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Jeff Taylor
Six Sigma Online Black Belt Program
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Project
Executive Summary
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As a new hybridstart-upcompany,we are lookingtocombine digital mediadelivery,content
management,cloudhosting,usercompatibilityfriendliness,andend-userproductswhile operating
with-ingiven legal constraintsof contentmarket ownership.The goal isto create a deliveryavenuefor
digital mediainordertoeliminatepastroadblocksthathave createdanunfriendlyuserenvironment.A
teamof formerengineers,ITprofessionals,andformerFortune 500 managers saw an opportunityto
developacompanythathad the knowledge andcapabilitiestoreinventthe digital mediacontentwheel.
Usingpredicatedknowledge of formercontentdelivery informationmanagementsystems, anew
blueprintwasdeveloped toeliminateredtape discrepancies thatplaguedanentire industryandvarious
stakeholders thatinvestedexpendituresindeliverycontentmanagementprocesses involvingvarious
systemsand end-users.ThissituationisidealforusingSix Sigmamethodologiesto:
1. Measure multiplevariablesandnewprocesses
2. Ensure thatpast systemfailures wouldbe avoided
3. Test newdeliveryprocessesandcontentmonitoringsystems
4. Manage newprocessvariationunderlegal frameworkconstraints toensure long-termprofit
probabilities.
The Problem
Usingpast researchand deliverysystem failure examples,we found thatdigital mediacontent
managementdeliverysystemswere plaguedwithredtape variables because of the absence of asetof
defaultindustrial standardsthatwere notavailableforend-useradoption andalegal systemframework
that stuntednewsystemadvancementgrowth. Aftermeasuringandexaminingthe process,therewere
several reasonsfordeliverysystem andcontentmanagementfailures:
1. Networkspeedandsoftware compatibilityissues(Apple, Google,Linux etc.)
2. End-userequipmentdiscrepancies
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3. Contentmanagementlegal feesandroyalties
4. Contentdeliverymethods
5. ISP hostinginterestsandguidelines
Afterdiscussingourconcernswithindustryexperts,we concludedcontentdelivery managementsystem
processeswere causedbysnafusthatcouldbe easilyidentifiedandavoidedinthe nearfuture.System
problemsthatexisted,couldbe solvedwithsix sigmamethodologiestoeliminate past,present,and
future roadblocks.The roadblockcoststhatplaguedpreviousdigital multimediacontent delivery start-
up companieswas100,000 annually.
ProcessEvolution
By implementingandexecutingthe Six Sigma processof Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control,we
put our mainprioritiesonourcontentdeliverymanagementsystemandprotocols.Next,we developed
a projectto betterunderstandour systemimplementationandhow pastfailurescouldbe negatedor
avoidedaltogether.Throughdatagathering,dataresearch,videoconferencecalls,forumdiscussions,
systemtestingand varioussurveysthatincludedend-user,ISP andlegal,we mappeddeliverycontent
managementsystemmethods fordigital mediadistributionandcloud hostingfrompointA (delivery
content/hostingcompany) topointB(end-user).We designedanew systemtocorrectpast mistakes
and toolsto properlyhandle andcorrectnew errorrealities. Inthe measurement&analysisphases,we
discoveredtechnical roadblocksgrew assystemcomplexitiesgrew.These issuespresentednew
challenges thatwere unforeseenbutwere expectedwhennewtechnological advancesweredeveloped
and testedforbetterend-usersatisfaction.Luckily,we hadateamof seasonedprofessionalsthat had
the knowledge andpassiontodevelop/innovate existingsystemsand engineernew onesfromscratch.
Findings
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Our findings were enlighteningtomanyindustryexpertsbecause of pastconstraintsthathadbeen
ignoredfrompreviousimplementationsystemfailuresthatoccurredwithother start-upcompanies.
Thus,we wantedto integrate ISP (Internetserviceprovider) compatibilitiesintonew futuresystem
developments. We concludedthatISP’scontrol deliverymodulesandcertainnetworkcapacitieswhich
are affectedaccordingtonetworkdeliveryspeedsanddatacontentusage. The term“unlimited
internet”isverysubjective because95% of usersaren’thardcore abusersbutthe 5% that are make the
other95% paymore inusage feeswhichisa cost constraintthatmust be takenintoaccount to ensure
deliverycontentqualityerrors are eliminatedand networkcongestion isproperlymonitored.These
realitiesaffectcontentdelivery,management,andhostingsystemcapabilitiesthatmustbe accounted
for to ensure new efficientoperatingstandards.Therefore,bypartneringwithlocal, national,and
international ISPs,we were able toopenlinesof communicationtoaddressdelivery systemroadblocks
that ISPs put upin the past bydesigninganew systemthatencompassesadeliverypartnership
consistingof front,middle andenddelivery systempointsforcontentmediaandhostingprocesses.
Withcareful communicationandplanning,we were able tocontrol unforeseencostconstraintsthat
couldpotentiallyhindercontentdelivery.
Conclusion
We hadto update oldsystemphilosophiesthat failedmultipletimesinthe pastbytweakingseveral
processesthatneededmodification.The endresultwas100,000 inannual savingsbyidentifying
unforeseendeliverycostsandimprovedend-usercontentdeliveries.Basedonourstart-upfounding
ideologies,ourteamof proactive managers,analysts,andinnovatorswere abletodevelopasystemthat
isevolvingtobecome the defaultend-userdeliverysystemforvariousmedia contenttypesandhosting
capacities.Ourcompanyisveryhumbled,because moststart-upsfailwithintheirfirstyearof operation
and we owe our successto ourcompany’sprogressionfromfoursigmatosix sigmafor process
improvementquality.
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Define Phase (ProjectCapacity)
As a newhybridstart-upenterprise,manynew excitingyetchallengingopportunisticprojectspresent
newlearningopportunitiesfor ateamof visionaries.Incorporatingnew operationswithsubpar
industrial processespresentnewchallengingtasks whichwilltestourbusinesscore strategies.To
simplifythe process,we willdefine ourcustomerbase as“new”and“old” forclassificationpurposes.
Newcustomersrepresentthose individualsorgroups we mustwinoverwitha newlydefineddelivery
systemthatwill simplifythe process of useracceptance.These individualsare nottechnologicallysavvy
and will needaprocessthatdoesn’tinvolvetechnological “know how”togettheirmediacontent
deliveryservicesbecause saidprocessescanbe adoptedby “casual”users.Oldcustomers represent
those individualsthat are oldtechnological veteransof subparoutdateddeliveryservicemethods.These
individualsknowwhattheywantand are waitingforsomeone todevelopasystemthatimproveson
existingprocessesthatwill revolutionize conceptswhichhave failedinthe past.The overall process
strategyaimsto make contentdeliverymore affordable andeliminatestechnologyroadblocks.Making
people feellessfrustratedmakesthemmore likelytochoose new technological deliveryoptionsthat
add convenience to the productor service beingimplemented. Differentcontentdeliverymethodswill
be available dependingonwhatisbeingdeliveredand the requirementsittakestoget the contentfrom
pointA to pointB.To simplifyoursurveyfindings,we will focusonbothtypes of customerswhich
representnewandoldrespectivelytosee whatbothtypesexpectfromournew start-upcompany.In
otherwords,whatdo people expectfromourcompanyand how importantisit inour overall strategy.
From our surveyin(table 1) below,potential projectsare identifiedandweightedaccordingtovarious
end-useropinionsandexpectations.
Content Delivery and Hosting Project Significance List (Table 1)
Weight Criteria and Weights
6 10 9 4
6
Customer
Satisfaction
Implementation Profits Support Total
Add speed and
convenience to
content delivery
and hosting
options
4 10 6 1 112
Configure ISP
deliveryfunctions
and constraints
5 10 7 3 160
Add parent
company
equipment for
easycompatibility
6 8 5 2 89
3rd
party app
support
3 9 8 3 121
Afterdiscussionswithourfoundingcompanyinnovators,“new”and“old’customers,ISPsandthird
party vendors,seniorleadershipweightedwhichprojectprocessestofocuson.Basedon recent
researchfindings,implementationwasweightedasa“value added”prioritybecause implementation
focusesoncontentdeliveryimprovementendeavorsthatare critical forthe firstyear.End-user
adoptionwill be veryimportanttoourservice/productofferingbasketandwinningovercustomerswill
be a toppriority.Byfocusingonour findingsfrom(table 1),seniormanagementdecidedtoinvestigate
the implementationprocessbyfocusingonspeedandconvenience concerningcontactdeliveryand
hostingoptions.Implementationwill alsofocusonconfiguringISPdeliveryfunctionsandconstraints
since theyrepresentend-userprocessschematics.Bothissuesrepresentcore rolloutimplementation
businessprocessstrategies.
CustomerConcerns
Giventhe fact that our companyisa hybridstart-up,I concludedthatresearchisveryimportantforlong
termmarketindustrial growthlongevity.Inotherwords,focus oncustomerconcernsandneedsand
benchmarkyourprocessprogresswithfeedbackfromoldandnew customers.Sowhatdoessenior
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managementthinkaboutcustomerfeedback?Ihave takenhighlightsfrommultiplemanagement
sourcesbasedonfeedbacksurveysandinterviews.
ISP ImplementationManager
“We have alwayshadrelationshipswithdigital contentdeliverycompanies,butnone have everasked
aboutour immediate concernsuntilproblemspresentedthemselves.Iwasflabbergasted whenanew
start-upactuallyrequestedthatwe be apart of theirimplementationprocess.Beingable toworkout
problemsbefore theyoccurincreasesoperational efficiency.Ourphilosophiesare consideredtobe a
nuisance bya lotof contentdeliverycompanies,butit’snice tobe a part of a partnershipinstead.Ihope
thisideologycatchesoninthe future.”
IT DeliveryManager
The implementationprocessisverydifficult inmanyrespects,byfocusingonspeedandconvenience,
we will be able toincrease volume distributionby25% inthe firstquarter.BykeepingourISPpartnersin
the loop,roadblockswill be eliminatedandend-useradoptionrateswill have agreaterrate of success.
Our cloudhostingcapabilitieswill alsobe astepabove ourcompetitors.”
SeniorSix Sigma DeliveryChampion
“Firstimpressionsare everything because youonlyhave one chance tomake a goodone.If we brag
aboutbeingleadinnovatorsandfail todeliver,thenourreputationwill take ahuge hitinthe
marketplace.We will justbe anothercompanythathasfailedtobe a processinnovatorinan industry
that demandsit.Expectationsare high,andIhope we don’tdisappoint.”
The commentsexpressedrange fromoptimistictoextreme inthe examplesabove.The lastcomment
heldthe mostweightwithseniormanagement.Theytooknote of ourinterview withourprojectSix
SigmaDeliveryChampionbecause he hasbeenapartof otherhighprioritysuccessful projectsinthe
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past. He has experiencedwhathappenstonew companiesif theyfail todeliveroncontract
implementationdeliverypromises.Asaresult,seniormanagementhasmade “implementation”our
primary projectconcernbecause itcan make or breaka new start-upcompanyinan alreadycompetitive
industry.Ourofferingswill be embracedordisregardedonthe implementationstage andperception
will become ourprocessstandardrealityof “successorfailure”.
Project Charter (Table 2)
(ProjectInformation)
Project Name:ContentDeliverySystemImplementation
SponsoringOrganization: HybridStart-Up Company
CharteredDate: 1/1/2015
Project Start Date: 1/2/2015
Target CompletionDate: 2/09/2015
(Team Members)
1. ProjectSponsor: Tim-SeniorSix SigmaDeliveryChampion(999-999-9999)
2. ProjectBlack Belt: Jeff (888-888-8888)
3. ProjectGreenBelt:Greg (777-777-7777)
(Additional Team Members)
1. ISP ImplementationManager:Jason(555-555-5555)
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2. IT DeliveryManager: Kim(444-444-4444)
3. DeliveryProcessAnalyst: Michael (333-333-3333)
4. DeliveryTechnician:Tiffany (111-111-1111)
(Principal Stakeholders)
1. VPof Implementation:Kurt(111-111-1111)
2. Director of SystemImplementationDelivery: James(988-888-8888)
3. ContentCategory CloudManager: Kate (924-222-3333)
4. SeniorLeadershipTeam: SeniorLeadershipTeam
(ProjectGoals)
Eliminate anyimplementationprocessdeliverydeficiency.Identifyadeficiency,correlateappropriate
response resolveproceduresandbringoperating standardsuptosuccessful implementationoperating
levelsof deliveryperformance.Documentsuccessful processwithexpectedperformanceprocessgoals
and relayprogressstatistical measurementstodeliveryimplementationleaders.Update:The following
was addedbyour ISPpartnersto the project.Networkproductupgrade speedswill be offeredbecause
of scheduledroutine processmaintenance.Incorporatenew processspeedratesintoimplementation
standardsand relayanddevelopmentstoyourassignedISPImplementationManager.
(ProcessProblem)
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Afterseveral highlevel meetings withourIPScompanies,otheritemswereaddedtothe projectcharter
before goingforwardwithourplans.Underideal conditions,more speedmeansfastercontentdelivery
options.However,serverupgradeswill be arealityforthese conditionstofunctionproperly.These
recommendationsare above functionaloperatingconditionsanddeliveryimplementationcouldbe
affected.Lagtime,audiovideosync,serverperformance,hostingstorage,andstreamingwillbe
affecteduntil ournetworkserversare upgraded. Downtime was aprojectbarrierthat wasunforeseen.
(Scope of Project)
The followingdevelopmentshave beenidentifiedashighvalue addedprojectscope requirements:
1. Develop newimplementationforums,surveys,anddiscussionstoidentifynew contentdelivery
implementationroadblocks.
