IIBA on Six Sigma at Citrix Systems

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) closed 2009 with an evening of Six Sigma methodology.  The room was filled with excited buzzing from members and guests who settled down to enjoy their selections from a spread of exotic pizzas, salads, brownies and fresh fruit at Citrix Systems, 851 West Cypress Creek Road in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Tim Gilbert, South Florida Chapter President opened the proceedings with a review of IIBA and a recap of 2009.  Tim commended sponsors New Horizons and Blueprint Systems for their spectacular support and Citrix Systems for hosting IIBA events and the prestigious speakers from Citrix who have presented over the past year. Tim also announced the upcoming formation of a new Data Management International (DAMA) coming to South Florida for those interested in joining.  The kickoff meeting will be at Citrix Systems in late January.  Stay tuned for details on the event.

Kevin Blake - Business Process Architect,Citrix Systems Enterprise Architecture & Integration (EAI) was the keynote speaker.  Kevin is a Six Sigma Black Belt.  Anyone who just arrived may have thought they stumbled into a martial arts tournament by mistake with all the mention of Six Sigma Black Belts, Green Belts and Yellow Belts.  KeeeYah!  Kevin along with Ileana Castrillo, Business Process Architect, Citrix Systems EAI, skillfully presented a detailed exploration into Six Sigma methodology and some case study.  With fancy footwork, the two tagged teamed one another, as Kevin led the discussion explaining Critical Success Factors (CSF) and the differences between driving out waste and defects or fixing the root cause of problems within a corporation.  Six Sigma was originally developed by Motorola, says Blake, and 'sigma' is the Greek letter which stands for standard deviation.

Ileana Castrillo stepped in at this point, armed with Fishbone diagram, to elaborate further on Six Sigma methodology and explain some of the Six Sigma processes.  Tony Bebe, Business Process Management Consultant, backed them up with thoughts on scenarios to identify quick wins and implement them immediately.  Kevin resumed with a swift and smooth re-entry by pointing out the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) or the amount of money a company loses by not doing things right the first time.  By now the audience was rapt with attention as Kevin and closed the discussion with a final sweeping statement culminating the presentation that "Quality is Free".

There were lots of questions for the Q&A which Kevin fielded expertly in an orderly fashion.  Because the room was filled with many Business Analysts (BA) the concerns were set up to make sure that everyone in the room had a single view of the issue before proceeding to the question.  If only the rest of the  world functioned with the flawlessness of BAs.  Michael Delgado, Citrix Systems and Michael Jay Freer, President, SFTDWI each received complimentary copies of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge(BABOK) for their loyal participation with IIBA meetings this year.

For more info: 

Visit IIBA to become a member and acquire the BABOK.  Email DAMA South Florida for more information on joining the new chapter.