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by John N. Peters (Author)
"Six Sigma" has proven itself as a process-improvement, quality-improvement methodology, to be the single most effective problem-solving methodology for improving business and organizational performance. Not only does it help organizations achieve incremental improvements, but breakthrough ones.It has well-developed methods to resolve constraints (or bottlenecks), methods such as used by the Toyota Production System (TPS) with the Andon cord technique, to stop assembly line when noticing a defect, to get the team to think of a solution until the issue is resolved, hence continuously improving process flow."Six Sigma" is a methodology for maximizing value, and minimizing waste as well as minimizing mistakes.We have an enormous problem with productivity in society, that people got a blind spot on, usually referred to as "positive outcome bias," "society which is the system here" is not producing enough in goods and services, as evidenced by the high percentages of poverty, unemployment and homelessness; the reasons are most probably tremendous waste in productive time and in human resources' utilization.Our two objectives are to: (1) Maximize productivity levels, i.e. performance, efficiency, while keeping the same number of work hours per year;and at the same time, (2) Optimize Rest and Relaxation (R&R), leisure time, better quality of life.We found these to be equivalent to the objectives of the many kinds of "Agile" methods (inside)(3) We are also adding the objective of improving physical fitness as we are dealing with the whole human being, to improve physical health and mental abilities.We start by working on ways to minimize waste; First, in the discovery phase (how the system works) we observe that there is a 0.5 to 1.5 hours wasted on Monday blues, then for most people productivity goes down (10%-20%) starting on Thursday, as fatigue and stress start edging up, with another 20% down in productivity on Fridays, hence TGFBy thinking on how to reduce (or take away) wasted time intervals that were supposed to be productive, and replacing them with hours of almost 100% productivity or with real rest hours, to use as R&R, keeping the (almost 100%) productive work hours or days.We worked out a solution (using arithmetic and simulations; then after going on with the iterations of improving the flow of processes, eliminating non-value-added activities and waste as much as possible, we find a plethora of benefits and synergies; foremost benefits to health, muscle memory, exercising regularly and healthy living, Benefits to youth and children's education, fitness, with increased number of days for teaching and learning, as well as to teachers' professional work/life balance.Benefits to the economy: spur more leisure businesses, double digit increases in entertainment industries, travel & leisure, vacation and tourism: hotels and resorts, cruise ships, R&R etc.A whole new ecosystem for work and economy; because of the symmetry in work-cycles, more supply of 1/2 time work from enterprises, get more employed people, lowering unemployment rates from the long term unemployed, in the various communities, contributing extensively to lowering poverty rates, and homelessnessAs consequences: benefits to businesses and to business owners, higher tax revenue to federal, state, local and city governments; the whole population is going to benefit. Leading to various representative assemblies to decide to lower taxes. There is a fighting chance for the war on poverty and homelessness to be won.The last sections deal with implementation options: market oriented with the help of federal or state programs, such as done right now with the cities initiative, the Kresge foundations in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank, or with community foundations; have charter schools that cater to needs of children whose parents have alternate work schedule (AWS) such as police, emergency staff and hospital workers.