2. Identifyandimprove performance standardsandcustomerexpectationsof new deliveryservice
offerings.
3. Benchmarknetworkdeliverycapabilitiesagainstdefaultindustrystandards.
4. If performance issub-standard,workwithnetworktechnicianstoironoutthe kinksandglitchesthat
create networkproblems.
5. Implementidealoperatingdeliverycapabilitiesor“justintime”contentdeliveryprocesscapabilities.
(ProcessImportance)
Digital contentdeliveryhick-upscreate more service callsforourIT supportdepartment.Eliminatinglag
time,syncproblems,andbadstreamingcontentallowsmore peopletohave confidenceinournetwork
capabilitieswhichmeanslesstime spentonfixingreoccurringproblems.Industrydatasuggestssavings
of $300-500$ dollarspercustomer.Fixingre-occurringproblemsmanytimeshasbeenabigproblem
that has plaguedmanycontentdeliverycompanies andisone of the reasonsthe industryneedsmore
leadershipinnovatorstosetacceptable operatingstandardsof performance.Eachcall takesmultiple
repsto solve deliveryhiccupsandadditional networkservice techniciansmustbe hiredtofix network
problems.Thiscosts $3,000 a day to bringin20 additional servicetechnicians.Acceptablestandards
wouldcutnetworkinefficiencyby50% andallow more digital contenttobe deliveredoverour network
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at one time.Additionalfindingsconfirmedthatnew customersare lesslikelytoadopta new company’s
service/productofferingif itfailstodeliverondeliverypromises.Networkcongestionwill increase
because contentisstalledandnewcustomerswillgetfrustratedbecauseof longwaittimesonholdto
fix networkcustomerconcerns.Networkdowntime tofix multiple issuesisanoutside threatthatcould
impairnetworkcapabilities.Asaresult,more networkingcapital willneedtobe acquiredtobring
networkoperatingperformance toacceptable levels.Thisrealitywill needtobe monitoredbecause it
can create unexpectedproblemsinthe future.Itcouldcostthe company $200,000 dollarsif the threatis
ignoredaltogether.We mustlearnfromother’smistakesif we wanttobe industryinnovators.
(AuthorizedResources)
ProjectSponsors-Tim, SeniorSix SigmaDeliveryChampion-AsProjectsponsor,Timisresponsible forthe
following:
1. Making sure the entire implementationprocessiscarriedoutaccordingto the wishesof senior
leadership.
2. CoordinatingimplementationactivitiesbetweenMasterBlackBelts,BlackBelts,GreenBelts,and
otherpersonnel withinbudgetconstraints.
3. Actingas our implementationrepresentativewhoreportstoKurt(VPof Implementation)concerning
implementationprocessprogress.
KeyStakeholders-Kurt(VPof Implementation)-Kurt’sjobistoreportimplementationprogressand
expectedquarterlyprogresstoseniorleadershipwithinaspecifiedtimeframe.He approvesTim’s
budgetforthe projectand ensures properimplementationlevelsare achieved.He isthe main
stakeholderthatensuresqualitymeasuresare executedaccordingtothe projectcharter.He works
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closelywithTimtoensure properprojectfundingwhichincreasesprojectsuccessvariables.He
addressesissuesmade byseniorleadershipregarding
1. Projectprogress
2. Expectationresults
3. Meetingdeadlineswithintime constraints
James-(Directorof ImplementationSystem)andKate-(ContentCategoryCloudManager)-Both
individualsworkcloselywithJason(ISPDeliveryManager) whohandles the end-deliveryside (ISP
companies) inordertoaddresstheirconcernsaboutprocessdeliveryroadblocks.Jamesensures content
isdeliveredinatimelymannerandthatconvenience isincludedinservice offerings.He eliminates
networkcongestionissueswhileworkingwithJasontoaddressideal operatingenvironmentprotocols.
Kate is responsible forthe hostingsideof contentdelivery.Thisinvolvesthe cloudandmaintaining
adequate resourcesconcerningstorage,uploading,downloading,andsupportissuesforoptimalhosting
products/services.She workscloselywithJasonregardingclouddeliveryissuesandactsas a “cloud
expert.”She providescrossfunctional contentexpertisewhencloudfunctionsare integratedintothe
functional aspectsof the deliveryimplementationprocess.
SeniorLeadershipTeam-(4people)-Thisteamrepresentsthe boardof directors,internal andexternal
stakeholdersaswell asoutside influenceslike governmentregulatoryagenciesandlaw firmswho
representthe rightsof digital contentholders.Theirgoal isto receive anoptional ROIforinvestment
expendituresandcostof capital.Dividendsandstockoptionsare available fordistributionif the
implementationprocessissuccessful.Lawsmustbe followedandroyaltiesmustbe paidfordistribution
rightsbefore profitscanbe calculated.Contentmustbe availablefordistributionanddelivery
implementation whichwill increase profitsforcontentownersandourcompanybecause we work
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closelytogether. If we can’tprovide properreturns,thencashflowswill cease anddeliverycontent
serviceswill be nullandvoid.
Team Members
1. Jason-ISPImplementationManager
2. Kim-ITDeliveryManager
3. Michael-DeliveryProcessSpecialist
4. Tiffany-DeliveryTechnician
5. ConsultantA&B-hiredbecauseof additional expertiseneededbasedon projectprocessneeds
Outside Needs
Some moderate travel will be necessarytolaw firms,ISPcompanies,andcontentownerstomaintain
legal andproperunderstandingof royaltyfees,ISPdeliveryconcerns,andprocesscapabilities.James
and Kimhave considerableknowledge workingwithbothgroupstoensure optimal processstrategies.
Thiswill cutdownon potential lawsuitsfromoutsideorganizationslike the RIAA,MPAA,etc.Technical
deliveryexpertisewill be assignedtoMichael andTiffanywhowill fix anynetworkhiccupsthatarise as
changesand upgradesare implemented.Michael will have clearancetoaccesscompanyand customer
personal datato ensure networksecurityandperformance.He will runnetworksystemtestsfrequently
to ensure contentisdeliveredinatimelymanner.Tiffanywill implementnetworkupgradesasdelivery
trafficincreasesandwill providesupportfortestinginitiativestoidentifyotherdeliveryproblems
relatingtocontent.She will be proactive inhereffortstocatchproblemsbefore theyoccurandnot as
theyoccur. Trainingneedsare well knownatthistime because of pastexperiencesandindividual
expertiseneededtomaintainoptimal networkfunctionalityandefficiency.There willbe unknown
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problemsbecause we are deliverycontent implementationinnovatorsand will addressunforeseen
problemsinthe future byhavingconsultantsA&Bonstand-byforsuchhiccups.
(SponsorApproval): Kurt (Date):2/09/2015
Project Schedule (Figure 1)
The projectschedule canbe editedasnew resources,inputs,andtime constraintspresentthemselves.
We believe the daysallocatedtoeachtaskwill give the projectflexibilityand canbe adjusted. Note:The
followingfiguresare early estimatesand extra time/days will be added whenwe get intoproject.
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Duration
DEFINE 25 days
Execute process survey 6 days
Gather results 2 days
Discuss findings w ith Senior Leadership 0.5 days
Investigate implementation issues w ith delivery team 4 days
Inform Senior Leadership about implementation process findings 0.45 days
Identify important process players: (Customers, ISP companies, Content ow ners, Sponsorsand Process
stakeholders
0.63 days
Confirm resource necessities 0.35 days
Project group selection 0.54 days
Draft project schedule 3 days
Draft project budget 2 days
Go over relevant details w ith project sponsors 0.42 days
Approve project charter goals 0.56 days
Compose detailed project plan process 4 days
Map out Implementation Process 1 day
Detailed mapping strategies 1 day
Eliminate strategy roadblocks 2 days
Develop implementation project success metrics (CTQs) 0.75 days
Summarize existing data requirements 2 days
Final review by relevant sponsors 2 days
MEASURE 6 days
Validate (CTQs) 4 days
Analyze existing implementation data 2 days
Implement relevant measurements & sample sizes 3 days
Base analysis charts review 3 days
Re-formulate data samples and sources 1 day
ANALYZE 4.53 days
Chart overview analysis 0.45 days
Benchmark implementation standards 0.45 days
Outcome comparison for delivery implementation sources 1 day
Meet w ith delivery and service vendors 0.67 days
Review findings with Senior Leadership 0.32 days
IMPROVE 5.85 days
Project Team improvement meeting 0.36 days
Define improvement options 0.36 days
Summarize improvement options w ith Senior Management 1 day
Capital Budget approval 1 day
Begin implementation process execution 7 days
Begin implementation process w ith ISPs 7 days
CONTROL 3 days
Evaluate implementation process controlvariables 2 days
Track controlprocess variables 3 days
Review data for learning curve development 3 days
Implementation project process completion status update 10 days
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ContentDeliveryRequest
Downloador
StreamContent
?
Audio,Video,
Book,Magazine,
Game,orApp
selection
?
Download
Audio,Video,
Magazine,Game
orAppselection
?
StreamAudioor
Video
?
Yes
StreamAudioor
Videothrough
CompanyNetwork
toISPNetwork
NoImplementation
NoYes
Yes
NoImplementation
No
Yes
No
Implementatation
No
DownloadAudio,
Video,Book,
Magazine,Gameor
Appthrough
CompanyNetwork
toISPNetwork
Yes
NoImplementationNo
AudioorVideois
deliveredtoa
MobileorNon-
mobiledevice
Wasstreaming
content
implementation
successful?
Successfulcontent
delivery
implementation
(speed,convenience,
andsuccessfulISP
deliverythrough
improved
implementation
process
Yes
Customercalls
supportlinetofix
unsuccessful
delivery
No
Wasdownloading
content
implementation
successful?
Successfulcontent
delivery
implementation
(speed,convenience,
andsuccessfulISP
deliverythrough
improved
implementation
process
Yes
Customercalls
supportlinetofix
unsuccessful
delivery
No
Audio,Video,Book,
Magazine,Gameor
Appisdeliveredtoa
MobileorNon-
mobiledevice
Download and Streaming ContentDeliveryProcess(Figure 2) see Visiofile for reference
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Our technical andonline supportstaff documentedmanycallsthatinvolvedone ormore variables
involvingthe deliveryof unsuccessfulmedia toourcustomers.Each call had specificcriteriathatwas
documentedandcriteriapatternswere establishedfromonlineandphone supporttickets.Itwas
discoveredthatcertaincriteriaoverlappedwithvariouscontentmediatypes.Anothersurprisingfind
was the impactof mobile vs.non-mobile deliverywhichwill be discussed inthe measure-analyzephase.
We alsodiscussedandanalyzedunsuccessful customerdeliveryimplementationcostslistedbelow.
1. Direct cost perunsuccessful delivery
2. Indirectcost perunsuccessful delivery
3. Cost of contentdeliveryredistribution
a. numberof times
b. lostrevenue
c. poor deliveryservice imageremarketingplans
Key MeasuresofSuccess
As we made our processflowchartfordownloadsandcontentdeliverystreamingprocesses,we noticed
several issueswithunsuccessfuldeliveryimplementationvariables.The oldperceptionwasanyone
coulddownloadandstreamcontentat any time oranywayregardlessof contenttype andquality.From
thisinformation,we investigatedmediatypesandtransferbitrates(kbps) involvingimplementation
deliveryschematics.We decidedtotake ourresearchevenfurtherbyexaminingthe end-userside of
the implementationprocesswhichwasneverconsideredasanimplementationvariableatthe
beginningof the project.Ourfindingssurprisedeveryoneonthe teambecause end-userequipmenthad
a directimpact onISP implementationproceduresanddeliveryvariables.We foundalinkbetween
variouscontentvariableslistedbelow:
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VideoVariables
a. 480P SD
b. 720P HD
c. 1080P HD
d. 2d
e.3d image (side byside) (overunder)
f.Videoencodingbitrate
g. File type
h. Videocompression
i.Videolength
j. Videocopyrightprotection
k. Frame width
l.Frame height
m. Rentingvs.buying
AudioVariables
a. Audiobitrate encoding
b. Volume
c. File Size
d. File Type
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e.Copyrightrestrictions
f.Singingvs.talking
g. Audiochannels
h. Surroundsoundtypes
i.Sample rate (KHZ)
j. Streamingvs.buying
k. Paymentmethods
Document Variables
a. Bookvs. magazine
b. Numberof words
c. Numberof paragraphs
d. File Type
e.File Size
f.ReaderType
g. Copyrightrestrictions
h. File quality
i.Numberof imagesor picturesperpage
j. Paymentmethod
Game Variables
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a. Type
b. Online vs.offline
c. Numberof players
d. Size
e.Rating
f.Copyrightrestrictions
g. PaymentMethod
App Variables
a. Type
b. Copyrightrestrictions
c. Size
d. Online vs.Offline
e.Personal vs.Business
f.Day vs. Nighttime
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ContentCloudHosting
Request
CloudTechnicianasks
forcloudparameters
Cloudstorageless
than100GB
?
Cloudsetupfeeonmonthly
rateplan
Yes
Cloudsetupfeeon
yearlyrateplan
No
Revenueisreceivedyes
Hostinglegal
content
?
Unsuccesful
Implementation
No
Takedownnoticefrom
contentowner
Onlinecloudisset-
upforend-user
Yes
Content
uploadedto
cloud
?
Unsuccessful
implementation
No
Contentisdelivered
bycompanyorend-
usertocloud
Yes
Content
downloadedfrom
cloud
?
Unsuccessful
implementation
No
Contentcanbe
viewedonmobileor
non-mobiledevice
Yes
Cancontentbe
viewed
?
