Six Sigma Information Technology Robert J. Brown Office:

2 TFS IT Functional Champion Why is IT so important to Six Sigma What to expect What’s happening

3 Why is IT so important to Six Sigma? Black Belt ‘tools of the trade’ are based on computer technology Centralized repository for all Six Sigma project information is required from Sr. Executives to Black Belts Leverage solutions across BU’s Overall Financial view and control across BU’s Steering Committee Visibility Quick access to accurate statistical data is key to Six Sigma project success IT Project Pipeline should align with Six Sigma Business Process Improvements

4 What to Expect from TFS IT Capital Expenditure Request Six Sigma Project Tracking System Black Belt Laptop Standardization Continuous support for BU Six Sigma Deployment Hosting and Support of Six Sigma Website

5 What is happening? Capital Expenditure Request Approved. Strategic Sourcing of Hardware and Software complete. (est. savings $500k!) Dell D600 Laptop and standard image in progress. Six Sigma Project Tracking System Business Requirements gathering.

Information Technology Supporting Six Sigma Presented by E.J. McIlwaine SimplexGrinnell Six Sigma IT Functional Champion

7 Information Technology Supporting Six Sigma AGENDA Six Sigma IT Philosophy IT Functional Champion Role Deliverables Laptop Hardware/Software and Technical Support Data Delivery IT Investment Evaluation & Analysis Information Technology Projects Information Technology Key Contacts

8 Six Sigma IT Philosophy Six Sigma hardware and software should follow the organization’s IT standards whenever possible. SimplexGrinnell corporate, not the local districts, will pay for their Black Belts’ hardware, software and any additional Six Sigma information technology investments. IT will use existing processes (software installation, IT Help Desk, etc.) whenever possible instead of developing unique IT processes for Six Sigma applications. Data formatted in reports to manage the business, as well as additional raw data contained in IT systems will be available to Black Belts for designated projects.

9 IT Functional Champion Responsibilities Function as a primary point of contact for all Six Sigma IT issues. Energize, inspire, and educate IT organization. Arrange for acquisition, distribution, and configuration of Six Sigma laptops and software. Prepare and execute plan to support Six Sigma hardware and software. Ensure sufficient resources are appropriately applied to achieve established business goals and data requests.

10 Deliverables: Laptop Hardware Laptops, complete with MS Office Suite and Six Sigma software, will be provided to all Black Belts in the Six Sigma program. New - Dell laptop with software included −Black Belt - $ −Master Black Belt - $ Asset will be transferred to SimplexGrinnell upon receipt from TFSS. Software Licenses, including Windows 2000 and Microsoft Office covered under SimplexGrinnell/Tyco’s Microsoft Enterprise License Agreement.

11 Deliverables: Laptop Software Black Belt Laptops Software Requirements: Minitab SigmaFlow Modeler Master Black Belt Laptop Software Requirements Minitab SigmaFlow Modeler Vartran Decision Capture TechOptimizer

12 Deliverables: Technical Support IT will use existing processes (Software installation, SG Help Desk, etc.) whenever possible instead of developing unique IT processes for Six Sigma applications. SimplexGrinnell Help Desk will provide centralized support for normal laptop hardware and software issues. Remote dial-in capability will be installed, configured, and supported by local SimplexGrinnell Help Desk. IT Functional Champion will provide initial point of contact for Six Sigma application issues to establish support baseline. Six Sigma application and tool issues will be escalated to the Six Sigma team at TFSS if necessary.

13 Deliverables Technical Support Flow

14 Deliverables Data Delivery Existing data and systems will be used whenever possible to avoid costly investments and additional development efforts. Data Map will be distributed to Black Belts outlining historical data availability and host systems. All data/systems will be assigned a “Business Data Owner” and an “IT System Owner”. Requests for data will be initially directed to Business Data Owner, then escalated to IT Functional Champion if required.

15 Deliverables Data Delivery Request Flow

16 Deliverables IT Investment Evaluation & Analysis How will Black Belt project improvements be prioritized against existing and ongoing IT projects? Requests for IT investment and development for Six Sigma related projects will be analyzed on a case by case basis. Any IT capital or expense related costs must be part of the project justification and will be netted against the Six Sigma project savings. Work with the Six Sigma Steering Committee and IT Management on project prioritization.

17 Information Technology Projects Three major IT project categories: Ongoing IT projects with existing justifications. (Six Sigma initiative will not change these) Six Sigma business projects with IT implications. (Need to be assessed as part of the investment analysis) Six Sigma projects internal to IT (May relate to process improvement and quality initiatives)

18 Information Technology Contacts E.J. McIlwaine SG Six Sigma IT Functional Champion Director, Contracting Systems Development Jim Nickerson Director, Applications Development Mary Leonardo Director, IT Infrastructure