By Crisglen John P. Villegas

MAKATI CITY, Philippines- February 3, 2017, last day of Six Sigma PH’s Belt class (Wave 21), Nino A. Compasivo, gained his Six Sigma Green Belt certification after delivering 7.7 million pesos worth of cost savings to a renowned food manufacturing company.

“I encourage you to fill the emptiness we have as professionals and enhance your career by investing on certifications such as Six Sigma” – Nino Compasivo, CSSGB

In his brief testimonial, Nino stated his journey and the success of his project. He also shared a few points to encourage the graduating class to pursue their Green Belt Certification; and even agreed to have a one-on-one interview with us to capture further details that can be both inspiring and helpful for the Filipino Professionals and other Professionals around the world.

Go ahead: Be inspired, Be Awesome!

Q. What prompted you to take the Six Sigma Workshop? 

A. To enhance my capability with new quality tools that can be used for my profession as an industrial engineer, and to have knowledge concerning the Six Sigma methodology.

Q. What Prompted you to start your project?

A. Aside from the oath that I made to the organization; to have and finish my project, it is also my job to my employer to help the company with the problems regarding quality and productivity.

Q. What was your project about?

A. Reduction of defect rate.

Q. How was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?

A. Although it was not my first time to have a project, I feel excited and I find it interesting using new approach like DMAIC methodology especially the Minitab software.

Q. What were the results of your project?

A. The result is reliable and precise; using control charts we’re able to trace the origin and contributor of defects and from that we’re able to determine the exact root cause of the problem.

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Six Sigma Black Belt to you as an individual?

            A. I feel respected by others specially by my co employees and by other individual specially with the same profession that I have.

Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking / planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?
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A. As for those who have an ongoing project , remember our oath; our project is the last key  to our success. To be truly certified don’t surrender because every single effort we’ve invest for our project is really worth it. For those who are planning to pursue Six Sigma certification, I encourage you to fill the emptiness we have as professionals and enhance your career by investing in certifications such as Six Sigma.

There you have it! We hope that you were inspired by Nino’s story, for more similar reads, you can follow this blog or visit us regularly at www.6sigmaph.com/blogs.

Be Inspired, Be Awesome!
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We would like to hear from you too! If you have any questions you want to ask us or these newly certified professionals, Email us at ask@6sigmaph.com. 

by Crisglen John P. Villegas

MAKATI CITY, Philippines- January 23, 2017, Personiv Operations Head, Czarina Cordova, received her Six Sigma Green Belt certification together with the whole Personiv management committee, after almost halving the ACW (After Call Work) handling time for her voice accounts.

Aside from reaching their SLA for handling time, this reduction of ACW also allows them to handle more calls each day. Not to mention the additional savings that came with it, Czarina’s project brings a considerable amount of annual savings equivalent to PHP1,163,284.

To get in-depth details, tips, and know more about Czarina’s project, just keep scrolling down and read the rest of the article for our one-on-one interview with Ms. Cordova herself.
Go ahead!

Be inspired, Be awesome.

Q. What prompted you to take the Six Sigma Workshop? 

A. The Six Sigma workshop is a companywide initiative for all members of the Management Team. Our company being in the Business Process Outsourcing industry believes that Six Sigma is a necessity as we grow our business to stream line our processes, reduce non-value add steps, improve productivity, and increase revenue. We have envisioned Six Sigma to be not just part of our production processes but also part of our daily activities as well.

Q. What Prompted you to start your project?

A. As our company ventures to diversifying our services, we need to ensure that established practices for new accounts are optimized so replication will be easy for succeeding accounts. My project is the first B2B offering of our company hence, there is a drive to improve all processes.

Q. What was your project about?

A. My project is about reduction of ACW (After Call Work) handling time for my voice account from 11.30minutes to 10minutes.

Q. How was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?

A. It was a challenge at first as we need to involve the whole team and get their buy-in on the purpose of the project. At the same time, the exercise was very enlightening as we try to understand impact of even the simplest procedure to the whole process.
 
Q. What were the results of your project?

A. Average ACW ended at 6.65minutes at the end of the project.

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Six Sigma Black Belt to you as an individual?