Customercalls
supportlinefor
unsuccessful
delivery
implementation
No
Cloudhosting
implementationis
successful
Yes
Content
streaming
?
Yes
Contentcanbe
viewedonmobileor
non-mobiledevice
Unsuccessful
Implementation
No
Canstreaming
contentbeviewed
Cloudhosting
implementation
successful
Yes
Customercalls
supportlinefor
unsuccessful
delivery
implementation
No
Paymentmade
?
Cloudisdissolved
No
ContentHosting Flowchart (Figure 3) see Visiofile for reference
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ProcessSummary Notes:
Whenwe were mapping outthe cloudhostingcontentimplementationdeliveryprocess,we discovered
several significantpoints.The firstpointwe learnedwas cloudsetupstorage hada directimpacton
pricingpointsandpotential profitsthatcanbe made.Thiswas a major factorin determiningservice plan
lengthforeachcloudthat was createdforeach customer.Contentlegalitycontrol wasanotherfactor
that had to be implementedtoeliminate potential lawsuitsthatcouldbe filedif contentownersare not
compensatedaccordingly.Finally,paymentmethodwasanotherfactorcovering“one time”vs.
“reoccurringpayments”forcloudservices.Late paymentswill be anissue because itcausesunsuccessful
deliverycontentimplementationprocessestobe arealityforcustomerswhodo notpay on time.This
variable mustalsobe implementedif paymentsbecome late onaregularbasis.
Measure and Analyze Phases
Usingkeymeasures of evolutionfromabove,we concludedthat critical deliveryimplementation
variableshada directrelationshipwiththe contentwe were delivering. Tosimplifyourmeasurement
processschematics,we chose afewkeyvariablestoanalyze inordertoimprove ourdelivery
implementationprocess.Ourchoicesdonotimpactthe importance of one variable vs.anotheranddoes
not mean that one variable isfavoredoveranother.We decidedtostartwiththe actual deliveryspeed
measuredin(KBPS) whichrepresents the transferrate the contentinformationisdelivered.We
examinedthisvariable acrossall five mediacontenttypes.Speedisanimportantfactorin the delivery
processbecause itcreatestime constraintsfordeliverysatisfactionwhichcreatesqualityservice
standards.We couldhave lookedat serverinfrastructure,butthiswouldmake thingstootechnical for
projectmembers.Thus,contentdeliverylevel wasresearchedthoroughly,anddividedintomanyother
variablesthatwe will examine alongside speedtransferrates.Appendix A showsspeedcostvariables
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and networkinfrastructure costvariables. Before we examinespeedvariablesin-depth,here are some
interestingpointswe discoveredthatall contentvariableshave ingeneral.
1. Contentfile typesvaryandrepresentadependentencodingvariablesoexaminingfile types
independentlyoffersnovalue addedcontent.
2. Contentdeliveryisalsoaffectedbythe end-usersystemitisbeingdeliveredto.Usersystemvariables
represent:internetspeed,modemtype,routertype,wiredvs.wirelessinternet,internethotspotsetc.
These variablescanincrease ordecrease contentspeedwhenmediaisbeingdelivered tothe end-user
fromour servers.Itis assumed there willbe samplingerrorwhenexaminingspeedvariablesindepth.
3. Hard dollarshave adirectcorrelationwithcontenttype because of preference andpopularity.If a
movie videoispopular,we will getmore requestsfordeliveryandournetworktrafficwill reflectthis
situation.
4. Soft dollarshave adirectcorrelationwithend-usersatisfactionanddeliveryacceptance.If we deliver
contentina timelymanner, customerswill recommendustohisor herfriendswhichwill increase
marketingsoftdollars.We realize thatif we have anunsuccessful delivery,thenthe opposite can
happenandit will increase marketingharddollarsspentonadvertisingasaresultof bad publicityvs.
the latter.
Some of the otherkeyvariablesforproperimplementationof deliverycontentinclude the following:
1. Transferspeedrate (KBPS)
2. File size tobe delivered
3. File quality
4. Media type delivery failures
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5. ISP constraints
Contentdeliveryfailure meansthe mediadidnotreach the final end-userbecause of network
implementationroadblocks.Appendix A involvesraw datathat we usedto form ourconclusion results
whichhelpeduscreate ourPareto chart shownin(figures4 and5). We discoveredacorrelation
betweenspeedcontentdeliverytimeandtechnical supportneededtofix contentdelivery
implementationproblems.
Figure 4: (Total SpeedDeliveryTransferRate by ContentType)
In figure 4, we see thatvideoandaudiorequire the slowesttransferratesamongthe five content
mediatypes.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhatbothhave manymore sub-variablesthatcanlimitor slow
downthe transferspeedrate vs.the otherthree mediatypes.Audioandvideocontentusually
commandsa higherhard dollarcostthan the otherthree typescombined. Itisalsoassumedthatdigital
file sharingisnotincludedinourprocessanalysisbecause thisisanillegal actwhichrepresentsnon-
paymentof royaltiestocontentowners.Documents,games,andappsare much smallerinfile sizeand
100
200
500
300
400
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Video Audio Document (E-
Book, E-
Magazine)
Game Application
(App)
SpeedDeliveryTransferRate(Kbps)
Content Type
Total Speed Delivery Transfer Rateby Content Type
Total
26
can be transferredata higherspeedrate because of lowerspeeddeliveryvariable roadblocks.We also
have to mention avariable thatcan’t be measuredbutitmust be mentionedbecause itisrelevant.The
variable thatwe decidedtomentioninvolvesthirdpartypersonal deliverydevicesandsystems.Some of
these variableswerementionedearlierwhichinclude:modems,routers,WIFIvs.directinternet,tablets,
PC’s,Apple Macs,cell phones,gamingsystems,portable gamingsystems,home mediaplayers,laptops,
netbooks,andsmartTV’s.The nextquestionwe wantedtoresearchincludedthe numberof technical
supporthours that our techniciansneededtoproperlyaddresscustomercomplaints.Oursupport
techniciansanswercallsonline andbyphone.Payingattentiontocertaintypesof supportofferslittle
value because we auto-create agenerictechnical supportticketforeachsupportclaimthatcomesinn.
A sample formcan be foundinAppendix B.
Figure 5: (Total Technical Support Hours by ContentType)
In figure 5 we analyzedtechnical supporthoursbycontenttype andfoundthat audio/videorequired
the most technical supporthourstoresolve complaints.Oursupporttechniciansfoundoutthatboth
300
100
20
75
50
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Video Audio Document (E-
book, E-
Magazine)
Game Application
(App)
TechnicalSupportHours
Content Hours
Total Technical SupportHours by Content Type
Total
27
represented73%of supportclaims thatwere made by ourcustomers.Our agentsclaimed theywere
harderto deliverandcreatedahigherriskof implementationdeliveryrate failuresgivencontenttypes,
popularity,andunforeseennetworkspeedcongestion.We decidedtoexpandonfigure 5and lookat
the numberof failuresina 24 hour/6month interval.We calculated averagedeliveryfailuresat4.84 and
put itup againstan uppercontrol limitbecause youcannothave negative failuresina weekbecause
these wouldrepresentsuccesses.We foundthatmostmediacontentdeliveriesare “controlled”
meaningcustomers expecttheircontenttobe deliveredunlessa majornetworkshutdown occurs
because of a hackingattack, schedulednetworkmaintenance,personal identitytheft,etc.However,we
discovered theseattacks are becomingmore prevalentandwe needbetterdeliveryimplementationto
keepthe networkstatusquogoingwithoutanyhiccups.Next,we calculatedseveral processfiguresthat
createdbusinessimpact.The average assignmentcostsperhourwas31.25, the average monthly
businessassignmentcostwas1,500, andthe average costper file is2.875 (these figureswere derived
fromtablesinAppendix A).
28
Figure 6 (Numberof Failuresby weekand ContentType)
In figure 6 we see the distributionof deliveryfailuresfora6 monthperiodandaudio/videoproduce
more failuresperweekthanthe average failurerate of 4.84. Thisdata isan extensionof figures4and 5
since audio/videohave more complexitysub-variablesthanthe otherthree mediatypes combined.This
doesnottake intoaccount the softdollarcostscreatedby our ISPpartnerships.We realize thatISP
companieshave unexpectedcoststhatare passedalongtodeliverycontentcompaniesbymakingend-
userdeliverychangestotheirnetworkcustomerusage agreements.Althoughwe donotsee these costs,
theyaffectourcustomerdeliveryacceptance capabilitiesbecause theyrepresentdirectcostsforour
customersandindirectcostsfor ourcompany.Thus, we decided thatwe neededindividual ISP
partnershipauditsto discuss directandindirectprocesscost variables.We decidedtostepintothe
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
NumberofFailures
Axis Title
Number of Failures by Week and Content Type
Video Audio
Document (E-book, E-Magazine) Game
Application (App) Average
Upper Control Limit
29
shoesof our ISPcompanypartnersand agreedthat we wantedtocut networkcontentdeliveryfailures
from5 (4.84 rounded) perweekto4 permonthand then2 permonth.Thisprocessimprovementwould
cut audio/videodeliveryfailuresby50%and equate tosavingsof $15 perhour intechnical supportcosts
and $55,000 in annual hard dollarsavingsforbothsidesof the deliveryimplementationprocess.We
discoveredthisprocessiseasierintheorybutharderto execute.We neededafew questionsanswered
aboutdeliveryimpactfailure onbothnetworksides.
1. Will deliveryfailuresonthe ISPdeliveryside increase internetfeeschargedtoour customersto
receive ourmediacontent?
2. Will ISPcompanies“throttle”orslowdowndeliverycontentif itcreatesmore networkcongestionfor
theirnetworks?
3. Will ISPcompaniescharge more perfile delivery toourcompanyto bridge the gapfor risingoperating
costs fordelivery?
4. Will ISPcompanieshave higherunforeseenopportunitycostsastechnologyadvancesandmore
upgrade choicesbecome areality?
All of these questionswere noteasilyanswered.Asaresult,we decidedtogoback to ouroriginal data
and had to make certainassumptions.
1. ISPs wouldnotimplementanyunforeseencostswithoutourknowledge.
2. ISPs wouldnot“throttle”ourcontentdeliverymethods.
3. Our customershad equipmentthatcouldproperlyreceive ourcontentdeliveries.
4. Unforeseennetworkcongestionwouldbe controlledbybothcompaniesinthe delivery
implementationcontrol process.
30
Under these assumptions,we made correlationcomparisonsbetweennetworkdeliveryfailuresand
networkdeliveryimplementationcapabilitiesonbothsidesof the contentdeliveryprocess.Ourfindings
can be expressed inmanyways,butwe usedthe followingresearchinformationtoexpressourfindings.
We assumedaredeliveryperiodof 90days basedoncustomer,legal,andproductcontentexpectations
as a whole.
Numberof Failures 35
Total Population 650
Average time until afailure occurs 23.50 days
Failure redeliveryperiod 90 days
Networkdowntimeanddeliverytransferswassampledfora24 weekperiod.(Manufacturer
maintenance infrastructure maintainedevery 60 days).
To betterunderstanddeliveryimplementationfailure,we decidedtoexamine networktransferpoints
betweencompanynetworks.
Column1 Column2 Column3
Location TransferPoint Total
NetworkA DeliveryLine Front 10
NetworkA DeliveryLine Middle 8
NetworkA DeliveryLine Back 7
NetworkA Total Failures Whole DeliveryLine A 25
NetworkB DeliveryLine Front 4
NetworkB DeliveryLine Middle 3
NetworkB DeliveryLine Back 3
31
NetworkBTotal Failures Whole DeliveryLine B 10
NetworkA&BContentInterceptionPoint IntersectionA&B 5
Total NetworkFailures 40
Notdocumented User Hardware 35
SummaryTotal 75
Table 3 (Numberof Network DeliveryFailure Locationsand Transfer Points)
We will refertoourcompanynetworkas“A”, an ISP companyas network“B” andvariouspointsof
transferwithinthe network.We wantedtofigure outwhere the problemswere comingfromandthe
causesassociatedwithfailure.Harddollars wouldimpactbothsidesif we couldnotidentifyfailure
implementationprocessvariables.Table 3showsthat mostcontentdelivery failuresstartedonour
network(NetworkA) andmostof the failure attemptsoccurredinthe middle of ournetwork
infrastructure.
Column1 Column2 Column3
Total NetworkTrafficDeliveryAttemptsbyNetwork
Location Total % of Total
NetworkA 390 60
NetworkB 195 30
NetworkInterceptionPoint 65 10
Total DeliveryAttempts 650 100
Table 4: (Total Network Traffic DeliveryAttemptsby Network)
Table 4 alsoindicatesthistrend because mostof the deliveryattemptsstartonour networkbefore
reachingan ISPnetwork(NetworkB).We alsoassumedaverage networkmanufacturermaintenance
32
occurs every60 days.As a result,we assumednew ratiovariationsandcalculatedthe average time until
a deliveryfailure occurs.Withthese assumptions,we recalculatedthe average timeuntil adelivery
failure occursfrom23.50 daysto 62.30 dayswitha standarddeviationof 4.89 days.Our sample meanis
60 days givenournetworkmaintenance schedule period. We have askedourISPpartnerstosendtheir
technicianstoworkwiththe manufacturermaintenance techniciansandourownnetworktechnicians
to assistindeliveryimplementationprocessimprovementsinthe latterstagesof the project.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
ContentDeliveryProductionDays
Content Delivery Production
Content Delivery Production
Failures UCL Average Time Until Delivery Failure Mainteance Network Infrastructure LCL
33
Figure 7: (ContentDeliveryProductionDays)
Figure 8: ContentDeliveryProductionDays Against Industrial Production Standards)
Basedon our adjustedimplementationprocessanalysis, we concludedournetworkinfrastructureis
failingourcontentdeliveryimplementationprocessimprovementefforts.Ourimplementationproject
cannot offerstatistical gainswithoutthe “breadandbutter”that drivesthe entire deliveryprocess.We
concludedthatour (NetworkA) isexperiencingthe mostfailure attemptsbecause mostof the delivery
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
ContentDeliveryProductionDays
Content Delivery Production
Content Delivery Production Days AgainstIndustrialProduction
Standards
Failures UCL Average Time Until Delivery Failure LCL
34
contentnevermakesitto the networkintersectionof point(A&B),or throughto (NetworkB).Since
mostof the failure ratesoccur inthe middle of network(A), we startedatthisnetworkinfrastructure
pointto accessnetworkfailure realities.The teamdecided we neededafishbone orcause andeffect
diagramto tackle our networkfailure deliveryimplementationprocess.Some of ourinformationcame
fromour techniciansupportticketswhere valuabledeliverycontentservice failuredatawasgivenas
feedbackbyourcustomersin(AppendixB) andsome came from ourservice technicians.
