%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soarent.com.au%2Fblog%2Flean-six-sigma-2%2Fprevent-failures-ask-better-questions%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Ask Better Questions in FMEA" alt=" Ask Better Questions in FMEA" /><br />
			</a>
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<p><strong>by George Lee Sye</strong> (Author of <a title="Process Mastery" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-text-book/" target="_blank">Process Mastery with Lean Six Sigma</a> )</p>
<p>For those of you using <strong>Failure Mode Effect Analysis</strong> (aka FMEA) in your improvement work, I want to point out something could just possibly make your work here way more effective.</p>
<h3>FMEA is only as good as the improvement you make.</h3>
<p>So it stands to reason that your FMEA it is only as good as the solutions you produce and actually implement.</p>
<p>So let&#8217;s assume that your process for analysing failure modes is great. No, I&#8217;ll make that awesome.</p>
<p>What I want to do is focus on the solution end and help you to enhance the quality and form of the questions you ask to identify how you will treat the failure modes you choose to work on.</p>
<h3>How do we do that?</h3>
<p>Well we must first get clear on how FMEA works, and I want to do that by describing it through a metaphor.</p>
<p>Imagine for a moment that an event occurs, say the event is this &#8211; &#8216;tank water has become unfit for drinking in some supply system&#8217;.</p>
<p>This event is caused by a specific condition &#8211; bugs land and die in the tank water and contaminate it.</p>
<p>The outcome of this is people who drink the water get sick.</p>
<p>All of this takes place within an existing control environment that might be something like this.</p>
<ul>
<li>We spray for mozzies once each month</li>
<li>Water is replaced every year</li>
<li>People are taught to wash their hands, you know, there&#8217;s some education program in place around personal hygiene</li>
</ul>
<p>We might visualise the scenario I just described like this.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/FMEA-1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-819" title="FMEA-1" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/FMEA-1.png" alt="FMEA 1 Ask Better Questions in FMEA" width="479" height="217" /></a></p>
<h3>So how do we treat this failure mode?</h3>
<p>Obviously the best form of treatment is prevention and the second best is some form of mitigation. We would prefer to prevent it rather than deal with it after it&#8217;s occurred. We can visualise how prevention and mitigation interact with the model in this way.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/FMEA-2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-820" title="FMEA-2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/FMEA-2.png" alt="FMEA 2 Ask Better Questions in FMEA" width="479" height="298" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This gives us the clues we need to develop the most effective question set when treating the problem. It leads us to ask 4 questions in this sequence.</p>
<ul>
<li>Q1. How do we prevent the actions or conditions that cause the event from taking place?</li>
<li>Q2. How do we prevent the event occurring?</li>
<li>Q3. How do we prevent the effect of the event?</li>
<li>Q4. If the effect took place, how do we mitigate it&#8217;s impact?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Here are some examples of how these questions work.</h3>
<p>Notice that each one of these questions results in a slightly different form of treatment.</p>
<p>Q1. How do we prevent the action or conditions that cause the event from taking place (the bugs)? We might &#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>close the tank opening,</li>
<li>fit fine gauze to openings,</li>
<li>enclose the tank in a bubble,</li>
<li>napalm all bugs,</li>
<li>empty the tank of water &#8230;</li>
</ul>
<p>Q2. How do we prevent the event occurring (unfit for drinking)? We might &#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>flush the water frequently,</li>
<li>nominate it as drinking water for cows,</li>
<li>chlorinate the tank regularly &#8230;</li>
</ul>
<p>Q3. How do we prevent the effect of the event (people getting sick)? We could &#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>stop people from drinking the water,</li>
<li>immunise people against illness,</li>
<li>let people keep drinking it until they genetically evolve for drinking contaminated water,</li>
<li>erect a nuclear waste sign at the tank,</li>
<li>enforce the use of water purifying tablets,</li>
<li>only give it to SAS soldiers (too tough to get sick),</li>
<li>serve it at the next local politicians&#8217; meeting (now we get something done) &#8230;</li>
</ul>
<p>Q4. If the effect took place, how do we mitigate it&#8217;s effect / impact? Its possible that we could &#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>insure against claims,</li>
<li>appoint a 24 hour rapid response team,</li>
<li>put people through an SAS toughening up course (I&#8217;m serious),</li>
<li>only allow drinking on days off &#8230;</li>
</ul>
<p>I know you get my drift.</p>
<p>If you choose to be brilliant in anything, be brilliant in how you ask questions.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</p>
<p>Did you know Soarent Vision provides <strong>Master Black Belt training</strong> that you cannot access anywhere else?  <a title="Master Black Belt" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/master-black-belt" target="_blank">Check it out HERE</a></p>