 A. I feel accomplished being a member of the highly coveted Six Sigma belts. Aside from the bragging rights of course , after the certification, I feel more confident in implementing process improvement initiatives.
 
Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking / planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?

A. Begin with the end in mind. This is one of the habits I adapted from the 7 habits of Stephen R. Covey. If you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish at the end of the project, nothing can stop you from achieving your end goal.

Q. If there’s anything else that you’d like to share about your experience, what would it be?

A. 1.Importance of gathering information – It is necessary to have a baseline before setting a target. This will quantify the gap between current and desired status of the project.

2. Immersion - To improve the overall process, one must understand every detail affecting the process. Involving rank and file/operators is the most effective way to understand all areas of a certain process. Who can best help you to complete your project but your own team.

3. Awareness and Accountability – Powerful motivation tools that can yield to positive results.
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4. Recognition – Hearing the results is good but seeing the results is better. This creates healthy competition towards achieving the team goal. Ensure to recognize and acknowledge contributions, you will not be able to complete your project alone.

5. Lastly, I believe in team work and stand by the philosophy that everything is achievable if you have your team supporting you throughout the project

There you have it! We hope that you were inspired by Czarina’s story, for similar reads, you can follow this blog or visit us regularly at www.6sigmaph.com/blogs.

Be Inspired, Be Awesome!
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We would like to hear from you too! If you have any questions you want to ask us or these newly certified professionals, Email us at ask@6sigmaph.com. 

by Rex Tuozo "The Six Sigma Guy"

The Six Sigma profession is a very honorable profession.

I started Six Sigma PH back in 2013 when I noticed that the demand for Six Sigma Certified professionals here in the Philippines are increasing, but the demand is very low.  Low not only to the point that companies poach other companies' Six Sigma professionals, but also hire abroad (mostly from India), and make them expats here in PH.  I then said to myself, if other nationalities can do the job, why not Filipinos?

 "That was my motivation why I founded Six Sigma PH"

Everyone was against it because I had a good stable job, pay and career.  I took the risk, believing the potential of Filipinos, and I proved myself right.


As of February 1, 2017, myself, my students, and companies we helped, have saved a total of  P 765,432,803.57  = 15,363,966.35 USD using Lean Six Sigma.
1USD=49.82PHP



OATH of SIX SIGMA Green and Black BELTS
"On my honor, I will do my duty to complete my project,
facilitate the Six Sigma Circuit, and be certified.
So I may help my colleagues and my company,
to reduce its process defects, delays, and variations.
So help me God."


#iAmMyCredentials
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SIX SIGMA PH
"Our mission is to make Six Sigma SIMPLE & PRACTICAL to make it EFFECTIVE."
www.6sigmaph.com | ask@6sigmaph.com | +632-357-6830
#SixSigmaPhilippines
#TheSixSigmaGuy
 ​

by Crisglen John P. Villegas

MAKATI CITY, Philippines- February 3, 2017, Last day of Six Sigma PH’s Belt class (Wave 21), Paul William V. Flores, gained his Six Sigma Green Belt certification after helping one of the shipping and logistics company here in the Philippines save a projected amount of 14M annually.

In his brief testimonial, Paul shared the story of his project. He shared as he faced the roadblocks that he encountered, and inspired everyone by stating how he turned them into milestones.

He mentioned a few tips and words of encouragement for the graduating class to pursue their Green Belt Certification. He even agreed to an interview with us to reach further Filipino professionals to inspire them as well. So, further this article is our one-on-one interview with Mr. Flores. Go ahead, gather some tips and Be Inspired!

     Q. What prompted you to take the Six Sigma Workshop? 

     A. What prompted me to take six sigma technically is the simplicity of the methodology, its data-driven process improvement method helps me to tell stories to my clients and the management. Career wise, it really boosts your morale and leadership ability to influence others and effective in changing a person’s mind-set.
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     Q. What Prompted you to start your project?

    A. What prompted me to start my project is the Strategic Initiatives of the Company to solve a specific problem that affects their business process and earnings.

     Q. What was your project about?

     A. The Project is about Optimization of Vessel maintenance Management. The problem was From January – December 2015, the unplanned downtime per ship was at an average of 2.64 days, while the target is 1 day, this results to additional revenue lost resulting to PhP 250,000.00 per Vessel / Day. The goal was to reduce the average unplanned downtime from 2.64 days to 1.64 days by the end of September 2016.