Figure 9: (NetworkFailure Cause & Effect)
We decidedtoworkwithourmanufacturingmaintenance networkcompanytoresolveourproblems
rather thanplaythe “blame game”.However,we didinformthemof ourconcernsand intentionsto
Research and
Development
CheapFiber-Optic
Raw Materials
Testing
Software
Bugs
ISPNetwork
Misconfiguration
PowerSurges
and No-Hacking
Protection
Network
Failure
Configuration
and Installation
Improperand
FlawedWiring
Maintenance
Server
Malfunction
Untrained
Technicians
35
look at otheroptionsif ournetworkproblemscontinued.Usingthe Fishbone Diagraminformationin
Figure 9, we discoveredthe followinginformation
ImprovementPhase
Usingthe informationwe collected fromoursupportticketsandservice technicians,we analyzed
deliverycontentnetwork implementationroadblocks.
1. CheapFiber-OpticRawMaterials-Thiscouldbe amajorissue because itcan impede contentdelivery
fromall networkpoints.Badcable wirescontribute toa lotof networkdowntime becauseof network
poor infrastructure cable failure ratesduringpeaktransfertimes.
2. Improperand FlawedWiring-Thiscouldbe anothermajornetworkissue becausefiber-opticcables
that are lose cause slowtransferspeedratesfromnetworktransferdeliverypoints.Thiscouldexplain
higherdelivery failure ratesinthe middleof ournetwork.
3. ServerMalfunction-Thiscouldbe aproblem butwe musttest eachserverseparately.One server
couldbe easilyrepairedwhichcouldeliminatethisproblem.We will loaddifferentcontenttypesto
determine failurecontentloadtime rates.
4. Software Bugs-Thisproblemhasourhighestprioritybecause itservesasthe foundationforour
deliverycontentimplementationprocessimprovementprocedures.Thiscouldaffectstreaming,hosting,
and downloading/uploadingprotocolswhichcouldleadtohigherfailure ratesthanpreviously
researched.We will beginlookingatthisproblemwithour manufacturermaintenance companyright
away.
5. ISP NetworkMisconfiguration-Thisproblemisadependentvariable because ourdatafailures will
come from our ISPpartners(NetworkBdata).Our data collectioneffortstodetermine probabilityfaults
will dependonreal time datacollectedfromISP companies.There maybe avariance informationgap
36
betweencompanydatacollectionmethodsandotherpopulationsamples.OthercompanyISPpartners
may performbetterthanotherISPcompaniesthatwe workwith.
6. PowerSurgesand NoAnti-HackingProtection-Frequentpowersurgescouldbe amajorissue for
contentdeliveryimplementationbecause deliverytransferscouldbe interrupted.Therefore,delivery
consistencyvariancescouldbe affectedbecauseof networkdowntimes.Networkhackingattackscould
alsocause networkcongestionwhichcouldimpede deliverytimes.Processimplementationplanscould
alsobe delayedbecauseof personal datatheft.We will have toupdate ournetworkanti-hacking
software solutions.
7. UntrainedTechniques-Thisproblemwouldseemobvious,butwe mustresearchhumanerror
variancesinorderto identifynetworkfailures.One personcouldbe inexperiencedwhichcouldprovide
skeweddataforthe rest of the data sets.Thiscouldbe easilycorrectedbyupdating trainingstandards
and by supervisionmentoring.However,if leftalone,more networkdeliveryfailurescouldbecome a
harsh realitythataffectsnetworkmaintenance confidence forupkeepof bothnetworks.
Our network service workers were surprisedbyourcurrent manufacturingmaintenance company’s
service technicians trainingandskillsets.
One ofour service technicians:“I thinkwe couldservice ournetworkbettergiventhe numberof
failureswe have suffered.”
Our of our network technicians:“My jobisimpededwhenIhave toworry aboutotherexternal network
problems
One oftheir maintenance service technicians:“We are sorry forthe delayandwe have assembleda
newteamto come fix yourcurrent networkproblems.”
37
Basedon our findings,software bugsisone of the maincausesof our networkcontentdelivery
implementationprocessfailures.Itwasobviousthatoursoftware shouldhave neverbeeninstalleduntil
error eliminationtestingcouldbe executedproperly.We believe thatour manufacturingmaintenance
companygot too complacentandoverestimatedthe reliabilityof theirownsoftware.We believethat
updateswere properlydone toournetworkbutfailedbecauseof underlyingsoftware problems.We
askedour maintenance companytouninstallall softwareonournetworksuntil all of the bugsare
workedout.Our maintenance companypaidforthe installationof 3rd
party industrial software thatwe
use until furthernotice.The software isanopensource programso our technicianscanconfigure the
software toour networkdeliveryconstraints.We have alsoassembledcrossfunctionalmeetingswith
our ISPsand Manufacturingmaintenance Companytohelpfix softwarebugssince itaffectsmultiple
companies. We came up withthe followingactionplantostreamline successful deliverycontent
implementationprocedures.
1. All service techniciansfromall 3 companieswill workonone teamtohelpfix software bugs.
2. Regularinterval efficiencysoftwaretestingwill be done every7daysuntil software functionalityerror
variancesare droppedtosix sigmaqualitylevels.
3. Routine maintenance will be providedbyall companies until contentdeliveryfailure ratesare
reducedtoacceptable control planprocesslevels.
Currently,we have adoptedthe philosophyof checking,rechecking,andcheckingsoftware bugsolutions
againin orderto restore highersoftware processconfidence intervalsforretestingefforts.Ourearly
pilotprogramimplementationprocesshasshownsignificantimprovementsforournew content
deliveryimplementationprocedures.Technicianerrorshave decreasedbecauseof new software checks.
Technicianprocessknowledgehasincreasedexponentially becauseeveryonehasbeenworking
togetherandhad a stake inthe implementationoutcome.Future software problemswerecaught
38
before theyimpactedfuture implementationeffortsforthe entire network.Afterourfirst7 days of
software bugfix implementationefforts,we noticeda20% processimprovementconcerningsoftware
error correctionsforthe entire networkwhichincreasedcontentdeliverysuccessesby15% across the
entire networkcombinedforall companiesinvolved.
Control Phase
As we progressedthroughourimplantationprocessproject,we have researchedanddiscussedvarious
contentprocessdeliverydeviationsfromefficientprocesscontrols.We have takenthe followingsteps
to ensure increasednetworktestingprotocol successes andtodecrease deliveryimplementation
networkfailure rates.
1. We will developfuture standardtestingprotocolsforall companiesinvolved.
2. All technicianswillbe requiredtogetrecertifiedeveryyeartomeetqualityprocessstandards.
3. Differenttechnicianswill be rotatedtoworkondifferentnetworkmaintenance sectionstodecrease
implementationnetworkerrors.
4. Service technicianswill be rotatedtoworkondifferentnetworkmaintenance sectionstodecrease
implementationnetworkerrors.
5. IT will have representatives onfuture maintenance inconsultantrolestoincrease knowledge
offerings.
6. Control charts will be redone every7daysto monitordeliveryfailure eliminationprotocols.Two
supervisorswill signoff tocontinue implementationprocessproceedingsforthe followingweekafter
control chart evaluationshave beendoneforthe previousweek.
39
7. Weeklyticketsupportsummarieswillbe examinedevery7daysto researchnew failure situations
that have occurredor newproblemsolutionsthathave beendevelopedforexistingdeliverycontent
failures.
We knowthatwe are in inthe earlystagesof thiscontrol processandwe cannotmake any definite
processimplementationstatementsatthe moment.Resultsneedtobe measuredandcontinuedforall
partiesinvolved.However,earlysignspointtoimproveddeliverycontentimplementationsuccessesasa
resultof continuednetworkimprovements.
Conclusion
Our projectsuccessfullynettedsignificantharddollarsavingsforourcompanywhichincreasedour
implementationprocesssuccessratessignificantly. We know ourprocessneedstobe retestedfor
improvementgains,andwe are off to a great start to decrease the numberof deliverycontentfailures.
We have includedourmanufacturingmaintenance companyandotherparticipatingISP partner
companiesinourprojectprocessimplementationeffortswhichreducedthe learningcurve forall
partiesinvolve.However,we realize thatwe have muchtolearnto reach six sigmalevelsof efficiency
for the future.We had to change our wayof thinkingbecause ourprocessimplementationknowledge
has evolvedsignificantlyfromourresearchfindings.We are constantlyresearchingnew processadd-on
proceduressowe can constantlyimprove ouroperations.Atthe moment,we have saved$100,000+
hard dollarsaccordingto earlyprocessimplementationdatathatwe have collected.Softdollarshave
alsogrowndue tothe cooperationof 3rd
party vendorsandcompaniesthathave a stake inour
improvementprocessgains.Aswe implementnew proceduralstandards,we have learnedthe following
lessons:
1. Software bugsdrove significantprocessdeliveryfailures.
2. Networkdeliverymaintenance andupkeepisajobfor everypartyinvolved.
40
3. Sub-variablescanhave significantimpactonimportantimplementationvariables.
4. Making equalityassumptionswill hamperfuture improvementcontentdeliveryprocess
implementationefforts.
Our systematicapproachof processanalysishasimprovedourcontentdeliverysuccessrate whichhas
impactedthe bottomline forall companiesinvolved.Projectgoalshave beenasuccessandwe will
continue torefine the processforgreaterefficiencystandardsof operation.
Appendix A
The followingrepresentcostinfrastructure elementsusedforestimatingspeedcapabilities.
Assignment Cost Cost
Fiber-opticnetworkinstallation $50/Hr.
Optional parentcompanyproductequipment
usedforcontentservice delivery
$40 eachway
Online CustomerSupport $15/Hr.
Phone CustomerSupport $20/Hr.
NetworkMaintenance Upkeep $2000/month
Backup PowerSystem $1000/month
TechnicianNetworkAnalysts $40/Hr.
Beloware the deliveryroyaltiesthatmustbe paidto entitiesrepresentingcontentownerslike the RIAA,
MPAA,Law Firms,and governmentagencies.
