OPPapers.com

Ford

2006

Chapter 12
Exercise 1: Best Practices

When searching for companies that incorporate "Best Practices," there were many results that came up of showing guidelines of the practices that these companies use that work particularly well for them. After reviewing several of the sites, I had to wonder how many practices that these companies really tried out before deciding that the practice they use is the best. In order to qualify as a best practice, the technique must have a proven record of significantly lowering costs, improving quality or performance, shortening time requirements, enhancing safety, or delivering some other highly positive operating excellence.
One of the companies I came across was JUnit, a toolkit used in producing web pages and other computer based programs. They have come up with techniques for building resilient, relocatable, multithreaded tests using this program that will ensure that things are working correctly within whatever kind of computer program or web page it is being used for. I also came across many best practices incorporated and available through the U.S. government. One in particular was the U.S. Department of Energy sharing best practices and letting people get involved so they "can join the ranks of forward-thinking U.S. industrial manufacturers, corporate executives, and plant managers who are saving energy and money, and increasing productivity right now."
Other companies included APQC and how they have their benchmarking approach has been recognized as a leading methodology. There was also the American Marketing Association sharing important practices in marketing technique as well as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and many other medical related sites offering information and techniques for working in the medical field.

Chapter 12
Exercise 2: Six Sigma

According the Six Sigma web site, this is a program with six standard deviations using a disciplined, data-driven approach and...