Asian Quality

Okay… i just found this video, altough she was perform this song last year but i know that many people trying to found this video in High Quality version… so i hope you guys love this video…and dont forget, agnes will be perform for the second times at 2009 Asia song festival, Korea this september =D \^u^/

The term “outsourcing” has been heavily used over the past few years, but oftentimes the meaning of this process wrongfully understood. If we were to give it a dictionary definition, outsourcing would be the process of an organization or individual transferring the ownership of a business process to a supplier (which in turn can be an organization or individual). Some would argue that this is a simple business relationship, but with outsourcing there’s a catch. The difference between a simple business relationship and outsourcing is the way the control over the business process is handled and transferred. In the first case, the buyer retains full control over the entire process and simply tells the supplier what to do, with details nailed down to the point. With outsourcing however, the buyer rarely instructs the supplier on HOW to do the work. Basically, the buyer will simply tell the supplier WHAT he needs and give him a set of general guidelines, but it’s left to the supplier’s creativity to get the job done. Of course, outsourcing is a double-edged sword for both buyers and suppliers. From the buyer’s perspective, the benefits of outsourcing are the reduced involvement in the project, which allows for more spare time focused in a different direction. You don’t have to keep a constant eye on the supplier’s work, simply because you’re more interested in the final outcome than on how they handle things. On the other hand, the end result might not be satisfactory, which creates a sort of deadlock situation. On one hand, the supplier might argue that that’s what you asked for and that you did not provide them with conclusive information. From the supplier’s point of view, outsourcing can be both a pain and a boon. On the bright side, you have almost full control over the project and you can choose your own ways to get it done. However, you risk not hitting the points that the buyer aims for, especially if his communication skills are not very high. Outsourcing is a bigger business branch, containing several smaller ones such as offshore outsourcing, crowdsourcing and freelancing. Offshore outsourcing is mainly a term used by US-based businesses, describing the outsourcing of projects in Europe or Asia. The projects are sent over to outsourcing companies in countries that are less developed, offering a cheaper work force at equal quality. The IT market for example is constantly being offshore outsourced in India, Romania or Ukraine as well as several other countries. Crowdsourcing is a clever business technique that relies on enthusiasts to do the job done. For example, electronic freelancers, photo enthusiasts, amateur writers are all examples of crowdsourcing. Their work is bought of very cheap and oftentimes free and then used in a business. Crowdsourcing is considered slightly unethical by some, since the buyer will profit from someone’s work without having to pay for it, however in most cases, the suppliers will be glad to see their work being used, their photos being published and their articles appearing on websites or in magazines. Besides these methods, there are several other ones related to outsourcing, including homecoming, open trust outsourcing, supply chain outsourcing, vertical integration and so forth.

All of the “Belts” play various roles in the Six Sigma project. Green Belts and Black Belts are allowed to commence, expand and lead projects in their functional areas.

The term “Six Sigma” may seem difficult to comprehend at times, but is actually very easy to explain. The term is derived from a character in the Greek alphabet, which is used for representing a standard variation in statistical mathematics. Statistically, Six Sigma can be defined as a near perfect method of production that restricts the number of defects to less than 3.4 for every million opportunities that exist for a defect to occur. This makes Six Sigma one of the preferred quality management techniques for achieving near perfect business processes through process improvement.
Data Driven And Disciplined Approach
Six Sigma follows a disciplined and data driven approach for eliminating defects in any type of business process, whether it is the product manufacturing process or after sale customer service. The two most commonly used methodologies in quality improvement projects are the DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) and the DMADV process (define, measure, analyze, design, verify). The former is used for improving the quality of business processes that have not met customer specifications and require improvement. The latter is used for developing new products or business processes that conform to 6-Sigma quality levels. Both the processes are carried out under the guidance of Green Belts and Black Belts, who in turn are guided by Six Sigma Master Black Belts.
Companies often want to know exactly how many benefits can be derived from Six Sigma training. Just to get an idea, one can look at the financial data of General Electric, one of the companies that have successfully implemented Six Sigma training. It is estimated that the total value of benefits derived from the training was close to a staggering $ 10 billion in the five years after implementation. It is estimated that on an average, Six Sigma Black Belts help companies save $ 230,000 per project. Given that most companies can execute 4 to 6 such projects per year, the total savings can translate into $ 920,000 to $ 1,380,000 per year.
Selection Process
After selecting the most appropriate type of training, a company needs to find the right consultant who has the necessary skills and experience in implementing Six Sigma programs. The selection of the training consultant will depend on the type of Six Sigma program that the company is planning to implement. Some programs are implemented all throughout an organization whereas others are implemented in a specific area only such as individual functional departments. The decision regarding the selection of the consultant needs to be made only after consulting other employees, as they are the ones who will eventually interact with the consultant during the implementation process.
After getting approval from the employees, it is advisable to seek references from business associates in other companies that have implemented such projects and can provide the necessary insights. Companies need to interview potential trainers and ask questions regarding their previous work relationships, referrals, total number of candidates trained by them till date, training materials used, earlier projects they have worked on, and their qualifications. This is essential since companies need trainers with a great deal of real-world experience. Companies need to inquire in depth about the type of training that the trainer is willing to provide. Usually, companies prefer training firms that operate online help desks for helping clients in dealing with problems that might arise after the training has been completed.