Royalty RegulatingBody Cost PerContent
StreamingContent MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $5 per stream
41
Downloading/Uploading
Content
MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $6 per file
HostingContent MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $4 per file
ISPNetworkTransferFee ISPCompanies $1 per file
Taxes GovernmentAgencies .50 perfile
42
Technical Support Help Ticket (Appendix B)
Online orPhone Support:___________ Technician Name:_____________________
ContentMediaOrdered:______________ Mobile or Non-mobile-Delivery:_________
Time of Inquiry:___________________ Service Time:________________________
CustomerFirstName:______________ CustomerLastName:_________________
Address:_________________________ City:__________ State:_____________
ZipCode:_________________________ Phone:_________ E-mail:____________
TicketSupportComplaint:
TechnicianNotes:
Issue Resolved:_________________ SupportTicketRating:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Follow-Up:_____________________ TicketSupportNumber:___________________
RefundRequested:______________ SupervisorComments:
RefundGiven:__________________
Date:_________________________
43
Appendix C Data Summaries
Column1 Column3
Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byweek
Weeks Total
1 245
2 145
3 136
4 145
5 200
6 320
7 221
8 163
9 220
10 193
11 364
12 300
13 236
14 125
15 239
16 246
17 356
18 236
19 219
20 163
21 189
22 263
23 363
24 213
Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) 5500
Column1 Column3
Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byContentType
ContentType Total
44
Column1 Column3
Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byContentType
ContentType Total
Video 2000
Audio 1300
Document(E-Book,E-Magazine) 500
Game 1000
Application(Apps) 700
Total NetworkDowntime(Hours) 5500
Column1 Column2
Technical SupportHours by ContentType
ContentType Total
Video 300
Audio 100
Document(E-book,E-Magazine) 20
Game 75
Application(App) 50
Total Technical SupportHours 545
Column1 Column2
Average SpeedDeliveryTransferRate byContentType (Kbps)
ContentType Total
Video 100
Audio 200
Document(E-Book,E-Magazine) 500
Game 300
Application(App) 400
Total average 1500
45
Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4 Column5 Column6
DeliveryFailure Week ContentType
Video Audio Document(E-book,E-Magazine) Game
1 10 8 3 4
2 9 7 5 5
3 9 8 4 6
4 8 7 1 4
5 9 6 2 7
6 7 7 4 5
7 6 4 0 6
8 9 8 3 4
9 5 5 4 6
10 8 6 5 5
11 9 4 2 5
12 10 7 1 4
13 7 6 3 5
14 7 4 2 4
15 9 7 1 6
16 9 5 1 4
17 8 7 4 5
18 9 6 2 4
19 7 4 2 7
20 8 3 3 3
21 9 4 2 5
22 10 5 2 6
23 9 6 1 4
24 9 5 1 6
(Continued on Next Page)
46
Column7 Column8 Column9
Application
(App) Average Upper Control Limit
3 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
4 4.84 12
4 4.84 12
6 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
4 4.84 12
1 4.84 12
3 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
5 4.84 12
3 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
1 4.84 12
3 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
1 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
3 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
2 4.84 12
3 4.84 12
1 4.84 12
3 4.84 12

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Black belt project jeff taylor 2015

  • 1. 1 Jeff Taylor Six Sigma Online Black Belt Program Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Project Executive Summary
  • 2. 2 As a new hybridstart-upcompany,we are lookingtocombine digital mediadelivery,content management,cloudhosting,usercompatibilityfriendliness,andend-userproductswhile operating with-ingiven legal constraintsof contentmarket ownership.The goal isto create a deliveryavenuefor digital mediainordertoeliminatepastroadblocksthathave createdanunfriendlyuserenvironment.A teamof formerengineers,ITprofessionals,andformerFortune 500 managers saw an opportunityto developacompanythathad the knowledge andcapabilitiestoreinventthe digital mediacontentwheel. Usingpredicatedknowledge of formercontentdelivery informationmanagementsystems, anew blueprintwasdeveloped toeliminateredtape discrepancies thatplaguedanentire industryandvarious stakeholders thatinvestedexpendituresindeliverycontentmanagementprocesses involvingvarious systemsand end-users.ThissituationisidealforusingSix Sigmamethodologiesto: 1. Measure multiplevariablesandnewprocesses 2. Ensure thatpast systemfailures wouldbe avoided 3. Test newdeliveryprocessesandcontentmonitoringsystems 4. Manage newprocessvariationunderlegal frameworkconstraints toensure long-termprofit probabilities. The Problem Usingpast researchand deliverysystem failure examples,we found thatdigital mediacontent managementdeliverysystemswere plaguedwithredtape variables because of the absence of asetof defaultindustrial standardsthatwere notavailableforend-useradoption andalegal systemframework that stuntednewsystemadvancementgrowth. Aftermeasuringandexaminingthe process,therewere several reasonsfordeliverysystem andcontentmanagementfailures: 1. Networkspeedandsoftware compatibilityissues(Apple, Google,Linux etc.) 2. End-userequipmentdiscrepancies
  • 3. 3 3. Contentmanagementlegal feesandroyalties 4. Contentdeliverymethods 5. ISP hostinginterestsandguidelines Afterdiscussingourconcernswithindustryexperts,we concludedcontentdelivery managementsystem processeswere causedbysnafusthatcouldbe easilyidentifiedandavoidedinthe nearfuture.System problemsthatexisted,couldbe solvedwithsix sigmamethodologiestoeliminate past,present,and future roadblocks.The roadblockcoststhatplaguedpreviousdigital multimediacontent delivery start- up companieswas100,000 annually. ProcessEvolution By implementingandexecutingthe Six Sigma processof Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control,we put our mainprioritiesonourcontentdeliverymanagementsystemandprotocols.Next,we developed a projectto betterunderstandour systemimplementationandhow pastfailurescouldbe negatedor avoidedaltogether.Throughdatagathering,dataresearch,videoconferencecalls,forumdiscussions, systemtestingand varioussurveysthatincludedend-user,ISP andlegal,we mappeddeliverycontent managementsystemmethods fordigital mediadistributionandcloud hostingfrompointA (delivery content/hostingcompany) topointB(end-user).We designedanew systemtocorrectpast mistakes and toolsto properlyhandle andcorrectnew errorrealities. Inthe measurement&analysisphases,we discoveredtechnical roadblocksgrew assystemcomplexitiesgrew.These issuespresentednew challenges thatwere unforeseenbutwere expectedwhennewtechnological advancesweredeveloped and testedforbetterend-usersatisfaction.Luckily,we hadateamof seasonedprofessionalsthat had the knowledge andpassiontodevelop/innovate existingsystemsand engineernew onesfromscratch. Findings
  • 4. 4 Our findings were enlighteningtomanyindustryexpertsbecause of pastconstraintsthathadbeen ignoredfrompreviousimplementationsystemfailuresthatoccurredwithother start-upcompanies. Thus,we wantedto integrate ISP (Internetserviceprovider) compatibilitiesintonew futuresystem developments. We concludedthatISP’scontrol deliverymodulesandcertainnetworkcapacitieswhich are affectedaccordingtonetworkdeliveryspeedsanddatacontentusage. The term“unlimited internet”isverysubjective because95% of usersaren’thardcore abusersbutthe 5% that are make the other95% paymore inusage feeswhichisa cost constraintthatmust be takenintoaccount to ensure deliverycontentqualityerrors are eliminatedand networkcongestion isproperlymonitored.These realitiesaffectcontentdelivery,management,andhostingsystemcapabilitiesthatmustbe accounted for to ensure new efficientoperatingstandards.Therefore,bypartneringwithlocal, national,and international ISPs,we were able toopenlinesof communicationtoaddressdelivery systemroadblocks that ISPs put upin the past bydesigninganew systemthatencompassesadeliverypartnership consistingof front,middle andenddelivery systempointsforcontentmediaandhostingprocesses. Withcareful communicationandplanning,we were able tocontrol unforeseencostconstraintsthat couldpotentiallyhindercontentdelivery. Conclusion We hadto update oldsystemphilosophiesthat failedmultipletimesinthe pastbytweakingseveral processesthatneededmodification.The endresultwas100,000 inannual savingsbyidentifying unforeseendeliverycostsandimprovedend-usercontentdeliveries.Basedonourstart-upfounding ideologies,ourteamof proactive managers,analysts,andinnovatorswere abletodevelopasystemthat isevolvingtobecome the defaultend-userdeliverysystemforvariousmedia contenttypesandhosting capacities.Ourcompanyisveryhumbled,because moststart-upsfailwithintheirfirstyearof operation and we owe our successto ourcompany’sprogressionfromfoursigmatosix sigmafor process improvementquality.
  • 5. 5 Define Phase (ProjectCapacity) As a newhybridstart-upenterprise,manynew excitingyetchallengingopportunisticprojectspresent newlearningopportunitiesfor ateamof visionaries.Incorporatingnew operationswithsubpar industrial processespresentnewchallengingtasks whichwilltestourbusinesscore strategies.To simplifythe process,we willdefine ourcustomerbase as“new”and“old” forclassificationpurposes. Newcustomersrepresentthose individualsorgroups we mustwinoverwitha newlydefineddelivery systemthatwill simplifythe process of useracceptance.These individualsare nottechnologicallysavvy and will needaprocessthatdoesn’tinvolvetechnological “know how”togettheirmediacontent deliveryservicesbecause saidprocessescanbe adoptedby “casual”users.Oldcustomers represent those individualsthat are oldtechnological veteransof subparoutdateddeliveryservicemethods.These individualsknowwhattheywantand are waitingforsomeone todevelopasystemthatimproveson existingprocessesthatwill revolutionize conceptswhichhave failedinthe past.The overall process strategyaimsto make contentdeliverymore affordable andeliminatestechnologyroadblocks.Making people feellessfrustratedmakesthemmore likelytochoose new technological deliveryoptionsthat add convenience to the productor service beingimplemented. Differentcontentdeliverymethodswill be available dependingonwhatisbeingdeliveredand the requirementsittakestoget the contentfrom pointA to pointB.To simplifyoursurveyfindings,we will focusonbothtypes of customerswhich representnewandoldrespectivelytosee whatbothtypesexpectfromournew start-upcompany.In otherwords,whatdo people expectfromourcompanyand how importantisit inour overall strategy. From our surveyin(table 1) below,potential projectsare identifiedandweightedaccordingtovarious end-useropinionsandexpectations. Content Delivery and Hosting Project Significance List (Table 1) Weight Criteria and Weights 6 10 9 4
  • 6. 6 Customer Satisfaction Implementation Profits Support Total Add speed and convenience to content delivery and hosting options 4 10 6 1 112 Configure ISP deliveryfunctions and constraints 5 10 7 3 160 Add parent company equipment for easycompatibility 6 8 5 2 89 3rd party app support 3 9 8 3 121 Afterdiscussionswithourfoundingcompanyinnovators,“new”and“old’customers,ISPsandthird party vendors,seniorleadershipweightedwhichprojectprocessestofocuson.Basedon recent researchfindings,implementationwasweightedasa“value added”prioritybecause implementation focusesoncontentdeliveryimprovementendeavorsthatare critical forthe firstyear.End-user adoptionwill be veryimportanttoourservice/productofferingbasketandwinningovercustomerswill be a toppriority.Byfocusingonour findingsfrom(table 1),seniormanagementdecidedtoinvestigate the implementationprocessbyfocusingonspeedandconvenience concerningcontactdeliveryand hostingoptions.Implementationwill alsofocusonconfiguringISPdeliveryfunctionsandconstraints since theyrepresentend-userprocessschematics.Bothissuesrepresentcore rolloutimplementation businessprocessstrategies. CustomerConcerns Giventhe fact that our companyisa hybridstart-up,I concludedthatresearchisveryimportantforlong termmarketindustrial growthlongevity.Inotherwords,focus oncustomerconcernsandneedsand benchmarkyourprocessprogresswithfeedbackfromoldandnew customers.Sowhatdoessenior
  • 7. 7 managementthinkaboutcustomerfeedback?Ihave takenhighlightsfrommultiplemanagement sourcesbasedonfeedbacksurveysandinterviews. ISP ImplementationManager “We have alwayshadrelationshipswithdigital contentdeliverycompanies,butnone have everasked aboutour immediate concernsuntilproblemspresentedthemselves.Iwasflabbergasted whenanew start-upactuallyrequestedthatwe be apart of theirimplementationprocess.Beingable toworkout problemsbefore theyoccurincreasesoperational efficiency.Ourphilosophiesare consideredtobe a nuisance bya lotof contentdeliverycompanies,butit’snice tobe a part of a partnershipinstead.Ihope thisideologycatchesoninthe future.” IT DeliveryManager The implementationprocessisverydifficult inmanyrespects,byfocusingonspeedandconvenience, we will be able toincrease volume distributionby25% inthe firstquarter.BykeepingourISPpartnersin the loop,roadblockswill be eliminatedandend-useradoptionrateswill have agreaterrate of success. Our cloudhostingcapabilitieswill alsobe astepabove ourcompetitors.” SeniorSix Sigma DeliveryChampion “Firstimpressionsare everything because youonlyhave one chance tomake a goodone.If we brag aboutbeingleadinnovatorsandfail todeliver,thenourreputationwill take ahuge hitinthe marketplace.We will justbe anothercompanythathasfailedtobe a processinnovatorinan industry that demandsit.Expectationsare high,andIhope we don’tdisappoint.” The commentsexpressedrange fromoptimistictoextreme inthe examplesabove.The lastcomment heldthe mostweightwithseniormanagement.Theytooknote of ourinterview withourprojectSix SigmaDeliveryChampionbecause he hasbeenapartof otherhighprioritysuccessful projectsinthe
