2012 Conference Theme and Focus Areas

The 2012 ASQ Lean and Six Sigma Conference Theme is “Positive Outcomes: Putting Lean and Six Sigma to Work”. Lean and Six Sigma are time-tested, powerful and proven enablers that deliver results. These principles allow us to develop solutions that add real value and purpose.  The results are demonstrated in many different ways—top line, bottom line, product quality, service excellence — but in all, customer-focused outcomes. It takes leadership, people, and the commitment to excellence with lean and six sigma solutions that help to produce these outcomes.

Focus Areas

The Global Imperative – market and industrial globalization continue to grow—and so do the challenges could the challenges. Demonstrate how lean and/or six sigma have been utilized to exceed customer needs; improve customer value, mitigate issues in a global environment; provide positive outcomes in a global community. 
New/Unique Applications with Lean and Six Sigma – maybe there’s a new way that your organization has applied an existing lean or six sigma ‘tool’ to produce positive outcomes.  Care to share a unique best practice that clearly demonstrate customer and organizational benefits…what, why, how—and what the result was?
Technical/Applied/Statistical Tools  – deliver value and excellence with hands-on proven tools; advanced—intermediate—beginner — from 5S to ANOVA; from A3 to Weibull Analysis; from Kaizen to designed experiments. Share your tools prowess—show me—tell me what, why, and how. Advanced applications are encouraged to apply.
Cost/Waste/Defect Reduction – lean and six sigma activities and strategies that benefit the enterprise and enable it to produce positive outcomes by reducing cost, eliminating waste and getting rid of defects. As an attendee, what can you tell me that I can leverage at my organization to achieve some of the same positive outcomes?
The Culture of Improvement – learning and applying the tools are usually more successful when a culture of outcome-based improvement and sustainability is in place. The infrastructure must support, nurture, and enable success to occur. This focus area looks at perhaps how that environment was created, but more importantly, what is being done to sustain that environment through the people factor of lean and six sigma; developing and providing strong, effective leadership that sets the direction, management that supports the initiatives, developing teams that share common goals, the human interaction focused on providing the best customer experience through lean and six sigma.

[2011 Conference Highlights]