ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 8, 2009 -- As President-elect Obama and his transition team work to get his White House in order for January, businesses are also turning to the New Year for a renewed focus on increased productivity and efficiency. And while the challenging economic crisis is causing many in business to panic, savvy professionals see opportunity in the current business climate.

"There has never been a better time to implement cost-cutting strategies and re-evaluate the way organizations do business," said Vanessa Lovatt, Divisional Director at IQPC, Six Sigma & Process Excellence IQ - sponsors of the 10th Annual Lean Six Sigma & Process Improvement Summit.

The following Six Sigma experts from Motorola, BMW, Rock-Tenn, Department of Defense and Blue Ocean Strategy, share how to seize the opportunity to spark innovation, increase revenue and remain sustainable amidst this tumultuous economy.

Go Where the Profits are and the Competition Isn't: Businesses should look beyond their direct competition to find new opportunities for growth. According to William Kimbrell of Blue Ocean Strategy:

"Companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition in search of sustained, profitable growth. They have fought for competitive advantage, battled over market share, and struggled for differentiation. But in today's overcrowded industries, competing head-on results in nothing but a bloody 'Red Ocean' of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Companies need to breakaway from that bloody 'Red Ocean' and create new uncontested market space."

Select a Method to Ease the Madness: Six Sigma methodology is one key to finding ways to do more faster and with less. According to Tina Huesing, Motorola:

"Most companies are being forced to do more with fewer resources. Today, companies are placing an emphasis on increasing productivity, streamlining processes, timely execution and eliminating waste. Selecting and implementing a product development methodology such as Six Sigma can allow companies to get new products to market sooner, with less manufacturing variation, at lowest cost (to the company), while better understanding what customers value and how to better serve our customers' needs."

Continuous Communication: Continuous communication is essential to advancing a culture of continuous improvement. According to Mark Fendley, BMW Manufacturing:

"Communicating during any time of change is critical to cultivate a sense of ownership on the new direction. BMW Manufacturing utilizes daily news, a quarterly newspaper, intranet portals and a campus television network at our disposal to communicate updates on projects and initiatives to recognize those involved and to demonstrate the impact to our organization. Additionally, our senior management team conducts weekly reviews and visits of projects and project teams. We have found that this open communication drives a desire to be involved in our continuous improvement activities and to seek education and training."

Foster a Learning Environment: The exchange of information and ideas fostered by professional development is as important in a down economy as it is in a strong one. According to George Turner, Rock-Tenn:

"Given the focus on the bottom line in our economy, it is easy to neglect professional development within an organization. Even in a down economy, it is important for companies to maintain a learning culture and invest in opportunities for team members to network and stay current by interacting with peers. The exchange of ideas across industries is a valuable way to infuse fresh thinking into an organization."

Find Opportunities in Shrinking Budgets: Implement methodologies that will enable you to meet increasing requirements with decreasing budgets. According to JD Sicilia, Director, Department of Defense, Lean Six Sigma Program Office:

"Lean Six Sigma is one of many methodologies that can help organizations meet increasing requirements with decreasing budgets. The state of the current economy may be the 'burning platform' organizations have needed to fully embrace these processes. The Department of Defense has used Lean Six Sigma to maximize returns by focusing on four critical enablers that impact businesses regardless of industry: Strategic Alignment, Consistency of Approach, Integration and Human Capital. By focusing on these four areas, businesses and organizations will be able to overcome new challenges and reach their goals even if their resources are shrinking."

All of these experts and others will be speaking at the Lean Six Sigma & Process Improvement Summit 2009 in Orlando, Fla. Jan. 19 - 22. This conference offers business professionals an opportunity to learn how to maximize value, support innovation and achieve operational cost savings. Professionals interested in attending can register online at http://www.LeanSixSigmaSummit.com.

For additional expert perspective, the online Six Sigma IQ portal http://www.SixSigmaIQ.com contains articles, podcasts, blogs and webinars from these Six Sigma experts and others, as well as a networking application that enables users to share their best ideas, tools, and ask and answer questions with their peers. This interactive resource provides professionals with instant access to process management techniques and solutions that have been designed to solve the ever-increasing organizational problems that businesses face today.

About Six Sigma & Process Excellence IQ

Six Sigma & Process Excellence IQ facilitates access to a wealth of relevant content for Process Excellence, Lean, and Six Sigma practitioners. Further enhanced with an online community, it provides professionals with the tools and resources to help them perform more effective and efficiently, while enhancing the quality operations within their organization.

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    Contact:

    Jaime Romero
    jaime.romero@iqpc.com
    (646) 454-4559