<p>And Soarent Vision&#8217;s AQF accredited <strong>Lean Six Sigma program for Green Belts and Black Belts</strong> offers the highest level of nationally recognised qualifications in the world ….. and the quality of the capability developed is second to none.  <a title="Lean Six Sigma Training" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery" target="_blank">Check this out HERE</a></p>
<h3>Before I leave &#8230;</h3>
<p>Dave Lettermen&#8217;s top 10 questions before waiting in line for an iPad.</p>
<p><iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KgN929Sfa94?fs=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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		<title>Apple Does Lean Business</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/apple-does-lean-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/apple-does-lean-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:50:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=674</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So lean thinking is important to you and your business is it? Are you taking notice of how well some progressive companies are utilising lean concepts in the way they do business today? Check out Apple Inc.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
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			</a>
		</div>
<p><strong>By George Lee Sye</strong></p>
<p>I walked into the Perth Apple Store last week and as usual the crowds were flocking around the vast display of cool stuff made by Apple … yes, I’m a fan, I admit it.</p>
<p>I did the compulsory browse through the technology before moving on to the accessories. I quickly located a number of items that I needed to finally present my seminars using only iPads before walking to the end of the rapidly lengthening queue of shoppers with credit cards in hand.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/apple_store.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-677" title="apple_store" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/apple_store-300x288.jpg" alt="apple store 300x288 Apple Does Lean Business" width="300" height="288" /></a></p>
<p>As my thoughts drift to how easy it is to browse and select but how difficult it is to pay for your selection, a young man, obviously an Apple Store employee, walks up to me and asks &#8220;Are you paying by credit card Sir?&#8221;</p>
<p>I tell him I am so he leads me away from the queue to one of the display stands.</p>
<p>He then whips out his iPhone and in a matter of minutes processes my purchase.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/apple_iphone4.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-678" title="apple_iphone4" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/apple_iphone4.jpg" alt="apple iphone4 Apple Does Lean Business" width="300" height="129" /></a></p>
<p>He scanned all of the items with the iPhone, he swiped my card through the iPhone, and then he had the audacity to make me realise how inadequate our payments processes are by asking me &#8220;should I send the receipt to your email address?&#8221; … you know, the one that he showed me on his iPhone screen, the one I hadn&#8217;t given him yet … what the!!</p>
<p>Yep … the system recognised my credit card and its link to my iTunes account. It had automatically populated the personal details area.</p>
<p>That’s Lean Thinking at work folks.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Soarent-Vision-2.png"><img class="alignleft" title="Soarent Vision 2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Soarent-Vision-2-150x136.png" alt="Soarent Vision 2 150x136 Apple Does Lean Business" width="63" height="57" /></a><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/">Soarent Vision</a> arguably provides the most advanced and business relevant <a title="Master Black Belt Development" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/master-black-belt">Master Black Belt</a> training in the world today.</p>
<p>With a unique focus on influence and persuasion concepts, this program integrates perfectly with Soarent Vision&#8217;s <a title="AQF" href="http://www.aqf.edu.au" target="_blank">AQF</a> accredited <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery">Lean Six Sigma</a> program for Green Belts and Black Belts, and prepares Master Black Belts to be the most influential and high performance leaders on the planet.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Online Lean Six Sigma Training Report</title>
		<link>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/online-lean-six-sigma-training-report/</link>
		<comments>http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/lean-six-sigma-2/online-lean-six-sigma-training-report/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 May 2011 08:37:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>George Lee Sye</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lean Six Sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leadership training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lean six sigma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/?p=621</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Is online Lean Six Sigma training as effective as face-2-face classroom based training?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
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			</a>
		</div>
<p>By George Lee Sye</p>
<h3>The Question</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/elearning2.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-624 alignleft" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="elearning2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/elearning2-150x150.jpg" alt="elearning2 150x150 Online Lean Six Sigma Training Report" width="86" height="86" /></a>Recently I posed this question to the members of a group of business improvement professionals called <strong>Lean Six Sigma Worldwide</strong> &#8211; &#8216;Is online LSS training as effective as face-2-face training in getting genuine results in business?&#8217;</p>