     Q. How was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?

     A. It is quite difficult at first because of the unavailability of the people involved and also the mind-set. But data really helped me tell the story. They became more cooperative and supportive throughout the project.

     Q. What were the results of your project?

     A. We have addressed the problems affecting the delays in the process. Addressing the Top Drivers, We were able to eliminate the wasted time by focusing on the customers need via forecasting and continuous communication Tailor fitting it to the client’s procedure. The Network upgrade help the expedition of repairs. Standard deviation is lowered from 3.7256 to 1.4711 this big drop has compressed the days to process to 1-2 days from the old data of 3-12 days. Aside from the standard deviation.

     Q. What was the impact of being a certified Six Sigma Black Belt to you as an individual?

     A. The impact is very overwhelming; you earn respect from your bosses and colleagues plus the give you a recognition. Other companies now are trying to get you especially when they know what you have done and what the reason behind your certification.

     Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking / planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?
     
     A. It will never be easy because the prize is really expensive. Never lose hope, Focus on the Goal and when you feel lost, always go back to the problem statement. Always ask questions to the other Blackbelts and Greenbelts, and if you’re not trained yet, enroll now!

There you have it! We hope that you were inspired by Paul’s story, for more similar reads, you can follow this blog or visit us regularly at www.6sigmaph.com/blogs.

Be Inspired, Be Awesome!
​
We would like to hear from you too! If you have any questions you want to ask us or these newly certified professionals, Email us at ask@6sigmaph.com.

MAKATI CITY, Philippines- January 13, 2017, Six Sigma PH started using the Hashtag "#iAmMyCredentials, and then after days and a few weeks, it's already everywhere! By now, people are already wondering, "What's with the hashtag?" or "What does that even mean?".  

by Crisglen John Villegas

The campaign as a whole, aims to impart significant values essential to reach success for both the company and the individual; with each part tackling different values for each unique individual’s strengths and intelligences; All for the benefit of our country, the Philippines.

According to Edgar Dale, who developed the widely known "Cone of Experience", immediate application of learning in a real situation results to a retention rate of up to 90% - similar but with a superior retention rate to "Practice by doing/learning by doing". By designing a Six Sigma Class based on such learning method, The Six Sigma Guy's students are more capable, equipped, and Six Sigma Ready.
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After each class conducted by The Six Sigma Guy, more and more Filipinos are proudly saying and using the Hashtag.  IT'S YOUR TURN TO SAY IT NOW!
The Six Sigma Guy Urges You to Proudly Say: #iAmMyCredentials


To sign up for our next Experiential Six Sigma Class, you can message us on facebook at fb.com/6sigmaph
​or email us at ask@6sigmaph.com

SIX SIGMA PH
"Our mission is to make Six Sigma SIMPLE & PRACTICAL to make it EFFECTIVE."
www.6sigmaph.com | ask@6sigmaph.com | +632-357-6830
#SixSigmaPhilippines
#TheSixSigmaGuy

+1. Head high, certified professionals can proudly say #iAmMyCredentials. Why? Because the "Certified Six Sigma" title isn't only something that one has, but rather, one is.  Because what puts them  a step  ahead aren't the grandiose words written before or after their names, nor is it that framed paper with a seal; Instead, it is the things that they do, the ones that provide tangible, visible, and positive results in their own respective fields;

​The edge of a Certified Six Sigma Professional is the Integrity and Excellence you've have acquired as you embark a path towards a better version of yourself. Because the things that you have achieved aren’t just paper and prints, it’s who you are.