  • 8. 8 past. He has experiencedwhathappenstonew companiesif theyfail todeliveroncontract implementationdeliverypromises.Asaresult,seniormanagementhasmade “implementation”our primary projectconcernbecause itcan make or breaka new start-upcompanyinan alreadycompetitive industry.Ourofferingswill be embracedordisregardedonthe implementationstage andperception will become ourprocessstandardrealityof “successorfailure”. Project Charter (Table 2) (ProjectInformation) Project Name:ContentDeliverySystemImplementation SponsoringOrganization: HybridStart-Up Company CharteredDate: 1/1/2015 Project Start Date: 1/2/2015 Target CompletionDate: 2/09/2015 (Team Members) 1. ProjectSponsor: Tim-SeniorSix SigmaDeliveryChampion(999-999-9999) 2. ProjectBlack Belt: Jeff (888-888-8888) 3. ProjectGreenBelt:Greg (777-777-7777) (Additional Team Members) 1. ISP ImplementationManager:Jason(555-555-5555)
  • 9. 9 2. IT DeliveryManager: Kim(444-444-4444) 3. DeliveryProcessAnalyst: Michael (333-333-3333) 4. DeliveryTechnician:Tiffany (111-111-1111) (Principal Stakeholders) 1. VPof Implementation:Kurt(111-111-1111) 2. Director of SystemImplementationDelivery: James(988-888-8888) 3. ContentCategory CloudManager: Kate (924-222-3333) 4. SeniorLeadershipTeam: SeniorLeadershipTeam (ProjectGoals) Eliminate anyimplementationprocessdeliverydeficiency.Identifyadeficiency,correlateappropriate response resolveproceduresandbringoperating standardsuptosuccessful implementationoperating levelsof deliveryperformance.Documentsuccessful processwithexpectedperformanceprocessgoals and relayprogressstatistical measurementstodeliveryimplementationleaders.Update:The following was addedbyour ISPpartnersto the project.Networkproductupgrade speedswill be offeredbecause of scheduledroutine processmaintenance.Incorporatenew processspeedratesintoimplementation standardsand relayanddevelopmentstoyourassignedISPImplementationManager. (ProcessProblem)
  • 10. 10 Afterseveral highlevel meetings withourIPScompanies,otheritemswereaddedtothe projectcharter before goingforwardwithourplans.Underideal conditions,more speedmeansfastercontentdelivery options.However,serverupgradeswill be arealityforthese conditionstofunctionproperly.These recommendationsare above functionaloperatingconditionsanddeliveryimplementationcouldbe affected.Lagtime,audiovideosync,serverperformance,hostingstorage,andstreamingwillbe affecteduntil ournetworkserversare upgraded. Downtime was aprojectbarrierthat wasunforeseen. (Scope of Project) The followingdevelopmentshave beenidentifiedashighvalue addedprojectscope requirements: 1. Develop newimplementationforums,surveys,anddiscussionstoidentifynew contentdelivery implementationroadblocks. 2. Identifyandimprove performance standardsandcustomerexpectationsof new deliveryservice offerings. 3. Benchmarknetworkdeliverycapabilitiesagainstdefaultindustrystandards. 4. If performance issub-standard,workwithnetworktechnicianstoironoutthe kinksandglitchesthat create networkproblems. 5. Implementidealoperatingdeliverycapabilitiesor“justintime”contentdeliveryprocesscapabilities. (ProcessImportance) Digital contentdeliveryhick-upscreate more service callsforourIT supportdepartment.Eliminatinglag time,syncproblems,andbadstreamingcontentallowsmore peopletohave confidenceinournetwork capabilitieswhichmeanslesstime spentonfixingreoccurringproblems.Industrydatasuggestssavings of $300-500$ dollarspercustomer.Fixingre-occurringproblemsmanytimeshasbeenabigproblem that has plaguedmanycontentdeliverycompanies andisone of the reasonsthe industryneedsmore leadershipinnovatorstosetacceptable operatingstandardsof performance.Eachcall takesmultiple repsto solve deliveryhiccupsandadditional networkservice techniciansmustbe hiredtofix network problems.Thiscosts $3,000 a day to bringin20 additional servicetechnicians.Acceptablestandards wouldcutnetworkinefficiencyby50% andallow more digital contenttobe deliveredoverour network
  • 11. 11 at one time.Additionalfindingsconfirmedthatnew customersare lesslikelytoadopta new company’s service/productofferingif itfailstodeliverondeliverypromises.Networkcongestionwill increase because contentisstalledandnewcustomerswillgetfrustratedbecauseof longwaittimesonholdto fix networkcustomerconcerns.Networkdowntime tofix multiple issuesisanoutside threatthatcould impairnetworkcapabilities.Asaresult,more networkingcapital willneedtobe acquiredtobring networkoperatingperformance toacceptable levels.Thisrealitywill needtobe monitoredbecause it can create unexpectedproblemsinthe future.Itcouldcostthe company $200,000 dollarsif the threatis ignoredaltogether.We mustlearnfromother’smistakesif we wanttobe industryinnovators. (AuthorizedResources) ProjectSponsors-Tim, SeniorSix SigmaDeliveryChampion-AsProjectsponsor,Timisresponsible forthe following: 1. Making sure the entire implementationprocessiscarriedoutaccordingto the wishesof senior leadership. 2. CoordinatingimplementationactivitiesbetweenMasterBlackBelts,BlackBelts,GreenBelts,and otherpersonnel withinbudgetconstraints. 3. Actingas our implementationrepresentativewhoreportstoKurt(VPof Implementation)concerning implementationprocessprogress. KeyStakeholders-Kurt(VPof Implementation)-Kurt’sjobistoreportimplementationprogressand expectedquarterlyprogresstoseniorleadershipwithinaspecifiedtimeframe.He approvesTim’s budgetforthe projectand ensures properimplementationlevelsare achieved.He isthe main stakeholderthatensuresqualitymeasuresare executedaccordingtothe projectcharter.He works
  • 12. 12 closelywithTimtoensure properprojectfundingwhichincreasesprojectsuccessvariables.He addressesissuesmade byseniorleadershipregarding 1. Projectprogress 2. Expectationresults 3. Meetingdeadlineswithintime constraints James-(Directorof ImplementationSystem)andKate-(ContentCategoryCloudManager)-Both individualsworkcloselywithJason(ISPDeliveryManager) whohandles the end-deliveryside (ISP companies) inordertoaddresstheirconcernsaboutprocessdeliveryroadblocks.Jamesensures content isdeliveredinatimelymannerandthatconvenience isincludedinservice offerings.He eliminates networkcongestionissueswhileworkingwithJasontoaddressideal operatingenvironmentprotocols. Kate is responsible forthe hostingsideof contentdelivery.Thisinvolvesthe cloudandmaintaining adequate resourcesconcerningstorage,uploading,downloading,andsupportissuesforoptimalhosting products/services.She workscloselywithJasonregardingclouddeliveryissuesandactsas a “cloud expert.”She providescrossfunctional contentexpertisewhencloudfunctionsare integratedintothe functional aspectsof the deliveryimplementationprocess. SeniorLeadershipTeam-(4people)-Thisteamrepresentsthe boardof directors,internal andexternal stakeholdersaswell asoutside influenceslike governmentregulatoryagenciesandlaw firmswho representthe rightsof digital contentholders.Theirgoal isto receive anoptional ROIforinvestment expendituresandcostof capital.Dividendsandstockoptionsare available fordistributionif the implementationprocessissuccessful.Lawsmustbe followedandroyaltiesmustbe paidfordistribution rightsbefore profitscanbe calculated.Contentmustbe availablefordistributionanddelivery implementation whichwill increase profitsforcontentownersandourcompanybecause we work
  • 13. 13 closelytogether. If we can’tprovide properreturns,thencashflowswill cease anddeliverycontent serviceswill be nullandvoid. Team Members 1. Jason-ISPImplementationManager 2. Kim-ITDeliveryManager 3. Michael-DeliveryProcessSpecialist 4. Tiffany-DeliveryTechnician 5. ConsultantA&B-hiredbecauseof additional expertiseneededbasedon projectprocessneeds Outside Needs Some moderate travel will be necessarytolaw firms,ISPcompanies,andcontentownerstomaintain legal andproperunderstandingof royaltyfees,ISPdeliveryconcerns,andprocesscapabilities.James and Kimhave considerableknowledge workingwithbothgroupstoensure optimal processstrategies. Thiswill cutdownon potential lawsuitsfromoutsideorganizationslike the RIAA,MPAA,etc.Technical deliveryexpertisewill be assignedtoMichael andTiffanywhowill fix anynetworkhiccupsthatarise as changesand upgradesare implemented.Michael will have clearancetoaccesscompanyand customer personal datato ensure networksecurityandperformance.He will runnetworksystemtestsfrequently to ensure contentisdeliveredinatimelymanner.Tiffanywill implementnetworkupgradesasdelivery trafficincreasesandwill providesupportfortestinginitiativestoidentifyotherdeliveryproblems relatingtocontent.She will be proactive inhereffortstocatchproblemsbefore theyoccurandnot as theyoccur. Trainingneedsare well knownatthistime because of pastexperiencesandindividual expertiseneededtomaintainoptimal networkfunctionalityandefficiency.There willbe unknown
  • 14. 14 problemsbecause we are deliverycontent implementationinnovatorsand will addressunforeseen problemsinthe future byhavingconsultantsA&Bonstand-byforsuchhiccups. (SponsorApproval): Kurt (Date):2/09/2015 Project Schedule (Figure 1) The projectschedule canbe editedasnew resources,inputs,andtime constraintspresentthemselves. We believe the daysallocatedtoeachtaskwill give the projectflexibilityand canbe adjusted. Note:The followingfiguresare early estimatesand extra time/days will be added whenwe get intoproject.
  • 15. 15 Duration DEFINE 25 days Execute process survey 6 days Gather results 2 days Discuss findings w ith Senior Leadership 0.5 days Investigate implementation issues w ith delivery team 4 days Inform Senior Leadership about implementation process findings 0.45 days Identify important process players: (Customers, ISP companies, Content ow ners, Sponsorsand Process stakeholders 0.63 days Confirm resource necessities 0.35 days Project group selection 0.54 days Draft project schedule 3 days Draft project budget 2 days Go over relevant details w ith project sponsors 0.42 days Approve project charter goals 0.56 days Compose detailed project plan process 4 days Map out Implementation Process 1 day Detailed mapping strategies 1 day Eliminate strategy roadblocks 2 days Develop implementation project success metrics (CTQs) 0.75 days Summarize existing data requirements 2 days Final review by relevant sponsors 2 days MEASURE 6 days Validate (CTQs) 4 days Analyze existing implementation data 2 days Implement relevant measurements & sample sizes 3 days Base analysis charts review 3 days Re-formulate data samples and sources 1 day ANALYZE 4.53 days Chart overview analysis 0.45 days Benchmark implementation standards 0.45 days Outcome comparison for delivery implementation sources 1 day Meet w ith delivery and service vendors 0.67 days Review findings with Senior Leadership 0.32 days IMPROVE 5.85 days Project Team improvement meeting 0.36 days Define improvement options 0.36 days Summarize improvement options w ith Senior Management 1 day Capital Budget approval 1 day Begin implementation process execution 7 days Begin implementation process w ith ISPs 7 days CONTROL 3 days Evaluate implementation process controlvariables 2 days Track controlprocess variables 3 days Review data for learning curve development 3 days Implementation project process completion status update 10 days
  • 16. 16
  • 17. 17 ContentDeliveryRequest Downloador StreamContent ? Audio,Video, Book,Magazine, Game,orApp selection ? Download Audio,Video, Magazine,Game orAppselection ? StreamAudioor Video ? Yes StreamAudioor Videothrough CompanyNetwork toISPNetwork NoImplementation NoYes Yes NoImplementation No Yes No Implementatation No DownloadAudio, Video,Book, Magazine,Gameor Appthrough CompanyNetwork toISPNetwork Yes NoImplementationNo AudioorVideois deliveredtoa MobileorNon- mobiledevice Wasstreaming content implementation successful? Successfulcontent delivery implementation (speed,convenience, andsuccessfulISP deliverythrough improved implementation process Yes Customercalls supportlinetofix unsuccessful delivery No Wasdownloading content implementation successful? Successfulcontent delivery implementation (speed,convenience, andsuccessfulISP deliverythrough improved implementation process Yes Customercalls supportlinetofix unsuccessful delivery No Audio,Video,Book, Magazine,Gameor Appisdeliveredtoa MobileorNon- mobiledevice Download and Streaming ContentDeliveryProcess(Figure 2) see Visiofile for reference