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Ford Motor Company’s use of virtual manufacturing technologies is a big factor of what’s behind the company’s soaring quality performance. As an industry leader in virtual technology, Ford uses digital tools to predict and eliminate on-the-job injuries as well as ensure manufacturing feasibility part by part. “The goal of our virtual manufacturing tools is to drive compatibility between the product design and the assembly plant process,” explained Dan Hettel, chief engineer, Vehicle Operations. “We validate each assembly process virtually to ensure that it can be completed with quality. The quality results of our recent launches show that the virtual process is working.” The approach has helped see Ford’s quality improve 11 percent last year in the United States versus 2 percent for the industry average, according to a Global Quality Research System study, conducted in 2007 by RDA Group for Ford. Ford employs advanced motion capture technology — commonly used in animated movies and digital games — with human modeling software to design jobs that are less physically stressful on workers. “The benefits are fewer injuries, lower cost of tooling changes, higher quality and faster time to market. We’re seeing improvement in every one of those metrics, and our virtual technology is a factor,” said Allison Stephens, Ford ergonomics technical specialist with Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering.

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Implementing new construction software can be a significant challenge. To ensure success, it’s important to fully understand your business objectives regarding the new software and develop a plan to meet those objectives.

The purpose of this article, then, is to provide an outline of key elements that all companies need to evaluate when selecting new construction software as they relate to implementation. Some of these are the kind of things that all companies will undoubtedly think about, while others are frequently overlooked.

Converting Data

When you install new software, there will inevitably be a time when you’ll need to get all the data off of your old system and put it on to the new system. There are essentially two options for this data conversion: manual conversion and electronic conversions. Untimately, the choice you make will depend on the services that your vendor offers and how much of your old data you want to transfer over to the new construction software system.

Manual Data Conversion
This option entails manually re-entering specific data into your new software. A time and labor-intensive task, using a team approach can help, especially if your entire staff tackles the data entry with gusto. Some companies choose to bring minimal data over to the new software, keeping their old system around for look-up purposes. In this case, manual data conversion is adequate.

One thing that all companies need to be aware of when it comes to manually converting data is the accuracy of data. Long hours spent manually inputting data can lend themselves to user errors and inaccurate data transfers. If you opt to manually convert your data, make sure you spend ample time implementing control procedures and verify the accuracy of the data before going live with the new system.

Electronic Data Conversion: Likewise, electronic data conversion is pretty self-explanatory. It involves using some sort of software to transfer the data from your old system to the new one. This is the ideal solution in most cases because it is quick, it requires little more than a “set it and forget it” amount of labor, and generally copies the data as accurately as possible.

If electronic data conversion is available through your software vendor, give this tool serious consideration. Guidance on how to retrieve your data from your old system should be provided, as well as a listing of acceptable import formats.

With electronic conversion, there is less concern about data accuracy. However, you need to ensure that data quality, validation, and formatting issues are addressed. Even though the transfer will be done electronically, you still need to have procedures in place for checking the validity and accuracy of the transfer.

Electronic data conversion can usually import master files, customer information, job cost history, open invoices, and other common data. However, it does require some technical knowledge to oversee the electronic data conversion. If you do not think you can handle this task, you may want to speak with your vendor to see if they offer technical consultants that can help.

Data Cleanup
The “garbage in, garbage out” principal applies to data conversion. The quality of your converted data will only be as good as the source you import from – whether that import is done manually or electronically. Taking steps to clean up your data prior to conversion gives you the opportunity to:
• Standardize your data (capitalization, abbreviations, acronyms)
• Identify missing or duplicate records
• Purge unnecessary data
• Reformat your data if necessary
• Evaluate for corrupted information
• Test your data’s validity when exported

Data Testing

Once you’ve converted your old data, you’re going to want to test it to ensure that everything works properly before taking your new system “live.” This step is just as important as data cleanup.

It may help to think of testing as a “dry run” for the real deal. Run the same reports using your old software that you run in the new software and make comparisons. Use these opportunities to identify and correct issues to avoid problems after you “go live” with the new software.

Tip: Consider hiring temporary help during your conversion to assist with data entry or to provide day-to-day business support during this time.

Software Training

Once the software is installed, the data is converted, and all the test runs check out, the next step is to train your staff to use the new software. The importance of training cannot be understated – do not cut ANY corners here. Only by building a strong foundation of familiarity with the new software on the part of all users can the company position itself to improve their operations with the help of the new construction software.

On-site training will almost always be the best option. It gives end-users the ability to work with real data and get comfortable with the new software in an environment where they will ultimately be using it. It is best to start training on the core modules – job cost, payroll, accounts payable, and so on. Once your users have mastered these modules, you can begin to move on to the more complex things that the new software offers.

Follow-up training can be done on the phone, via e-mail or perhaps another on-site training session. Proactively improving knowledge of your new system will result in a more complete implementation, providing a strategic advantage to enhance your construction management processes. In any case, heed your vendor’s recommended training guidelines for the system you have purchased.

You may also consider periodic refresher courses for your end users. These should be scheduled once a year, after upgrades, and any other time you see fit and will go a long way in maintaining accurate data input.

Continue Your Relationship with Your Vendor

After you go live with the new software you need to make sure that you maintain a relationship with your vendor. Talk to their development team and tell them about ways that the software can be improved. Attend conferences. In short, do anything you can to nurture the relationship you have with your vendor – it will come in handy when you really need it to.

Construction accounting is a complex environment. The time and monetary investments made in a new management system are commitments to your long-term profitability. Building a partnership with your vendor will contribute to your ongoing success.