Sigma 7

Colin Burgess offers a comprehensive yet personal look at the 1962 orbital mission of Wally Schirra aboard the spacecraft Sigma 7, the first book about this popular pioneering astronaut which explores his entire life and accomplishments. This continues the Pioneers in Early Spaceflight series, the volumes of which form an excellent record of Project Mercury's pioneering early phase of the Space Age. Schirra’s pre-NASA life is examined, as well as his training as a NASA astronaut and for his Mercury MA-8 flight. The 6-orbit flight of Sigma 7 is fully covered from its origins through to the spacecraft’s safe recovery from the ocean after a highly successful Mercury mission. Schirra’s participation on the Gemini 6 and Apollo 7 missions is also told, but in brief, and the book also relates his post-NASA life and activities through to his passing in 2007. The Mercury Seven occupy a unique spot in the history of human spaceflight, and Schirra is at last given his due as one of the contributing astronauts in this painstakingly researched book.

In the desert Southwest, Kimble Monroe and others fight for their lives against the "bugs," self-replicating, solar-powered, metal-eating machines.

This reference manual is designed to help those interested in passing the ASQ's certification exam for Six Sigma Green Belts and others who want a handy reference to the appropriate materials needed to conduct successful Green Belt projects. It is a reference handbook on running projects for those who are already knowledgeable about process improvement and variation reduction. The primary layout of the handbook follows the ASQ Body of Knowledge (BoK) for the Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) updated in 2015. The authors were involved with the first edition handbook, and have utilized first edition user comments, numerous Six Sigma practitioners, and their own personal knowledge gained through helping others prepare for exams to bring together a handbook that they hope will be very beneficial to anyone seeking to pass the ASQ or other Green Belt exams. In addition to the primary text, the authors have added a number of new appendixes, an expanded acronym list, new practice exam questions, and other additional materials

This textbook covers the fundamental mechanisms of the Six Sigma philosophy, while showing how this approach is used in solving problems that affect the variability and quality of processes and outcomes in business settings. Further, it teaches readers how to integrate a statistical perspective into problem solving and decision-making processes. Part I provides foundational background and introduces the Six Sigma methodology while Part II focuses on the details of DMAIC process and tools used in each phase of DMAIC. The student-centered approach based on learning objectives, solved examples, practice and discussion questions is ideal for those studying Six Sigma.

Recent advances in the measurement and management of customer value now make it a powerful tool for identifying and prioritizing Six Sigma projects. No longer do champions or black belts have to rely solely on costs to justify the selection of Six Sigma projects. Now the real power and potential of Six Sigma can be turned to its strategic purpose – create and sustain value differences that will translate into greater market share and enhanced profitability.This book has two objectives. The first is to provide the reader with an approach for using the voice of the customer to identify Six Sigma projects and to guide their conduct. The second objective is to show the reader how to obtain the correct voice of the customer – customer value.Customer value is not new. What is new is our ability to measure it. And with this newly discovered ability to measure customer value comes an opportunity to inform Six Sigma projects and initiatives to make them more responsive to customer needs and more responsive to the organization’s bottom line. Let the voice be heard!

This handbook is designed to help candidates preparing for the ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt certification exam. Meant for those who already understand the basic concepts of reducing variation and improving processes, it also serves as a helpful reference to the appropriate materials needed to conduct successful Green Belt projects. The layout of the handbook is mapped to the 2022 version of ASQ’s Body of Knowledge (BoK). This revised edition includes new information about: • SMART goals, key process indicators, Takt time, just-in-time processes, and spaghetti diagrams • The Kano model, risk management, business continuity planning, SWOT analysis, and RACI charts • Data collection plans and quality checks • Gap analysis, 5 Whys analysis, and fault tree analysis • Maintaining quality improvements • Document control, audits, training plans, the PDCA cycle, Andon, and Jidoka system