<p>The following is a summary of the types of responses provided by members of that group.</p>
<h3>Responses</h3>
<p><strong>GAGANDEEP S. DATTA (INDIA):</strong> To me a classroom session is more enriching and productive from learning perspective. It offers the participants to share their experiences while atopic is being taught.  On many occasions I have seen facilitators also take back new learnings, examples, etc. from the class they are teaching.  Also, at times depending on the complexity of the questions raised, facilitators have to resort to parking-lots, go back to seek an answer and share it back with the class.  So, my decision is in favour of classroom sessions.</p>
<p><strong>SUJIT MUKHERJEE (INDIA):</strong> Imagine, a task of creating a training material which will contain answers of every possible question that may arise in participant’s mind. That material should also be a “living one” to be flexible enough to assess the level of understanding of the participant and prepare explanation as per that. Best solution to this situation is&#8230; find a trainer with knowledge and experience.</p>
<p><strong>CLAIRE FERRIER &#8211; MBA, BEcon, LSS MBB (UNITED STATES):</strong> I agree that in-class training is certainly the richest and necessary for anyone wishing to lead others in a Six Sigma capacity. That being said I have seen online training work incredibly well for folks working as &#8220;green belts&#8221; &#8211; ie undertaking projects that are being led or mentored by a BB/MBB. The online training provides those people with an ability to understand the background to the approaches being used and, more importantly, a familiarity with the language and tools. It allows those projects to progress much faster as everyone is on the same page from the start and the BB/MBB doesn&#8217;t need to spend as much time educating the team on basics, but instead can get on with identifying and solving for the challenges faced. Additionally online training can be a great instant resource for BB/MBBs and Quality Leaders wishing to refresh themselves on certain tools and techniques they may not have used in a while. Therefore I would highly recommend online training as a component of a more comprehensive quality training program.</p>
<p><strong>ANUPAM ROHATGI (INDIA):</strong> Are you Joking: On-line Training is same as On-line swimming school.  USP Learn swimming without having to step into Pool.</p>
<p><strong>KOLOS KOMAROMI (HUNGARY):</strong> We had on-line Yellow Belt course for all employees and new joiners (mandatory!). It took only one week and keys (a list with correct answers) appeared and after that almost everybody took on-line course and test in 10 minutes by typing anwers from the key-list.  A new employee told me once that after she joined the company she asked her colleague about Yellow Belt course and answer was this: &#8216;That is just bullshit, here is the list with the answers, use this.&#8217;  Those who went through the material by reading all sessions and answering questions by themselves complained that they don&#8217;t understand how they could use those tools and methods in their daily routines.</p>
<p>When I took BB position I made a survey about LSS communication within I asked if they found Yellow Belt on-line training usefull and the answers correlated to NO significantly.  After that survey we changed and started live trainings with the same structure but with samples from our company. Though it took half a day to complete the course this way but helped more to involve people to LSS activity and feedbacks were very good.  So my conclusion is on-line training for such complex theme is totally wast of time.</p>
<p><strong>FAIZAN LALLJEE (UNITED KINGDOM):</strong> I feel online programme effectiveness depends on the level of interactiveness the programme has. A simple rule I have witnessed&#8230;If the concept is complex, then the first preference will be a trainer, face-to face. The next level would be a highly interactive programme equivalent to a trainer..but the cost of development will be very high and the price will not justify it.  Online programmes are very effective if its information sharing.</p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Based entirely on the feedback provided by group members, it seems that online training is limited in its success in the more complex aspects of Lean Six Sigma education. It&#8217;s great as a platform for raising awareness and refreshing, but probably not the most effective way to develop Lean Six Sigma professionals.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Soarent-Vision-2.png"><img class="alignleft" title="Soarent Vision 2" src="http://www.soarent.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Soarent-Vision-2-150x136.png" alt="Soarent Vision 2 150x136 Online Lean Six Sigma Training Report" width="63" height="57" /></a><a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/">Soarent Vision</a> arguably provides the most advanced and business relevant <a title="Master Black Belt Development" href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/master-black-belt">Master Black Belt</a> training in the world today.</p>
<p>With a unique focus on influence and persuasion concepts, this program integrates perfectly with Soarent Vision&#8217;s <a title="AQF" href="http://www.aqf.edu.au" target="_blank">AQF</a> accredited <a href="http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery">Lean Six Sigma</a> program for Green Belts and Black Belts, and prepares Master Black Belts to be the most influential and high performance leaders on the planet.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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