  • 18. 18 Our technical andonline supportstaff documentedmanycallsthatinvolvedone ormore variables involvingthe deliveryof unsuccessfulmedia toourcustomers.Each call had specificcriteriathatwas documentedandcriteriapatternswere establishedfromonlineandphone supporttickets.Itwas discoveredthatcertaincriteriaoverlappedwithvariouscontentmediatypes.Anothersurprisingfind was the impactof mobile vs.non-mobile deliverywhichwill be discussed inthe measure-analyzephase. We alsodiscussedandanalyzedunsuccessful customerdeliveryimplementationcostslistedbelow. 1. Direct cost perunsuccessful delivery 2. Indirectcost perunsuccessful delivery 3. Cost of contentdeliveryredistribution a. numberof times b. lostrevenue c. poor deliveryservice imageremarketingplans Key MeasuresofSuccess As we made our processflowchartfordownloadsandcontentdeliverystreamingprocesses,we noticed several issueswithunsuccessfuldeliveryimplementationvariables.The oldperceptionwasanyone coulddownloadandstreamcontentat any time oranywayregardlessof contenttype andquality.From thisinformation,we investigatedmediatypesandtransferbitrates(kbps) involvingimplementation deliveryschematics.We decidedtotake ourresearchevenfurtherbyexaminingthe end-userside of the implementationprocesswhichwasneverconsideredasanimplementationvariableatthe beginningof the project.Ourfindingssurprisedeveryoneonthe teambecause end-userequipmenthad a directimpact onISP implementationproceduresanddeliveryvariables.We foundalinkbetween variouscontentvariableslistedbelow:
  • 19. 19 VideoVariables a. 480P SD b. 720P HD c. 1080P HD d. 2d e.3d image (side byside) (overunder) f.Videoencodingbitrate g. File type h. Videocompression i.Videolength j. Videocopyrightprotection k. Frame width l.Frame height m. Rentingvs.buying AudioVariables a. Audiobitrate encoding b. Volume c. File Size d. File Type
  • 20. 20 e.Copyrightrestrictions f.Singingvs.talking g. Audiochannels h. Surroundsoundtypes i.Sample rate (KHZ) j. Streamingvs.buying k. Paymentmethods Document Variables a. Bookvs. magazine b. Numberof words c. Numberof paragraphs d. File Type e.File Size f.ReaderType g. Copyrightrestrictions h. File quality i.Numberof imagesor picturesperpage j. Paymentmethod Game Variables
  • 21. 21 a. Type b. Online vs.offline c. Numberof players d. Size e.Rating f.Copyrightrestrictions g. PaymentMethod App Variables a. Type b. Copyrightrestrictions c. Size d. Online vs.Offline e.Personal vs.Business f.Day vs. Nighttime
  • 22. 22 ContentCloudHosting Request CloudTechnicianasks forcloudparameters Cloudstorageless than100GB ? Cloudsetupfeeonmonthly rateplan Yes Cloudsetupfeeon yearlyrateplan No Revenueisreceivedyes Hostinglegal content ? Unsuccesful Implementation No Takedownnoticefrom contentowner Onlinecloudisset- upforend-user Yes Content uploadedto cloud ? Unsuccessful implementation No Contentisdelivered bycompanyorend- usertocloud Yes Content downloadedfrom cloud ? Unsuccessful implementation No Contentcanbe viewedonmobileor non-mobiledevice Yes Cancontentbe viewed ? Customercalls supportlinefor unsuccessful delivery implementation No Cloudhosting implementationis successful Yes Content streaming ? Yes Contentcanbe viewedonmobileor non-mobiledevice Unsuccessful Implementation No Canstreaming contentbeviewed Cloudhosting implementation successful Yes Customercalls supportlinefor unsuccessful delivery implementation No Paymentmade ? Cloudisdissolved No ContentHosting Flowchart (Figure 3) see Visiofile for reference
  • 23. 23 ProcessSummary Notes: Whenwe were mapping outthe cloudhostingcontentimplementationdeliveryprocess,we discovered several significantpoints.The firstpointwe learnedwas cloudsetupstorage hada directimpacton pricingpointsandpotential profitsthatcanbe made.Thiswas a major factorin determiningservice plan lengthforeachcloudthat was createdforeach customer.Contentlegalitycontrol wasanotherfactor that had to be implementedtoeliminate potential lawsuitsthatcouldbe filedif contentownersare not compensatedaccordingly.Finally,paymentmethodwasanotherfactorcovering“one time”vs. “reoccurringpayments”forcloudservices.Late paymentswill be anissue because itcausesunsuccessful deliverycontentimplementationprocessestobe arealityforcustomerswhodo notpay on time.This variable mustalsobe implementedif paymentsbecome late onaregularbasis. Measure and Analyze Phases Usingkeymeasures of evolutionfromabove,we concludedthat critical deliveryimplementation variableshada directrelationshipwiththe contentwe were delivering. Tosimplifyourmeasurement processschematics,we chose afewkeyvariablestoanalyze inordertoimprove ourdelivery implementationprocess.Ourchoicesdonotimpactthe importance of one variable vs.anotheranddoes not mean that one variable isfavoredoveranother.We decidedtostartwiththe actual deliveryspeed measuredin(KBPS) whichrepresents the transferrate the contentinformationisdelivered.We examinedthisvariable acrossall five mediacontenttypes.Speedisanimportantfactorin the delivery processbecause itcreatestime constraintsfordeliverysatisfactionwhichcreatesqualityservice standards.We couldhave lookedat serverinfrastructure,butthiswouldmake thingstootechnical for projectmembers.Thus,contentdeliverylevel wasresearchedthoroughly,anddividedintomanyother variablesthatwe will examine alongside speedtransferrates.Appendix A showsspeedcostvariables
  • 24. 24 and networkinfrastructure costvariables. Before we examinespeedvariablesin-depth,here are some interestingpointswe discoveredthatall contentvariableshave ingeneral. 1. Contentfile typesvaryandrepresentadependentencodingvariablesoexaminingfile types independentlyoffersnovalue addedcontent. 2. Contentdeliveryisalsoaffectedbythe end-usersystemitisbeingdeliveredto.Usersystemvariables represent:internetspeed,modemtype,routertype,wiredvs.wirelessinternet,internethotspotsetc. These variablescanincrease ordecrease contentspeedwhenmediaisbeingdelivered tothe end-user fromour servers.Itis assumed there willbe samplingerrorwhenexaminingspeedvariablesindepth. 3. Hard dollarshave adirectcorrelationwithcontenttype because of preference andpopularity.If a movie videoispopular,we will getmore requestsfordeliveryandournetworktrafficwill reflectthis situation. 4. Soft dollarshave adirectcorrelationwithend-usersatisfactionanddeliveryacceptance.If we deliver contentina timelymanner, customerswill recommendustohisor herfriendswhichwill increase marketingsoftdollars.We realize thatif we have anunsuccessful delivery,thenthe opposite can happenandit will increase marketingharddollarsspentonadvertisingasaresultof bad publicityvs. the latter. Some of the otherkeyvariablesforproperimplementationof deliverycontentinclude the following: 1. Transferspeedrate (KBPS) 2. File size tobe delivered 3. File quality 4. Media type delivery failures
  • 25. 25 5. ISP constraints Contentdeliveryfailure meansthe mediadidnotreach the final end-userbecause of network implementationroadblocks.Appendix A involvesraw datathat we usedto form ourconclusion results whichhelpeduscreate ourPareto chart shownin(figures4 and5). We discoveredacorrelation betweenspeedcontentdeliverytimeandtechnical supportneededtofix contentdelivery implementationproblems. Figure 4: (Total SpeedDeliveryTransferRate by ContentType) In figure 4, we see thatvideoandaudiorequire the slowesttransferratesamongthe five content mediatypes.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhatbothhave manymore sub-variablesthatcanlimitor slow downthe transferspeedrate vs.the otherthree mediatypes.Audioandvideocontentusually commandsa higherhard dollarcostthan the otherthree typescombined. Itisalsoassumedthatdigital file sharingisnotincludedinourprocessanalysisbecause thisisanillegal actwhichrepresentsnon- paymentof royaltiestocontentowners.Documents,games,andappsare much smallerinfile sizeand 100 200 500 300 400 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Video Audio Document (E- Book, E- Magazine) Game Application (App) SpeedDeliveryTransferRate(Kbps) Content Type Total Speed Delivery Transfer Rateby Content Type Total
  • 26. 26 can be transferredata higherspeedrate because of lowerspeeddeliveryvariable roadblocks.We also have to mention avariable thatcan’t be measuredbutitmust be mentionedbecause itisrelevant.The variable thatwe decidedtomentioninvolvesthirdpartypersonal deliverydevicesandsystems.Some of these variableswerementionedearlierwhichinclude:modems,routers,WIFIvs.directinternet,tablets, PC’s,Apple Macs,cell phones,gamingsystems,portable gamingsystems,home mediaplayers,laptops, netbooks,andsmartTV’s.The nextquestionwe wantedtoresearchincludedthe numberof technical supporthours that our techniciansneededtoproperlyaddresscustomercomplaints.Oursupport techniciansanswercallsonline andbyphone.Payingattentiontocertaintypesof supportofferslittle value because we auto-create agenerictechnical supportticketforeachsupportclaimthatcomesinn. A sample formcan be foundinAppendix B. Figure 5: (Total Technical Support Hours by ContentType) In figure 5 we analyzedtechnical supporthoursbycontenttype andfoundthat audio/videorequired the most technical supporthourstoresolve complaints.Oursupporttechniciansfoundoutthatboth 300 100 20 75 50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Video Audio Document (E- book, E- Magazine) Game Application (App) TechnicalSupportHours Content Hours Total Technical SupportHours by Content Type Total
  • 27. 27 represented73%of supportclaims thatwere made by ourcustomers.Our agentsclaimed theywere harderto deliverandcreatedahigherriskof implementationdeliveryrate failuresgivencontenttypes, popularity,andunforeseennetworkspeedcongestion.We decidedtoexpandonfigure 5and lookat the numberof failuresina 24 hour/6month interval.We calculated averagedeliveryfailuresat4.84 and put itup againstan uppercontrol limitbecause youcannothave negative failuresina weekbecause these wouldrepresentsuccesses.We foundthatmostmediacontentdeliveriesare “controlled” meaningcustomers expecttheircontenttobe deliveredunlessa majornetworkshutdown occurs because of a hackingattack, schedulednetworkmaintenance,personal identitytheft,etc.However,we discovered theseattacks are becomingmore prevalentandwe needbetterdeliveryimplementationto keepthe networkstatusquogoingwithoutanyhiccups.Next,we calculatedseveral processfiguresthat createdbusinessimpact.The average assignmentcostsperhourwas31.25, the average monthly businessassignmentcostwas1,500, andthe average costper file is2.875 (these figureswere derived fromtablesinAppendix A).
  • 28. 28 Figure 6 (Numberof Failuresby weekand ContentType) In figure 6 we see the distributionof deliveryfailuresfora6 monthperiodandaudio/videoproduce more failuresperweekthanthe average failurerate of 4.84. Thisdata isan extensionof figures4and 5 since audio/videohave more complexitysub-variablesthanthe otherthree mediatypes combined.This doesnottake intoaccount the softdollarcostscreatedby our ISPpartnerships.We realize thatISP companieshave unexpectedcoststhatare passedalongtodeliverycontentcompaniesbymakingend- userdeliverychangestotheirnetworkcustomerusage agreements.Althoughwe donotsee these costs, theyaffectourcustomerdeliveryacceptance capabilitiesbecause theyrepresentdirectcostsforour customersandindirectcostsfor ourcompany.Thus, we decided thatwe neededindividual ISP partnershipauditsto discuss directandindirectprocesscost variables.We decidedtostepintothe 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 NumberofFailures Axis Title Number of Failures by Week and Content Type Video Audio Document (E-book, E-Magazine) Game Application (App) Average Upper Control Limit
  • 29. 29 shoesof our ISPcompanypartnersand agreedthat we wantedtocut networkcontentdeliveryfailures from5 (4.84 rounded) perweekto4 permonthand then2 permonth.Thisprocessimprovementwould cut audio/videodeliveryfailuresby50%and equate tosavingsof $15 perhour intechnical supportcosts and $55,000 in annual hard dollarsavingsforbothsidesof the deliveryimplementationprocess.We discoveredthisprocessiseasierintheorybutharderto execute.We neededafew questionsanswered aboutdeliveryimpactfailure onbothnetworksides. 1. Will deliveryfailuresonthe ISPdeliveryside increase internetfeeschargedtoour customersto receive ourmediacontent? 2. Will ISPcompanies“throttle”orslowdowndeliverycontentif itcreatesmore networkcongestionfor theirnetworks? 3. Will ISPcompaniescharge more perfile delivery toourcompanyto bridge the gapfor risingoperating costs fordelivery? 4. Will ISPcompanieshave higherunforeseenopportunitycostsastechnologyadvancesandmore upgrade choicesbecome areality? All of these questionswere noteasilyanswered.Asaresult,we decidedtogoback to ouroriginal data and had to make certainassumptions. 1. ISPs wouldnotimplementanyunforeseencostswithoutourknowledge. 2. ISPs wouldnot“throttle”ourcontentdeliverymethods. 3. Our customershad equipmentthatcouldproperlyreceive ourcontentdeliveries. 4. Unforeseennetworkcongestionwouldbe controlledbybothcompaniesinthe delivery implementationcontrol process.