(Compiled by Siege Villegas, PSTD member) ​

Image source :https://www.tes.com/lessons/wBABHFH3I_nPbg/group-work (Credits to the Original owner)

By Gervy James Biagtan, Six Sigma PH Six Sigma Black Belt Consultant
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Last year I discussed the growth of the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry and the notion of the midnight sun that would never set. That sun is now facing some potential and imminent headwinds in the next nine months, within the next three to five years and within the next six to 12 years

The Duterte and Trump effect
Much discussion has been made across both mainstream media and social media about the implications of the Duterte and the Trump administrations in the BPO industry. Since Donald J. Trump started campaigning for the presidency, his key economic themes already revolved around “Making America Great”—some of which can even be associated to autarky or self-reliance. He calls for big tax cuts, steady wages, repeal of Obamacare and massive tariffs on countries that are seen taking American jobs. Such steps have serious repercussions to “source” countries, like Mexico, China, India and the Philippines. Nearly 80 percent of the outsourced work in the Philippines comes from the North American market (77 percent), while the rest comes from European and Asia-Pacific regional markets. However, these expected policies of the Trump administration (from an outsourcing standpoint) may not hold. First, his policies are mainly directed toward the manufacturing industry specific to the businesses in Mexico and China, and not necessarily a crackdown on the BPO industry. Second, even if jobs come back to America, he cannot stop other Western countries from producing overseas.

As a result, not only would the other Western countries become more competitive versus their US counterparts, but also these “outsourced” products and services will still get exported to the US. The worst that could happen but is very unlikely is a tariff war between the US and its western allies. Third, implementing his “bring back jobs to America” can be complicated. Both Dan Reyes (country head of genpact Philippines and IBPAP chairman of the board of trustees) and Travis Coates (managing director of TelePhilippines) shared the same perspective: it’s not that easy just to migrate jobs back to America. With the robust infrastructure and skillset of running the contact centers in the Philippines, migrating back the jobs to America simply cannot be performed overnight. There will also be issues of being able to distinguish, which are outsourced jobs versus which jobs are the by-products of overseas growth of the business. With the attractive cost arbitrage of offshore outsourcing, US companies can be lured to look for loopholes and workarounds to outsource amidst the call for “bring back jobs to America”. Last, both Reyes and Coates asserted that we have to wait and see when Trump becomes president.
As for President Duterte, his statements against the West initially sounded worrisome to the BPO industry. As such, key leaders in the industry, like Tonichi Achurra-Parekh (vice president and head of operations-Startek Philippines), had to assure clients (both prospective and incumbent) that the President’s statement may not necessarily lead to a fallout between the country and its partners. Reyes and Coates also observed that there has been no significant policy shifts in international business relationships under the Duterte administration. Furthermore, in the President’s message to the outsourcing industry in November 2016 signified that the government is keen on helping bolster the Philippines’s competitiveness in BPO industry (10-point agenda). Hence, there is no immediate risk of weakening in the BPO industry.
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Facing the next six years
Since the entry of the “BPO start-ups” nearly 20 years ago, the business environment has changed dramatically with the emergence of advances in technology, such as cloud computing, automation, online support and customer support via social media. In an article published by The Economist online (http://www.economist.com) in Febuary last year, it was mentioned that the contact-center jobs in the Philippines, including India, may be at the “end of the line” due to technological enhancements of an organization’s labor-saving or labor-substituting capital (e.g., interactive voice response). As such, labor-market forces will once again demand for a new kind of labor that will complement the state-of-the-art capital. Thus, the labor force in the contact center niche of the BPO industry will need to evolve toward producing services that are at the higher end of the “value-added” chain.
The government is aware of this. In Duterte’s message to the IT-BPM last year, he anticipates that within the next six years, nearly three-fourths of the labor force in the industry will be in the knowledge-process outsourcing (KPOs are jobs related to animation and design, R&D, financial market services and legal services). Once more, both India and the Philippines will compete for the “smarter” jobs that will be outsourced. This is because even Western countries lack the adequate manpower to handle knowledge-based processes. The question is—are we ready for this transition? Fortunately, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) has developed the Philippine IT-BPM Roadmap 2022. This requires an extensive effort for stronger partnerships between IBPAP other key stakeholders—from academe, to the infrastructure-building sectors—ensuring that the Philippines will remain the outsourcing destination of choice for the next six years.
Original Source: BusinessMirror

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Gervy James Biagtan, CSSBB, currently the Director of Process Improvement at Teleperformance, the global leader in outstanding customer experience, and is one of Six Sigma PH's Black Belt Consultant. 

With 15 years of experience managing and leading quality and process improvement initiatives, Gervy has been one of the top of mind Six Sigma Black Belts and Change Agents in the IT-BPO industry.