Six Sigma SpotLight: Bob Barron, MBB

Six Sigma SpotLight is a regular feature of the e-Zsigma newsletter, and allows us to introduce one of the global six sigma community's superstars.

In this issue, we are extremely pleased to introduce you to Mr. Bob Barron, North American Master Black Belt for Wyman Gordon Company, (www.wyman-gordon.com) - a Master Black Belt in every sense of the word.

The e-Zsigma team first met Bob in the fall of 2000 at Wyman Gordon Company in Houston.  An imposing figure by any standard, we soon discovered Bob's "other" passion - the martial arts; Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Jujitsu, and Tang Soo Do.  Bob holds a third degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and is currently working towards his master instructor ranking - a three year work-in-process.

A soft-spoken "giant" with an eye for perfection, we had the privilege of interviewing Bob for this issue of SpotLight. 

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e-Zsigma Interview with Bob Barron, MBB

1. News: "How long have you been involved in six sigma and where did you receive your training?"

1. Bob: "I have been involved with six sigma since its introduction by General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) to Wyman Gordon in 1997. Leadership training began in early 1997 and I participated on the first project team as part of onsite supplier training provided by GEAE."

2. News: "What role do you have at Wyman Gordon?"

2. Bob: "I am the North American Master Black Belt, responsible for six sigma Implementation and Administration, which includes curriculum development, training for full-time and part-time Black Belts, train-the-trainer programs, and leadership.  My duties also include black belt mentoring, project selection, bounding, financial and project metrics along with running six sigma projects myself."

3. News: "If you could identify one, which of your previous six sigma projects would you consider your favorite, and why?"

3. Bob: "That would be my first project.  It involved five members of our raw material supply chain, two Wyman plants and, obviously, our customer, GEAE.  It was not a project that you would normally give to a trainee.  It really was a gage r & r and a limited technology problem, allowing me to see 1^st hand the acceptance of outputs from equipment and measurement systems as accurate without validations. The challenge was to bring all these independent laboratory teams, experts in their on rights to a common level of agreement concerning the problem and to remove a variety of myths before you could begin to move forward on the project. It was an extreme version of what typically goes on at any plant site. If I could get seven labs and their teams to come together to become one, relative to their outputs then the rest of my projects seemed simpler in comparison." 

4. News: "What is your biggest challenge in six sigma today?"

4. Bob: "Post 9/11 economics is the biggest challenge today. How do you deal with cancer if your throat’s cut? The current conditions demand immediate focus and timely results, which drives companies to alternative supplier sources and new technologies. Six sigma training takes a back seat in this environment. The tools are still used when there is a good fit, but total redesign is the focus today as opposed to an incremental process improvement. Those total or drastic redesigns need to happen in the 'white collar' arena also, which are typically more difficult to manage and quantify."

5. News: "Being the operator as well as Master of your own martial arts studio, are there any similarities between that life and your life with six sigma?"

5. Bob: "Absolutely! Six Sigma speaks to performance excellence and has a process to get you there. It also has standards for when to use certain tools, acceptance and rejection criteria for decision making, control mechanisms for maintaining the performance gains and a report out format to critique progress. And finally there is an implied moral standard for accurately reporting findings and making recommendations. The founders of our current six sigma methodology aptly named a 'practioner' who internalized and demonstrated these quality traits 'Black Belt'.  The martial arts process to become a Black Belt and maintain one’s skills are very similar to Six Sigma in its standards for excellence - perfect and continual practice - appropriate physical technique response depending upon an attack - tool selection and decision making - periodic black belt testing by an independent panel - report out critique & quality control - mentoring and teaching less experienced individuals and the moral responsibility for always using your skills in an honorable fashion."

Scroll up to right-hand side of page to continue interview...

Bob (far right) and Anne-Marie Barron with Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin. 
Image courtesy of Texas Tang Soo So Academy, Inc. Unauthorized use not permitted.

Click on image to go to Bob's Tang Soo Do website

Interview with Bob Barron (continued)

6. News: "Who would you say has had the biggest influence in your six sigma career?  Why?"

6. Bob: "Wyman’s first GEAE wave training coordinator and mentor had the biggest influence. He had an un-paralleled passion for the Six Sigma process and tools. He was like a kid in a candy store when you uncovered a vital “X” but he was also willing to roll up his sleeves and help you dig through your data if the causes were not easy to discern. I realized through his example that one of the key components to successful projects and six sigma implementation is mentoring and the appropriate mindset of mentors."

7. News: "What do you see in the future for six sigma as a business excellence strategy?"

7. Bob: "When driven from the top down and fully integrated with the business strategy, Six sigma has demonstrated its ability to significantly and positively effect the bottom line, but more importantly, it has the ability to give the business a data-driven common language and cohesiveness necessary to maintain internal and external customer focus and consequently a competitive edge in the market place. Six sigma will have continued success even during these difficult times by some and not by others due to management’s adoption or not of the process as a strategic tool."

Staff Writer, e-Zsigma, Inc. 

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If you have a six sigma "superstar" you would like to have featured in SpotLight, send your submission to news@e-zsigma.com.

Please include in your email;

1. a brief biography of the person you are recommending

2. the reason you are submitting their name

3. a photograph or "action shot" if you have one

4. your nominee's contact information (so that the e-Zsigma news team can obtain their consent as well as conduct an brief interview)

If you have any questions regarding Six Sigma Spotlight, please contact e-Zsigma at news@e-zsigma.com.  Your feedback is always appreciated.