  • 30. 30 Under these assumptions,we made correlationcomparisonsbetweennetworkdeliveryfailuresand networkdeliveryimplementationcapabilitiesonbothsidesof the contentdeliveryprocess.Ourfindings can be expressed inmanyways,butwe usedthe followingresearchinformationtoexpressourfindings. We assumedaredeliveryperiodof 90days basedoncustomer,legal,andproductcontentexpectations as a whole. Numberof Failures 35 Total Population 650 Average time until afailure occurs 23.50 days Failure redeliveryperiod 90 days Networkdowntimeanddeliverytransferswassampledfora24 weekperiod.(Manufacturer maintenance infrastructure maintainedevery 60 days). To betterunderstanddeliveryimplementationfailure,we decidedtoexamine networktransferpoints betweencompanynetworks. Column1 Column2 Column3 Location TransferPoint Total NetworkA DeliveryLine Front 10 NetworkA DeliveryLine Middle 8 NetworkA DeliveryLine Back 7 NetworkA Total Failures Whole DeliveryLine A 25 NetworkB DeliveryLine Front 4 NetworkB DeliveryLine Middle 3 NetworkB DeliveryLine Back 3
  • 31. 31 NetworkBTotal Failures Whole DeliveryLine B 10 NetworkA&BContentInterceptionPoint IntersectionA&B 5 Total NetworkFailures 40 Notdocumented User Hardware 35 SummaryTotal 75 Table 3 (Numberof Network DeliveryFailure Locationsand Transfer Points) We will refertoourcompanynetworkas“A”, an ISP companyas network“B” andvariouspointsof transferwithinthe network.We wantedtofigure outwhere the problemswere comingfromandthe causesassociatedwithfailure.Harddollars wouldimpactbothsidesif we couldnotidentifyfailure implementationprocessvariables.Table 3showsthat mostcontentdelivery failuresstartedonour network(NetworkA) andmostof the failure attemptsoccurredinthe middle of ournetwork infrastructure. Column1 Column2 Column3 Total NetworkTrafficDeliveryAttemptsbyNetwork Location Total % of Total NetworkA 390 60 NetworkB 195 30 NetworkInterceptionPoint 65 10 Total DeliveryAttempts 650 100 Table 4: (Total Network Traffic DeliveryAttemptsby Network) Table 4 alsoindicatesthistrend because mostof the deliveryattemptsstartonour networkbefore reachingan ISPnetwork(NetworkB).We alsoassumedaverage networkmanufacturermaintenance
  • 32. 32 occurs every60 days.As a result,we assumednew ratiovariationsandcalculatedthe average time until a deliveryfailure occurs.Withthese assumptions,we recalculatedthe average timeuntil adelivery failure occursfrom23.50 daysto 62.30 dayswitha standarddeviationof 4.89 days.Our sample meanis 60 days givenournetworkmaintenance schedule period. We have askedourISPpartnerstosendtheir technicianstoworkwiththe manufacturermaintenance techniciansandourownnetworktechnicians to assistindeliveryimplementationprocessimprovementsinthe latterstagesof the project. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 ContentDeliveryProductionDays Content Delivery Production Content Delivery Production Failures UCL Average Time Until Delivery Failure Mainteance Network Infrastructure LCL
  • 33. 33 Figure 7: (ContentDeliveryProductionDays) Figure 8: ContentDeliveryProductionDays Against Industrial Production Standards) Basedon our adjustedimplementationprocessanalysis, we concludedournetworkinfrastructureis failingourcontentdeliveryimplementationprocessimprovementefforts.Ourimplementationproject cannot offerstatistical gainswithoutthe “breadandbutter”that drivesthe entire deliveryprocess.We concludedthatour (NetworkA) isexperiencingthe mostfailure attemptsbecause mostof the delivery 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 ContentDeliveryProductionDays Content Delivery Production Content Delivery Production Days AgainstIndustrialProduction Standards Failures UCL Average Time Until Delivery Failure LCL
  • 34. 34 contentnevermakesitto the networkintersectionof point(A&B),or throughto (NetworkB).Since mostof the failure ratesoccur inthe middle of network(A), we startedatthisnetworkinfrastructure pointto accessnetworkfailure realities.The teamdecided we neededafishbone orcause andeffect diagramto tackle our networkfailure deliveryimplementationprocess.Some of ourinformationcame fromour techniciansupportticketswhere valuabledeliverycontentservice failuredatawasgivenas feedbackbyourcustomersin(AppendixB) andsome came from ourservice technicians. Figure 9: (NetworkFailure Cause & Effect) We decidedtoworkwithourmanufacturingmaintenance networkcompanytoresolveourproblems rather thanplaythe “blame game”.However,we didinformthemof ourconcernsand intentionsto Research and Development CheapFiber-Optic Raw Materials Testing Software Bugs ISPNetwork Misconfiguration PowerSurges and No-Hacking Protection Network Failure Configuration and Installation Improperand FlawedWiring Maintenance Server Malfunction Untrained Technicians
  • 35. 35 look at otheroptionsif ournetworkproblemscontinued.Usingthe Fishbone Diagraminformationin Figure 9, we discoveredthe followinginformation ImprovementPhase Usingthe informationwe collected fromoursupportticketsandservice technicians,we analyzed deliverycontentnetwork implementationroadblocks. 1. CheapFiber-OpticRawMaterials-Thiscouldbe amajorissue because itcan impede contentdelivery fromall networkpoints.Badcable wirescontribute toa lotof networkdowntime becauseof network poor infrastructure cable failure ratesduringpeaktransfertimes. 2. Improperand FlawedWiring-Thiscouldbe anothermajornetworkissue becausefiber-opticcables that are lose cause slowtransferspeedratesfromnetworktransferdeliverypoints.Thiscouldexplain higherdelivery failure ratesinthe middleof ournetwork. 3. ServerMalfunction-Thiscouldbe aproblem butwe musttest eachserverseparately.One server couldbe easilyrepairedwhichcouldeliminatethisproblem.We will loaddifferentcontenttypesto determine failurecontentloadtime rates. 4. Software Bugs-Thisproblemhasourhighestprioritybecause itservesasthe foundationforour deliverycontentimplementationprocessimprovementprocedures.Thiscouldaffectstreaming,hosting, and downloading/uploadingprotocolswhichcouldleadtohigherfailure ratesthanpreviously researched.We will beginlookingatthisproblemwithour manufacturermaintenance companyright away. 5. ISP NetworkMisconfiguration-Thisproblemisadependentvariable because ourdatafailures will come from our ISPpartners(NetworkBdata).Our data collectioneffortstodetermine probabilityfaults will dependonreal time datacollectedfromISP companies.There maybe avariance informationgap
  • 36. 36 betweencompanydatacollectionmethodsandotherpopulationsamples.OthercompanyISPpartners may performbetterthanotherISPcompaniesthatwe workwith. 6. PowerSurgesand NoAnti-HackingProtection-Frequentpowersurgescouldbe amajorissue for contentdeliveryimplementationbecause deliverytransferscouldbe interrupted.Therefore,delivery consistencyvariancescouldbe affectedbecauseof networkdowntimes.Networkhackingattackscould alsocause networkcongestionwhichcouldimpede deliverytimes.Processimplementationplanscould alsobe delayedbecauseof personal datatheft.We will have toupdate ournetworkanti-hacking software solutions. 7. UntrainedTechniques-Thisproblemwouldseemobvious,butwe mustresearchhumanerror variancesinorderto identifynetworkfailures.One personcouldbe inexperiencedwhichcouldprovide skeweddataforthe rest of the data sets.Thiscouldbe easilycorrectedbyupdating trainingstandards and by supervisionmentoring.However,if leftalone,more networkdeliveryfailurescouldbecome a harsh realitythataffectsnetworkmaintenance confidence forupkeepof bothnetworks. Our network service workers were surprisedbyourcurrent manufacturingmaintenance company’s service technicians trainingandskillsets. One ofour service technicians:“I thinkwe couldservice ournetworkbettergiventhe numberof failureswe have suffered.” Our of our network technicians:“My jobisimpededwhenIhave toworry aboutotherexternal network problems One oftheir maintenance service technicians:“We are sorry forthe delayandwe have assembleda newteamto come fix yourcurrent networkproblems.”
  • 37. 37 Basedon our findings,software bugsisone of the maincausesof our networkcontentdelivery implementationprocessfailures.Itwasobviousthatoursoftware shouldhave neverbeeninstalleduntil error eliminationtestingcouldbe executedproperly.We believe thatour manufacturingmaintenance companygot too complacentandoverestimatedthe reliabilityof theirownsoftware.We believethat updateswere properlydone toournetworkbutfailedbecauseof underlyingsoftware problems.We askedour maintenance companytouninstallall softwareonournetworksuntil all of the bugsare workedout.Our maintenance companypaidforthe installationof 3rd party industrial software thatwe use until furthernotice.The software isanopensource programso our technicianscanconfigure the software toour networkdeliveryconstraints.We have alsoassembledcrossfunctionalmeetingswith our ISPsand Manufacturingmaintenance Companytohelpfix softwarebugssince itaffectsmultiple companies. We came up withthe followingactionplantostreamline successful deliverycontent implementationprocedures. 1. All service techniciansfromall 3 companieswill workonone teamtohelpfix software bugs. 2. Regularinterval efficiencysoftwaretestingwill be done every7daysuntil software functionalityerror variancesare droppedtosix sigmaqualitylevels. 3. Routine maintenance will be providedbyall companies until contentdeliveryfailure ratesare reducedtoacceptable control planprocesslevels. Currently,we have adoptedthe philosophyof checking,rechecking,andcheckingsoftware bugsolutions againin orderto restore highersoftware processconfidence intervalsforretestingefforts.Ourearly pilotprogramimplementationprocesshasshownsignificantimprovementsforournew content deliveryimplementationprocedures.Technicianerrorshave decreasedbecauseof new software checks. Technicianprocessknowledgehasincreasedexponentially becauseeveryonehasbeenworking togetherandhad a stake inthe implementationoutcome.Future software problemswerecaught
  • 38. 38 before theyimpactedfuture implementationeffortsforthe entire network.Afterourfirst7 days of software bugfix implementationefforts,we noticeda20% processimprovementconcerningsoftware error correctionsforthe entire networkwhichincreasedcontentdeliverysuccessesby15% across the entire networkcombinedforall companiesinvolved. Control Phase As we progressedthroughourimplantationprocessproject,we have researchedanddiscussedvarious contentprocessdeliverydeviationsfromefficientprocesscontrols.We have takenthe followingsteps to ensure increasednetworktestingprotocol successes andtodecrease deliveryimplementation networkfailure rates. 1. We will developfuture standardtestingprotocolsforall companiesinvolved. 2. All technicianswillbe requiredtogetrecertifiedeveryyeartomeetqualityprocessstandards. 3. Differenttechnicianswill be rotatedtoworkondifferentnetworkmaintenance sectionstodecrease implementationnetworkerrors. 4. Service technicianswill be rotatedtoworkondifferentnetworkmaintenance sectionstodecrease implementationnetworkerrors. 5. IT will have representatives onfuture maintenance inconsultantrolestoincrease knowledge offerings. 6. Control charts will be redone every7daysto monitordeliveryfailure eliminationprotocols.Two supervisorswill signoff tocontinue implementationprocessproceedingsforthe followingweekafter control chart evaluationshave beendoneforthe previousweek.
  • 39. 39 7. Weeklyticketsupportsummarieswillbe examinedevery7daysto researchnew failure situations that have occurredor newproblemsolutionsthathave beendevelopedforexistingdeliverycontent failures. We knowthatwe are in inthe earlystagesof thiscontrol processandwe cannotmake any definite processimplementationstatementsatthe moment.Resultsneedtobe measuredandcontinuedforall partiesinvolved.However,earlysignspointtoimproveddeliverycontentimplementationsuccessesasa resultof continuednetworkimprovements. Conclusion Our projectsuccessfullynettedsignificantharddollarsavingsforourcompanywhichincreasedour implementationprocesssuccessratessignificantly. We know ourprocessneedstobe retestedfor improvementgains,andwe are off to a great start to decrease the numberof deliverycontentfailures. We have includedourmanufacturingmaintenance companyandotherparticipatingISP partner companiesinourprojectprocessimplementationeffortswhichreducedthe learningcurve forall partiesinvolve.However,we realize thatwe have muchtolearnto reach six sigmalevelsof efficiency for the future.We had to change our wayof thinkingbecause ourprocessimplementationknowledge has evolvedsignificantlyfromourresearchfindings.We are constantlyresearchingnew processadd-on proceduressowe can constantlyimprove ouroperations.Atthe moment,we have saved$100,000+ hard dollarsaccordingto earlyprocessimplementationdatathatwe have collected.Softdollarshave alsogrowndue tothe cooperationof 3rd party vendorsandcompaniesthathave a stake inour improvementprocessgains.Aswe implementnew proceduralstandards,we have learnedthe following lessons: 1. Software bugsdrove significantprocessdeliveryfailures. 2. Networkdeliverymaintenance andupkeepisajobfor everypartyinvolved.
  • 40. 40 3. Sub-variablescanhave significantimpactonimportantimplementationvariables. 4. Making equalityassumptionswill hamperfuture improvementcontentdeliveryprocess implementationefforts. Our systematicapproachof processanalysishasimprovedourcontentdeliverysuccessrate whichhas impactedthe bottomline forall companiesinvolved.Projectgoalshave beenasuccessandwe will continue torefine the processforgreaterefficiencystandardsof operation. Appendix A The followingrepresentcostinfrastructure elementsusedforestimatingspeedcapabilities. Assignment Cost Cost Fiber-opticnetworkinstallation $50/Hr. Optional parentcompanyproductequipment usedforcontentservice delivery $40 eachway Online CustomerSupport $15/Hr. Phone CustomerSupport $20/Hr. NetworkMaintenance Upkeep $2000/month Backup PowerSystem $1000/month TechnicianNetworkAnalysts $40/Hr. Beloware the deliveryroyaltiesthatmustbe paidto entitiesrepresentingcontentownerslike the RIAA, MPAA,Law Firms,and governmentagencies. Royalty RegulatingBody Cost PerContent StreamingContent MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $5 per stream
  • 41. 41 Downloading/Uploading Content MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $6 per file HostingContent MPAA,RIAA/Law Firms $4 per file ISPNetworkTransferFee ISPCompanies $1 per file Taxes GovernmentAgencies .50 perfile
  • 42. 42 Technical Support Help Ticket (Appendix B) Online orPhone Support:___________ Technician Name:_____________________ ContentMediaOrdered:______________ Mobile or Non-mobile-Delivery:_________ Time of Inquiry:___________________ Service Time:________________________ CustomerFirstName:______________ CustomerLastName:_________________ Address:_________________________ City:__________ State:_____________ ZipCode:_________________________ Phone:_________ E-mail:____________ TicketSupportComplaint: TechnicianNotes: Issue Resolved:_________________ SupportTicketRating:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Follow-Up:_____________________ TicketSupportNumber:___________________ RefundRequested:______________ SupervisorComments: RefundGiven:__________________ Date:_________________________
  • 43. 43 Appendix C Data Summaries Column1 Column3 Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byweek Weeks Total 1 245 2 145 3 136 4 145 5 200 6 320 7 221 8 163 9 220 10 193 11 364 12 300 13 236 14 125 15 239 16 246 17 356 18 236 19 219 20 163 21 189 22 263 23 363 24 213 Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) 5500 Column1 Column3 Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byContentType ContentType Total
  • 44. 44 Column1 Column3 Undeliverable NetworkDowntime(Hours) byContentType ContentType Total Video 2000 Audio 1300 Document(E-Book,E-Magazine) 500 Game 1000 Application(Apps) 700 Total NetworkDowntime(Hours) 5500 Column1 Column2 Technical SupportHours by ContentType ContentType Total Video 300 Audio 100 Document(E-book,E-Magazine) 20 Game 75 Application(App) 50 Total Technical SupportHours 545 Column1 Column2 Average SpeedDeliveryTransferRate byContentType (Kbps) ContentType Total Video 100 Audio 200 Document(E-Book,E-Magazine) 500 Game 300 Application(App) 400 Total average 1500
  • 45. 45 Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4 Column5 Column6 DeliveryFailure Week ContentType Video Audio Document(E-book,E-Magazine) Game 1 10 8 3 4 2 9 7 5 5 3 9 8 4 6 4 8 7 1 4 5 9 6 2 7 6 7 7 4 5 7 6 4 0 6 8 9 8 3 4 9 5 5 4 6 10 8 6 5 5 11 9 4 2 5 12 10 7 1 4 13 7 6 3 5 14 7 4 2 4 15 9 7 1 6 16 9 5 1 4 17 8 7 4 5 18 9 6 2 4 19 7 4 2 7 20 8 3 3 3 21 9 4 2 5 22 10 5 2 6 23 9 6 1 4 24 9 5 1 6 (Continued on Next Page)
  • 46. 46 Column7 Column8 Column9 Application (App) Average Upper Control Limit 3 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 4 4.84 12 4 4.84 12 6 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 4 4.84 12 1 4.84 12 3 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 5 4.84 12 3 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 1 4.84 12 3 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 1 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 3 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 2 4.84 12 3 4.84 12 1 4.84 12 3 4.84 12