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Before the use of gunpowder made this device virtually obsolete, armies in medieval times had their own "ultimate weapon" - the catapult.
These hurling engines, used in sieges, generally relied on energy stored by torsion, then released, to hurl large heavy objects great distances to deliver significant destructive force when they landed. They were used for firing all sorts of projectiles, from rocks to pots of Greek Fire (an early napalm-like weapon).
The catapult represents a technology which is about as far from today's as one can imagine. So, it is curious indeed that the catapult was a major teaching aid at a recent Six Sigma training program conducted by Goodyear and attended by an IBT team of four (Rex Davis, Anthony Akin, Tom Zerger and Rich Painter).
The reason the catapult is relevant, according to Anthony Akin, newly named as Manager, Lean Six Sigma, is simple: "It involves a process that can be tracked, measured and adjusted. Although somewhat simpler than what a company may do every day, the elements are there. By using the variables in hand, we can model a process, adjust it and, most importantly, perfect it."
The catapult in question was the real deal. It was a model, not a toy. It shot effectively and predictably. And it could be adjusted in a number of ways. The standards of performance needed for success in the exercise are also real: the catapult operator must demonstrate the ability to hit within six inches of a target located at a distance of four feet to twelve feet from the catapult.
"The exercise operated at a number of different levels," Akin reports. "At the first level, it showed us how measurement can be an actual variable. We went through a series of shots with the catapult that three people measured independently. It was an eye-opener when they got different measurements of the same phenomena."
Another step in the exercise was to determine operator proficiency. Each operator took five shots, but received no feedback.
As the process continued, the team was instructed to think of ways to eliminate or minimize variation in their process; and to use one measurer (their best) and one operator (their best at that job).
Critical to true success in the final exercise was achieving accuracy, which involved managing the seven variables involved in setting the catapult to shoot: cup setting, front arm tension, arm stop, rubber-band attachment point, and arm pull-back angle, ball type and number of rubber bands.
"We found that the key to success was to standardize on certain settings and then manipulate some of the others. That way, we were able to have a more predictable outcome. Our team, after various experiments and calculation - the exercise is calculation intensive - made the decision to focus on varying only three specific variables.
"The final stage of the whole program was a full competitive simulation. The scenario was that we were selling our catapult to the US Forest Service as a fire fighting tool, using the catapult as a scale-model demo unit. We not only had to demonstrate the effectiveness of our machinery, we also had to sell the concept. So, points were given for such things as: sales presentation; documentation; control plan; shoot-off (10 for each hit); bonus points for extra shots and for a number of technical considerations involving the Six Sigma discipline.
"When it was all over, our team won!"
For more information on lean Six Sigma and how it is working at IBT, contact
Anthony Akin.
Published: Dec 1, 2005 - 7:06:41 AM
© Copyright 2005 by IBT PrimeMOVER
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