Agile Sigma© Overview - Presented by Timothy T. Gaffney

Section 1 Summary Paragraph – Agile Sigma© History

In this section we’ll introduce what Agile Sigma© is, how and when it was developed by Timothy T. Gaffney in 2017, and most importantly why it was developed – in response to customer feedback. You’ll also learn how Agile Sigma© is a 21st century business process optimization methodology to iteratively deliver process improvements that matter to internal and external customers. We’ll also cover how Agile Sigma© is faster and more effective than other methods in use today.

In this section we’ll describe the streamlined, 4 phase Agile Sigma Methodology© and process and identify how it can be used to iteratively optimize process performance and sigma levels. We’ll also provide an overview of the Agile Sigma© Project Leadership and Project Team structure and how it is designed to foster teamwork. You’ll also learn how Agile Sigma© utilizes the best tools, methods, and techniques from both Six Sigma and the Agile Development Method.

In this section we’ll provide a brief overview of the 5 phase process improvement methodology, created by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1987. You’ll learn how Six Sigma is based on improving the process sigma level. We’ll also cover how the 5 phase method reduces process variation by addressing process defect root causes to eliminate customer “pain.” We provide an overview of the standardized Six Sigma project team structure.

In this section we provide a brief overview of the Agile Development Method, which started with The Manifesto for Agile Software Development that was created and published by Jeff Sutherland, Ken Schwaber, and Alistair Cockburn in 2001. We include a summary of the Agile Values and Principles that provide the underpinnings of the Agile approach. We’ll review a brief video that describes the ceremonies, artifacts, and roles that make-up the iterative, time-boxed Sprint cycle that is central to the Agile team-based approach.

In this section we provide a recap of the Agile Sigma© Introduction module including the Agile Sigma© History, Agile Sigma© Process Introduction, Background and Sources – including Six Sigma and Agile. We also review the benefits of statistical analysis to ensure objectivity in data-driven decision-making, which is a key element of both Six Sigma and Agile Sigma©. We summarize Agile Sigma© attributes and differentiators, and provide a preview of the next module in the Agile Sigma© Overview course – Module #2 – Agile Sigma© Process Overview I where we take a deeper dive into the methodology and process.

In this section we’ll provide a Methodology Overview to recap some of the key aspects of the 4 phase Agile Sigma Methodology©, and how the phases fit together to enable and equip teams to optimize processes. We also describe how we leveraged Six Sigma’s and Agile’s strengths, addressed the weaknesses, included improvements, and streamlined the phases as we created the new Agile Sigma Methodology© to be a 21st century, breakthrough approach.

In this section we’ll introduce how the Agile Sigma© Project Team is structured to provide the leadership and team support to deliver optimal process performance using Agile Sigma©. We’ll present the structure of the Project Leadership Team and linkage with the Project Team. We’ll discuss that the process specialists, and the subject matter experts on the Project Team form the “core” of the team. We also describe how the Agile Sigma© belts are defined and how they are associated with the roles on the Agile Sigma© Project Team.

In this section we’ll describe the inputs, activities, tools, and deliverables/outcomes for the Assess & Plan phase, the 1st phase in an Agile Sigma© project. We’ll describe how we assess the current environment and plan the project (problem, objective, scope, approach, team, timeline, opportunities, and costs/benefit).

In this section we’ll describe the inputs, activities, tools, and deliverables/outcomes for the Measure & Analyze phase, the 2nd phase in an Agile Sigma© project. We’ll describe how we define, measure, and analyze the key process output metrics. We’ll also discuss how we document and analyze current and future state processes as part of the Measure & Analyze phase.

In this section we’ll cover the basics of statistical analysis, to provide a foundational understanding of how we apply the techniques in the Agile Sigma Methodology©. We present what statistics are, how they differ from mathematics, and how the statistical tests that you perform depends on the type of data that you’re analyzing. Additionally, we review distributions – including the central tendency, shape, and dispersion aspects of all distributions. We focus on the normal curve, and how it provides a basis for us to analyze, understand, and predict – based on whether a distribution is normal or not.

In this section we introduce the statistical concepts of Data Sampling to ensure that data collected is representative and sufficient to support decision-making on an Agile Sigma© project. We conclude the module with an introduction to Hypothesis Testing, which is used extensively throughout an Agile Sigma© project. We describe the 4-step process we use in hypothesis testing, and provide an example to help bring the theory to life. We provide a brief wrap-up at the end of the module, to summarize the new info about Statistics – and how data and statistics are key to how Agile Sigma© works effectively to enable teams to deliver optimal solutions.

In this section, we present the benefits of using Agile Sigma© to address customer “pain” rapidly and iteratively to deliver optimal performance for your internal and external customers.

We also provide an overview of Agile Sigma© Training and Certification paths for new and current business process improvement and optimization specialists. We also describe the support services that are available from The Gaffney Institute (TGI) to augment and support the Agile Sigma© implementation process – from pilot project through full-scale program support .

In this section we wrap-up the course with discussion of implementation considerations and the next steps to get started implementing Agile Sigma© within an organization to start achieving benefits for your customers and employees.

We also present the Road to Agility,” which is a strategic, organizational development-based approach that I developed to help companies achieve agility, one step at a time.

The Road to Agility includes several alignment and get-started steps that help to develop and foster an agile culture. The initial steps help to prepare the organization for the final steps in the Agility Roadmap which consist of implementing an Agile Sigma© Pilot Project, and then expanding that into a full-scale Agile Sigma© program to continue to foster and drive ROI, with agility.